Mayer-Johnson DAISY and NIMAS Player
by gh
Text-reading software for individuals with low vision or blindness
Mayer-Johnson DAISY/NIMAS Player by gh (gh PLAYER), designed with accessibility as a priority, is a feature-rich playback application that enables individuals with print-disabilities to benefit from flexible reading solutions as they improve reading productivity. gh PLAYER reads NIMAS, DAISY Digital Talking Books, and plain text files (*.txt) while providing multiple sensory output. Whether you read with high contrast large text, recorded or synthesised speech, or Braille output to a refreshable display, gh PLAYER gives you access to the content you need!
Features and Benefits
- Read DAISY 2 / 2.02 / 3, NIMAS 1.x, Save As DAISY XML, Plain Text (.txt), ANSI-NISO (Z39.86-2002) and DAISY/NISO 2005 (Z36.86-2005) files
- Select from six different synthesised voices and assign them independently to player and narrator
- Includes Nuance RealSpeak Voices and a roaming computer licence for use on multiple workstations
- Read basic and complex maths formulas with unparalleled precision and accuracy in MathML-embedded books
- Customise the background, font colour and highlighting for ease of reading
- Use word tracking to highlight word-by-word
- Magnifies text from 2x to 16x in one screen using the zoom feature to digitally zoom in and out of text plus the ability to pan around the document
- Distinguishes book text content from text embedded in images and table summaries with verbal cues
- Locates and stores computer files in a centralised location for easy navigation using the My Library feature
- Increases proficiency by confining table searching to specific rows or columns with the Find tool
- Reads books with the added support of a refreshable Braille display (Supports PowerBraille 80, PowerBraille 65 and Braille Star 80)
- Allows readers to take notes as they read and use the Book Mark feature.
- Supports audio book transitions by page, section, segment, word or five different increments of time
- Navigate to any part of a book with ease
Accessibility Support
The gh PLAYER provides people with disabilities access to information sources including large documents, textbooks, training manuals and publications. It also offers a variety of accessibility features for a fuller reading experience. These features include:
- Text-to-Speech functionality
- Digital magnification
- Contrast enhancement
- Synchronised text highlighting
Downloading electronic books has never been easier with companies like BookShare.org online. You can even join libraries like RFB&D and gain access to nearly 100,000 titles! Simply download or order your new book, load it on your computer, and open it in the gh PLAYER to get a complete reading experience through multiple sensory inputs!
New Features of the gh PLAYER™ 2.2
gh PLAYER™ 2.2 has many new features that have been added to improve your reading experience. These new features are listed below.
- Support for NIMAS 1.1 and DAISY/NISO 2005
The National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) has been updated to version 1.1 and the DAISY/NISO Digital Talking Book specification has been updated to version 2005. For more information on the updated specifications, visit nimas.cast.org and www.daisy.org.
The gh PLAYER™ fully supports both updated specifications, and utilises new features available in both. Additionally, the gh PLAYER™ enables the conversion from NIMAS files to DAISY/NISO 2005 books.
- Support for MathML-enabled NIMAS and Digital Talking Books
One limitation of DAISY was support for math and science until the DAISY Consortium adopted the MathML in DAISY modular extension. Now you can get your math and science material in a DAISY format. The gh PLAYER™ is the first DAISY DTB player that supports MathML.
The gh PLAYER™ fully supports MathML-extended NIMAS and Digital Talking Books with character-by-character navigation, fully anti-aliased display, and up to 16x zoom.
- Additional navigation for escapable and skippable text
Tired of having to listen to every bit of information on a page? Now, using the gh PLAYER, you can skip the items you don’t want to hear, such as page numbers, footnotes, and sidebars. Additionally, the gh PLAYER now allows you to jump out of large items, such as tables, once you’ve found the information you’re looking for. With these advanced navigation options, you are better able to listen to books as you want.
- Easier book import
The gh PLAYER has greatly improved the process of adding and importing books into your library. Now, importing a title is as easy as a click of a mouse, with nothing slowing you from getting to the information you want.
- New navigation pane
For visual users, a navigation pane has been added along the left hand side of the player. This resizable pane allows for quick access to sections, bookmarks, pages, and indices. Additionally, the pane zooms along with the text, so you will always be able to access the content of the pane, regardless of your zoom preferences.
- SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) support
Scalar Vector Graphics (SVG) is an image format that allows for crystal clear images, regardless of zoom. The gh PLAYER fully supports SVG and you will see no image degradation of any SVG images in a document, no matter how high your zoom preferences are. At 16x, the images will be as crisp and clear as they are at 1x.
- Roaming activation for greater portability
Want to use your gh PLAYER at work or school? Now you can take it with you! Product activation for the gh PLAYER has been made easier, allowing users to move their gh PLAYER licence from one computer to another with little hassle. Install it on as many computers as you use, but only one copy at a time can be activated.
- Optimised for large books
Extremely large books aren’t a problem any more! From textbooks to encyclopaedias, a large book will open quickly, navigating and processing at the same speed as smaller books. You will never have to wait to get access to the information you need.
- Page-by-page display
The gh PLAYER now displays each page of a book independently. This improvement allows for finer navigation control and puts users of high zoom settings in control of viewing a page. You will no longer get lost in a book when trying to view a magnified image.
- Improved support for books on CD, USB or removable hard drive
As soon as you pop in a CD containing Digital Talking Books or NIMAS files, the gh PLAYER will give you a list of all of the books on the disc, allowing you to immediately begin playing your books. Further, the gh PLAYER doesn’t support just CDs – any removable media is treated the same way, whether it’s a USB key or a removable hard drive.
- Revised keyboard shortcuts and support for multi-media keys
The keyboard shortcuts have been updated to help laptop users more effectively use the gh PLAYER. Additionally, the gh PLAYER now supports multi-media keys on keyboards, so you can play, pause, skip, and stop playback at any time with just the press of a key.
- New Assistive Technology (AT) hardware support
The gh PLAYER now supports pedal controls, such as the “V-Pedal”. This is in addition to the existing support of many types of AT hardware, ranging from Braille displays to head mice.
- Continuous playback without focus
The gh PLAYER no longer pauses playback when you switch to another program, allowing you to continue your playback while using your computer in other ways. When used in conjunction with the new support of multi-media keys, the gh PLAYER now has unprecedented playback control.
For example, you can now edit a spreadsheet while listening to a Digital Talking Book, pausing and playing without ever switching back to the gh PLAYER. The gh PLAYER gives you access to your information the way you want!
- Save As DAISY compatibility
Using the gh PLAYER™ Premium edition, you can directly open any DAISY xml file produced by Microsoft Word’s Save As DAISY Feature. For example, you can drag and drop the generated DAISY xml file into the PLAYER, and it is immediately ready to be used.
Once the file is open in the gh PLAYER™, you can use its Save As feature, which will produce a full text only DAISY 3 book. Now, your custom DAISY Digital Talking Book can be shared with anyone!
Related Products
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View/Download
- gh PLAYER 2.2 30-day Trial version
- Sample Digital Talking Books (DAISY 3.0) from the gh website
Mayer-Johnson DAISY and NIMAS Player is targeted at the following age ranges:
- All Ages
Mayer-Johnson DAISY and NIMAS Player is designed to foster development in the areas of:
- Literacy
Users can access Mayer-Johnson DAISY and NIMAS Player in the following ways:
- Mouse/ Trackball/ Joystick
- Keyboard
For answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and technical support visit:
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