Hi, Just thinking about this thing. What if there was a way to put your RFB&D user ID number in the PTR1 prior to playing books. In this way, it wouldn't be necessary to send in your machine to have it authorized. Or why not send out a key that you would purchase and when the key has been successfully installed on your PTR1 it would no longer be able to execute again. In this way, it would be impossible to give your key away. My concern is this. What if not only RFB&D uses this scheme but Web Braille, BookShare and who knows who else decides to require that you send in your PTR1 to have each companies authorization placed on your machine. I'm glad that when our car has to go in to the shop, that I don't have to ship it to New Jersey and be without it for a few weeks. It's to bad that this is the case with something like the PTR1. I cant imagine that there isn't another way to deal with this situation other then sending in a PTR1 for keying to a particular producers key. While I understand the reasons for the protection, I think that this might be self defeating the whole purpose of having accessible reading materials available in the DAISY format. I use my PTR1 a lot and I do not want to be without it for any extended period of time. Just my thoughts on the matter. Please don't flame me.
Dan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Andrew Hodgson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 2:46 PM Subject: RE: RE: Re: Revised PTR1 Firmware Upgrade Schedule and Features List Hi, Ok, I think here the issue is that the PTR1 will be more useful to people in the US if it can be used with RFBD books, and part of making the PTR1 usable with RFBD books is to sign contracts ensuring certain criteria is met. Whether you use the PTR1 in conjunction with another device that has not passed the criteria checks is left up to you. Remember how strict RFBD are with their policy of having to have players in their offices to add UAK's to them? Andrew. > -----Original Message----- > From: Guido Corona [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > Sent: 08 June 2004 16:01 > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: RE: Re: Revised PTR1 Firmware Upgrade Schedule and > Features List > > The software lock which prevents backing up an RFB&D CD from > a disk to the > PTR1-resident card does not prevent the same operation from being > performed on a PC. As such, the lock only prevents a user > without a PC > from loading multiple books on his own PTR1 for his/her > legitimate and > fair use. Conversely it does not prevent the same person > from utilizing a > PC to perform the same task. Nor it prevents the > illegitimate duplication > of any RFB&D CD from a PC, even including the usage of PTR1 > as a slave > device. > > Furthermore, I contend that if perfectly legitimate major hardware > manufacturers and software providers feel free to market > computers and > operating systems which potentially can be used to perform > illegitimate > operations by the general public, > Plextor should not feel itself obliged to limit fair usage by print > disabled users in the US, who access materials in a > specialized format. > For more info on fair use, please see section 107 in chapter > 1 of the US > copyright act at: > http://www.copyright.gov/title17/92chap1.html#107 > > Thanks, > > Guido > > > Guido D. Corona > IBM Accessibility Center, Austin Tx. > IBM Research, > Phone: (512) 838-9735 > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Visit my weekly Accessibility WebLog at: > http://www-3.ibm.com/able/weblog/corona_weblog.html > > > > > > "Andrew Hodgson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > 06/07/2004 04:44 PM > Please respond to > ptr1-users > > > To > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > cc > > Subject > RE: Re: Revised PTR1 Firmware Upgrade Schedule and Features List > > > > > > > Hi, > > The legal part is there to preserve the reputation for publishers of > material and also to preserve the reputation of Plextor as a company. > After all, it is RFBD who have the widest array of publishers/newer > titles in their library than other libraries of this type (excluding > Bookshare), you don't just get that overnight. > > Andrew. > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Guido Corona [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Sent: 07 June 2004 21:34 > > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Subject: Re: Revised PTR1 Firmware Upgrade Schedule and > Features List > > > > Nice list of upgrade. What is obviously missing is the > > ability of backing > > up RFB&D books from disk to card. > > As the lock can be easily circumvented by using Windows > > Explorer on a PC, > > the legally-mandated PTR1 limitation remains rather silly. > > > > Guido > > > > > > Guido D. Corona > > IBM Accessibility Center, Austin Tx. > > IBM Research, > > Phone: (512) 838-9735 > > Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > Visit my weekly Accessibility WebLog at: > > http://www-3.ibm.com/able/weblog/corona_weblog.html > > > > > > > > > > > > "Jeff Samco" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > 06/07/2004 03:14 PM > > Please respond to > > ptr1-users > > > > > > To > > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > cc > > > > Subject > > Revised PTR1 Firmware Upgrade Schedule and Features List > > > > > > > > > > > > > > This was recently posted on the Plextalk website. > > Jeff Samco > > IRTI Customer Support > > Grass Valley, CAlifornia > > --- > > Revised PTR1 Firmware Upgrade Schedule and Features List > > Posted date June 4, 2004 > > http://www.plextalk.com/news_20040604.html > > > > Dear PTR1 users, > > > > Thank you for your support of our products and for your valuable > > suggestions > > for > > further improvement. > > This announcement revises the release schedule for the upcoming PTR1 > > firmware upgrade. > > We are obliged to inform you the release date will be delayed from > > original > > announcement > > to the end of July. The reason is we need additional time > for thorough > > quality testing > > in order to ensure the new firmware will be as reliable as > > possible. We > > thank you > > in advance for your understanding and patience. > > > > Please refer to the following revised list of features. > > > > 1. Playback Features > > > > Easy Fast Rewind and Forward Feature Added > > In new