# NLS digital players

Category: accessible Devices

## Post 1 by kithri (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Tuesday, 01-Jun-2010 19:24:38

I just thought I'd post here about the NLS digital player for those who have them. There are two kinds of players the standard and the advanced and if anyone actually thought about, since we get these things free, go for the advanced one. Mine is. I like how if you speed up the speed, the tone of the voice stays the same and doesn't end up sounding like a chipmunk like on the cassette players. Also, the books are all on one cartridge instead of 2 or more cassettes that have 4 sides each. Also you cat either download books onto a cartridge or any standard USB thumb drive and you can download as many as you want, well until your chosen download device is full. You can download day or night and don't have to wait for the mail to get a book. The quality of the voice on the books is quite good and the player will give you instructions on how to use it if you need them. The player has a much longer lasting battery and is lighter and smaller than the cassette players.
1. If you have an advanced player and you have more than one book downloaded onto something and you can't get to the next book; do the following
press the play button and hold until it says bookshelf and then while still holding the play button down use the rewind or fast forward keys to scroll through your bookshelf
This is only good for advanced players
There are only a couple of things they need to look at, I think and one is placing that message above in the spoken information under the information button as it took me a bit to figure it out.
Also the slot in the front of the player is left completely open and I would think dust and bits of stuff would get in there and could possibly cause problems.
Well, even though this one doesn't play daisy books like the VR-Stream, it's still cool.
Oh, for anyone registered with the NLS that doesn't have a digital player and would like one free; contact your local library branch.
Also for those that are users of NLS and all ready have a digital player like a VR-Stream and you want to use this as the NLS library player, you can, but you have to register it with NLS before you can download books.

## Post 2 by Damia (I'm oppinionated deal with it.) on Wednesday, 02-Jun-2010 4:48:36

also there's already a board topic about this.

## Post 3 by Harp (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Wednesday, 02-Jun-2010 11:30:04

A minor correction but when you're using the bookshelf feature with the advanced players you don't have to continue holding in the play button to navigate between books. Simply hold the play button down until the player has entered the bookshelf mode, then use the next and previous buttons instead of the rewind and forward buttons. Next and previous are located higher up the player above the sleep button either side of the menu button.
Hope that helps.
Dan.

## Post 4 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Wednesday, 02-Jun-2010 13:43:25

Also, the standard player also has the bookshelf feature. And like Dan Said, once you enter the bookshelf, you don't need to keep holding the play button down.

## Post 5 by kithri (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Wednesday, 02-Jun-2010 18:05:27

I think they should also take the time down from 30 min to 15 or ten when the player is left on so it automatically shuts off. This will save more of the battery.

## Post 6 by SexySquirrel (I can't call it a day til I enter the zone BBS) on Wednesday, 02-Jun-2010 20:27:04

Grate machines!

## Post 7 by Smiling Sunshine (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Wednesday, 29-Dec-2010 13:42:47

Yep, I absolutely love mine! I really like the book mark feature for use with cookbooks. That's been allot of fun.

## Post 8 by synthesizer101 (I just keep on posting!) on Wednesday, 29-Dec-2010 13:53:36

I like mine (it's advanced) but I have to say I use my book sense more, and only use the player occasionally. My cartridge is constantly in the slot, so I don't worry about dust and stuff like that. I agree the system's really really good. By the way, I think humanware made these machines; they have the victor voice that is on the reader (cd player) and stream. They even have the same sort of on/off beeps.

## Post 9 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Wednesday, 29-Dec-2010 16:57:12

yep, i'm surprised at the audio quolety of the books to be honest. It sounds more like studio like how its suppose to sound.....
They actually make the cassettes to sound pretty good, but there isn't any good quolety players bein manufactured.
John

## Post 10 by CrystalSapphire (Uzuri uongo ndani) on Thursday, 06-Jan-2011 12:32:10

I like them too!

## Post 11 by SexySquirrel (I can't call it a day til I enter the zone BBS) on Thursday, 06-Jan-2011 20:03:42

I sure like my player. They are really great machines!
No more cassettes for me!
A friend has a Victor stream and really likes hers. She takes it to work everyday.

## Post 12 by Lisa's Girl forever (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Saturday, 05-Mar-2011 8:41:00

cool. i'm going to ask for a new pplayer soon.

## Post 13 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Sunday, 13-Mar-2011 11:26:52

Problem is not every book in the library is yet or will be available in cartridge form. So for some books you still have to resort to cassettes. But I too have one of these players and like it, not merely for the quality of the recordings but also because of its small size. I have mine sitting on my nightstand next to a small boom box I've had for abot four orfive years and both fit comfortably n it.

