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Obi

This website is for development and support. Here you will find additional help documents, downloads and information related to development and maintainance of Obi.

Overview

Obi is a DAISY/NISO & accessible EPUB 3 authoring tool that is easy to use, accessible and internationalized. Obi provides a powerful editing environment that supports the structured audio recording paradigm. Obi enables anyone with a minimal amount of training to produce rich yet accessible Digital Talking Books. By empowering mainstream users, Obi brings the benefits of DAISY & accessible EPUB 3 technology to a broader range of consumers. Although the DAISY reading experience was originally designed for print-disabled users (i.e. blind, visually-impaired, dyslexic, etc.), the technology can benefit mainstream users too. In context where time and cost constraints do not normally allow the production of synchronized multimedia (e.g. classroom environment), Obi can unlock the potential of producers and consumers (e.g. teachers and students).

Behind the scenes, Obi utilizes the Urakawa sdk for multimedia authoring and light version of DAISY Pipeline named Pipeline-lite for output validation, mp3 encoding and fileset renaming.

Obi is free software; it is available at no cost, and its source code is available for anyone to run, modify and redistribute. Obi is released under the LGPL license.

News

  • August 12, 2020, Obi 4.6 alpha (test version) is released with first set of features planned for Obi 4.6. It comes with more audio processing features like highly demanded noise reduction functionality, ability to mix audio (like background music) from an external audio file and enhanced fade in and fade out effects. It also adds ability to import cue markers while wav file import and provides a reference implementation for the new Audio Books specification from W3C. To know more, please visit Obi 4.6 alpha page.

  • March 31, 2020, Obi 4.5 is released. It introduces new and enhanced audio processing functionality to increase/decrease the volume, fade in, fade out and normalize audio. Other enhancements include capability of adding comment to a Todo phrase, ability to mark Todo at the exact time point in a phrase, ability to export to MegaVoice Envoy Connect device, option to view peak meter inside the main Obi window, updates to French language pack, along with other improvements and bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 4.5 page.

  • October 18, 2019, Obi 4.5 RC is released. The Release Candidate (test version) further improves audio processing functionality added in the Beta release, which enables users to change volume, fade in, fade out or normalize audio. It also incorporates the old functionality in the new audio processing interface. The release also comes with the updated French language pack. To know more, please visit Obi 4.5 RC page.

  • August 28, 2019, Obi 4.5 beta (2nd test version) adds more features to the feature set implemented in Obi 4.5 alpha. It presents much demanded audio processing functionality that lets you increase/decrease the volume, fade in, fade out, or normalize audio, along with other improvements. To know more, please visit [http://www.daisy.org/obi/obi-4.5-test-releases "Obi 4.5 beta page"].

  • May 20, 2019, Obi 4.5 alpha (test version) released with first set of features planned for Obi 4.5. It brings capability of adding comment to a Todo phrase, ability to mark Todo at the exact time in a phrase, option to view peak meter inside main Obi window, option to use single key shortcuts for recording in the TOC view along with other improvements and bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 4.5 alpha page.

  • December 20, 2018, Obi 4.3 comes with usability enhancements and incremental features such as, a new dialog to configure the basic settings when Obi is started after installation, option to restrict structure editing to avoid unintended modification during recording, accent normalization for audio filenames during DAISY 2.02 export, updates to French language pack, along with other improvements and bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 4.3 page.

  • August 30, 2018, Obi 4.2 released. It makes production more efficient by introducing much awaited capability to cut, copy, paste, delete or merge multiple phrases and improved efficiency of Zoomed Waveform View. In addition, it enables replacement of existing TOC with structure from an external file, brings enhancements to Multi-sections Operations dialog, update to French language pack and bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 4.2 page.

  • July 10, 2018, Obi 4.2 beta (second test version) released. It makes audio editing in Zoomed Waveform View more efficient, augments the multiple phrase operations like cut, copy, paste and merge with delete functionality and also improves other features implemented in the alpha release. To know more about enhancements and bug fixes please visit Obi 4.2 beta page.

  • May 23, 2018, Obi 4.2 alpha (1st test version) released. It introduces the ability to cut, copy, paste, and merge multiple phrases, enables replacement of existing TOC with structure from XHTML, CSV, or delimited text file, enhances Multi-sections Operations dialog, along with other improvements and bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 4.2 alpha page.

