VICTOR READER STREAM

USER GUIDE

by HumanWare

revision 6-20120416

 


 

 

 

 

 

User Guide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


About VICTOR READER STREAM

HumanWare is proud to introduce VICTOR READER STREAM, the powerful digital talking book player.

VICTOR READER STREAM is designed as an advanced high performance DAISY, MP3, and NISO player for students, professionals, or on-the-go people who have extensive reading needs. It allows you to transfer content from your PC to its removable flash memory card and provides advanced navigation of multiple formats including DAISY, MP3, NISO and electronic text. The VICTOR READER STREAM will be referred to as the Stream throughout this User guide to lighten the text.

 

Copyright 2010. All rights reserved, HumanWare Canada.

This User Guide is protected by copyright belonging to HumanWare, with all rights reserved. The User Guide may not be copied in whole or in part, without written consent from HumanWare.

 


Table of Contents

 

1.     Overview of VICTOR READER STREAM.. 6

1.1         Unpacking the Player. 6

1.2         Optional features. 6

1.3         Physical Description of VICTOR READER STREAM.. 6

1.3.1        Front Face of the Player 6

1.3.2        Left Side of the Player 7

1.3.3        Right Side of the Player 7

1.3.4        Top Edge of the Player 7

1.3.5        Back side of the Player (Battery Compartment) 7

1.3.6        USB Cartridge Holder (optional) 8

1.3.7        Copying NLS cartridges. 8

1.4         Power Button. 8

1.4.1        Turning the Player On and Off 8

1.4.2        Player Reset Using Power Button. 9

1.5         Inserting or Removing the SD Card.. 9

1.5.1        SD Card Voice Label 9

1.6         Memory Card Detection. 9

1.7         Bookshelf Structure. 9

1.8         Other Reserved File Names. 11

1.9         Transferring Files Between Your PC and Stream.. 11

2.     Basic Functions. 12

2.1         Changing Volume, Speed, Tone/Pitch. 12

2.1.1        Different Speed settings for TTS and Audio playback. 12

2.2         Changing Bass and Treble (Music bookshelf) 12

2.3         Play/Stop. 12

2.4         Rewind and Fast Forward.. 12

2.5         Key Describer Mode. 12

3.     Numeric Key Functions. 14

3.1         Numeric Key pad List. 14

3.2         Navigation Keys. 14

3.2.1        Undo navigation. 14

3.3         Time Jump Navigation Mode. 14

3.4         Text-to-Speech Navigation Elements. 14

3.5         Spell Mode for Text Bookshelf. 15

3.6         Skippable elements. 15

3.6.1        Recall skippable elements. 15

3.7         Bookshelf Navigation — Key 1. 15

3.7.1        Multi-Level Bookshelf Navigation. 15

3.8         User Guide — Key 1 (Press and hold) 16

3.9         Delete Function — Key 3. 16

3.10      Copying books from USB flash drives. 16

3.11      Where am I ? — Key 5. 16

3.11.1      Where am I tag information. 16

3.11.2      Where am I for Audible books. 16

3.12      Multi-Voice Text to Speech (TTS) 16

3.13      Audio, Text, and Random Music Playback Modes — Key 9. 17

3.14      Confirm, Lock and Cancel — Pound and Star keys. 17

3.15      Info — Key 0. 17

3.15.1      Available Information Items. 17

4.     Advanced Functions. 19

4.1         Go to Page. 19

4.2         Go to Heading.. 19

4.3         Go to Time. 19

4.4         Go to Beginning and End of Book. 19

4.5         Go to Book. 19

4.6         Text Search. 19

4.6.1        Search Next or Previous. 20

4.6.2        Search for Current Word. 21

4.7         Recording Audio Notes. 21

4.8         Bookmarks. 21

4.8.1        Go to Bookmark. 22

4.8.2        Insert Bookmark. 22

4.8.3        Insert audio Bookmark. 22

4.8.4        Highlight Bookmark. 23

4.8.5        Bookmark List 23

4.8.6        Remove Bookmark. 24

4.8.7        Bookmark alert 24

4.9         Sleep Mode — Sleep key. 24

5.     Configuration Menu – Key 7. 25

5.1         Menus and Menu Items List. 25

5.1.1        Playback. 26

5.1.2        Skip. 26

5.2         Language menu. 26

5.2.1        Text-to-Speech voice. 26

5.2.2        Braille translation tables. 27

5.3         Recording with optional SoftPak. 27

5.4         Format SD card.. 27

6.     Bookshelf Structure and Characteristics. 28

6.1         Other Books. 28

6.1.1        Other Books Structure. 28

6.1.2        Other Books Characteristics. 28

6.2         Audible Books. 29

6.2.1        Audible Structure. 29

6.2.2        Audible Characteristics. 29

6.3         Music Bookshelf. 29

6.3.1        Music Structure. 29

6.3.2        Music Characteristics. 30

6.3.3        Music Search. 30

6.3.4        Playlists. 30

6.3.5        Temporary Playlist 30

6.3.6        Folder and File Name Announcement 31

6.4         Podcasts Bookshelf. 31

6.4.1        Podcast Structure. 31

6.4.2        Podcasts Characteristics. 32

6.5         Text Bookshelf. 32

6.5.1        Text File Structure. 32

6.5.2        Text File Characteristics. 32

6.5.3        Navigating HTML/XML/DOCX Headings. 32

6.5.4        Go To Percent key. 32

7.     Updating Stream Software. 34

8.     Stream SoftPak Features. 35

9.     Technical Specifications. 36

10.       Battery Safety Precautions. 38

11.       HumanWare Canada Contact Information. 39

12.       End User License Agreement. 40

13.       Appendix 1 - Stream Error Messages. 41

1. Overview of VICTOR READER STREAM

 

1.1    Unpacking the Player

 

The package contains the following items:

In some countries the package may also contain a card to fill out to purchase an optional extension to your basic warranty. If you find this card and are interested in the extended warranty please return the card within 30 days. If you have difficulty filling out the card or wish more information please contact HumanWare:

Toll Free: 1 888 723-7273 (Canada & U.S.A.)

Telephone: 1 (819) 471-4818

E-mail: ca.sales@humanware.com

 

1.2    Optional features

 

You can even further enhance the already extensive capabilities of the Stream by purchasing the additional features of the Stream SoftPak. See section 8 for more information.

 

1.3     Physical Description of VICTOR READER STREAM

1.3.1        Front Face of the Player

The face of the player can be divided into three sections:

There is a raised line below the numeric key pad and above the Sleep key to separate the middle and bottom sections.

1.3.2        Left Side of the Player

On the left side of the player, near the top corner, is the Power/Toggle button. You press and hold this button to power on and off the player. When the player is on, you press this same Power button to toggle the volume, speed and tone/pitch settings. Below the Power button are two triangular buttons. These are the Up and Down buttons used to increase or decrease the respective volume, speed or tone selected with the toggle button. These settings are saved between sessions. For your convenience, separate volume settings are saved for each of the built-in speaker and headphones.

1.3.3        Right Side of the Player

On the right side of the player, near the top corner, is the earphones jack which can also be used to connect external speakers. Next to it is the microphone jack. Halfway down the right side between two rough surfaces is the Record button which is red and has a raised dot in the middle.

1.3.4        Top Edge of the Player

Located on the top edge, on the left corner is a mini-USB connector. This is used to access books on USB storage devices using the included USB cables. Next to it, in the middle, is the SD memory card slot. On the right is the power input jack. Plug on end of the power adapter into the power input jack and the other into an electrical outlet to recharge the battery.

1.3.5        Back side of the Player (Battery Compartment)

The battery compartment is located in the back of the player. To remove the battery door, press on the finger pads and slide the door down and off. You may also find it easier to grip the player around the curved bottom end with your fingers on the key pad and the heel of your palm on the battery door. Then squeeze gently against the door and slide it down and off. You will find a semi-circular opening at the top center of the battery compartment.

To remove the battery: place your finger in the semi-circular opening and push and lift the finger tab.

To insert the battery: Find the proper battery orientation. On the bottom edge of the battery is a bump to the left of the center, and two tabs on either side. The top edge of the battery has a finger tab in the middle. The top surface of the battery has a label which covers most of the top face of the battery. This label side must be up when the battery is inserted. Insert the bottom edge first, making certain the bump fits in the appropriate opening on the left, and snap the top edge in place. The top side of the battery with label is facing up.

