Audiobooks generally come in two formats: MP3 and WMA. Both of these formats will play on PCs and Macs and most portable players, like the iPod.
The book publisher chooses which format they want the title to be distributed in. When you purchase a downloadable title from an online store, you are usually taken to a special area of the site where you can choose from a variety of file format based on the quality of the recording.
Naturally, the higher the quality, the bigger the file and thus the longer it will take to download. If you have a high speed broadband Internet connection you will probably prefer to download the highest quality file available. If you have a slow Internet connection you can choose to download a file that is smaller in size, but will not be of quite the same quality, but it will still be very listenable.
With 70% of the digital player market dominated by Apple and the iPod, a natural question is whether the audiobooks can be transferred to the iPod. The answer is a resounding "yes."
All you have to do is burn the files to CD first (this is a step we'd always recommend as it is wise to make a physical backup copy of anything you buy just in case your computer ever fails or is stolen) and then rip that CD straight into iTunes, when it's transferred to your iPod on synchronization.
And don't worry, Copying the files to an audio CD on your computer is quick and easy, particularly if you are using Windows.
It is very easy to download an audiobook. Once you have made your purchase from a reputable online store, you will be taken through to a special part of the site where you can download the files you have purchased. Easy to follow instructions are always provided on the download page.
Audiobooks will work on a standard PC and Mac and there is no risk of breaking the law as with many music sites and piracy.
ALL of the content of audiobooks has been approved by the publishers and copyright holders. As a paying customer you are
entitled to download and listen to these files as often as you wish and on whatever equipment you wish. However, like any other media, it is illegal to make copies of the files and give them to other people.
The length of time it will take for an audiobook download will vary greatly depending on what kind of Internet connection you have. If you have a broadband connection it will take just a few minutes per part. If you have a 56k dial-up connection it will be considerably slower.
If a recording is several hours long we will have split it into several parts to make it easier to download so even if
you are on a slow connection you can start listening to the first part whilst the others are downloading.
Showing posts with label audiobooks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label audiobooks. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
4 Reasons Why People Still Prefer Audio Books In Audiotape Formats Than CD Formats
Despite how great CDs are, many people still prefer audiocassettes to them, especially when it comes to listening to audio books.
Below are some of the reasons why:
One, Audio books in a CD format cannot contain more than 75 minutes of content but audiocassettes can hold as much as 90 whole minutes (and, in many cases much more) of narration.
I agree you can have the entire audio book spread out in several CDs, but not many people like to carry around too many CDs.
So, while you might need just a few audiocassettes for a particular audio book, you will probably need many more CDs for that same audio book.
Two, most people don't like to spend extra cash buying CD audio books when they can get the same audio book cheaper in audiocassettes.
For example, while an unabridged version of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" on 12 audiotapes can be bought for just $31.96 on the Barnes & Noble website, the CD format from Barnes & Noble costs almost double that amount - exactly $55.96 for 17 sets of CDs!
Of course, its not that they want to rip you off - it's simply because it costs much more to produce CDs than it does to produce audiocassettes.
Three, when you turn off your CD player while listening to an audio book, you won't be able to resume from the particular spot you left off. With a cassette, you can begin from the exact same spot you left off.
With CDs it can be frustrating when driving because each time you turn off your car, it would mean restarting the audio book or trying to locate exactly where you stopped.
Of course there are modern and more advanced CD players that can now save your location when you turn off your car, thereby allowing you to resume at the exact same spot you left off.
This won't work when you turn off the car AND take out the CD. But it will work with an audiocassette!
Four, because audio books are mainly just narration, many users don't see why they should spend the extra money to buy CDs because of issues of recording quality when they can get near enough the same quality with audiocassettes.
Their argument is that if it was sound "quality" they wanted, they would go for audio books in CD formats, but sound quality is the same with audiocassettes and CDs when it comes to audio books.
In more succinct terms - "the voice of humans (without drums and other musical paraphernalia) has very little to gain from the depth and clarity that comes with digital recordings in CD format!
Below are some of the reasons why:
One, Audio books in a CD format cannot contain more than 75 minutes of content but audiocassettes can hold as much as 90 whole minutes (and, in many cases much more) of narration.
I agree you can have the entire audio book spread out in several CDs, but not many people like to carry around too many CDs.
So, while you might need just a few audiocassettes for a particular audio book, you will probably need many more CDs for that same audio book.
Two, most people don't like to spend extra cash buying CD audio books when they can get the same audio book cheaper in audiocassettes.
For example, while an unabridged version of "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" on 12 audiotapes can be bought for just $31.96 on the Barnes & Noble website, the CD format from Barnes & Noble costs almost double that amount - exactly $55.96 for 17 sets of CDs!
Of course, its not that they want to rip you off - it's simply because it costs much more to produce CDs than it does to produce audiocassettes.
Three, when you turn off your CD player while listening to an audio book, you won't be able to resume from the particular spot you left off. With a cassette, you can begin from the exact same spot you left off.
With CDs it can be frustrating when driving because each time you turn off your car, it would mean restarting the audio book or trying to locate exactly where you stopped.
Of course there are modern and more advanced CD players that can now save your location when you turn off your car, thereby allowing you to resume at the exact same spot you left off.
This won't work when you turn off the car AND take out the CD. But it will work with an audiocassette!
Four, because audio books are mainly just narration, many users don't see why they should spend the extra money to buy CDs because of issues of recording quality when they can get near enough the same quality with audiocassettes.
Their argument is that if it was sound "quality" they wanted, they would go for audio books in CD formats, but sound quality is the same with audiocassettes and CDs when it comes to audio books.
In more succinct terms - "the voice of humans (without drums and other musical paraphernalia) has very little to gain from the depth and clarity that comes with digital recordings in CD format!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