  • December 14, 2017, Obi 4.1 released. It is an incremental release that brings enhancements to existing features like import of audio files in existing structure of sections, calculation of total duration of audio content in a set of contiguous phrases, enhancements to multi-phrase and multi-section operations, updates to French and German language packs, along with other improvements. To know more, please visit Obi 4.1 page.

  • August 31, 2017, Obi 4.0 released, upgrading Obi to the .NET framework 4.0 to keep pace with new technology. It also provides reference implementation for EPUB 3 Media Overlays navigation doc to enable TOC playback behaviour similar to DAISY, introduces automated generation of pages, provides quick glance at project structure via Multi-section Operations dialog, brings new language pack along with other improvements and bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 4.0 page.

  • July 14, 2017, Obi 4.0 beta (2nd test version) is released. It comes with option to generate Media Overlays for EPUB 3 Navigation Document to provide behaviour similar to playback of TOC in DAISY players, enhances automated page generation, and provides quick glance at the project structure via Multi-section Operations dialog, along with important bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 4.0 beta page.

  • May 4, 2017, Obi 4.0 alpha (1st test version) released. The new version is upgraded to .NET framework 4.0 to keep pace with the new technology. It also implements feature requests of members: introduces automated generation of pages, provides option for preserving characters while importing old NCC files, etc, along with bug fixes. The release also comes with new language pack for German. To know more, please visit Obi 4.0 alpha page.

  • December 14, 2016, Obi 3.9.1 released. It provides localization updates for version 3.9; comes with updates for French, Spanish, Finnish & Portuguese language packs. To know more, please visit Obi 3.9.1 page.

  • October 29, 2016, Obi 3.9 released with high performance 64 bit versions for utilizing better capabilities of 64 bit Windows; brings new features like Clean-up roll back, enhanced on-the-fly phrase detection etc.; comes with several new configurations and personalization's for diverse production workflows of the members along with other improvements and bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 3.9 page.

  • September 12, 2016, Obi 3.9 beta 2 (the 3rd test version) released. It comes with more configurations for improving the production workflows and brings improvements and bug fixes to the features introduced in the alpha and beta 1 versions. Besides the incremental features, it also comes with new language pack for Portuguese. To know more, please visit Obi 3.9 beta 2 page.

  • July 14, 2016, Obi 3.9 beta (2nd test version) released. It brings option to increase efficiency on high resolution screens and enhancements to on-the-fly phrase detection, in addition to the introductions of alpha version like cleanup rollback, ability to change font of user interface, 64-bit installer etc. along with important bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 3.9 beta page.

  • May 2, 2016, Obi 3.9 alpha (test version) released with the first set of features planned for Obi 3.9. It includes features like cleanup rollback, ability to change the font of user interface etc., along with important bug fixes. In addition a separate installer for 64 bit systems is introduced. To know more, please visit Obi 3.9 alpha page.

  • December 14, 2015, Obi 3.8 presents the capability to instantaneously switch audio profiles via the new buttons of Transport Bar and Recording Toolbar, makes creation of book structure more efficient with a new command to fill missing pages, improves network based deployment with the quick cleanup command and the option to record in local drive, adds new preferences for improving adaptability, along with other enhancements and bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 3.8 page.

  • November 3, 2015, Obi 3.8 beta (test version) released with more members' feature requests, customizations and enhancements for making Obi even more suitable for members’ production workflows. It presents capability to instantaneously switch audio profiles from transport bar & recording tool bar, introduces command to fill in missing pages between existing non-consecutive pages, makes recording more robust on network based deployment, and brings many other enhancements and bug fixes. To know more, please visit Obi 3.8 beta page.

  • April 11, 2015, Obi 3.7 introduces the capability of preserving the preferences as a profile, which can be ported across workstations and Obi versions in a single step. Additionally, the Recording Toolbar is enhanced to simplify the recording process for the users with moderate computer skills, export operation is augmented with simultaneous export to multiple standards, along with other enhancements and important bug fixes. To know about the new features & bug fixes please visit Obi 3.7 page.

  • March 10, 2015, Obi 3.7 beta (test version) released with further enhancements to ease of adapting Obi. It introduces the capability of preserving the preferences as a profile, which can be ported across workstations and Obi versions in a single step. Additionally, it enables simultaneous export to multiple standards, enhances the functionality of Recording Toolbar with two new buttons, along with other enhancements and important bug fixes. To know about the new features & bug fixes please visit Obi 3.7 beta page.