The battery is designed to fit in only the correct orientation. If you feel any resistance it is likely you have the battery upside down. Secure the battery compartment by sliding the door back on, ensuring it locks in place.

The fully charged battery will provide up to 15 hours playtime. However, battery playtime may be reduced in the following cases:

The battery will automatically recharge if needed whenever the player is plugged to AC power. If the player is powered Off and plugged in, the power LED indicator will blink if the battery is recharging. The player can also be used while recharging but in this case the LED will glow steady instead of blink. A full recharge takes up to 4 hours.

When the player is not connected to a power outlet, and left in pause mode for more than 30 minutes, it will shut Off automatically to save the battery.

Important: It is normal for the battery to become warm during recharging. Therefore, it is recommended not to charge the battery with the player near a heat source or within the carrying case.

Note: The player's serial number can be found in the top left corner of the battery compartment. The serial number can also be obtained by pressing INFO (key 0).

1.3.6        USB Cartridge Holder (optional)

 

Your Victor Reader Stream can accommodate an optional USB cartridge holder connected to the back of the player. This optional cartridge holder must be purchased as an accessory. The use of the USB cartridge holder is for those who are eligible to receive books from the NLS (National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped) library in the United States. The NLS l talking books will be distributed on special book cartridges that can be inserted into this holder so they may be played on the Stream if the Stream is authorized to play the NLS books. In order for the Stream to be authorized the user must be eligible for NLS service and be registered by their local library. Please contact your local library for more information on NLS service eligibility. The cartridge holder includes an integral USB connector to allow the player to access the data on the book cartridge.

 

If you have not purchased the USB cartridge holder you may still play books on an NLS cartridge or books on a USB flash drive by connecting to the USB connector on the top left corner of the Stream using the short USB cable provided. The USB cartridge holder is only needed if you wish to have the NLS book cartridge connected to the player without using the cable.

 

To attach the NLS cartridge holder:

 

 

 

 

To remove the cartridge holder, simultaneously press the two buttons on the sides of the holder. This will release the fastening clasps and allow you to remove the cartridge holder.

 

1.3.7        Copying NLS cartridges

 

To copy books from the cartridge to the SD card, make sure the NLS cartridge is connected to the Stream using the short USB cable or the optional cartridge holder. To copy, press key 3 while the book is playing or stopped. The rate of progression will be announced regularly until the operation is completed. It will take about one minute to copy 20mb, the average NISO book will require about 10 minutes. This copying process can be cancelled at any time by pressing the Star key. If any special character (\, /, :, *, <, >, |, .) is in the book title, it will be replaced by "_".

1.4    Power Button

1.4.1        Turning the Player On and Off

To turn the player On, press and hold the Power key, which is located on the left side of the player, near the top corner. You will hear a beep and a welcome message.

To turn the player Off, press and hold the Power key again. You will hear two beeps indicating the player is powering Off.

1.4.2        Player Reset Using Power Button

Devices with multiple layers of complex software such as the Stream may become unresponsive if a software lock occurs. If the Stream does not respond to any key presses including power off, hold down the Power button for 7 seconds to force a player hard reset.

 

1.5    Inserting or Removing the SD Card

To insert and remove the SD card follow these steps:

- Hold the player facing you. The SD card slot is on the top edge of the player in the centre.

- One corner of the SD card is cut at a 45 degree angle.

This cut corner should be at the bottom left when you insert the card into the player slot. If the card is not oriented properly it will resist insertion. The card has a small write-lock tab on its right edge. This tab should be in the down position if you plan to write information on the card such as recording or deleting voice notes. If you only listen to books, the tab can be put in the up position to write protect the SD card.

- Gently push the card down into the slot until it clicks into place. Do not use excessive force. Only slight pressure is required to lock the SD card into place.

- To remove the card push down on the top edge to release it. Then pull it out.

1.5.1        SD Card Voice Label

Attaching print or Braille labels to SD cards is not possible as it can damage the Stream. To help you identify SD cards, the Stream supports an optional voice label. The label is stored in a reserved text file named $VRLabel.txt saved on the root of the SD card. In the Tools menu of the Stream Companion version 3, you can create this label file for your SD card. You may also use Windows Notepad to create the file. Whenever you insert the card or turn on the Stream, it will look for this label file. If found, Stream will announce its contents. Note that the label cannot exceed 50 characters. Stream will ignore any characters after the first 50 in the label file. This label file is optional. If you do not require an auto-announcing label for your SD card there is no need to set it up. This label has nothing to do with the label that you see when viewing the SD card Properties in Windows.

 

1.6    Memory Card Detection

When playing the contents of an SD card and it is removed from the player, the player will switch to the first book on the USB source (if any) or enter the key describer mode.

 

If the player is powered on with both an SD card and USB source present, the system will scan the SD card first and will select the last book played. If the last book read is not present, it will select the first available book present on the SD card. If no books are found on the SD card, then the system will scan for books on a USB source.

 

1.7    Bookshelf Structure

The Stream recognizes various book types which are saved in separate folder structures called Bookshelves. You select the Bookshelf you want to read with multiple presses of the Bookshelf (1) key. You move backward and forward along each Bookshelf using the 4 and 6 keys. The Bookshelf list is circular. Except for the Notes bookshelf, only the non-empty bookshelves will be announced. On the SD or USB source each Bookshelf is stored within a reserved folder name beginning with “$VR”. Within each of these reserved folders (Bookshelves) there may be user defined subfolders containing separate books or categories of files. You may put other folders and files on the SD card but it is only the contents of the $VR reserved folders that define the Stream bookshelves. Note that when you insert a card that is not write-protected, Stream will automatically create the $VR reserved folders, except for $VRAudible.

The Bookshelf structure and usage are defined as follows:

 

Bookshelf: Talking Books ($VRDTB folder).

Book types: DAISY 2.x, NISO Z39.86, NIMAS 1.1 (EPUB book type is included with the Stream SoftPak. See Section 8.)

Usage: The files comprising each of your DAISY or NISO books should be saved in separate subfolders under this folder. Use the  2 / 8 keys to select folder or book navigation level and keys  4 / 6 to navigate at the chosen level. Press PLAY to select the book. In this bookshelf the current reading position and bookmarks are saved separately for each book.

 

Bookshelf: Other Books ($VROtherBooks folder).

Book types: Non-DAISY or non-NISO recorded books composed of any of the Stream's supported audio file types.

Usage: The files comprising each book should be saved in separate subfolders under this folder. Folders may be nested. Optionally, single-file books may be directly placed in the root folder. Use the  2 / 8 keys to select folder or book navigation level and keys  4 / 6 to navigate at the chosen level. Press PLAY to select the book. In this bookshelf the current reading position and bookmarks are saved separately for each book. Playback stops at the end of the last file of each book.

 

Bookshelf: Audible books ($VRAudible folder)

Book types: Audible format 4 (Audible Enhanced format is included with the Stream SoftPak. See Section 8.)  

Usage: The files comprising each book should be saved in this reserved folder. Subfolders must not be used. Use the 4 / 6 keys to move between books. Press PLAY to select the book. In this bookshelf the current reading position and bookmarks are saved separately for each book. Playback stops at the end of the last file of each book. The Audible bookshelf will only be created when you activate your Stream for Audible books.

 

Bookshelf: Music ($VRMusic folder).

Book types: Playlists (M3U type only) and recorded files composed of any of the Stream's supported audio file types.

Usage: A music book is either a playlist or the entire music structure (referred to as All Music book). The current reading position and bookmarks are saved separately for each book. You navigate between music books using the 4 and 6 keys on the bookshelf. The All Music book consists of nested folders containing audio files. For example, the structure could be genre, artist, album, and tracks. Navigate the All Music book using 2 / 8 keys to choose folder or file navigation level and then move within that level using 4 / 6 keys. Playback continues from the last file of one folder to the first file of the next folder. Random play mode (set by pressing 9) applies only to the Music books.

 

Bookshelf: Podcasts ($VRPodcasts)

Book types: Any of the Stream's supported audio file types.

Usage: Each podcast file is defined as a separate book meaning you must move from file to file using the 4 / 6 keys while in the Bookshelf. Files may be in subfolders in which case you use keys 2/8 to select folder or book navigation level. Reading position and bookmarks are saved separately for each book (file). Playback stops at the end of each book (file).

 

Bookshelf: Text ($VRText folder).

Book types: Text files (txt, rtf, html, xml, brf) (DOCX format is included with the Stream SoftPak. See Section 8.)

