Media Access Generator (MAGpie)
Version 2.0.2 (OS X) and 2.0.5 (Windows) are now available

Developers of Web- and CD-ROM-based multimedia need an authoring tool for making their materials accessible to persons with disabilities. The Carl and Ruth Shapiro Family National Center for Accessible Media (NCAM) has developed two such tools, version 1.0 and 2.0.2 of the Media Access Generator (MAGpie), for creating captions and audio descriptions for rich media.

MAGpie received Honorable Mention for "Best Educational Streaming Program" in Streaming Magazine's 2003 Reader's Choice awards.

MAGpie versions 2.0.2 (OS X) and 2.0.5 (Windows) are now available. This revision contains two upgrades:

• Support for the W3C's Distribution Format Exchange Profile of the Timed-Text Authoring Format 1.0. When used in conjunction with NCAM's free application, CC for Flash, authors may use DFXP to create captions for display in the Flash player
• Support for the musical note (♪). Musical notes are only supported on export to SAMI and DFXP.

You can also use MAGpie to create captions for YouTube videos.

NOTE FOR OS X USERS: On some Intel-based Macs, MAGpie doesn't successfully launch the correct version of the Java runtime. As a result, MAGpie will not run. This is due to a problem with the interaction of Java and the QuickTime library. NCAM is working to solve the problem and will upload a new installer when a solution has been reached.

Download MAGpie
MAGpie listserv
Documentation
License

MAGpie is a Java2 application which runs on Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP and on Mac OSX.

MAGpie users may also be interested in reading NCAM's Accessible Digital Media: Design Guidelines for Electronic Publications, Multimedia and the Web. These guidelines, providing step-by-step solutions for making a variety of electronic media accessible to users with sensory disabilities, are now available free of charge. A free CD containing the guidelines is also available; e-mail access@wgbh.org to order single or multiple copies.

MAGpie 1.0

Download MAGpie 1.0
More information
MAGpie 1.0 listserv
Installation instructions
Documentation
Accessibility Information
License

MAGpie 1.0 is a Windows 9x/NT/2000/XP application

Funding for MAGpie development

Funding for MAGpie 1.0 comes from the Trace Research and Development Center at the University of Wisconsin, as part of its Information Technology Access Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center which itself is funded by the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Funding for MAGpie 2.01 comes from the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation.

MAGpie support

A listserv is available for discussion among MAGpie users and is a valuable resource for both new and experienced MAgpie users. Join the MAGpie listserv. Note that NCAM does not provide MAGpie support over the phone.