Read Out Loud from the digital edition

Report · May 26, 2008

I am trying to figure out how to get the digital edition to read outloud to me...I have an e-book and I want it to READ it to me. Please help!

Report · May 27, 2008

Read aloud is not a feature of Digital Editions 1.5. That was a feature of Acrobat Reader, which used to include it's own ability to read 'digital editions', which is not hte same as the ebook reader you're using now _named_ 'Digital Editions'.

Yes, it's confusing :(

To read ebooks with read aloud you'll need to use Adobe Acrobat Reader (I believe version 7 or 8).

http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2_allversions.html

Regards,

Bentley Wolfe
Senior Support Engineer, Flash/Flash Player
Adobe

Report · Aug 23, 2024

Hi

I am experiencing the same issue as the PO and my search led me to this 16 year old post. Is this important accessiblity feature available in the current version of Adobe Digital Editions? It didnt jump out at me

Thank you

Report · Feb 18, 2025

Good grief. Fast forward again and its Feb 2025 and ther's still no fix for htis significant accessiblity problem? At what point does Adobe realize they're just being discriminatory? When they are sued?

Report · May 30, 2008

gwilson,
You can use other text-to-speech software. I use NaturalVoice. You can download a trail version and try it for free before you decide to buy. Most TtS software allows you to do this.

Bently,

Digital Editions forces itself onto my computer so I cannot use Reader. How the heck can anyone follow your advice and open an eBook file in Reader? I would love to know the answer.

Report · Apr 14, 2015

hi

interesting.

how do I couple both programs? I mean I have a book in ADE and then I open the TtS software or how does it works?
thanks

Report · Jun 13, 2008

To switch back to Adobe Reader you have to uninstall Digital Editions (add/remove control panel in Windows) and Acrobat 8 and/or Reader 8 if you have them...

Then install Reader 7.09 from:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2_allversions.html

Unfortunate, we know. But Adobe Digital Editions 1.5 is delivered with Flash Player, and the read aloud tools don't work with Flash Player at this time.

Regards,

Bentley Wolfe
Senior Support Engineer, Flash/Flash Player/Digital Editions
Adobe

Report · Sep 26, 2024

Hello from the future (2024), this is a different time. Have you solved the issue? Other e-book readers usually come with speech built in. We need this for accessability. We cannot change the publisher's format. If you cannot adapt in 16 years, maybe you should remove Adobe Digital Editions so that no publisher accidentally publishes to it -- therby making it inaccessible. Best regards, Linnea

Report · Jun 18, 2008

Hi Bentley,

I have bought a e-book recently. It costs me around $45. I have tried both version 6 and 8 of adobe reader. However, they could not open the pdf e-book. This e-book requires only digital edition reader.

The main issues are: the digital edition do not come with READ out Loud; and the security of the pdf e-book is so high that it can not be open by any other software.

I have Kurzwell 3000. Even it can not open the pdf file.

Bentley, please solve this issue ASAP. If this continues, I will never buy ebook.

Mohammad

Report · Jun 19, 2008

Mohammad,

We cannot solve this issue for you at this time. If you require read aloud, then you will have to work with the book publisher to find some way to make it work in Acrobat Reader 6 or 7 (reader 8 does not support ebooks). We are aware that this is a feature request, but we simply cannot add read aloud capability at this time.

Regards,

Bentley Wolfe
Senior Support Engineer, Flash/Flash Player/Digital Editions
Adobe

Report · Nov 11, 2016

Okay, but is it something that you're working toward? just curious. Adobe has made made my academic life so much easier, and this would make it even easier.

Report · Jun 03, 2020

Solution: Use Microsoft Edge browser to go to the website you bought the book or the link you have to read it online. Then use the build in "read aloud" funciton of Microsoft Edge. If it doesnt work just highlight the text and let the reader read it for you. (click the 3 dots on the right and Read aloud)

Report · Aug 13, 2020

Hello Thalia,

How did you make that work. In my screen MS Edge only reads titles and page numbers.

Report · Sep 26, 2024

What about now? Please fix the speech, it would enhance accessability which should be a priority. Look at Thorium reader if you are confused how to start.

Best regards, Linnea

Report · Jul 14, 2008

I am having problem in Adobe Digital Edition 1.5

I have an eBook and the digital edition doesnot show the figures inside the pdf. How can I make them visible?

Report · Sep 27, 2008

Bentley,

I have tried uninstalling Digital Editions and installing Adobe Reader 7. However, Adobe will not "authorize" Reader 7 for eBooks. The message I get is that it wants me to upgrade.

Can you help? Do you know when Adobe Digital Editions will support the "Read Out Loud" function?

thanks,
--Melissa

Report · Sep 29, 2008

Melissa,

I do not have any info on when we might be supporting read out loud, sorry.

