Digital Talking Books are produced in the DAISY format which utilizes
both HTML and SMIL.  DTBs may be produced so as to be highly
structured, thus enabling extensive navigational ability within a book.
 See http://www.daisy.org for more information.  DTBs typically contain
compressed audio files which include recorded human speech, so screen
reader technology is not an essential element for book playback.
Examples of the software to which I was referring include:
Playback 2000 http://www.tpb.se/english/daisy/orderp2k.htm and;
LpPlayer http://www.labyrinten.se/english/lpplayer.html

Hope this answers your questions.  Let me know if you need more
details.
--Steve Noble


--- John Nissen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hello Steve,
>
> You say:  "Also, keep in mind that Digital Talking Books do not
> have to be played on one of these stand-alone machines, but can be
> utilized on a computer with fairly inexpensive (perhaps free)
> software."
>
> Does this mean that the material is available in ASCII?  Ideally
> it would be available in HTML, so you have headings, emphasis,
> and hyperlinks.  Then it can be read by inexpensive software such as
> WordAloud.  You can download a free (but time-limited) evaluation
> copy of
> the software from www.wordaloud.co.uk.  Is this the kind of software
> to which you were referring?  If you say the needs of the end-user
> are the driving force, then you should be catering for the majority
> of visually impaired people who are elderly and need some very simple
> software to use.  WordAloud was developed in the Senior Online
> project,
> and made exceptionally simple to use for elderly people reading from
> the web.
>
> Cheers from Chiswick,
>
> John
> --
> In message  <[log in to unmask]>
> [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> >As the former Manager of Product Development for Recording for the
> >Blind & Dyslexic, I can tell you that we addressed the Digital
> Talking
> >Book initiative by making the needs of the end-user the driving
> force
> >of the whole process.  Huge amounts of feedback from beta-testers
> and
> >other users were continuously re-integrated into the design process
> to
> >ensure that the resulting product would be the best technology
> >available--delivered at a reasonable cost and within a reasonable
> time
> >period.
> >
> >One of the problems we have always been concerned about is the cost
> of
> >the stand-alone DTB players.  Remember that we do not design or
> build
> >any type of hardware--we only create the accessible content.  The
> two
> >hardware manufacturers, Plextor and VisuAide, have also invested
> >several years of research and design effort into their products, and
> I
> >can tell you that even at $500 they may not be recouping their
> expenses
> >for quite some time into the future.  However, once there is a
> >sufficient demand for these devices, one can expect the cost to drop
> >sooner or later.  Also, keep in mind that Digital Talking Books do
> not
> >have to be played on one of these stand-alone machines, but can be
> >utilized on a computer with fairly inexpensive (perhaps free)
> software.
> >
> >
> >In an ideal world, educational materials (including textbooks) would
> be
> >universally designed and fully accessible from the start, and
> >specialized equipment and services would not be required to gain
> access
> >to these materials.  Although you and I will never live in an ideal
> >world, it may be that current legislative initiatives (such as the
> >proposed Accessible Instructional Materials Act supported by the
> NFB,
> >ACB, NFB, RFB&D and others) will someday transport us into a world
> >where providing access to educational information (at least) will be
> >required by law.
> >
> >Steve Noble
> >Policy Analyst
> >Kentucky Assistive Technology Service Network
> >8412 Westport Road
> >Louisville, KY 40242
> >Voice: (502) 327-0022 x268
> >Fax: (502) 327-9974
> >[log in to unmask]
> >Board of Directors, Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic (KY Unit)
> >Board of Directors, Learning Disabilities Association of Kentucky
> >Contributing Editor, Information Technology and Disabilities
>
> --
> Access the word, access the world! -- Try our WordAloud software!!
>
> John Nissen, Cloudworld Ltd., Chiswick, London, UK
> Tel:   +44 (0) 845 458 3944 (local rate in the UK)
> Fax:   +44 (0) 20 8742 8715
> Email: [log in to unmask]
> Web:   http://www.cloudworld.co.uk and http://www.wordaloud.co.uk