[Web4lib] Downloadable audiobooks - Windows Media Player for theMacintosh?

[Andrew Hankinson]

Hi Michele,

Leopard (10.5) is the newer version of OS X due out this month.   
While I don't have a copy of it yet, I am pretty sure that the files  
will not play on the newer OS, the same with the current OS (10.4 -  
Tiger)

Apple users have to rely on a third party ("Flip4Mac") to provide  
Windows Media support, as Microsoft has stopped making and supporting  
new versions of Windows Media Player for the Mac.  This, of course,  
means that Apple users do not have access to Microsoft's proprietary  
DRM formats for playback on their operating system of choice.

The iPod currently has no way of playing Windows Media files of any  
shape or size.

The new advances in running Windows on a Mac are not much help here  
either.  There are basically three choices:

1.) Install Windows through "Boot Camp": This sets up a separate  
partition of your hard-drive that contains Windows.  To use this,  
users need to reboot their machine into Windows (which means you  
can't do any of your 'normal' work if OS X is your chosen operating  
system.)  It requires a full license of XP or Vista, though, so you  
will need to pay for this privilege.

2.) Install Windows through a virtualization technology such as  
VMWare and Parallels.  This allows you to 'boot' Windows in a window  
on your Mac while running OS X.  This is a more elegant solution than  
Boot Camp, but it also requires a legitimate license of XP or Vista,  
plus a copy of the virtualization software (~$50-70), and a lot of  
RAM to run it without affecting your system's performance.  Microsoft  
has also forbidden any installation of it's "lower-class" Vista  
versions to run in a virtualized environment, so you will need to pay  
for the business editions and not the home editions if you want to  
stay legit.

3.) Use a technology such as WINE to try and run media player.  This  
is the least favourable solution, and will probably still not work.   
WINE works by 'reverse-engineering' Windows to try and come up with  
something that will act like Windows, without requiring a Windows  
license.  As you can probably imagine, Microsoft does not support  
this work, so most of the work that's been done is based on  
intelligent guesses (and very good ones, I might add, but still not  
perfect).  Where I am unclear is whether this will allow you to  
install the latest versions of Windows Media Player and have it work  
with DRM'ed files.  I would be pleasantly surprised if it did, but  
I'm not getting my hopes up.   In any case, it's not yet a viable  
solution for 'mom and pop' computer users.

I don't see these options changing much as the Mac users shift to  
Leopard.

Cheers,
Andrew

On 2-Oct-07, at 8:46 PM, Michele Hampshire wrote:

> I'd be VERY interested to know if Mac (OS Leopard?) users could run
> Windows Media Player and listen to downloadable eAudiobook since  
> one of
> my biggest peeves with our libraries is paying for something that
> doesn't work with a majority of our patrons' technology of choice.   
> The
> platform wars are killing me.
>
> For those California Libraries that are CALIFA members, I heard on  
> good
> authority that some eAudiobook solution for Mac/iPod users is not far
> down the pike.
>
> Best, Michele
>
> Michele Hampshire, MLIS
> Web Librarian
> Mill Valley Public Library
> 375 Throckmorton Ave.
> Mill Valley, CA 94941
> 415-389-4292 x107
> http://millvalleylibrary.org
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org
> [mailto:web4lib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Bret Parker
> Sent: Monday, August 06, 2007 4:08 PM
> To: Web4lib at webjunction.org
> Subject: [Web4lib] Downloadable audiobooks - Windows Media Player for
> theMacintosh?
>
>
> We get complaints from time to time about Mac users not being able to
> use downloadable audiobooks on their Macs or iPods.
>
> I realize the issue is Digital Rights Management and that  
> NetLibrary and
> Audible.com use a format that works with Windows Media Player and  
> is not
> part of the Mac or iPod world. But...
>
> What if the Mac users ran leveraged the new technology that allows  
> them
> to run Windows programs?
>
> Would anyone download  audiobooks from NetLibrary using Windows Media
> Player on the Windows side of the Mac? Seems like that would be  
> adequate
> to at least listen. Maybe they could even transfer the file to a
> compatible MP3 player (not an iPod). Has anyone got an insider's  
> view of
> this operation?
>
> Bret Parker, Senior Applications Programmer Analyst (MLIS) Stockton- 
> San
> Joaquin County Public Library 605 N. El Dorado St Stockton, CA 95202
> bret.parker at ci.stockton.ca.us
> (209) 937-7148
>
> http://www.stockton.lib.ca.us
> Stockton Reads!
>
>
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Andrew Hankinson
andrew.hankinson at gmail.com