Category: Geeks r Us
Okay, so I've been using Learning Ally every summer since I've started college, since most of the textbooks at the CC near my house happen to be listed on there. Problem? This one book I need to get is in WMA, not DAISY, and I've had a hell of a time trying to get it onto my VR Stream. I did everything the way I normally do: Go to the website, log in, search for the shelf number, request to download the book, open it with the RFB&D Download Manager, wait, then transfer everything to the Stream via HumanWare Companion. But no matter what I do, I can't get the stupid thing to play. Do Streams not play WMA's? Or what am I doing wrong here? Help! I may just pull all this red hair out of my head!
Did you authorise your stream? remember that all of there files, including WMA's are copywrite protected, so they cant play on just any device. I forget how to authorize a stream because it's been a long time, as I mainly use bookshare for all my books now. My advice would be, if you can't get wma's to play on your stream, if you have bookshare, try downloading it from there
I have heard that the stream does not have a clock.
That's hard to believe because you almost have to work at it to build a controller board without an RTC and a clock, but oh well this is blind institutional shit we're talking about right?
Well, if you have no clock, no RTC on the board you cannot play digitally rights managed content like WMA. WMA licensing includes time stamps and validation.
Anyway if I get a talking player it would be a Plextalk or something I just can't believe anybody would make a controller board with no RTC on it, blind institutional whatever or otherwise that is just ridiculous. It is not learning ally's fault, you would not be able to play any WMA files.
Really, a controller board without an RTC! Wow! I hope I am wildly wrong / mistaken about this, but such is life with blind institutional stuff.
Oh, and your dinky MP3 player things that come with all sorts of devices now? Even on some pocket knives as a gimmick? Got an RTC. Go figure. Guess when they came up with Digital Rights Management for WMA and the Apple formats, they assumed (like most of us) that any device with a controller board of any sort would have an RTC.
DevilsFan: Yup, been authorized for a hundred years. Every other textbook I have works on it. I didn't think to check Bookshare, simply because the only textbooks of mine they've ever had have been literature ones. Once I was lucky to find a physics textbook, but that may be the extent of my findings. Lol
Leo: If that were the case, you would think that Learning Ally or HumanWare would make note of this. I may see if they have a software upgrade that might solve the issue. I could listen to the WMA thing on my Braille Sense, I guess, but you know how Learning Ally is, dividing up these books into hundreds of files so you can't steal them. I feel like reading it on my Braille Sense would be a nightmare. Lol
I have managed to get the Stream to play unprotected WMA files. this is about the extent of my knowledge on the matter, unfortunately.
How did you do that? Or was it just standard procedure?
Son you cannot get a RTC onto a board with a software upgrade, that is a piece of hardware. The only difference would be if for some otherwise ridiculous reason they had a proprietary OS on it that didn't recognize the clock. I don't quite know how you'd get past the boot loader with that one but again, perhaps I am completely wrong about this. I've only heard it from a couple of technically-credible sources, nothing from the adaptive industry in general or Humanware in particular.
You've got two devices? By all means use your other one.
Jessica you can play an unprotected WMA if your device supports it, because it's the encryption scheme in digital rights management for WMA that requires a clock.
I can't find much of my books on there if I am lucky I get one and now they want us to pay for them why shure we pay if get can't find any of the books on there? Erica.
Okidoki, so I'm going to retire this idea hahah. Thanks for your feedback, guys.
i think it would be a good idea to use your braille sence.