## Post 14 by Reyami (I've broken five thousand! any more awards going?) on Friday, 18-Mar-2011 19:48:45

On another topic, does anyone know where i could actualy buy these cartridges so I have a way to back up my digital talking book collection in case the computer crashes? And to post three, thank you so much for the hint on how to navigate through the bookshelf. I just got mine about a month ago and had a hell of a time figuring that one out. It doesn't appear to be in the user guide anywhere. I've got the advanced version of the player.

## Post 15 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Saturday, 19-Mar-2011 2:51:49

You can get a lot of info, including where to buy cartridges and thumb drives that work in the machines, from bardtalk.com. There is also an email list for BARD users with the NLS players and other devices that play the digital books.

## Post 16 by Twinklestar09 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Saturday, 19-Mar-2011 6:15:35

If you want cartridges for the NLS Player, I believe the American Printing House for the Blind has them. They're for $12.00 each and can hold Talking Books as well as Daisy files.

## Post 17 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Saturday, 19-Mar-2011 13:33:58

If you get a cartridge rather than a thum drive, you have to buy the connector cable. APH also sells those. Of course you only need one cable and can buy as many cartridges as you want.

## Post 18 by Dave_H (the boringest guy you'll ever know) on Saturday, 19-Mar-2011 16:10:25

The cart is just a fancy thumbdrive. I just use an ordinary 4 gb stick for books. FYI, if you put music into a directory called "audio+podcasts", the NLS player will play them.

## Post 19 by synthesizer101 (I just keep on posting!) on Monday, 21-Mar-2011 21:31:13

Or, if you have them in there with no book. But you can't get to them if there's a NLS book also there. But the folder name is not immportant--in fact, it played some files I never knew I had on my flash drive.

## Post 20 by Twinklestar09 (I've now got the bronze prolific poster award! now going for the silver award!) on Tuesday, 22-Mar-2011 4:48:29

Wow; that's cool to learn that it can play music, especially since the machine has that sleep feature. *smile* I wonder if that feature would still work while playing music.

## Post 21 by devinprater (Veteran Zoner) on Wednesday, 08-Jun-2011 15:39:18

I have a standard, but I'm thinking about getting the advanced pretty darn soon. If I do get the advanced, I won't need the bookport at all! Well its a bookport+ anyways, but I had to send it back to school as it was theres, but anyways, I just wonder, if I do get the advanced, should I send the standard back in the mail after requesting it, or when I get the advanced? Cause I'm reading a few books, and I want to continue reading them until the advanced gets here.

## Post 22 by Dave_H (the boringest guy you'll ever know) on Thursday, 09-Jun-2011 15:22:02

I'd wait for the Advanced to arrive, then send the Standard in the box the Advanced came in. There's a card, on the box, that you turn over, just as you would to return a book. I like my Advanced.

## Post 23 by lcornwell1 (Newborn Zoner) on Thursday, 01-Sep-2011 16:26:45

well the vrstream is lot faster to put books omto

## Post 24 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Thursday, 01-Sep-2011 17:21:41

I have had mine now for over a month. Works for sitting in my ofice, my first real experience with talking books since school 20 years ago. Good for when you're doing the sort of work doesn't take too much concentration.

## Post 25 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Thursday, 08-Sep-2011 2:23:39

I haven't a clue which player I have, though seeing as I got it a year ago at least I'm guessing it was probably the standard. Could be mistaken though.

## Post 26 by synthesizer101 (I just keep on posting!) on Thursday, 08-Sep-2011 12:13:23

Let's see. You have the play button area, then you have the speaker area. Do you have 5 keys in a row between the sleep button and the speaker? If so, you have advanced.

## Post 27 by Dave_H (the boringest guy you'll ever know) on Thursday, 08-Sep-2011 13:50:36

I've never had the Basic, and don't understand why it is made. Maybe it's smaller and lighter than the Advanced? These players are a bit large, but their battery life and audio output quality can't be beat. To the poster who says loading the VR Stream is faster than loading the NLS player, in what part of the process do you see delay or inefficiency? It seems, to me, extracting books to folders on a usb drive takes same amount of time as does extracting to folders on an sd card?

## Post 28 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Thursday, 08-Sep-2011 14:30:11

It is made for the elderly and other print-impaired folks who are not as technically competent or don't need all the advanced features. The NLS Talking book and Braille service does more than provide stuff for people of working or school age who are capable.

## Post 29 by Dave_H (the boringest guy you'll ever know) on Thursday, 08-Sep-2011 20:51:45

Thank you, I forget that, sometimes; lol.

