FAQs

Are there restrictions on the use of these players?

Our objective is to live all of life to the glory of God, out of gratitude for Christ's finished work on the cross. We'd like to see that reflected in the use of these players and their content. Ask us about your proposed project!

How do I buy a player?

Actually, you can't! We are a non-profit ministry, providing Gospel players for free distribution to others, so we don't sell players at this time. There are numerous audio players available for purchase for personal use through Google, Amazon, or similar sites.

Instead, we work together with like-minded people and organizations to source, assemble, and load them for specific outreach projects. And we do this in partnership with generous ministries that provide the audio Scripture and other gospel content in thousands of languages. If you have an idea for a collaborative project, we'd love to hear from you!

If we collaborate on a distribution project, what should we budget for players?

For projects of

1-5 SeedPlayers, plan on $15/player
6-19 SeedPlayers, $12/player
20 or more SeedPlayers, $10/player

Are there other project costs?

We also charge:

Content setup -- we normally format and load the content. Generally $30/language (unless we have already created the content set).
U.S. shipping/handling -- $20 minimum, and no more than $0.50 per player.
Optional additional components -- chargers and cables, earbuds, larger capacity microSDs.

How are players like these best used?

Here are nine ideas from the Forum of International Bible Agencies.

Will you be creating other models?

We have a lot of ideas, limited mostly by time and resources. We'd love to hear your ideas!

Your players don't meet my needs; what are some others?

Here is a nice summary of some other great audio players.

How much content can be loaded on a SeedPlayer?

We routinely load up to 32GB. Realistically, putting more than 32GB on a player would seldom be necessary, as a full Bible is usually less than 4GB. Most content sets fit in 1-8GB.

Cell phones are a more cost-effective solution in my setting; can you provide MicroSD cards or load content on mine?

We are willing to do collaborative projects involving cards rather than players. With sufficient lead time, we can provide cards loaded with content. Ask us!

Can we load the SeedPlayer content?

The SeedPlayers are microSD-based. We have two models:

Closed" -- the microSD can be inserted, but not easily extracted.
"Open" -- you can insert and remove the microSD at will; for example, if you want to replace the audio with a newer draft.

An 8GB microSD is included in the player project cost. You are welcome to load and insert them yourself, or we can load and insert them if you send us the mp3 content.

How is the content formatted?

The SeedPlayers only play mp3 files and ignore other files on the card. The format is quite specific:

one or more "shelf" folders (numbered 01, 02, ...), each containing
one or more "book" folders (numbered 01, 02, ...), each containing
one or more "chapter" mp3 files (named 001***, 002***, ..., where *** can be empty or an alphabetic string of arbitrary length).

Our audience may destroy the player to harvest the MicroSD card!

MicroSD cards are valued for reuse -- to store personal content (photos, music, etc.) for mobile phones. To combat this, you may want to consider using an open player (with an exposed MicroSD), and then software protect the MicroSD card using a device like the MegaVoice Safe. This will reduce the motivation to open the player and will make the MicroSD card unusable for reuse. Please let us know of your experiences with this issue.

Can players be shipped, mailed, or carried on airlines?

Because lithium batteries are potential fire hazards, there are specific rules for packing, documenting, and shipping/carrying them safely. We have a lot more information on that here.

Do you ship overseas?

We currently only ship to US addresses. Overseas travelers then often carry 10 or 20 finished players (carry-on luggage only). There are several exceptions:

We can bulk package components for local assembly; the most difficult item is the lithium ion battery (it is the piece that has to be in carry-on). Each traveler can probably take 20-40 sets.
For orders of 500 or more, we are open to letting you try to arrange shipping components directly from our Asia source. Again, assembly would need to be local.
For situations where there is longer-term demand, local case production may make sense, using one or more 3D-printers. We are having some success with this in several countries (though getting the other parts is still problematic).

What colors are available?

3D printing allows us to make players in various colors. Currently we offer white, black, light gray, dark gray, green, red, blue, yellow, and pink. Lead times vary depending on the color; we are most likely to stock black, gray, and white. Contact us if you have special requirements.

Are there any reported issues with the players?

We have experienced a rare and difficult-to-isolate issue where a SeedPlayer will occasionally go into a non-responsive state with the LED light flashing (a fix is planned in the next iteration of the player). This state can be cleared in two ways:

reseat the microSD card (for the closed player you will need to use a second microSD or paperclip to release, then reseat the microSD card), or
let the battery completely run down, then recharge the player.

How durable are these players?

Because the players are new, we are still learning about their durability. In very dusty conditions, we anticipate more rapid degradation, either from speaker or MicroSD damage. We are not yet sure about degradation from very humid conditions. Also, the thermoplastic used for the cases has a finite lifespan in full sun. We are committed to doing all we can to enhance durability at this price point, and we welcome user feedback (info@resourcesfortheblind.org) about your experience with the players and whatever issues you observe.

Do you offer a warranty/replacement?

We will replace defective units for a period of one year after purchase. This covers labor and materials, but not damage due to misuse, water, dust, etc. If you have trouble with a unit, please email a description and, if possible, an image of the damage/issue to info@resourcesfortheblind.org. Thanks!