  • December 17, 2014, Obi 3.6 released with the advance features requested by DAISY production centers. It introduces the ability to export the book in newer audio formats (MP4, AMR, & 3GP), the capability to perform operations on multiple sections simultaneously, enables integration of Obi with the production management software using configuration file, and more. . To know about the new features & bug fixes please visit Obi 3.6 page.

  • August 31, 2014, Obi 3.5 released with capability to produce EPUB 3-navigable audio-only publications, along with features prioritized by members like structure import from a CSV or delimited text file, audio profiles for one-step configuration of audio preferences, smart playback and recording options, framework for audio processing, and many more. To know about the new features & bug fixes please visit Obi 3.5 page.

  • April 11 to August 31, 2014, testing phase of Obi 3.5. It commenced with the release of the 1st feature specific test release, version 3.5 alpha 1. The 2nd feature specific test release, version 3.5 alpha 2 was released on May 21, 2014; the release introduced the support for EPUB 3 (navigable audio-only format). This was followed by the feature complete test release, Obi 3.5 beta, on August 7, 2014. To know about the Obi 3.5-test releases, please visit Obi 3.5-test releases page.

  • December 15, 2013, Obi 3.0 is released. It accelerates DAISY book production by introduction of features that were highly demanded by DAISY members: Zoom Waveform view, Capability to merge several Obi projects, functionality to save metadata of the current project as default metadata for use across projects, quick access to advance recording operations, with various other enhancements. To know about the new features & bug fixes please visit Obi 3.0 page.

  • October 5, 2013, Obi 3.0 commences testing phase with the release of the 1st feature specific test release, Obi 3.0 beta1. The 2nd feature specific test released, Obi 3.0 beta2 was released on November 29, 2013. To know about the Obi 3.0-test releases, please visit Obi 3.0-test releases page.

  • April 29, 2013, Obi 2.6 is released. It comes with several new features like complete backward compatibility with DAISY 2.02 standard, context sensitive help, further enhancements to the features introduced in Obi 2.5 and many more. To know about the new features & bug fixes please visit Obi 2.6 page.

  • March 28, 2013, Obi 2.6 Beta (test version) is released. It introduces the capabilities of importing DAISY 2.02 books as well as preserving the pitch while using fast play. It also incorporates context-sensitive help, along with many other enhancements. For a complete list of new features and bug fixes, please visit Obi 2.6 beta page.

  • December 14, 2012, Obi 2.5 is released. It introduces several significant new features like comprehensive functionality for authoring skippable structures, automated book production via enhanced audio file import and many more. To know about the new features & bug fixes please visit release notes.

  • August 27, 2012, Obi 2.5 beta (test version) is released. It introduces live waveform creation, French localization, audio generation using preferred synthetic voice and enhancements to the introductions of Obi 2.5 alpha release. For a complete list of new features and bug fixes, please visit about Obi 2.5 beta page.

  • June 5, 2012, Obi 2.5 alpha (test version) is released. It introduces workflow to produce skippable structures, enhanced efficiency with features like fine navigation, color preferences & more. For a complete list of new features and bug fixes, please visit about Obi 2.5 alpha page.

  • October 20, 2011, Obi 2.0 is released with several significant new features and enhancements. To know about the new features & bug fixes please visit Release notes.

  • June 29, 2011, Obi 2.0 beta (test version) released with performance improvements, new features and bug fixes.

  • April 29, 2011, Obi 2.0 alpha (test version) is released. It has enhanced productivity, configurable keyboard shortcuts and long awaited features like DAISY 3 import. For a complete list of new features and bug fixes, please visit about Obi 2.0 alpha.

  • November 29, 2010, Obi 1.2 is released with enhanced performance and capabilities. Please visit Release notes page for details.

  • September 23, 2010, Obi 1.2 entered the RC stage with release of Obi 1.2-RC1 (1st Release Candidate), the 2nd release candidate, Obi 1.2 RC2 was released on October 21, 2010. To know about the improvements and bug fixes in Obi 1.2 Release candidates please visit About Obi 1.2 Release candidates

  • September 11, 2009, Obi 1.1 is released with a new feature set, enhancements and bug fixes. Please visit what's new page for further details.