Usage: Each text file is defined as a separate book meaning you must move from file to file using the 4 / 6 keys while in the Bookshelf. Files may be in subfolders in which case you use keys 2/8 to select folder or book navigation level. Reading position and bookmarks are saved separately for each book (file). Playback stops at the end of each book (file). Note: If your braille file (.brf) is not playing correctly, check that you have selected the correct braille translation table in the configuration menu (Key 7).

 

Bookshelf: Notes ($VRNotes folder)  

Book types: Recorded voice notes of 3GP file type (MP3 and WAV are included with the Stream SoftPak. See Section 8.)

Usage: This is a single list of files recorded by the Stream where each file is given an incremental number for each separate recording. The list of notes is defined as a single book meaning there is only one current reading position and set of bookmarks for all the notes.

 

Note: Folder names are shown in mixed case for readability but Stream does not require mixed case.

 

1.8    Other Reserved File Names

The Stream may create other file names beginning with “$VR” on the SD card. Removing or altering these files could result in unpredictable behavior.

 

1.9    Transferring Files Between Your PC and Stream

To connect Stream to your PC, turn the Stream's power off, connect one end of the long USB cable to the mini-USB on the top left edge of the Stream and the other end to your PC's USB port. Then turn the Stream back On. Windows will recognize the Stream SD's card as a USB drive and you can then use Windows Explorer to transfer files back and forth. If you have an SD card reader on your PC, it will be faster to transfer files using the PC's SD card reader than using the USB cable with the Stream. If you are not familiar with file transfers using Windows Explorer you may want to try installing the optional Stream companion software provided on your Stream CD. It has a separate User Guide also found on the CD.

 

The Stream must remain powered on while connected to the PC. While connected, its controls will not function. When you disconnect from the PC, you will need to power off the Stream.

 

You can switch SD cards in the Stream while connected but before removing the SD or disconnecting the Stream be sure to use the Safely Remove Hardware function on the Windows System Tray.

 

2.   Basic Functions

2.1    Changing Volume, Speed, Tone/Pitch

When the Stream is on, press the Power button on the top left side multiple times to toggle volume, speed, or tone/pitch settings. After 10 seconds of non-use, the toggle control will return to Volume. Use the up / down arrows on the left side just below the Power button to raise or lower the selected setting. There is a beep to mark the upper and lower range of each control. If the book is not playing, STREAM will announce the setting position. For tone/pitch and speed there is also a beep to mark the normal or 0 position. This indicates a flat tone setting, a normal pitch or normal speed setting. Note that the Pitch setting replaces Tone for Text-To-Speech books. The Pitch setting used does not affect the Tone setting used for recorded audio books. Note that you can alter the Tone control so that it varies the audio pitch instead. To do this, press key 7 to open the Playback and Navigation Menu. Then use the down arrow to find Audio Adjustment mode and use the right or left arrow to select Pitch.

2.1.1        Different Speed settings for TTS and Audio playback

The Stream will remember separate Speed settings for both TTS and audio playback. You can change the speed of one without affecting the other. All recorded audio books will play at the same speed. The same will apply to all books using Text-to-Speech. Note that music files are not affected by this as their speed is always set to normal by default.

2.2    Changing Bass and Treble (Music bookshelf)

For the Music bookshelf, the Tone setting is replaced with Bass and Treble controls. Press the Power button multiple times to toggle between Volume, Speed, Bass, and Treble. To alter the lower frequencies select the Bass control and either add bass by setting the control to a positive value or remove bass by selecting a setting below zero. Similarly, you can add or remove treble. Adding or removing bass will not alter the treble and vice versa. To hear the music unaltered, set the bass and treble controls to their 0 setting.

2.3    Play/Stop

To start playing a book, press the Play/Stop key.

To stop playing a book, press the Play/Stop key again.

NOTE: Like the Pound key, you can also press Play/Stop to confirm an operation or end a numeric or text entry. If you confirm or end with Play/Stop then playback will start at the same time.

2.4    Rewind and Fast Forward

These keys allow you to go backward or forward quickly.

Press and hold the Rewind or Fast Forward key until you reach the desired spot, the movement of the Rewind or Fast Forward keys will accelerate the longer you hold the key down. For each three seconds you hold the keys you will move forward or backward 1 minute, 2 minutes, 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes and so on. The largest jump is 5 minutes. Between each three second jump, Stream will announce the time jump and play a normal speed clip.

If you simply press and release Fast Forward or Rewind instead of holding it down, playback will jump forward or backward by 5 seconds.

2.5    Key Describer Mode

When an SD or USB source is present, press and hold the Info (0) key to access the Key Describer Mode. Press and hold the Info key again to exit the Key Describer Mode.

When no SD or USB source is present, the Key Describer mode will be activated automatically.

While in Key Describer mode you may press any key to hear its function.

3.  Numeric Key Functions

3.1    Numeric Key pad List

 

 

3.2    Navigation Keys

Stream allows you to navigate by chapter, section, page, time jump, paragraph, or any other existing indexed element defined by the producer of the book.

Use the 2 and 8 keys to choose a navigation level. These differ from book to book but typically level 1 means chapter, level 2 means section, and level 3 means sub-section and so on. The page element may not be present on all books. The phrase level is usually the smallest navigation element but this is defined by the book producer. Stream limits phrase jumps to a maximum length of 1 minute. First, choose a navigation level (chapter, page, etc.), using the 2 and 8 keys. Then use the 4 and 6 keys to move backward and forward between elements at the selected level. The 2 and 8 keys will announce only the levels available for the book. The phrase level is always provided but its extent depends on the book producer.

3.2.1        Undo navigation

Pressing Cancel (star) within 10 seconds of any single move backwards or forwards using keys 4 or 6 or single go to page move will undo the operation and return you to your previous position.  The Undo function does not apply to the Rewind or Fast Forward buttons.

3.3    Time Jump Navigation Mode

Time Jump navigation can be selected using the 2 and 8 keys.

Press the key 4 to move Backward or the key 6 to move Forward by the jump interval.

The Time Jump interval can be set at 1, 5, 10 or 30 minutes in the Navigation and Playback section of the configuration Menu (key 7).

You can choose to enable or disable any or all of 1, 5, 10 or 30 minute time intervals in the Navigation and Playback section of the configuration Menu (key 7). Only the time jump intervals you enable will appear in the up and down navigation menu.

3.4    Text-to-Speech Navigation Elements

When Stream is in Text-to-speech mode there will be additional text navigation levels added to the 2 / 8 (up / down) key rotation. These include the text elements: screen, paragraph, line, sentence, word, spell and character. Note that if you do a search in a text then a Search level is added to allow search of the next or previous search term. Screen and line elements are defined arbitrarily as 25 lines per screen and a maximum of 80 characters per line. As with other navigation levels, you move between elements of the selected level using the 4 / 6 (left / right) keys. Note that the Screen element will only be available when no pages are defined in the book.

 

3.5    Spell Mode for Text Bookshelf

Spell mode can be selected using the 2 and 8 keys. The Spell mode can be found between the Word and character navigation levels. Use keys 4 and 6 to move word by word. Stream will announce the word and spell it. Note that capital letters are indicated and that words will be spelled at normal speed, regardless of TTS speed setting.

3.6    Skippable elements

Stream supports the following skippable elements: Footnote, Page number, Production note and Sidebar.

Skippable element can be set as Play, Skip or On Demand, see the Configuration Menu chapter for details. When a skippable element is encountered during playback, Stream behaves as follows:

Play: The element is always played.

Skip: The element is never played.

On Demand: The element is not played but added to the recall list and the element’s name is announced. Note that the On Demand option is not available for page and line number elements.

3.6.1        Recall skippable elements

On Demand skippable elements can be recalled with the Pound key.

Stream remembers up to 5 skipped On Demand elements. The last added element will be the first to be recalled. Pressing the Pound key multiple times will recall the prior element in the list. When an element is recalled, the name of the element is played and playback starts at the beginning of the element. When the end of the element is reached, the message “Return to text” is played and the book position will return to where it was when the Pound key was pressed.

During the playback of a recalled element, the user may press Cancel (Star key) to quit playing the recalled element and return to the main text of the book.

