Midwest Tape Launching Playaway View

We here at Midwest Tape are all a-buzz, and it isn’t just because spring is finally here. It’s the Playaway View—the first and only pre-loaded video player available exclusively to libraries!

Circulation Ready
The Playaway View has a built-in speaker, so no ear buds are necessary. (It does have a headphone jack for patrons who’d prefer to listen to the device with their own ear buds.) The View also doesn’t require standard batteries. Featuring an internal lithium-polymer battery, the View provides over 8 hours of continuous play and can be charged with its included AC adapter. To enhance its shelf-readiness, the View comes in a One-Time™ Lock compatible package similar to Playaway Audio’s case.

Kid Friendly
The Playaway View is not only portable, but also extremely durable. Specifically designed to withstand drops, the View weighs only 5.4 ounces and features a shatter-resistant acrylic screen cover, making it the perfect entertainment device for kids.

Variety of Programs
Pre-loaded with multiple videos, the View will offer titles from such studios as Sesame Street, PBS Kids, TumbleBooks, National Geographic, Weston Woods, Spoken Arts, TMW Media Group, Schlessinger, 100% Educational Books, and Nickelodeon. Each player will feature three to seven titles bundled together.

Utmost Usability
The View features a 3.5" full-color LCD screen for vibrant video viewing and has a simple 7 button functionality. Ensuring the quality of your product is easy too! The Playaway View features the same one year warranty as Playaway Audio devices.

Availability
The View will be available to Midwest Tape customers starting in May. Stay tuned to MidwestTapes.com to learn more about availability and ordering.


Got View Qs? Post them here as comments or contact Customer Service at 800.875.2785.

New Features for MidwestTapes.com

At Midwest Tape, we take pride in our time-saving, user-friendly website. Recently, we made some improvements to www.midwesttapes.com. Below is a list of those changes followed by a detailed description of each.

April Website Updates

• New Release Panel
• Calendar Function Enhancement
• Blu-ray and Playaway Format Separation
• Revised Help Tab 

New Release Panel
We’ve redesigned the new release panel on our homepage, adding additional collections and giving it a cleaner, brighter look. You can now select which collections within each of our formats (including Blu-ray and Playaway) you would like to view.

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Upon hovering over a title within the new release panel, a textbox displaying product details will appear.  If you mouse away from that title, the textbox will disappear. This feature also exists on our Calendar tool.

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Calendar Function Enhancement
We’ve added a new tab along our top header labeled Calendar.

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Upon clicking this new tab, you’ll be directed to our enhanced Calendar (also accessible via Quick Links). The new Calendar has dropdown menus that allow you to sort by media format and collection.

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If you click the “Art View” option, the calendar will change from the list view display to an artwork display.

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You will now be able to view the artwork for products in order of street date.

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Blu-ray and Playaway Format Separation
Because our Playway and Blu-ray collections continue to grow, we have separated the two from the DVD and Audiobook formats.  You will now be able to view Playaway and Blu-ray titles via the new release and Quick Links panels on the homepage:

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Additionally, when you search for titles via SmartBrowse, Blu-ray and Playaway results will show up separate from DVDs and Audiobooks:

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Revised Help Tab
In order to make it more usable, we have redesigned the Help tab on the webpage. We’ve now reorganized items and made all links readily accessible:

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For questions regarding our latest website updates, please contact Customer Service at 1.800.875.2785. You can also post your questions and feedback here as comments.

Midwest Tape presents Playaway in HD

Playaway, an audiobook vendor that offers digital content pre-loaded on a portable audio player with universal headphone jack and battery included, is making fantastic innovations to their players. Starting in March, all titles from Playaway, including back-catalog titles, will feature the below changes.*

New Packaging
Durable, patron-friendly package features:

• Smaller case size with rounded edges to save shelf-space
• New security system, compatible with the DVD one-time locking system**
• Molded compartments that eliminate the need for foam inserts
• Battery storage outside the Playaway unit, which prolongs battery life

HDaudio
To further enhance patrons’ audio experience, Playaway has remastered all titles to feature high-definition, CD-quality sound.

Enhanced Functionality
Playaway has also developed some new features to improve performance:

• Enhanced battery life increases playtime by fifty percent;
• Two more narration speeds (now five speeds total) offers flexibility for all listeners; and
• Locking (“hold”) mechanism keeps audio players from accidentally turning on in pockets or bags and draining batteries.

*Playaway will not apply different UPCs or ISBNs to products as these changes are to their audio players and not the titles themselves.
**One-time locking mechanisms are optional and are only included with the Playaway cases upon customer request. Please contact your Processing Sales representative for more information.

Playaway Changes How They Package Audio Players

Playaway is making a change to the way they package all Playaway audio players.  Starting January 1, 2010, all Playaway audio players will be shipped with the batteries uninstalled.  A battery will still ship with each Playaway; however, it will now be located inside the case rather than inside the unit.

Findaway, the creator of Playaway, devised this solution after receiving a great deal of customer feedback regarding battery issues, namely excessive battery drain.  Leaving the battery outside of the product during shipping ensures longer battery life.

Does your library circulate Playaway audio players?  What feedback have you received about Playaway from your patrons?  Share your Playaway feedback and experiences here as comments. 

If you have any questions regarding Playaway’s change in product handling or Playaway products in general, please contact Customer Service at 1.800.875.2785.