Dolphin EasyReader

Series 1

General Information on supported formats

Dolphin EasyReader is a software tool that not only reads DAISY 2.02 and DAISY 3 materials (including Bookshare material) it also reada HTML and text files. The EasyReader is available in more than 15 languages, including Spanish, Italian and German languages.

DAISY 2.02 and DAISY 3 materials contain multiple files.  Both formats contain a control file, NCC (DAISY 2.02) or NCX (DAISY 3), which keeps the material together. The text in the material is stored in an HTML (DAISY 2.02) or an XML (DAISY 3) file. The audio is typically streamed in MP3  format and the synchronisation between text and audio is controlled by SMIL files.

DAISY 2.02 materials can generally be protected by the PDTB scheme, however, the EasyReader can open materials that are protected with PDTB version 1.

EasyReader 101 – How to get started

EasyReader must be installed on the computer in order to read your DAISY files.

When starting EasyReader for the first time the help file (in DAISY format) will be opened as the default book. Please take the opportunity to listen to this before using the software. You can always reach the help file later via F1 and close it again with Esc. The help file describes all the features in detail and the extensive list of hotkeys can also be found here

Using hotkeys is the most efficient way of using the Dolphin EasyReader. Hotkeys can always be found by using the Key Description Mode (Shift+F1), which will announce the function for the pressed hotkey.

The EasyReader interface, not being a standard Windows interface, is fully accessible via self voicing or a screen reader.

EasyReader 102 – Getting to the point

DAISY books can be obtained from your school, a talking book library or a public library. Some organisations offer books as downloadables, such as, Bookshare.

Some organisations distribute HTML or Text files instead o DAISY materials. These can also be opened in the Dolphin EasyReader. To have these read out loud, the user will need a speech synthesiser installed on the computer.

To open any material, start EasyReader and click on the Open Book button or press Ctrl+O. The open dialog box is now shown. Select the drive that contains the material. If there are materials n the selected location they will be listed with the title and a symbol. If the material you are looking is located in a sub-folder, open the appropriate folder(s) until the material is found. Mark the material and press the Open button.

If EasyReader is running and a CD with DAISY material is inserted, the user is asked if the material should be opened. However, if EasyReader is not running and the user inserts a CD with DAISY material, EasyReader will not be automatically launched.

EasyReader can open materials from all drives that are available on your computer. The main distribution unit for DAISY materials is currently a CD but some organisations have started to distribute it on memory cards as well. To be able to read such a card the user needs a card reader attached to the computer.

If the DAISY material is too big to fit onto one CD or memory card, a so-called “multi-volume book” is created by the producer. Each volume of a multi-volume book includes the full table of contents but only a part of the material. For example, volume 1 includes chapter 1 to 6, volume 2 includes chapter 7 to 10 and volume 3 contains chapter 11. If volume 1 is inserted and the user tries to navigate to chapter 9 there will be an audio announcement: “Please insert volume 2”. If the correct volume is then inserted the playback will continue on chapter 9.

Dolphin EasyReader 2.31

Series 2*

EasyReader 201 - Playing your book

When the material is opened the playback will start automatically as default. If the material contains audio it will play but if it comes without pre-recorded audio, the text will be played by a speech synthesiser.

To start and stop playback, use the Start/Stop button or press Spacebar.

There are several ways to navigate once you open your materials in EasyReader. Depending on how well structured the material is you can use some or all of the functions described in this series.

EasyReader 202 – Navigating in your book

To find out how your material is structured, open the Navigation Control dialog or click on CTRL+N. Select the Index tab and you will get a list of all navigation elements, such as, Heading, Page Number and Sidebar. When one of the navigation elements is selected the list to the right will be populated with all elements of that type. In the same dialog box, there is a dropdown list with all available heading levels (maximum 6).

To navigate ‘heading by heading’ use the Previous or Next Heading button or press the Up or Down Arrow on the keyboard. That will go to previous or next heading regardless of level. To navigate  headings based on the level you selected press Ctrl+Up or Ctrl+Down Arrow.

If there are pages available in the material the user can step between them by using Previous or Next Page button or by pressing Page Up or Page Down button on the keyboard. The user can also go directly to a specific page by selecting the page in the list of Page Number elements or by using the Go To Page function in the Navigation Control dialog, reached by pressing Ctrl+G.

It is not possible to Fast Forward or Rewind in EasyReader but you can move between phrases instead (for time based navigation, see below). Use Previous or Next Phrase buttons or Left or Right Arrow buttons on the keyboard. If it is a DAISY material, the phrases are decided by the information in the SMIL files. If it is an HTML or Text file a phrase is the same as a text sentence.

On the main screen just above the buttons, there is a time slider that shows the current position (time-wise) in the book. By grabbing and moving this slider it is possible to navigate by time in the book. It is also possible to move backward and forward in time by pressing Ctrl+Left and Ctrl+Right buttons on the keyboard. As default, this will move the current position 10 seconds at a time. For customization options, see section below. It is not possible to go to a specific time position.

It is also possible to navigate in the material by looking for a certain word or expression. The navigation can be started from where the word or expression is found. To search the entire material use Search button or press Ctrl+S, all occurrences of the expression are listed in the dialog. To only search in the current document use the find function, press Ctrl+F.

EasyReader 203 – The BookMark

It is possible to bookmark special locations within the material. There is no limit on the number of bookmarks that can be set but it is only possible to set shortcut key to 10 of them. A bookmark can be just a placeholder or could have a text and/or audio note attached to it. To navigate between bookmarks press Ctrl+Page Up or Ctrl+Page Down buttons on the keyboard or go directly to a specific bookmark by clicking on it in the Navigation Control dialog under the Bookmarks tab. In this dialog it is also possible to remove bookmarks if needed. It is not possible to import or export bookmarks in the current version of EasyReader.

EasyReader 204 – Miscellaneous functions

The volume can be set by using the volume slider on the main screen or by pressing Ctrl+J or Ctrl+K to decrease or increase the volume. The volume change affects only EasyReader and takes affect after restarting the playback or when changing navigation point.

To alter the speed of the playback use the slider in the Preference dialog box (Ctrl+P and Playback tab) or press Alt+Shift+J or Alt+Shift+K to decrease or increase the speed. The speed change does not change the pitch of the voice, only the speed.

To find out more about the book please use Book Information (Ctrl+I). That dialog box contains: current time, total time, remaining time, current heading title, current level, current page and number of bookmarks.