Audiobooks discussion

Originally posted by member CatBookMom elsewhere and moved ...

Audiobook fans over at Ravelry have posted about a new change and download problems with OneClickDigital, a good source of audiobooks via public libraries. I'm still trying to figure it out, but it sounds like some of the audiobooks will no longer be playable on anything other than SmartDevices, not on MP3 players, not on PCs. Apparently Microsoft has dropped support of DRM (isn't it their own product??). OneClickDigital (OCD) has books from some publishers that weren't on OverDrive, as I understand it.

I don't have a SmartPhone, though I do have a Kindle Fire, and I hadn't been getting a lot of content from OCD, but I'm a huge fan of Sansa Clip MP3 players, and use them nearly 100% of the time for my audiobooks. Has anyone else gotten any update from OCD about this?

Thanks for setting up a thread for this, John!

I'm a big Sansa Clip fan too and while I get most of my books via OverDrive, I do get some from OneClick. I'll be following this thread with great interest.

This is sounds like bad news since all I use is a MP3 player. I haven't had a very easy time downloading from OCD, I can't use their player and have to download it as a zip file and open in Media Player. This will be sad if I lose the ability to use it at all since they do have some audio that Overdrive does not carry. Have to wait and see I guess.

Both Hoopla and audiobooks.com only allow access to books through their apps, so it's looking like a trend. I guess it's a way to assure publishers that access to their books is limited, for example: library users can't keep the books forever and purchasers can't easily share books with others. But, I don't really know.

Personally, I don't like listening to books on my smart phone or tablet; I prefer a smaller player like my iPod 4 which isn't compatible with many newer services like Hoopla or audiobooks.com,

I just upgraded my computer's OCD media player, and the below notice came up...

Notice to our customers:

Due to Microsoft's decision to no longer support DRM encryption, protected OneClickdigital titles can no longer be transferred from the OneClickdigital Media Manager. This affects WMA devices such as Sansa, Zen, and Sony Walkman.

You can still listen to protected titles in the OneClickdigital Media Manager, stream the titles from your library’s OneClickdigital website, or listen to the title with one of the OneClickdigital mobile apps on Apple, Android, or Kindle Fire devices.

Thank you for using our software!


I use my smartphone, so it doesn't affect me, but thought folks would be interested.

Good thing I've never gotten many titles from OCD.

I hadn't checked their selection for a long time, but I did revisit them recently. They do have a pretty good collection of Ivan Doig books. I was also able to get The Invention of Wings from them as well. They also have a bunch of American Girl books, which my daughter enjoys.

Karen wrote: "This is sounds like bad news since all I use is a MP3 player. I haven't had a very easy time downloading from OCD, I can't use their player and have to download it as a zip file and open in Media P..."

I, too, prefer listening to a small player. I absolutely love my iPhone 6+, but it's really difficult to carry it around tethered to earbuds. I rarely wear clothes with pockets, or, pockets large enough (try sitting down with such a large item in your jeans), so I have to have it in my hand--Kindle is even worse because it's bigger. I'm rarely in a location where I can use the external speakers in either device. I LOVE my Sansa Clips!!!

I thought most women carry a purse?

John wrote: "I thought most women carry a purse?"

Well, even the purse carriers among us don't have them when walking in the woods or mowing the lawn :)

John wrote: "I thought most women carry a purse?"

Did you ever figure out how to manage earbuds with a device in your purse? Try to keep the little cords from getting tangled up in the handles? Carry a purse while washing dishes? I use mine to cart stuff around, but not usually as an audiobook accessory. My big issue is at work where I set the phone or tablet on my desk, listen away and then forget I'm attached and jump up to take care of something. AHRGGG!

I actually DO use a messenger bag-type briefcase as an audiobook accessory, so yes I have managed earbuds that way. For washing the dishes, or mowing the lawn the phone would go in my trouser pocket. I dislike summer because it's too hot to wear a coat for books!

I guess that's the downside of the Sansa and other basic MP3's...no bluetooth headphone capability. Now that I use bluetooth headphones, I would never go back to the cords!

Kristie wrote: "I guess that's the downside of the Sansa and other basic MP3's...no bluetooth headphone capability. Now that I use bluetooth headphones, I would never go back to the cords!"

You can get a little gadget to plug into a Sansa Clip that makes it bluetooth capable. I got this one (http://tinyurl.com/qbsyn9v). I found out about this work-around via audiobook fans at Ravelry, when I had trouble with my ears and had to stop using earbuds for a while last year.

I found the behind-the-head earphones I bought to be awkward and heavy, so I haven't been using them since the ear problem cleared up. And it's annoying to have to fumble around with two devices when you want to pause or rewind the audiobook.