  • July 24, 2009 Obi 1.1 RC1 is now available. To know about improvements and augmentations in this version, please visit about Obi 1.1 RC1. We are looking forward to your suggestions and bug reports.

  • March 27, 2009, Obi 1.0 is released!

Features

  • Can produce DTB conforming to accessible EPUB 3, DAISY 3 and DAISY 2.02 with a choice of having exported audio files in WAV or MP3 formats.

  • One of the rare audio-ncx production tools providing complete support for creating skippable structures like footnotes, annotations, etc.

  • Full accessibility (keyboard navigation, magnification of text and graphics, audio clues and support for screen readers, even for the less sophisticated open source screen readers)

  • Personalization by the way of customizing keyboard shortcuts as per own inclinations and preferences.

  • Supports internationalization - can be easily localized into various languages

  • Low learning curve; simple and comprehensive GUI with logical grouping of menu items and self-explanatory dialog boxes make it easily comprehendible.

  • Quicck, relevant assistance on any UI component, via the context-sensitive help, reduces the learning curve even further.

  • Carefully designed set of intertwined views enabling visual users to work simultaneously in various views on a single application window. At the same time, facilitating non-visual users to navigate through the views giving the notion of separate windows.

  • Ability to merge multiple Obi projects, which allows the users to distribute a publication among several workstations for parallel book production, and then merge them back into a single complete project.

  • Zoomed Waveform view, an alternate of Content view, enables rapid and enormous magnification of a single waveform empowering the users to perform quick and accurate audio editing.

  • Meticulously devised recording process catering to the need of both beginners and advanced users; main attractions being advanced recording mode to gear up the recording process and slim recording toolbar enabling narrating and execution of recording commands concurrently.

  • Highly efficient workflows like Automated book production from pre-recorded audio files reduce manpower requirements.

  • Concept of default metadata that can be saved from any project and imported into others.

  • Enables utilization of existing resources via the import feature, whereby users can import structure and audio from both audio-only and full-text full-audio/Media Overlays EPUB 3/DAISY 3/DAISY 2.02 books, structure from DTBook.xml, EPUB 3 text-only, xhtml, CSV & delimited text files, audio from WAV, MP3 & MP4 files.

  • Tolerance to mistakes, automated project recovery feature reduces the probability of losing important data to bare minimum.

  • Supports undo and redo operations to revert to desired state.

  • Can be further customized for encompassing special requirements as it is open-source.

Obi 2.0 uses the upgraded Urakawa SDK 2.0 and its satellite assemblies as backend. Upgraded Urakawa SDK 2.0 is the outcome of the merger of code bases of Obi & Tobi incorporating the advantages of both the tools to evolve Urakawa SDK as a powerful backend for multi-application use.

Downloads

To download latest releases, please visit main download page. Two types of installers have been provided. One that installs all dependencies from internet which requires a good internet connection and another contains all dependencies in itself that can be used for offline installations as well for burning installation CDs.br Also one can find other useful downloads here like screen reader scripts, sample projects etc. br To download previous version of Obi please visit [wiki:downloads "previous downloads"] br To download source code, you will need svn client like [http://tortoisesvn.net/ "tortoise svn"]. Please use the following URL for downloading Obi source codebr [https://daisy-svn.cvsdude.com/obi/trunk/]br == Online help documents == To know more about using Obi, please visit our [http://www.daisy.org/obi/documentation "online documentation page"].br These help documents are additional to documents packaged with Obi and will be updated regularly.

== Queries related to Obi == For any queries or feature related discussions, please visit [http://www.daisy.org/forums/obi "Obi forum"], where you can interact with developers and other users of Obi.

== Known limitations == Obi has some known limitations and the team is working conscientiously towards overcoming them in future releases. Details can be found at [http://www.daisy.org/obi/known-limitations "List of known limitations"]. Please read this before reporting any new bugs. (If you want to report a bug after going through it, then please visit [wiki:documentation/InstructionsForSubmittingBuggReports Instructions for submitting bug reports])

== Contributing organisations == Following organisations have supported The DAISY Consortium for Obi and Urakawa SDK: (List in alphabetic order )

  • [http://www.cwi.nl/ CWI] from Netherlands
  • [http://www.inria.fr/ INRIA] from France
  • [http://www.rehab.go.jp/ NRCD] from Japan
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