3.7    Bookshelf Navigation — Key 1

Press the Bookshelf (1) key multiple times to rotate through the circular list of Bookshelves. With the exception of Notes, empty bookshelves will not be announced. Bookshelves contain different types of books and files as defined in the section, Bookshelf Structure. You move backward and forward along a Bookshelf using the 4 and 6 keys. Press the Go To key (above key 1) to enter a relative book number. End the book number entry with the Confirm (Pound key) to move to the entered book number and remain on the bookshelf. When you reach the desired book press Confirm or Play to open it. Press Play to have Stream start to play from where you left off in the selected book.

3.7.1        Multi-Level Bookshelf Navigation

Optionally, you can create a multi-level folder structure for the Talking books, Other Books, Podcasts, and Text File bookshelves. Instead of only cycling through books one at a time with keys 4 and 6, you can choose the level of navigation with the UP and DOWN keys 2 and 8. Then, when pressing keys 4 or 6, you will move from folder to folder at the chosen level in a circular fashion. When you arrive at the folder of interest, press keys 2 or 8 again to select the book level within that folder and proceed to select the desired book. Navigating at the book level will also move from folder to folder. The Stream will navigate up to 8 levels of folders under the $VR folder. If you have more than 8 levels, the additional levels will be recognized by the Stream as level 8. If you also put files in the root of the $VR folder, those files will only be listed at the Book level of the 2/8 rotation.

 

Note: Multi-level bookshelves are not mandatory. If you choose not to organize books at multiple subfolder levels, you can just browse the bookshelf with keys 4 and 6 to navigate at the Book level.

 

3.8    User Guide — Key 1 (Press and hold)

When not in the bookshelf, you can access the built-in user guide at any time by pressing and holding key 1. Press and hold 1 again to exit.

 

3.9    Delete Function — Key 3

When browsing bookshelves you can delete an entire book by pressing the 3 key. For Talking Books and Other Books this will delete the entire subfolder containing the book. For Audible, Podcasts, and Text files the Delete book function removes the single book file. While Browsing the files in the All Music book, you can press the 3 key to delete a single file. You may not however delete a playlist. While browsing the Notes book you can press the 3 key to delete a single Note file. Press 3 to delete the selected item and Stream will ask you to confirm. Press the Pound key to delete or any other key to cancel the delete.

 

3.10Copying books from USB flash drives

You may copy DAISY and NISO books from your external USB flash drives to the SD card. To do so, attach the USB flash drive to the Stream using the short USB cable provided with your Stream. Navigate to the USB book. Once the book is open, press key 3 to start the copying process. The  percentage progress of the copy will be announced. It will take about one minute to copy 20mb, or about 10 minutes for the average book. The copying process can be cancelled at any time by pressing the Star key.

 

3.11Where am I ? — Key 5

The Where am I key will announce your reading position without interrupting the reading process. Depending on the book type, Stream will announce one or more of the page and heading numbers, section title, or file name. For Music, it will announce current folder and file names and the file times. For Talking books, Other Books, Audible, Podcasts and Notes it will announce the percentage of the book or note played as well as individual file times. For text files, it will announce the percentage of the file played. Reading will resume once this information is given.

3.11.1    Where am I tag information

For mp3 and mp4 files, if you press Where am I (key 5) twice, the Stream will announce ID3 tags data. If you don't want to hear all the tags, press Play to interrupt and resume playback.

3.11.2    Where am I for Audible books

For Audible books, if you press Where am I (key 5) twice, the Stream will announce additional information about the book. If you don't want to hear the information press Play to interrupt announcement and return to playback.

 

3.12Multi-Voice Text to Speech (TTS)

The English versions of Stream have two text-to-speech voices. You can toggle from one voice to another  by pressing and holding key 7.

 

3.13Audio, Text, and Random Music Playback Modes — Key 9

There are two types of Playback modes available: Recorded audio and Text-To-Speech (TTS). For DAISY or NISO books with full text/full audio, use the 9 key to switch back and forth between the recorded audio and the same position in the equivalent electronic text. The synchronization depends on the book producer but typically text and audio are synchronized to the paragraph or sentence element.

 

The last used playback mode is saved between reading sessions. Only the modes available for the selected book will be available for selection with the 9 key. If the book is only recorded or only text then the appropriate mode is automatically selected and the 9 key has no choices available.

 

When playing Music you can press key 9 to enable random play and press key 9 again to disable random play. If you are playing a permanent or temporary playlist only that playlist will be randomized.

 

3.14Confirm, Lock and Cancel — Pound and Star keys

The Pound key allows you to confirm an operation or end a numeric entry such as a page number or a text entry such as a text search item.

The Star key allows you to cancel an operation.

If you press and hold the Star key it will also lock the key pad. To unlock, press keys 1, 2, and 3 in sequence. There is one exception to the keyboard locking and it is the hard reset. This will always be available so while holding down the Power key for 2 seconds will not power down the player, keeping the key held for the required hard reset time will still perform a hard reset on release.

 

3.15Info — Key 0

The Info (0) key announces book, player, and battery information. There are two ways to access the information.

Press the Info (0) key. All information items will be announced. Or press the Info (0) key and  press key 4 or 6 to move backward or forward through the items. You can also press the Info (0) key repeatedly to move through each item.

To cancel the Info messages, press the Star or Play keys.

You can also press and hold the Info key to enter and exit Key Describer Mode.

Note that while the information items are announced, the Key Describer Mode cannot be activated.

3.15.1    Available Information Items

Book title

Number of Notes (Notes bookshelf only)

Number of files and folders (Music Bookshelf only)

Number of pages and total time

Recording time remaining (Notes bookshelf only)

Total Headings in the book

Playtime elapsed and playtime remaining

Number of Bookmarks set in the book

Number of Books

SD space Remaining

Whether the player is operating on battery or AC power, if on AC power, whether the battery is charging or if battery charge is complete

Current Battery Level: High, Medium, Low and Very Low

VICTOR READER Stream model number, software version number, optional SoftPak installed (if any), number of user authorization keys (if any), and serial number.

4.   Advanced Functions

4.1    Go to Page

The Go to Page function allows you to go directly to a desired page.

Press the Go to Page key, the upper one in the left column. Enter a page number. Press the Pound key to go to the selected Page, Stream will confirm the entered Page number. Or press the Play/Stop key to have Stream start playback from the chosen page.

To cancel, press the Cancel (Star) key.

4.2    Go to Heading

If you press the Go to Page key twice it allows you to enter a heading number relative to the start of a DAISY or NISO book. This is useful for books that do not have page markers. For example, you could jump directly to a chapter by going to its heading number rather than advancing chapter by chapter.

End your heading number entry with the Pound key to move to that heading or end with Play to move and start playback.

4.3    Go to Time

The Stream has a Go To Time feature for the Other Books, Audible, Podcasts, and Audio Notes bookshelves.  While in these bookshelves press the Go To key above key 1 until you hear, “Go To Time”.  Then enter a time in hours and minutes relative to the start of the book or audio note.  The last 2 digits of the entry represent minutes and the other digits represent hours.  Note that the minutes can range from 00 to 99. For example:

 

4.4    Go to Beginning and End of Book

 

To quickly reach the beginning or end of a book you can press  Go to Page, Go to Heading, Go to Time or Go to Percent. Then press Rewind or Play to go to the Beginning of the book, or press Fast Forward to jump to the end of the book. This also applies to Go To file for other books only.

 

4.5    Go to Book

If you are browsing the Bookshelf the Go to Page key becomes a Go to Book key allowing you to enter a relative book number on a given Bookshelf which is useful for Bookshelves that contain many books.

4.6    Text Search

The Stream has a text search function for files in the Text Bookshelf. You may also search DAISY or NISO books found in the Talking Books bookshelf providing the book has text and the player is in text-to-speech mode (key 9). DAISY or NISO books that are recorded only cannot be searched as they have no text. Using the multi-tap text entry method on the number keys as you would to enter text messages on a cell phone, you can type in your search item. If you have a multilingual Stream, the typing keypad will offer the characters of the currently selected text-to-speech language. Press and hold key 7 to switch from one text-to-speech language to the other.

 

Follow these steps to use the search function:

If searching a large file, you may hear “Please Wait” while the search is in progress. If you press the Cancel key while searching, the search function is stopped, the current position remains at the original starting position.

4.6.1        Search Next or Previous

4.6.2           Search for Current Word

If you do not enter any search text, Stream will search for the word you are currently positioned at in the text. For example, assume you are positioned at the word “HumanWare” in your text file. If you press the Go To key multiple times until you hear, “Search”, and then press Play or Confirm without typing a search item, Stream will move to the next occurrence of “HumanWare” in your file. If you pressed the Confirm key, it will stop there and announce the line. If you pressed the Play key, it will start playing. Note that you can press Fast Forward to spell the current word before pressing Confirm or Play. Also, pressing Rewind once or entering a letter will erase the whole word so you can enter your search item.