What sort of headphones are you using?

Going back to the changes at One Click Digital, FWIW, I was able to download Murder of Crows from OCD today and had no problem with it transferring to my Sansa Clip, using the OCD Manager on my PC.

CatBookMom wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I guess that's the downside of the Sansa and other basic MP3's...no bluetooth headphone capability. Now that I use bluetooth headphones, I would never go back to the cords!"

You ca..."

I use the Kinivo BTH220 Bluetooth Stereo Headphone (link below). I've used them for 2 years now, and they still work great. There may be newer, better options out there now... I didn't want earbuds, but I also didn't want huge headphones, so these are a nice middle ground. Plus they do go behind my head, so they don't mess my hair up when I wear them at work. :)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005...

CatBookMom wrote: "Going back to the changes at One Click Digital, FWIW, I was able to download Murder of Crows from OCD today and had no problem with it transferring to my Sansa Clip, using the OCD M..."

Hmm, maybe that book wasn't one of the protected titles?

Kristie wrote: "CatBookMom wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I guess that's the downside of the Sansa and other basic MP3's...no bluetooth headphone capability. Now that I use bluetooth headphones, I would never go back to ..."

Thanks Kristi, I've never used bluetooth headphones, but ordered those Kinivo's this week, kind of randomly (promoted as a deal on Amazon this week); so glad to hear they work!

Donna wrote: "Kristie wrote: "CatBookMom wrote: "Kristie wrote: "I guess that's the downside of the Sansa and other basic MP3's...no bluetooth headphone capability. Now that I use bluetooth headphones, I would n..."

Hope you like them! A couple other people from this group have ordered them based on my referral, and both really liked them. Just being free of the cords is so great. I don't know how many times I'd gotten cords hooked in the dishwasher or tangled among my laundry. No more. :)

Actual MP3 files (ending in .mp3) are not DRM protected. Is it possible that your Sansa protocol isn't set to "automatic"?

I, too, am a Sandisk Clip fan and primarily rely on Overdrive for my library audio book borrowings. OCD works well for unprotected books (and this not limited to classic literature). I don't download directly to the Sandisk, but download to my computer, rename the chapters/files (they come across as a name of numbers which is utterly unhelpful), define genre, author, etc than up load to the Sandisk. Works well for me!

OneClickDigital, which I get through my library, has their books clearly marked as protected or non-protected. You can even choose a filter which shows you only the non-protected books. When I had trouble downloading the books, an email exchange with their support person gave me the solution to my problem. I really like my small Zen Mosaic, by the way. I am very sorry that I can't download the protected books on it.

Ellen wrote: "OneClickDigital, which I get through my library, has their books clearly marked as protected or non-protected. You can even choose a filter which shows you only the non-protected books. When I ha..."

Ellen, can you tell me about how to find the filter - is that on the online/site?

CatBookMom wrote: "Ellen wrote: "OneClickDigital, which I get through my library, has their books clearly marked as protected or non-protected. You can even choose a filter which shows you only the non-protected boo..."

There's a search bar in the center top of the page. Just to the left of the word "Search" is "All" and a down triangle for a drop down menu. From the drop down menu, select Advanced Search. In that drop down menu will be the option "All Digital Right" from that drop down menu, select "Non-Protected".

Ellen wrote: "OneClickDigital, which I get through my library, has their books clearly marked as protected or non-protected. You can even choose a filter which shows you only the non-protected books. When I ha..."

I too love my Zen Mosaic but I don't know about protected/non-protected. I haven't been able to use the One click download software for several years so I just manually download with winzip and open them that way. Guess I will have to check for those drop down menus and see what everyone is talking about.

I found this discussion thread when I recently ran into this error. I currently am extremely happy with my sansa clip jam and really hate to switch to apple but I am thinking of getting the least expensive apple product that will still allow me to use oneclick. Has anyone found this to be an acceptable way around this? If so, what product are you using? And does the book expire after you download it? One of the things I liked about using it on my sansa is that it doesn't exprire on the mp3 player and I can listen even after it has been returned to the library. I am not trying to build a library for free but sometimes I just don't get the book finished in time or remember to extend my checkout. This way I just delete it from the mp3 player when I need to check out my next few books.

Jodi wrote: "I found this discussion thread when I recently ran into this error. I currently am extremely happy with my sansa clip jam and really hate to switch to apple but I am thinking of getting the least ..."

