"I Have a Dream" DAISY Digital Talking Book Demonstration

AFB and Time Warner Unveil New Audio Book Technology

On September 21, 2000, as part of a White House initiative on bridging the "digital divide," AFB president and CEO, Carl R. Augusto, accompanied President Bill Clinton on a trip to Flint, Michigan. There, Time Warner AudioBooks and Intellectual Properties Management, Inc. (IPM), in association with AFB Talking Books (now Talking Book Productions), unveiled a prototype of a digitally synchronized audio and text version of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

"I Have a Dream" is part of "A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.", which was published in hardcover by Warner Books and as an audio program (featuring original recordings of Dr. King) by Time Warner AudioBooks in December 2000. AFB Talking Books—the creator and producer of audio books for over 65 years—produced the book in this new format developed through the research of the Digital Audio-based Information SYstem (DAISY) Consortium. People who are blind, visually impaired, or dyslexic will now be able to enjoy these historic words in an exciting new way.

"We are proud to have developed this prototype for Time Warner AudioBooks, said Augusto. "It will revolutionize the way books, e-books, and audiobooks are used." The ability to 'toggle' (or switch back and forth) between audio and print versions of the same work increases the accessibility and enriches the value of each component. Readers will be able to have the text of the book displayed on screen or in braille, fully synchronized with the audio of Dr. King and a professional narrator. In addition, this synchronization technology has broad appeal for students (particularly those learning English as a second language), schools, travelers, and commuters who may wish to consult the text and listen to the audio independently or simultaneously.

Talking Book Productions can provide either full audio book production or any combination of the following services: project coordinating, casting, paymaster services, directing, engineering, recording, proofreading, editing, mastering, duplication, packaging, and fulfillment.

For a demonstration of DAISY technology, follow the instructions below to download Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

How to Download and Play the DAISY Digital Talking Book Demonstration

Download

1. Click download link below.
2. When the dialog box comes up asking you where to save the file, we recommend that you save it to the desktop (for future access).
3. Once download is complete, switch to your desktop and double click on the file you just downloaded. This will install the demonstration.
4. Hit the "next" button for all subsequent dialog boxes when prompted.
5. When installation is complete click on the newly created "I Have A Dream" icon on your desktop. The program will load and the demo will start playing.

To Play

• Play and Pause - Spacebar
• Play next phrase - Right Arrow
• Play previous phrase - Left Arrow
• Next screen - Down Arrow
• Previous screen - Up Arrow
• Go to start - Home
• Go to end - End
• Larger font - Ctrl+4
• Standard Font Size - Ctrl+3
• Search text - Shift+Ctrl+F, type text, press Enter
• Copy current text to clipboard - Ctrl+C
• Stop - Escape key

  Download the Martin Luther King, Jr. Digital Talking Book Demo (for fast connections)

 Download the Martin Luther King, Jr. Digital Talking Book Demo (for dial-up connections)

Related Announcements

• DB-Review: Join a Discussion Group of Digital Talking Books
• View all announcements