 

4.7    Recording Audio Notes

You can use Stream for voice recordings which are called audio notes. These notes will be saved on the SD memory card in the $VRNotes folder. Each recording is assigned an incremental numeric filename. You can record using either the built-in microphone or an external microphone plugged into the microphone jack just below the headphone jack. The built-in microphone is omnidirectional which is useful for recording meetings or lectures while an external directional microphone may be better for recording interviews. The maximum length of a single Audio note is 8 hours or a file size of 2 GB. The number of Audio notes you can record is only limited by the space left on your SD memory card.

 

There are two ways of recording notes. You can either use the quick-record feature or use the standard procedure.

To quick-record a note at any point, press and hold the Record button located on the right side of the player. A message and beep will be heard. Talk into the player's integrated microphone (located on the upper right corner) or into an external microphone. To end quick recording, release the Record button.

To record a long message, press the Record button located on the right side of the player to start the recording. To pause and restart recording, press the Play/Stop button. Press the Bookmark key during the recording to insert a bookmark. To end the recording, press the Record button again. Press the Star key to cancel the recording, then press the Star key again to confirm that you really want to cancel the recording.

 

To listen to your audio notes use the Bookshelf (key 1) to find the Notes bookshelf. Press Play or Confirm to enter the Notes bookshelf. Then, use the 4 and 6 keys to move from note to note. There is only one level of notes so nested folder navigation is not possible. Voice memos are encoded using the AMR-WideBand+ (AMR-WB+) audio codec. If you wish to access these files using your computer, you will need to download a AMR-WB+ decoder or convert the audio notes to wav files using the Stream Companion software. Note that one hour of recording requires approximately 9.1 megabytes of storage space. If you have the optional Stream SoftPak (see Section 8) installed, you can also record in MP3 or WAV file types. You can make your selection using Menu key 7. Press key7 multiple times to reach the Recording menu and use the arrow keys (keys 4 and 6)  to choose between 3GP, MP3, or WAV file types.

Please note that some SD cards are too slow to allow continuous recording in wav format since the volume of data to write is much larger for this audio format. If, after a few seconds of recording in wav, you get a recording error message, there is a good chance your SD card is too slow for wav recording. Try using another SD card or change the recording format to MP3 or 3GP.

 

4.8    Bookmarks

Bookmarks allow you to return to a place quickly and easily. You can place a virtually unlimited number of bookmarks in the same book. The Bookmark key lets you insert and return to bookmarks, hear them listed or remove them.

4.8.1        Go to Bookmark

Press the Bookmark key once or until you hear ‘go to bookmark’. Enter the number of the bookmark you wish to go to. Press the Pound key. Stream will go to the bookmark and announce its number. Or, press the Play/Stop key. Stream will go to the requested bookmark and begin playback.

4.8.2        Insert Bookmark

Press the Bookmark key twice or until you hear ‘insert bookmark’. You can also access this function by holding the Bookmark key down instead of pressing it twice. Enter the number from 1 to 99998 that you wish to assign to the Bookmark. Press the Pound key to confirm or the Play/Stop key to confirm and start playback. The bookmark will be stored in memory.

NOTE: If you confirm without entering a number, Stream will assign the first available bookmark number.

NOTE: If you enter 99999 as the bookmark number, an invalid entry message will be announced and the action will be cancelled, since this number is reserved to remove all bookmarks. See Remove Bookmark.

You may even insert a simple bookmark while recording a long audio note. This would be useful to mark an important comment made during a lecture or meeting that you are recording. To set a bookmark while recording simply press the Bookmark key once. You will hear a beep indicating the bookmark was set. Note that you cannot insert a bookmark during a quick recording (while holding down the Record key).

4.8.3        Insert audio Bookmark

To record an audio bookmark, do the following:

a)     Press the Bookmark key twice or until you hear ‘insert bookmark’.

b)    Enter the number you wish to assign to the Bookmark. You may skip this step and a number will be assigned automatically.

c)     Press and hold the Record key and recite a short message. Then release the Record key. Note that audio bookmark recordings are limited to 1 minute in length. Also, to playback your audio bookmark simply go to or browse to that bookmark. You will hear your recording and then playback will continue at the bookmarked position. Unlike audio notes, you cannot fast forward or rewind within your audio bookmark recording.

d)    To cancel, press the Star key. This is not available while using Quick record.  

Audio bookmarks are limited to a maximum of one minute. If the one-minute limit is reached the recording is stopped and the bookmark is saved. Audio bookmarks may be recorded during the playback of books or audio notes. The bookmark will be stored in memory and the associated recording will be stored on the SD card in a reserved folder named $VRAudioBkm. You should not modify any files within this folder. The recorded files are linked to the simple bookmarks in internal memory. The recorded file name format is x_y_z.3GP where x is the first 13 characters of the book title text, y is an 8-character computer generated unique book i.d, and z is a 6 digit bookmark number. Note that you can also record in MP3 or WAV format with the optional SoftPak, see section 8 for additional information. For bookmarks placed in MP3 files or audio notes there is no book title. In these cases, x will be “Other______”, “music___”, or “AudioNote____”, respectively. While playing an audio bookmark you can press the Rewind key once to replay the recorded voice note or press Fast Forward to skip it and start playing the book at the bookmarked position. You cannot Fast Forward or Rewind within the audio bookmark.

4.8.4        Highlight Bookmark

Highlight Bookmarks are used to define the Start and the End positions of a passage for later playback. Setting highlight bookmarks is a great way to study important passages in text books.

4.8.4.1      Start Highlight Bookmark

Press the Bookmark key, 3 times or until you hear “Start highlight bookmark”.

Enter a bookmark number followed by the Pound or Play/Stop key.

NOTE: You can omit entering the bookmark number in which case Stream will assign the first available bookmark number.

4.8.4.2      End Highlight Bookmark

After setting the starting position, navigate to the point where you wish to mark the end of the highlight.

Press the Bookmark once. You will hear “End highlight bookmark”. Press the Pound key or Play/Stop key to confirm. The current position is set as the ending position. If the end position is placed before the start position, they will be switched. The message "Highlight bookmark "X" inserted" is then played. The user can also cancel the highlight bookmark by pressing the Cancel key. In both cases, the state reverts to Start.

NOTE: When a highlight bookmark starting position is set but not the ending position, its highlight bookmark number becomes unavailable. Stream will announce Bookmark "X" already exists”  if the user enters a regular bookmark with this number.

NOTE: If you remove the book or power off the Stream before closing the highlight, highlight will be auto-completed. If this occurs, the current location will be used as the end highlight position.

 

4.8.4.3      Go to Highlight Bookmark

When going to a highlight bookmark, If you end the bookmark number entry with the Play/Stop key, playback will start from this current position and stop at the highlight bookmark ending position. If the Confirm key was used, Stream will position at the bookmark but not play. While playing the highlighted passage you can jump to the beginning by tapping the Rewind key. At the end of the highlight you can play it again by tapping Rewind.

4.8.4.4      Highlight Bookmark List

When a highlight bookmark is reached with the bookmark list, playback will stop at the highlight bookmark ending position. A highlight that was started but hasn’t been closed yet will not be listed.

4.8.4.5      Remove Highlight Bookmark

When deleting a highlight bookmark, the "Highlight bookmark "X" removed" message will be announced. It is possible to delete a highlight bookmark that was started but not closed. This action reverts the highlight bookmark state to Start.

4.8.5        Bookmark List

Press the Bookmark key four times or until you hear ‘bookmark list’.

Press the key 4 or key 6 to go from one bookmark to the next. Each time you press the key, you will hear the number of the next bookmark and playback will begin. Press the Pound key to confirm the current position and continue play.

Press the Star key to exit the Bookmark list.

NOTE: The bookmark list always contains one bookmark for the beginning and end of book. Bookmarks are sorted by their position in the book not by the bookmark number.

4.8.6        Remove Bookmark

Press the Bookmark key five times or until you hear ‘remove bookmark’. Enter the number of the Bookmark you wish to remove. Press the Pound key to confirm.

To remove all the Bookmarks in a book, first press the Bookmark key five times or until you hear ‘remove bookmark’, then press the key 9 five times (enter number 99999). Then press the Pound key to confirm.

