Overdrive moves to MP3 for audiobooks - drops DRM

[hardcastle]

That's absolutely incredible news. I'll have to keep an eye out for my local library updating their system.

[Robotech_Master]

I would point out, as some of the commenters did when this came up on Boing Boing, that nothing whatsoever in Overdrive’s actual announcement says they’re going “DRM-free.” In fact, the Overdrive announcement has been updated at the top of the page to say:

**UPDATE: MP3 audiobooks are still being borrowed, and users are prompted to delete when the lending period is over. Titles still expire in the OverDrive app at the end of the lending period.**

That strongly suggests there will still be DRM of some kind.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by Robotech_Master

I would point out, as some of the commenters did when this came up on Boing Boing, that nothing whatsoever in Overdrive’s actual announcement says they’re going “DRM-free.” In fact, the Overdrive announcement has been updated at the top of the page to say:

That strongly suggests there will still be DRM of some kind.

OverDrive app can delete it (it's called "rm %s" or "del %s") but only from the app. I assume if you have it on an MP3 player, or in your downloads folder, you must delete it yourself, hence the prompt.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by Robotech_Master

That strongly suggests there will still be DRM of some kind.

What it suggests is that things will be like they are now for MP3 audiobooks. The OverDrive apps know when the lending period has expired and will prompt you to delete the book (in the Windows program you can ignore the prompt, not sure about other OD apps). If the MP3's were copied to a device another way, such as iTunes, you will get no prompt and the books will continue working after the expiration period. I wouldn't be surprised it there was some kind of digital watermarking/social DRM that occurs to the files like it does with MP3's bought from Amazon and elsewhere.

[tubemonkey]

From OverDrive Blogs - a comment and then a reply by the author of the article.

Julie
I am (cautiously) excited about this! When I check our patron catalog and do an advanced search for WMA titles, I am shown that I have 6,108 titles. When I do a search for MP3 format, I have 4,071. Does this mean that I will lose access to 2,037 audiobooks???? I am curious what “an alternate solution will be offered to make up for the lost titles” this will be…. THANK YOU FOR THE MP3 CHANGE!!!!! THIS WILL MAKE LIBRARIES LOOK AWESOME!
January 24th, 2014

Heather Tunstall
Hi Julie,
OverDrive will work with publishers to gain permissions to convert any of the WMA audiobooks that you currently have to MP3. If for some reason a title can’t be switched over, that’s when your Account Specialist will work out a solution with you.

Thanks!
January 24th, 2014

While this appears to be good news for the libraries in that they probably won't take a loss, it's not so good for their patrons who stand to lose access to books that will remain WMA only.

[hwlester]

Originally Posted by AnemicOak

What it suggests is that things will be like they are now for MP3 audiobooks. The OverDrive apps know when the lending period has expired and will prompt you to delete the book (in the Windows program you can ignore the prompt, not sure about other OD apps). If the MP3's were copied to a device another way, such as iTunes, you will get no prompt and the books will continue working after the expiration period. I wouldn't be surprised it there was some kind of digital watermarking/social DRM that occurs to the files like it does with MP3's bought from Amazon and elsewhere.

The Android app doesn't suggest it, but just says the lending period has expired and the files will be deleted per the lending agreement. The only option is OK and then the files are deleted. As mentioned though, the files can be copied elsewhere prior to that and will continue to work in other players.

I suspect more users using mobile phones is a big reason for this... iPhone doesn't support WMA, stock Android doesn't support of WMA although some manufacturers have a codec for DRM-free WMA. Windows Mobile supports WMA, but I've heard that it doesn't support DRM. I can't validate that, though.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by hwlester

I suspect more users using mobile phones is a big reason for this... iPhone doesn't support WMA,...

OD WMA audiobooks will play on an iPhone if the publisher allows it; but it's a lengthy conversion process that requires a Windows PC to get the files onto the iDevice.

[Darqref]

At KCLS (which I'm pretty sure Tubemonkey also uses) there are a lot of audiobooks in OneClickDigital format, which has a different DRM. It could be that the recalcitrant publishers would just move to this alternate provider.

I don't like it, 'cause I have not yet figured out a way to get a OneClickDigital book onto a device that my mother can use - she normally uses a digital player provided by the National Library for the Blind, but that one doesn't use the right drm for OneClickDigital. The mp3 ones from Overdrive work just fine in her normal player.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Darqref

At KCLS (which I'm pretty sure Tubemonkey also uses) there are a lot of audiobooks in OneClickDigital format, which has a different DRM. It could be that the recalcitrant publishers would just move to this alternate provider.