I also like keeping books on my MP3 players because they don't expire. Unfortunately you lose that with the new rules for OneClick. I don't think just buying an Apple product (like an iPod) will work. You need something like a smartphone or tablet that connects to the Internet and/or OneClick - so yes it will go away when the borrowing period is over. Since the change I have only been able to use OneClick on my Android phone, so I made sure it was a title I was going to listen to immediately. I don't mind it other than running the battery down quicker, but I prefer putting on a player.

I wrote to OneClickdigital about the issue. I'll quote you what they said below.

Personally, I am VERY unhappy with the decision. As I listen to audiobooks while hiking, chopping wood, etc., streaming or listening on a tablet are out.

I wrote to three of my local libraries, encouraging them to drop OneClickdigital and purchase more books on CD instead.

Here's what OneClickdigital said when I asked for a SPECIFIC list of devices that their service was compatible with:

"Thank you for your email regarding the OneClickdigital program. We recommend the most recent version of these devices, as older model iPods are no longer supported. Please contact the manufacturer for information on which version of the most recent. We did find this helpful Apple website which shows the current versions: http://support.apple.com/en-us/HT1353

"For devices that support apps such as iPhone, iPod Touch, Android phones and tablets, and Kindle Fire devices, we recommend using the OneClickdigital eAudio app to have access to your library’s full OneClickdigital collection."

In other words, it sounds like a NEW Apple product, streaming, or a tablet - or you're out!

John

To solve the problem of services requiring apps for use, I picked up a no-contract Android phone (LG Volt) for $30 last Black Friday. It's my go to audio device - audiobooks, radio, music, etc. If it gets broken or lost, I'll get a new phone. They're cheap enough so as to not put a strain on my wallet.

With low to mid range phones, you're pretty much stuck with the OS version it ships with. Chances are, it'll never get upgraded. When the day comes that my Volt will no longer support my favorite apps because of the OS version, then I'll get a new phone. At these prices, replacing the phone every two to three years is a no brainer.

tubemonkey wrote: "To solve the problem of services requiring apps for use, I picked up a no-contract Android phone (LG Volt) for $30 last Black Friday. It's my go to audio device - audiobooks, radio, music, etc. If ..."

That's a really good idea. My MP3 player is more expensive than that, but it is a lot smaller. It doesn't support Blue Tooth, though. Thanks, I'll have to try one & see if it might work out better.

tubemonkey wrote: "To solve the problem of services requiring apps for use, I picked up a no-contract Android phone (LG Volt) for $30 last Black Friday. It's my go to audio device - audiobooks, radio, music, etc. If ..."

I've never known phone batteries to last very long. Hopefully, it's a solution for some, but I go on six, eight, 10 hour - or longer - hikes. I'm guessing the battery would be depleted long before I finished. For me, an MP3 player is about the only solution...

tubemonkey wrote: "To solve the problem of services requiring apps for use, I picked up a no-contract Android phone (LG Volt) for $30 last Black Friday. It's my go to audio device - audiobooks, radio, music, etc. If ..."

tubemonkey, are you using it as a phone too (pay as you go service) or just as an audio device? Wondering whether you have to pay for monthly smart phone service or can you just use wifi.

Donna wrote: "tubemonkey, are you using it as a phone too (pay as you go service) or just as an audio device? Wondering whether you have to pay for monthly smart phone service or can you just use wifi."

No, I'm using it strictly as a pocket-sized tablet (wifi only). No-contract phones don't require phone activation.

Jim wrote: "That's a really good idea. My MP3 player is more expensive than that, but it is a lot smaller. It doesn't support Blue Tooth, though. Thanks, I'll have to try one & see if it might work out better."

YW; it is on the large side but fills the void for books my Clip Zip can't load.

John wrote: "I've never known phone batteries to last very long. Hopefully, it's a solution for some, but I go on six, eight, 10 hour - or longer - hikes. I'm guessing the battery would be depleted long before I finished. For me, an MP3 player is about the only solution..."

When I'm out and about where size becomes a factor, I use my Clip Zip and resign myself to the fact that there will be some audiobooks that I'll never be able to listen to. Otherwise, I use my LG Volt.

I just wanted to give everyone an update. My daughter had two old ipods that she wasn't using and the first one I attempted has worked for me. It is a 5th generation ipod nano. So my plan is to use the ipod for one click books and my sansa clip for my overdrive. This was particularly important for me because I was in the middle of a book series that is only on oneclick. Now I can continue that series. Yay!

Not sure this post belongs here but couldn't find a better place for it. I don't have the issue you all are talking about because I listen to OCD on my iPhone but I am having a different issue. I'm hearing a lot of background noise in the audio I'm listening to, sounds like chatter and clicking noises. I don't often use OCD so I'm not sure whether the problem lies with OCD or this particular audio. Anybody?