figmo@tymix.UUCP (Lynn Gold) (09/27/84)
According to several friends of mine from college who happen to be legally blind, "talking books" are sometimes put out on records at 16rpm, since high fidelity sound is low priority and having a greater amount of data on the record IS. These records are becoming less common due to the advent of the cassette recorder. Nowadays most "talking books" are distributed on cassettes which have four tracks for use with a special cassette player which can handle four tracks and run at slower speeds. --Lynn
bill@crystal.UUCP (10/01/84)
> According to several friends of mine from college who happen to be > legally blind, "talking books" are sometimes put out on records at > 16rpm, since high fidelity sound is low priority and having a greater > amount of data on the record IS. These records are becoming less > common due to the advent of the cassette recorder. Nowadays most > "talking books" are distributed on cassettes which have four tracks... The 16-2/3 records were being superceded by around 1966 or 1968; my wife's grandfather was blind, and got NEWSWEEK on records. The speed was, I believe, 8-1/3 RPM, and needed a special turntable. Our local (Madison Wisconsin) public library used to load mechanical adapters that gave the 8 rpm speed from any 33rpm turntable (reduction gear driven by the regular turntable). -- William Cox Computer Sciences Department University of Wisconsin, Madison WI bill@uwisc ...{ihnp4,seismo,allegra}!uwvax!bill