## Post 30 by Blue Velvet (I've got the platinum golden silver bronze poster award.) on Thursday, 08-Sep-2011 21:05:05

It was my understanding that you will receive the standard player unless you request the advanced player. I got the standard, and when it is time to replace it I will ask for an advanced player, but I doubt if I'll use most of the advanced features. The main reason I would like one is because it has an information button that you can press while listening to a book. Right now with the standard player, if I want to find out how much time I have left in that book, I have to turn the player off and then turn it back on again and listen to it tell me the name of the book again along with where I am in the book and how much time is left.

## Post 31 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Thursday, 08-Sep-2011 21:26:55

You will probably like the bookmark and jump features also, so you can move around from place to place using the markup in the book.

## Post 32 by maddog (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Saturday, 10-Sep-2011 16:32:09

The bookmark feature is also really useful for some of the older books which they are slowly converting from cassette into digital, because in a lot of instances, they're not putting chapter jumps for any of them. So if you don't want to lose your place and want to skip forward or backward, inserting a bookmark will be your only alternative. You'll see what I mean if you chance on downloading one of those books.

## Post 33 by rat (star trek rules!) on Saturday, 10-Sep-2011 16:50:54

i got the advanced player without asking, so i'm not sure if you just get the standard or not

## Post 34 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Tuesday, 13-Sep-2011 10:50:03

Then I'm guessing I do, in fact, have the advanced player.

## Post 35 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Monday, 10-Oct-2011 17:55:56

You'd think there would be a master reel, so that it wouldn't have to be converted from cassette.
Though I've found the cassettes are actually pretty good quolity. Just record the cassette useing a pro michene, reverse the right channel, slow the audio down by 100%, save each file as a mono file makeing sure the left and right channel audio is in seprit files.

## Post 36 by blindbat84 (Generic Zoner) on Tuesday, 27-Dec-2011 10:35:08

I guess I got the Standard version of this, but I am happy with that, though would love the bookmark feature for cookbooks. Now that I have a Plex Talk Pocket, I guess I don't need to worry about it. It is a really nice unit either way and love the cartridges. I go nuts downloading books and only get a couple cartridges any more. Use a 4GB SanDisk Micro for books on it and leave it on my bookshelf headboard.
So much nicer than cassettes, and it is great to be able to gather a collection of favorites. I really like how some of the books now are commercial audio books, rather than specially recorded for NLS by readers.
Hope to see more of that in the future.

## Post 37 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Tuesday, 27-Dec-2011 17:39:11

I noticed that a few years ago. The comercial audiobook thing I mean.

## Post 38 by JH_Radio (I've now got the silver prolific poster award! wahoo!) on Saturday, 31-Dec-2011 23:03:06

I've never seen this.Why is it that the LLibrary always used there own readers? Copyright issues?

## Post 39 by roxtar (move over school!) on Wednesday, 04-Jan-2012 21:48:58

Does anybody know of a software package that will play nls books? I've lookead, and haven't been able to find one.
Thanks in advance.
Zach

## Post 40 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Thursday, 05-Jan-2012 22:39:13

To be honest I wis they'd done the commercial thing for te reissue of the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings. Because qite frankly I don't tink David Palmer has the right voice for those books. Although I will admit that Carol Jordan Stewart did a fair job with The Hobbit.

## Post 41 by synthesizer101 (I just keep on posting!) on Friday, 06-Jan-2012 16:05:46

I'm sorry, but there is no way for a software program to play these books, as they use DRM and the NLS would have to make one themselves.

## Post 42 by roxtar (move over school!) on Friday, 06-Jan-2012 23:01:17

Yeah, that's about what I thought.
It's a shame that no software exists to play these files, as it would be convenient to be able to play them on a laptop, as opposed to carrying around an external device.
Oh well, thanks for the info.
Zach

## Post 43 by maddog (I'll have the last word, thank you!) on Sunday, 08-Jan-2012 15:59:40

I'm honestly hoping that LOC will conform to the modern age and make an iPod/iPhone/iPad ap that will allow people to download the books onto those devices to listen to them. The books aren't particularly big, certainly no larger than the average audio book so memory would hardly be an issue.

## Post 44 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Sunday, 08-Jan-2012 22:15:13

I was just thinking that.

## Post 45 by starfly (99956) on Monday, 09-Jan-2012 11:50:30

A third party app for IOS and Android would bee great.