Yep, I sure do. I'm only aware of a few libraries in the Puget Sound area that use OneClick (King, Pierce, and Everett). It's not very popular.

So far, I haven't used it. One of these days I'll give it a shot to see how well it works and to see if the content selection is to my liking. Have you used it for yourself? and if so, how do you like it?

[wawasteele]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Yep, I sure do. I'm only aware of a few libraries in the Puget Sound area that use OneClick (King, Pierce, and Everett). It's not very popular.

So far, I haven't used it. One of these days I'll give it a shot to see how well it works and to see if the content selection is to my liking. Have you used it for yourself? and if so, how do you like it?

I'm not Darqref but thought I would answer anyway.

I use it with a different libraries. It's more of a pain to check out and transfer a book, but once it's done, it works fine.

Your clip has to be in MTP mode. The OneClick app will transfer the book to the clip. You have no choice where it goes like you do in OD. Once the book is on the clip, it will be in the music folder. I then use Windows' Explorer to move the book to the audiobook directory.

My OneClick libraries have, for the most part, different books than in OD. So if there is a book you really want and OD doesn't have it, it's worth checking OneClick.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by wawasteele

I'm not Darqref but thought I would answer anyway.

I use it with a different libraries. It's more of a pain to check out and transfer a book, but once it's done, it works fine.

Your clip has to be in MTP mode. The OneClick app will transfer the book to the clip. You have no choice where it goes like you do in OD. Once the book is on the clip, it will be in the music folder. I then use Windows' Explorer to move the book to the audiobook directory.

My OneClick libraries have, for the most part, different books than in OD. So if there is a book you really want and OD doesn't have it, it's worth checking OneClick.

I've used it a few times with the Clip Zip. It's a bit annoying to have to download to the device rather than to the PC, but otherwise it seems to work fine.

My recollection is that most of the titles are DRM-free--there's a filter for browsing only non-DRM titles. They are mostly professionally done recordings of public domain classics, rather than current books--at least in my library.

[wawasteele]

Originally Posted by Catlady

I've used it a few times with the Clip Zip. It's a bit annoying to have to download to the device rather than to the PC, but otherwise it seems to work fine.

My recollection is that most of the titles are DRM-free--there's a filter for browsing only non-DRM titles. They are mostly professionally done recordings of public domain classics, rather than current books--at least in my library.

At my libraries, if you search for only DRM free, it eliminates a lot of books. Any of the current books that I have found have DRM, but they transfer fine to the Clip Zip. It's just not as convenient as OD.

[hwlester]

Originally Posted by Darqref

At KCLS (which I'm pretty sure Tubemonkey also uses) there are a lot of audiobooks in OneClickDigital format, which has a different DRM. It could be that the recalcitrant publishers would just move to this alternate provider.

I don't like it, 'cause I have not yet figured out a way to get a OneClickDigital book onto a device that my mother can use - she normally uses a digital player provided by the National Library for the Blind, but that one doesn't use the right drm for OneClickDigital. The mp3 ones from Overdrive work just fine in her normal player.

The first time I checked OneClick last summer, I loaded the app on my Android phone and downloaded DragonSinger by Anne McCaffrey mainly to test the app and see what it downloaded... It pulled down an EMP3 file which appears to be an encrypted MP3. I didn't try it again until a month or so back and pulled down Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that these were DRM free MP3's. My local library appears to have let its OneClick subscription lapse, so I can't check it right now, but I keep meaning to see if FLP has OneClick available.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by hwlester

My local library appears to have let its OneClick subscription lapse, so I can't check it right now, but I keep meaning to see if FLP has OneClick available.

They don't.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by wawasteele

I'm not Darqref but thought I would answer anyway.

I use it with a different libraries. It's more of a pain to check out and transfer a book, but once it's done, it works fine.

Your clip has to be in MTP mode. The OneClick app will transfer the book to the clip. You have no choice where it goes like you do in OD. Once the book is on the clip, it will be in the music folder. I then use Windows' Explorer to move the book to the audiobook directory.

My OneClick libraries have, for the most part, different books than in OD. So if there is a book you really want and OD doesn't have it, it's worth checking OneClick.

Thanks for that info. I'll keep it in mind when I try OCD.