I don't understand the error you're getting. Are you sure you haven't installed Adobe Reader 8 or 9? Those would both prompt you to move to Digital Editions.

Give us some more specific information (or open a support web case...)

Regards,

Bentley Wolfe
Senior Support Engineer, Flash/Flash Player/Digital Editions
AdobeRegards,

Report · Jul 30, 2009

hi, Bentley,

Is there any way to be able to convert acsm files to some format from which we can read these ebooks by sending them to our pdas with Adobe Reader for Palm OS? I loved checking out Adobe ebooks from my local library and reading them on my pda, and rarely had any problems...until the end of March, when Adobe changed everything. I don't like to read books on my computer. Has Adobe made any provisions for those of us who specifically bought Adobe ebooks to read on our pdas, but now find we cannot because of the new file format?

thanks so much!

Marguerite

Report · Jul 30, 2009

p.s. I have no problems opening the books with Digital Editions (but I don't want to read them on my computer). Why did Adobe (also) change the format so that the ebooks will no longer even open with Adobe Acrobat 8 professional?

Report · Oct 11, 2008

Hi Bentley,

Here are more specifics...

I have Adobe Reader 7 (not 8 or 9).

I try to open the eBook in Reader 7 and it gives me this message: The document cannot be opened because its ownership has not been established on this computer... then 2 choices: a. I own it... b. Someone gave it to me.

I select a. and click "obtain ownership". (Keep in mind that I bought this eBook last week on this computer, and have never opened it on another computer. The only time I have opened the eBook was in Digital Editions 1.5.... only to discover the read out loud didn't work. Since then I have removed Digital editions.)

It takes me to Adobe's DRM Activator site and tells me this:
This Digital Edition cannot be opened.
Here's the problem and how to solve it:
You have tried to open an Digital Edition that was downloaded to another computer. You can open such a document on two computers only when you have activated Adobe Reader or Acrobat on both computers using the same Microsoft .NET Passport or Adobe ID.
Problem: This computer and the computer to which the document was downloaded were activated using different .NET Passports or Adobe IDs.
Solution: Return to the retailer, library, or other location where you acquired the document and obtain permission to open it on this computer.

Through Reader 7s "File/Digital Editions/Authorize Devices", I have "authorized" this device and Reader 7.

The last thing I tried was downloading another copy of the eBook from the seller. It is an .acsm file which is a gateway to a download. When I try to open/re-download the .acsm eBook file in Reader 7, the .acsm format files are greyed out.

I still have the eBooks in .pdf format on my computer from having orginally downloaded them via Digital Editions 1.5... but those are the files which say they are not authorized on my computer.

Thanks so much for your time. I will be eternally grateful to solve this problem.

best,
--Melissa

Report · Oct 15, 2008

Melissa, now I know why I didn't understand. I don't do any work with reader, just digital editions (the application.. it's unfortunate that they didn't name ADE something more unique). I'm not personally going to be able to help you with this one.

Open a webcase on http://www.adobe.com/support/contact for Reader, and point them back to this thread. The reader support team should be able to help.

Regards,

Bentley Wolfe
Senior Support Engineer, Flash/Flash Player/Digital Editions
Adobe

Report · Feb 19, 2009

I am also trying to get read out loud to work with adobe reader digital edition. Maybe we should suggest strongly to the company how important this facility is to a large majority of people. Not only would it help people that are blind and cannot access braille but it helps all those that have reading difficulties (dyslexia) but would like to read. Without this facility, this stops people like me accessing information and are discriminated against. In today world it just shows how much discrimination is allowed to go on.
I hope the company will address this problem soon.

Report · Nov 08, 2020

I'm reading your comment 11 years later and they still haven't fixed the issue. Clearly they don't care about people who have difficulties reading.

Report · Mar 05, 2021

I'm afraid I have to agree, and I have a few problems with this myself. In short, anyone over 40 needs this feature, and many people use this feature at all ages. For a "community" you leave out a lot of people-but only, it seems, the disabled ones...I've bought books and cannot read them or have them read out loud to me and if I could uploan then to or change them to a word doc, my computer could just read them to me. Tell me what you are so worried about. Theft? I bought the books. I could have bought them as books, used or otherwise, for less than I paid for the "digital edition." You must have agreemets with these licensing partners and yet you make it as difficult as possible for the public to get their work done. Why? If we go back to reading books will that make you happy? More money? Greed, the enemy of enlightenment.

Report · Nov 19, 2022

I entirely agree with this comment. Why isn't there a read aloud function that is so prevalent in soooo many other softwares, browsers, apps, etc FOR ACCESSIBILITY at this point. Add Read-A-L-O-U-D, please.