Downloadable DAISY FAQs

• Section 1: Downloadable DAISY and Your Learning Ally Membership

• Section 2: Technical Requirements for Downloadable DAISY

• Section 3: Downloading DAISY Books

• Section 4: Accessing and Reading Your Downloadable DAISY books 

Section 1: Downloadable DAISY and Your Learning Ally Membership

1. Which books will be available for downloading?
   All Downloadable DAISY books will be available for download. This includes books that are being released in installments during recording.

2. Do I need an online-ordering account with Learning Ally to use Downloadable DAISY books?
   Yes, since the books are available by download only via the Learning Ally Online Ordering Center at www.LearningAlly.org, you will need an online account to get your books. Setting up an online account is simple and free.

3. When is an Downloadable DAISY book applied to my membership book limit?
   As with DAISY CDs, downloaded Downloadable DAISY books will be applied to your membership book limit at the time the audiobook is ordered.

Section 2: Technical Requirements for Downloadable DAISY

1. What kind of computer and what type of Internet connection are required?

   • Microsoft Windows® XP, Vista™, or Windows 7; Mac OS X 10.5 or 10.6

   • A high-speed connection to the Internet

   • Learning Ally Audiobook Manager
     
     You also will need: 

   • A valid Learning Ally account login and password

   • Learning Ally-enabled DAISY software or any Learning Ally enabled DAISY playback device or Apple device with the Learning Ally Audio App installed.

2. Can I download Downloadable DAISY books to my Apple Macintosh^® computer?
   Yes. Be sure to download the Mac version of the Learning Ally Audiobook Manager.

Section 3: Downloading DAISY Books

1. Where do I go to download my Downloadable DAISY books?
   Log in to your online member account. Once you log in, click on "Go to Bookshelf" or "My Bookshelf" to view the audiobooks associated with your account. From your Online Bookshelf, use the "Download and Listen" button to begin downloading titles using the Learning Ally Audiobook Manager.

2. What does the status "Uploading" mean?
   Not all books are stored all at once on the Learning Ally delivery network. When you order a book that is in our reserve storage, it will have the status "Uploading" until it has been added to our delivery network.

3. How long will it take my book to upload to the Learning Ally delivery network?
   It usually takes less than 24 hours to upload a book once your order is placed. Actual upload times depend on the size of the book and overall order volume.

4. How large is an Downloadable DAISY book?
   The average Downloadable DAISY book is 400 megabytes (MB). Sizes vary greatly. You can see the total size of your specific Downloadable DAISY book in the Learning Ally Audiobook Manager application.

5. How long does it take to download an Downloadable DAISY book?
   Download time depends on the size of the book and the speed of your Internet connection. An average 400 MB book downloaded over a 1.5 Mbps connection will take about 30-40 minutes.

6. Why do I need the Learning Ally Audiobook Manager?
   The Learning Ally Audiobook Manager is needed to keep track of all the parts of a book, to be sure that you download them all, and to "unpack" and store the audio files in the correct locations on your PC or other playback device.

7. Where can I get the Learning Ally Audiobook Manager?
   You can download the Learning Ally Audiobook Manager installer from your online member account.

8. How do I install the Learning Ally Audiobook Manager?
   Just download and run the installer and follow the prompts. For detailed instructions, see the installation guide.

9. Does the Learning Ally Audiobook Manager work with web proxy servers?
   Yes. Proxy settings can be adjusted in the Proxy Server section of the Options screen.

10. Do I need special firewall settings to use the Learning Ally Audiobook Manager?
    The Learning Ally Audiobook Manager uses the same protocol as web browsers, so no new ports need to be opened on your firewall. You will need to allow access to http://rfbd.vo.llnwd.net to download books.

11. Where does Learning Ally Audiobook Manager save my books?
    The Learning Ally Audiobook Manager allows you to specify where to download books. After you download a title, a link will appear to "Show book folder" on your computer.

12. Do I have to download the entire book before I can use it?
    Yes. The DAISY format requires that all the files are present in order to work correctly.

13. What if my download gets interrupted?
    Learning Ally Audiobook Manager will remember where you left off and will resume the download at that point.

Section 4: Accessing and Reading Your Downloadable DAISY books

1. Can I play Learning Ally books on my iPad (or iPod touch or iPhone)?
   Yes, the Learning Ally Audio App is available for purchase from the iTunes store; Downloadable DAISY books and other unprotected DAISY 2.02 content can play on these devices. For more information visit www.LearningAlly.org/apple.

2. Can I burn my Downloadable DAISY book to a CD?
   No, however you can order DAISY CDs from www.LearningAlly.org.  

3. Can I save my downloads to an external drive?
   They can be saved to any location by using the "Manually Manage Files" playback option in the Learning Ally Audiobook Manager.The external drive will need to be attached to the PC whenever you want to read the books.

4. After downloading, where do I go to find my books?
   The Learning Ally Audiobook Manager allows you to specify where to download books. After you download a title, a link will appear to "Show book folder" on your computer.

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