4.8.7        Bookmark alert

While playing  a book, you can have the Stream alert you when you pass over a previously set bookmark. If you created an audio bookmark, it will also automatically play the recorded message attached to the bookmark. Bookmark alerts are disabled by default.

 

Bookmark alerts can be enabled or disabled. Read the Configuration menu  section for more information.

 

4.9    Sleep Mode — Sleep key

The Sleep Mode key lets you program a delay period, after which the player will shut down automatically.

Press the Sleep Mode key to program a shutdown delay of 15 minutes. Each additional “Sleep Mode” keystroke will add 15 minutes delay, up to a maximum of 60 minutes. The next key press will disable the Sleep Mode and the cycle starts over. When Sleep mode is activated, the LED will blink during the last minute at which point the player will announce "One minute remaining".

Sleep messages can be enabled or disabled. Read the Configuration menu section for more information.

NOTE: Pressing the Sleep key when Sleep is already active will announce the Sleep time remaining.

 

 

5.  Configuration Menu – Key 7

The Stream can be customized using the Configuration menu.

To open the Menu, press the Menu (7) key. Pressing the Menu key again will switch to the next Menu. Browse Menu Items with the Up/Down (2, 8) keys, use the Left/Right (4, 6) keys to select an Item’s value and press Pound key to confirm. Press Cancel (Star key) or any other key to exit the Menu.

5.1    Menus and Menu Items List

The available menus, menu items and values are listed in their respective order below. Note that the first listed values in the list are the factory default settings.

Menu: Navigation & Playback.

Item: Playback.

Values: Loop (disable or enable).

 

Item: Time jump.

Values: 1, 5, 10, or 30 minute Time Jump for navigation menu on 2/8 keys.

 

Item: Key beeps

Values: enable, disable

 

Item: Sleep messages

Values: enable, disable

 

Item: Bookmark Alert

Values: enable, disable

 

Item: Audio Adjustment Mode.

Values: Tone or Pitch.

 

Menu: Skip.

Item: All.

Values: Play, Skip, On Demand, Custom.

 

Item: Footnote.

Values: Play, Skip, On Demand.

 

Item: Page number.

Values: Play, Skip.

 

Item: Producer note.

Values: Play, Skip, On Demand.

 

Item: Sidebar.

Values: Play, Skip, On Demand.

 

Menu: Language

Item: Text-to-Speech Voice

Values: The installed Text-to-Speech voices

 

Item: Braille translation table

Values: The installed braille translation tables for the selected Text-to-Speech voice

 

Menu: Recording (with SoftPak installed)

Values: AMR-WB + 3GP,  MP3 96kbps wav, 16 bit PCM

Menu: Format SD card

5.1.1        Playback

 

5.1.1.1       Loop

When selecting the Loop mode, Playback will play repeatedly, it will automatically restart again at the beginning when reaching the end of a book.

 

5.1.1.2       Key beeps

You can enable or disable the beeps heard when pressing keys. Disabling this option will also suppress the second beep heard when starting playback as well as the "locked" message indicating that the keypad has been locked. Note that the Locked message cannot be disabled for the Power key. The key beeps are enabled by default. The up / down keys on the left side of the player will only beep at their minimum, normal, and maximum positions regardless of this menu setting.  

 

5.1.1.3       Sleep messages

The Sleep timer's 1 minute warning and Sleep off messages can be enabled or disabled. They are enabled by default.   

5.1.2        Skip

The Skip Menu contains the configuration options for the skippable elements. Play is the default value. Here is a list of menu items and their respective values:

All.

Values: Play, Skip, On Demand, Custom.

Note: You cannot select Custom. It is set automatically when you modify any of the skippable elements.

 

Footnote.

Values: Play, Skip, On Demand.

 

Page Number.

Values: Play, Skip.

 

Production Note.

Values: Play, Skip, On Demand.

 

Sidebar.

Values: Play, Skip, On Demand.

 

5.2    Language menu

5.2.1        Text-to-Speech voice

Press and hold key 7 to select an alternate Text-to-Speech voice from those installed in your Stream. Alternatively, you can press key 7 repeatedly to access the language menu. Use keys 4 and 6 to cycle through available choices. Press Confirm to accept choice, or press Play to accept choice and resume playback. 

 

5.2.2        Braille translation tables

Different braille translation tables are made available to you depending on the Text-to-Speech language selected. To change the braille translation table, press menu key 7 repeatedly to access the language menu. Use keys 2 or 8 to access the braille translation table item followed by keys 4 or 6 to select the braille translation table value of your choice. Press Confirm to accept choice, or press Play to accept choice and resume playback. The first table in the list is the current default. Whichever table you select will become the new default table for the corresponding text-to-speech voice.

 

5.3    Recording with optional SoftPak

 

If you have purchased the optional Stream SoftPak (see section 8),  a Recoding menu option will be added to key 7. In this menu, you can use the 4 and 6 keys to select one of 3 recording file types: AMR-WB + 3GP,  MP3 96kbps wav, 16 bit PCM.

 

5.4    Format SD card

 

If your SD card is not recognized by Microsoft Windows when it is inserted in your computer card reader or when the Stream is connected to the computer, it may be possible that the card needs to be formatted. Also, if for any reason data becomes corrupt, you may notice that some files/books will not play properly on your Stream. This is also an indicator that reformatting is needed.

 

To format your SD card, insert it into the Stream and press the Menu key 7 repeatedly until you hear the Format SD card option. Then press the Pound key to confirm the format. You will receive a warning that formatting will erase all the files on the SD card. Press the Pound key again to proceed with the format or press the Star key to cancel the format.  The utility will format your card and label it as VRStream. A progress beep will indicate activity. Formatting may take from a few seconds to 1 or 2 minutes depending on the size of the SD card. The label will be visible beside the drive letter when you view the card in Windows. Once formatted, only the $VR folders will exist on the card. You will need to recopy all your books and files from the computer.

 

To prevent possible corruption of data on the SD card, always be sure to use the Windows Safely Remove option after copying files to the card. Also, never remove the SD card while you are recording or deleting books.

 

6.   Bookshelf Structure and Characteristics

 

For files on all bookshelves, the maximum file name length, including the file path, is 512 characters (includes media/book path). When scanning the memory card at insertion, any folder or file with a full path name greater than 512 will be ignored.

The following sections provide general rules and information for listening to the non-Talking Books bookshelves.

 

6.1    Other Books

6.1.1        Other Books Structure

The following list provides an example of how book files may be grouped in folders. Folders are numbered in the order in which they are found starting with the root, assuming it contains files.  There can be up to 8 levels of folders.

 

Folder: \$VROtherBooks.

Rules: Each file in the root is defined as a book with its own reading position and bookmarks. The single book files in the root can be deleted using key 3 while browsing the bookshelf.


Folder: \$VROtherBooks\Drama.

Rules: This is an optional folder to categorize the type of book.

 

Folder: \$VROtherBooks\Drama\BookA.

Rules: This is the folder containing the book files. The entire folder is defined as the book with one reading position and bookmark set. While browsing the bookshelf you may use key 3 to delete the book which means the entire book folder will be deleted.

 

Folder: \$VROtherBooks\Drama\BookB.

Rules: Same as Book A.

 

Folder: \$VROtherBooks\Mystery.

Rules: This is an optional folder for categorizing type of book.

 

Folder: \$VROtherBooks\Mystery\BookC.

Rules: Same as Book A.

 

6.1.2        Other Books Characteristics

Bookshelf Browse: Move between folder levels with keys 2 and 8. Note that the lowest folder level is also the book level since a book is defined as a collection of files in the lowest level folder. Higher level folders are optional for categorizing types of books as in Drama folder above. There can be up to 8 levels of folders. Use Go To Book to jump to a specific book number. Use key 3 to delete a book. A book can only be deleted if you are at the book level.

Reading: Playback loops between the files within a folder (book). Navigate between files in a folder using keys 4 or 6. File and Time Jump navigation levels are available. Go To File and Go To Time are available.

Info (key 0): Reports information for the current book (folder).

Where Am I (key 5): Reports the percentage within the whole book, the current file number and name as well as the time (total, elapsed and remaining) for the current file.