firmware, when you press and hold fast rewind and > forward for a > > while, it > > continues fast rewind/forward until you press the play key. > > > > Fast Rewind and Fast Forward sound level > > In current firmware, the fast rewind and fast forward > > operations create a > > loud queuing > > sound. With the new firmware these operations will now have > a reduced > > sound > > level. > > > > Time Jump Navigation Feature Added > > The time jump option is added in the navigation menu. First > > press the 2 or > > 8 > > key > > until you hear the "time". Then each press of the 4 or 6 key > > will cause a > > jump of > > one minute, and press and hold 2 or 8 key to move by 10 minutes. > > > > Changed MP3 or CD-DA Playback Navigation > > In the current firmware, a user can go back to the previous > > music track by > > pressing > > the 4 key. > > In the new firmware, the 4 key will moves to the beginning of > > the current > > track as > > with standard CD players. > > > > Changed The Playback Behavior > > The existing firmware automatically jumps to the beginning of > > a new title > > when a > > current title comes to an end. New firmware does not jump to > > the beginning > > of a new > > title, user must do it manually to prevent overwriting the original > > recordings. > > > > Enhanced MP3 playback on the memory card > > The existing firmware can not play MP3 files in the PC card. > > New firmware > > allows > > playback of MP3 files in the PC card > > > > Change in Playback Behavior at End of Title > > In the current firmware, when playback of a current title > > comes to an end, > > playback > > stops at the end. When the play key is pressed again, playback > > automatically > > jumps > > to the beginning of the title. In the new firmware, > playback will not > > automatically > > jump to the beginning of a title when you press the play key. > > User must do > > so manually > > to prevent accidental overwriting of the original recordings. > > > > Enhanced MP3 Playback on a Memory Card > > The current firmware cannot play MP3 files in the PC card > > without DAISY > > navigation > > files. In the new firmware, the PC card will be recognized as > > an MP3 card > > and allow > > playback of MP3 files which are not part of a Daisy title. > > > > Improved Compatibility for Playback of Different MP3 Formats > > The current firmware has limited playback compatibility with > > various MP3 > > file formats > > especially for the variable bit rate (VBR) format. The new > > firmware allows > > playback > > of most MP3 file formats. > > > > 2. Recording Features > > > > Recording Level Adjustment Feature Added > > The current firmware only allows adjustment of the recording > > level at the > > beginning > > of recording procedure. The new firmware allows adjustment of the > > recording > > level > > at any time during recording by just pressing the information > > key. To exit > > level > > adjustment press the information key again. > > > > Improved MP3 Encoding Audio Quality and Added High Bit rate Stereo > > Encoding > > New firmware improves MP3 audio quality during playback and > > added 256kbps > > high bit > > rate stereo encoding. > > > > 3. Editing Features > > > > Page and Heading Number Guide during Recording and Editing > > The current firmware does not give page nor heading guide > > numbers when the > > pages > > or headings are marked. New firmware will offer these > features during > > recording and > > editing. > > > > 4. Voice Guidance Features > > > > Low Battery Warning Feature Added > > In current firmware, when the battery level is low the unit > > automatically > > shuts down > > without any warnings to prevent any recording or memory > > failures. With the > > new firmware, > > users will receive a one minute low battery warning. This > > way, the user > > can > > choose > > to plug the unit into an electrical outlet or stop the > > recording before > > the > > unit > > automatically shuts down. > > > > Capacity Announcement Feature Added > > The current firmware announces the amount of remaining > > recording time when > > a > > user > > wants to know the data space. However, since many users are > using high > > capacity memory > > cards, data space announced in GB or MB is useful in addition to the > > remaining recording > > time. New firmware will announce the remaining data volume in > > both MB and > > recordable > > time as well as data volume of current title. > > > > Corrected Announcement for 5GB PCMCIA Type II Hard Disk Card > > The current firmware can only recognize 2GB cards for > > recording since the > > calculation > > comes from the limitation of maximum one audio file capacity > > as 2GB. New > > firmware > > will announce the entire available recording time and the remaining > > capacity. > > > > Change in Selection of Waiting Sounds > > With new firmware, users can select from three different > > waiting sounds: > > musical, > > a single tone or No sound. > > > > No Voice Announcement When Changing The Main Volume Level > > According to user feedback, it is not necessary to announce > > the adjustment > > of the > > playback volume during playback of a title. New firmware will > > not feature > > a > > volume > > level announcement when adjusted during playback. > > > > Change in Order of Time Report for Current Title > > When the Play Stop key is pressed, the current time report is > > not in the > > best possible > > order. > > New firmware will change the order to, first, the elapsed > > time, second, > > remaining > > time and, last, total time of current title. Since the total > > time never > > changes in > > a book, it should be reported last and many users want to > > know elapsed and > > remaining > > time information as quickly as possible. > > > > 5. Bookmark Features > > > > The current firmware cannot take over all bookmarks when > > finalizing. New > > firmware > > takes over all bookmarks whenever finalized. > > > > If you have any questions , comments or suggestions, please do not > > hesitate > > to contact > > to us. > > > > Yours faithfully, > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > To unsubscribe, e-mail: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > For additional commands, e-mail: > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > For additional commands, e-mail: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
