New in Overdrive: Video and iPod-friendly audiobooks

New in Overdrive: Video and iPod-friendly audiobooks!

Overdrive has recently added mp3 audiobooks to its lineup. These mp3 audiobooks do not have the Digital Rights Management encoding (DRM) that made them incompatible with  iPods.

You’ll also find full-length movies and short films available for download! If you have a Windows computer and a Windows device, you can download movies and watch them on the go. Or, if you have an iPod like us, you can download movies and watch them on your Windows computer.

In case you missed the Intranet post, here’s a quick list of must-know information:

If you have a Windows computer and an iPod, iPhone, or iSomething-else, you will need:

• Overdrive Media Player for Windows (version 3 or higher)
• iTunes (turn on “manually manage music” in the settings)
• QuickTime (version 7.4.5 or newer)
• Windows Vista or Windows XP

If you have a Mac computer and an iPod, iPhone, or iAnything, you will need:

• Overdrive Media Player for Mac (version 1 or higher)
• iTunes (turn on “manually manage music” in the settings)
• QuickTime (version 7.4.5 or newer)
• Mac computers do not have to have Windows installed

Library members who already use Overdrive will probably be asked to download a new version of the software in order to use mp3 audiobooks. That prompt will appear once they click on the downloaded file saved to the desktop.

Last but not least, you’ll need to know the name of your book because it is listed under Songs by title.

Did you hear there are also Downloadable Movies?

First, an apology to iPod users. DRM is still encoded on each video, so you cannot download or play videos with Apple devices.

If you have a Windows computer and a Windows device, you can download movies and watch them on the go. Or, if you have an iPod like us, you can download movies and watch them on your Windows computer not on the go.

To download and watch videos, you will need:

• Windows computer
• OverDrive Media Player for Windows v2.0 (or newer) – longtime users may need to upgrade to version 2
• Windows Media® Player 9 Series (or newer)
• DRM friendly mobile device (optional) – see compatible players list for details

How will I know if my device will play audiobooks? Or movies?

If you want to know if your device is compatible with audio/video content, view the list of compatible devices. You can sort by device or by format to quickly find out if your device is compatible.

Your mission, should you choose to accept it: 1. Go to Overdrive and find a book or video. 2. Checkout the item and download it to your computer. Play a little bit of the book/video. 3. Leave any questions in the comments section of the blog. 4. Take the survey.