 

6.2    Audible Books

Stream can play Audible.com format 4 books. You must first activate the Stream SD card for Audible books. To do this, connect Stream to your computer using the long USB cable and then activate the Stream using the Audible Manager software. When Audible Manager activates the Stream it will create a new reserved Stream folder named $VRAudible in the root of the Stream SD card. It will place a hidden system (.SYS) activation file in that $VRAudible folder which you must not delete. If you want to save Audible books on multiple SD cards you will need to activate each SD card separately. All Audible books must also be saved in this $VRAudible folder. To transfer Audible books you may either use the Audible Manager with the Stream connected or use Windows Explorer to transfer the .aa Audible book file from the Audible downloads folder on your computer directly to the $VRAudible folder on the SD card. If you use Windows Explorer for the file transfer you can take advantage of the faster transfer speed of your computer card reader. If you choose to transfer books with Audible Manager you must always connect the Stream to the computer. Note: To read books in Audible Enhanced Audio format (aax file extension), you will need to activate the Stream SoftPak. See Section 8 for additional information. 

6.2.1        Audible Structure

Simply place your Audible books in the $VRAudible folder. They must not be placed in subfolders.

6.2.2        Audible Characteristics

Bookshelf Browse: Use keys 4 and 6 to move between each Audible book file or Go To Book to jump to a specified book number. Use key 3 to Delete the Book.

Reading: Use keys 2 and 8 to navigate by the heading marks provided in the Audible book or by selected Time Jumps. Go to Heading and Go To Time are available.

INFO Key 0: Reports info for the current Audible file.

Where Am I: Reports current reading position in the Audible file. Press twice within 10 seconds to report additional information about the Audible book.

 

6.3    Music Bookshelf

 

The music bookshelf is in the reserved folder $VRMusic. It contains a folder structure of audio files and this entire structure is defined as the All Music book. Unless you create playlists, this will be the only Music book. If you add playlist (M3U) files to the root of $VRMusic then each playlist will be an additional music book. In the Music bookshelf the Delete Book key 3 is not functional. However, you can delete individual files from the All Music book once it has been opened.

6.3.1        Music Structure

You can navigate up to 8 levels of folders in music. Use the 2 and 8 keys to select the folder or file navigation level. Then you can move backward or forward at the chosen level with the 4 and 6 keys. If you have more than 8 folder levels, those additional levels will be added to the level 8 list of folders.

 

If you select the ‘File’ navigation level, you will hear the name of the current file. If you select any folder Level navigation, you will hear the name of the current folder at that level. At any point in your structure you can always select the deepest navigation level. If the current folder is at a higher level than your deepest level then the folder name is not announced. For example, let’s say you have a music structure that contains $VRMusic\Classic\Mozart and $VRMusic\Classic\Beethoven\Ninth_symphony. If you are currently located in Classic\Mozart while playback is inactive, changing the navigation from File to Level 1 will announce ‘Classic’. Changing from Level 1 to Level 2 will announce ‘Mozart’. Changing from Level 2 to Level 3 will announce nothing since there is no folder name for a level 3 folder in Classic\Mozart. If located in Classic\Beethoven while playback is inactive, changing from Level 2 to Level 3 will announce ‘Ninth_symphony’.

 

If you place any files in the root of $VRMusic then they will be listed only at the file navigation level.

6.3.2        Music Characteristics

Bookshelf Browse: Use keys 4 and 6 to move between each Music book or Go To Book to jump to a specified book number. Note that only 1 music book (All Music) will be on the music bookshelf unless you create additional playlist books. You cannot use key 3 to Delete a Book.

Reading: If loop is enabled, playback loops within the files of a music book. Playback will continue from the last file of one folder to the first file of the next folder. You can use keys 2 or 8 to select folder or file navigation. Go To Folder and Go To File functions are also available. If the player is set for Random play then the files in the current music book will be shuffled. For example, if the All Music book is being played all of your music files will be shuffled. If a Playlist book is being played then only the files in that playlist will be shuffled. When the end of a shuffled music book is reached, playback will start at the beginning of the shuffled music book.

Deleting music files: Use key 3 to delete music files when navigating at the file level. You will be asked to confirm file deletion. You cannot use Stream to delete folders.

INFO (key 0): Reports information for the current music book such as total folders and files and total times for the book.

Where Am I (key 5): Reports current position and information for the current file. Pressing Key 5 twice within 10 seconds will announce tag information data. If you don't want to hear all the tags, press Play to interrupt and resume playback.

Speed: Stream will reset the variable speed control to normal speed and return to the previous speed setting when you exit the Music Bookshelf. Note: It is only possible to listen to stereo music at normal speed. If you speed up or slow down the music it will play in mono.

Bass and Treble: The Tone control is replaced with separate bass and treble controls.

6.3.3        Music Search

You can search your music by pressing the Go To key until you hear Search. Then using the multi-tap keypad as described in the Text Search section, enter the word or words to search for and press the Confirm key. Stream will find the first folder name or file name containing the search term. Playback will start from the beginning of the file or the first file in the folder. Then you can press key 4 or 6 to find the previous or next occurrence of the search term.

6.3.4        Playlists

The Music Bookshelf may contain playlists. A playlist is a text file containing a list of supported audio files to play. It must have the "m3u” file extension. You can use the Music dialog of Stream Companion version 3 to help you make playlists. A playlist cannot link to other playlists. You cannot use key 3 to delete files in a playlist.

6.3.5        Temporary Playlist

You can create a temporary playlist for a subset of folders found in the $VRMusic folder. You cannot create a temporary playlist from the files found at the root level of the $VRMusic folder.

 

Note: Selecting a folder for the creation of a temporary playlist works slightly differently than the folder navigation described in the above sections. Immediately after hearing the message “Create temporary playlist” you will hear the name of the first folder at the top level in your music book. Use keys 4 and 6 to cycle through all the folders at that top level. Once you have reached the top level folder of interest, you can use key 8 to go down a level and then, with keys 4 and 6, you will cycle through the folders at the second level inside that top folder. You can go to lower levels in the same fashion. In order to go to a different folder at a higher level, you will have to first use key 2 to go up to that level before using again keys 4 and 6 to navigate to it.

 

For example, let’s say you have organized your $VRMusic files into 3 levels of folders. You could have the music genre at level 1, artists at level 2 and albums at level 3. You can now easily play only music of a particular genre, or all the albums of a particular artist, or listen to a single album.  Suppose your level 1 genre folders included Classical, Country, Folk, and Rock. Now, suppose, within Classical, you have level 2 folders for the artists, Beethoven, Mozart, and Strauss. You decide you want to play all your Mozart music. Go to the Music bookshelf. Press Go To Key until you hear, “Create Temporary Playlist”, press key 6 until you hear, “Classical”. Now press key 8 to move down to your level 2 folders and press key 6 to reach the Mozart folder. Press the Play key. All your Mozart albums will now be used to create your temporary playlist and it will begin playing. If you press key 9, the tracks found in those albums will play in random order. Pressing Key 0 will announce the total number of Mozart albums, total files, and their total play time.

6.3.6        Folder and File Name Announcement

When browsing the Music bookshelf, you may or may not want to hear file and folder name announcements. The Stream will provide this information if the player is in Stop mode but will omit the announcements if the player is in Play mode. In either case, it will repeat the announcements if you press the key 5 Where Am I.  Thus, if you wish to use key 4 or 6 to navigate back and forth between music files and do not want to hear the folder/file announcements simply press the Play key first to put the player in play mode.

 

6.4    Podcasts Bookshelf

 

The Podcasts bookshelf contains a folder structure of audio files where each folder represents a podcast feed and each file an episode of that feed. Each file (episode) is defined as a separate podcast book.

6.4.1        Podcast Structure

 

The following list provides an example of how podcast files may be grouped in folders. There can be up to 8 levels of folders.

 

Folder: $VRPodcasts

May contain files: Yes

Rules: Any files found in the $VRPodcasts root will be announced as individual books.

 

Folder: \$VRPodcasts\FeedA.

May contain audio files: Yes.

Rules: This is the folder for grouping the podcast episode files under their feed name.

6.4.2        Podcasts Characteristics

 

Bookshelf Browse: Move between folder levels of the Podcast structure using keys 2 and 8. The lowest level is the book (file) level. Files in the root of $VRPodcasts will only be announced at the book level. Use keys 4 and 6 to move between each Podcast book file (episode) or Go To Book to jump to a specified book number. Use key 3 to Delete a Book file. A book can only be deleted if you are at the book level.

Reading: Playback stops at the end of each file. Only Time Jump navigation level is available on keys 2 or 8. Go To Time is also available.

INFO (key 0): Reports information for the current Podcast book (file).