## Post 46 by synthesizer101 (I just keep on posting!) on Tuesday, 10-Jan-2012 20:12:26

By "third party" do you mean that NLS gives access to their DRM scheme and let some app developer make a player? Call me crazy but I don't see this happening. People would take so much advantage of this, and NLS would be in trouble with publishers. Also, there is a way to hack the books, which is definitely illegal and extremely painstaking (there are some really good reasons I haven't done so).

## Post 47 by Dave_H (the boringest guy you'll ever know) on Friday, 20-Jan-2012 11:00:37

They've opened the DRM to some third-party developers, namely those who make blindness-specific devices, like the Levelstar Icon. Opening it to the wider development community might call for a change to the Talking Book program's charter; at least, the relationship of the NLS and publishers would have to be redefined. I'm surprised the need for the Talking Book program, itself, hasn't been challenged by budget hawks as being unnecessary, thanks to the availability of commercial audio books.

## Post 48 by BryanP22 (Novice theriminist) on Friday, 20-Jan-2012 13:06:46

That's true. But commercial audiobooks can be expensive sometimes.

## Post 49 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Friday, 20-Jan-2012 14:52:54

There have been proposals to budget cuts which would kill off the NLS program.
Two things: There is proprietary software all over the world for a ton of different things which requires secure logins just to use it. Entirely possible the NLS could construct such a situation if they wanted and if they had the resources.
Second, a proper comparison is to compare NLS with your local library. To claim sighted people don't borrow books for free is a crock, no more no less. And I don't personally care what so-called leader of a so-called blind community claims otherwise. They and the Al Sharptons of the world are frequently operating perpendicular to the rest of us.
My daughter who can see goes to the public library all the time. I have supported her use of the library for as long as she has been old enough to use it.
Second: Civilized societies, and this includes even developing countries, have libraries. If people want to start shutting down libraries, perhaps they should move to Afghanistan or someplace else that is underdeveloped. Though even there you will find libraries are present.
So if I buy a book from the app store, it's precisely because I want to own it. If I borrow one from the NLS, I use it and then delete it. Now, if they want to get smart about it like the local online libraries do, they could have an audit system whereby you check out the book online, and its Digital rights die after the turn-in date. Again, lots of libraries do this.
Brf would be challenging that way because of its current text-based nature, but still.
There is no comparison between my desire to go out and buy a book,and my desire to borrow one. If I buy it, it's because I want to keep it as well as read it. If I check it out, it's because I want to read it, or need to read it.
Mark this: the same people wanting to shut down NLS were the same fools in the mid 1990s who wanted to withdraw all funding for libraries. Again, these fools are racing for the bottom, while developing countries are scrambling for the top. These fools have none but themselves to blame when it happens, no matter how much they're gonna cry like a bunch of schoolgirls when it does.
I am all for the responsible oversight of any library program, including NLS, and for the responsible use of it. I also realize NLS does to an extent run on the honor system, e.g. you download your books, you use them, you "turn them back in" as it were aka delete the files and not pass them around.
The question is, how honorable are its users, and those tasked with budget oversight in Congress.

## Post 50 by glori (Veteran Zoner) on Saturday, 21-Jan-2012 17:39:41

To the last poster,
Good post!

## Post 51 by synthesizer101 (I just keep on posting!) on Saturday, 21-Jan-2012 19:19:13

I agree. Although, it should be noted that these blind devices are extremely expensive and the hypothetical sighted people getting the books will most likely not buy one. However, many have an android phone/tablet or an iSomething, and exploitation would be much more common, with a friend's user login, technical hack, or some other method. Also, post 49 is completely correct. Many students are required to read things (or people just want to read something), and they just borrow it from the library. The blind should be able to do so as well, which is why we have NLS. However, if such mainstream applications come into being, people may see the easiness of exploitation, and NLS might be shut down. Then, we are back to ordering braille books and waiting a couple eons for them to arrive, and even those might be shut down, if people such as were mentioned in post 49 were leading the shut down effort. Then, we would have to buy books through something like audible or iBooks, something many sighted people don't do. The only other option is to buy a print copy and scan it in. Then, if you get caught doing that, it's copyright infringement. That only leaves kindles/iBooks/audible. It should be noted that iBooks is the only way to read those books in braille. I realize this is a worst-case scenario, but it is possible, which is the primary reason against mainstream devices' support of NLS books. I don't claim this as a complete fix, but all patrons do get a free player, so this can compensate somewhat, even though it is too large to take with you on a normal day.

## Post 52 by Espking (Zone BBS is my Life) on Saturday, 11-Feb-2012 19:27:53

I used to have one of them, but only recived 2 cartridges, and Didn't have it for long, as I moved it to be in a storage unit in washington. I use my stream more offen.