Where Am I (key 5): also Reports current position and information for the current file. Pressing Key 5 twice will announce tag information data. If you don't want to hear all the tags, press Play to interrupt and resume playback.

 

6.5    Text Bookshelf

The Stream can also store text files grouped in folders under the $VRText reserved folder. They are played with the Stream text-to-speech. Each text file within the $VRText folder is considered a book. Supported formats include: txt, html, xml, rtf and brf.  (DOCX format is included with the Stream SoftPak. See Section 8.) Note that when present, image description tags will be announced in html and xml documents.

6.5.1        Text File Structure

 

The text files can be either in the root of $VRText or organized into sub-folder categories. There can be up to 8 levels of folders.

6.5.2        Text File Characteristics

 

Bookshelf Browse: Move between folder levels of the Text Files structure using keys 2 and 8. The lowest level is the book (file) level. Files in the root of $VRText will only be announced at the book level. Use keys 4 and 6 to move between each text file or Go To Book to jump to a specified file number. Use key 3 to Delete a text file. A book can only be deleted if you are at the book level.

Reading: Playback stops at the end of each file. The navigation levels on keys 2 or 8 include: page (if page markers are in the file), screen (if no page markers), paragraph, line, sentence, word, spell, and character. If you do a search in text then a Search level is added as the last navigation level to allow you to find the next or previous search item. Go To Page is available if the file has page markers. Go To Percent (see below) is also available.

INFO (key 0): Reports information for the current text file such as its size.

Where Am I (key 5): Reports current position as a percentage from the start of the file.

6.5.3        Navigating HTML/XML/DOCX Headings

For html/xml files that have heading tags (<H1> to <H6>), these will correspond to equivalent navigation levels 1 to 6 on the 2/8 menu. Be aware that some html/xml files do not use these heading tags consistently. For example, the file may have an H1 and H3 heading with no H2 heading. In this case the Stream will present only level 1 and level 3 on the 2/8 menu. Also, an html/xml file could have a single H1 heading for a title with no other H1 tags in the file. In this case, Stream would jump to the end of the file if you pressed right arrow (key 6) after choosing level 1 navigation. Note that DOCX format is included with the Stream SoftPak. See Section 8.

6.5.4        Go To Percent key

When reading files in the Text Bookshelf or audio files in the Other Books or Podcast bookshelves, the Go to Page key will become a Go To Percent key for navigating to relative positions x% from the start of the file. Press Go To Percent and then enter a percentage from 0 to 100. Press the Pound or Confirm key to position to that relative position in the file or press Play to position and start playback at that relative position. For example, entering 0 will position to the start of the file, entering 50 will position to the middle of the file, and entering any number greater than 99 will position to the end of the file. To jump to the beginning or end of a book, instead of entering a percentage value, press Rewind and Fast Forward respectively. Note that for text files, Stream moves to the beginning of the paragraph that contains the position of the specified percentage.

 

7.  Updating Stream Software

 

HumanWare may from time to time offer new versions of the Stream software.

The .upg software update file is contained in a .zip file downloaded from HumanWare's website.

To update your Stream:

-       Unzip the single update (UPG) file from the zip file and copy that UPG file to the root of an SD card or USB flash drive.

-       Connect the Stream to a power outlet.

-       Power on the player and insert the card.

-       The update will start and report the new version number that is being installed. The installation takes 2 to 3 minutes.

-       After the update is done, the player will power off.

The UPG file will be automatically deleted from the SD card when you power up the Stream after performing an upgrade. To upgrade multiple Streams using the same SD card, be sure to remove it from the upgraded Stream before turning the Stream back on.

8.  Stream SoftPak Features

 

The Stream SoftPak is an optional suite of software features. To purchase or obtain additional information on the Stream SoftPak, please visit www.humanware.com/stream. The Stream SoftPak  adds the following functionalities to the Stream:

 

Support of unprotected EPUB books

An EPUB book is comprised of a single file with a .epub extension. These files should be placed in the $VRDTB folder. Depending on the EPUB producer, these books may include some heading and page navigation, much like DAISY books.

 

Option to Record in MP3 and WAV formats

To choose format, press key 7 multiple time to reach Recording menu. Then select 3GP, mp3 or wav using keys 4 or 6.

 

Support of unprotected Mp4-aac audio files

These files can be in Other books, Music or Podcast bookshelf folders. The most common source of mp4 is from Itunes. File types include mp4, m4a and m4v. 

 

Support of Audible Enhanced books

These files have an .aax file extension. They should be placed in the Audible folder.

 

Support of Microsoft Word 2007 DOCX documents

These should be placed in the VRText folder. The Stream supports heading navigation within DOCX documents.  

 

 

 

 

9.  Technical Specifications

 

Victor Reader Stream Specifications:

 

 

·         Optional SoftPak Voice Recording: MP3 16-bit samples at a sampling rate of 44,100Hz with a bit rate of 96 kbps

 

Approved power adapters

For Stream units sold as medically approved units only use the following power adapters:

Brand: Fuhua, model: UE24WCP-050250SPA

 

Care and maintenance

To keep your Stream clean, we recommend that you wipe the surface of the unit periodically using a soft damp cloth. Squeeze cloth to remove excess moisture. Only use warm water. Do not use any cleaning agents.

 

Susceptibility to Interference

There may be temporary degradation of the sound when the Stream is subjected to a strong radio-frequency field, electro-static discharge or transient electrical noise.

FCC Warning

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:

—Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

—Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.

—Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.

—Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

 

 

10.   Battery Safety Precautions

 

11.   HumanWare Canada Contact Information

 

1800, Michaud street

Drummondville, Quebec

Canada J2C 7G7

Telephone: 1 (819) 471-4818.

Toll-free (Canada & USA): 1 (888) 723-7273.

Fax: 1 (819) 471-4828.

E-mail: support@humanware.com

Website: www.humanware.com

 

 

12.   End User License Agreement

 

By using this product (Victor Reader Stream) you agree to the following minimum terms.

 

1.     License Grant. HumanWare grants to End User a non-exclusive, non-transferable right and license to use the Software on this product.

2.     Ownership of Software. End User acknowledges that HumanWare retain all right, title and interest in and to the original, and any copies, of software which is incorporated into this product. End User agrees not to: modify, port, translate, decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, or make public in any way the software of this Product.

 

This product includes software developed by the OpenSSL Project for use in the OpenSSL Toolkit (http://www.openssl.org/)

 

13.   Appendix 1 - Stream Error Messages

 

SYSTEM error 1: CDROM, Does not apply.

SYSTEM error 2:  MEMORY, Memory allocation problem.

 

MEDIA error 1: READ, Error reading sector on disc.

MEDIA error 2: FORMAT, Unsupported File system.

MEDIA error 3: MOUNT, Error while mounting device.

MEDIA error 4: AUDIO, Does not apply.

MEDIA error 5: FILE, Error accessing the audio file.

MEDIA error 6: WAV, Error creating new wav structure.

MEDIA error 7: MPEG, Error handling an mpeg file.

MEDIA error 8: VORBIS, Error handling a vorbis file.

MEDIA error 9: NO AUDIO, No audio output available.

MEDIA error 10: AMR-WB+, Error handling a AMR-WB+ file.

MEDIA error 11: MP4-AAC, Error handling a MP4-AAC file.

MEDIA error 12: WRITE, Unable to open file for writing.

MEDIA error 13: SDLOST, card removed during write operation.

MEDIA error 14: USBLOST, USB device removed during write operation.

 

BOOK error 1: GENERIC, Unspecified.

BOOK error 2: MP3, Error with the mp3 decoder.

BOOK error 3: VORBIS, Error with the ogg vorbis decoder.

BOOK error 4: WAV, Error with the wav decoder.

BOOK error 5: NO FILE NAME, No file name available.

BOOK error 6: NO CUR POS, No current position is set.

BOOK error 7: FILE NOT FOUND, File not found on MCART.

BOOK error 8: AMR-WB+, Error with the AMR-WB+ decoder.

BOOK error 9: Audible.com DRM, Player unauthorized to play a book due to DRM.

BOOK error 10: VRTEXT, Error parsing text file.

BOOK error 11: TEXT SIZE, Text file is too big.

BOOK error 12: Braille translation error.

BOOK error 13: MP4-AAC, Error with the MP4-AAC decoder.

BOOK error 14: Re-parse text, Error re-parsing text file.

BOOK error 15: STRUCT_SIZE, Text book structure too big.