Which dictation is best for me?
We specialize in digital dictation with supply and support Australia wide.
The information listed on this page is designed as a guide and we display it in the aim to assist you in making the right decision.
Did you know digital dictation is available or can be configured for eleven different systems. Starting from the top.
1. Server based digital dictation and transcription systems.
2. PC Based digital dictation and transcription systems.
3. Hand held Advanced Professional digital dictation and Advanced Professional transcription systems.
4. Hand held Digital dictation and transcription systems
5.Hand held Note takers that can connect and download to a computer (PC).
6. Hand held Note takers that can not connect or download to a computer.
7. Hand held dictation and Note takers that can also download Music files as well as voice files.
8. Speech recognition preferred, professional or mobile.
9. Wireless dictation for sending dictation from PDA, Smartphone or Blackberry.
10. Apple Mac installations. Olympus are presently the only supplier that can support Mac.
11. Typing kits. Available for server based, PC based, Advanced pro digital or digital dictation.
12. Software support. Updates/fixes/patches/firmware options are available for nearly all digital dictation systems.
1.
Server
based. Philips Enterprise. (Windows - Terminal Server - Citrix)
This is a digital dictation software that loads and resides on
your company server. Normally referred to as an "ENTERPRISE" system. Able to
load and operate within a Windows, Terminal Server or Citrix environment.
Server based dictation allows dictation and transcription by a number of
concurrent users with total flexibility on which users can access the system.
You decide how many staff/users can be on the system at any given time as you
only need to purchase licenses for the number of concurrent users you wish to
have use the system. Authors can record by either an USB PC based microphones or
a choice of several hand held digital recorders. Depending on the recorder
purchased there are two methods of downloading voice,
either via the download software that accompanies the recorder with an
USB (PC) docking station or via a network (LAN) docking station. Server
based dictation normally offers the most features plus additional modules such as WEB access for authors and
typist, STATISTIC
information that can be viewed
and printed for reporting, WORKFLOW control to assign task and housekeeping
and MANAGER control so one or several staff can oversee all operations. There
is no limit on the maximum number of users allowed. All user profiles are
interchangeable and can log in from any PC within the network. Digital typing
is carried out with a foot pedal and headset connected to the typist computer/terminal
with full on screen data displayed.. Go to
Server based dictation
page to view more.
2.
PC Based digital
dictation and transcription systems.
If you
have previously used tape based dictation it would be fair to say that PC
based digital dictation is similar to the desktop tape dictation recorders
used by so many analogue users over the years. A special microphone is
attached to your PC on your desk, just like a microphone was attached to your
tape based desktop recorder. The standard microphone we supply allows audio
in and out with combined mouse (tracker ball) controls so all Windows operations done on the PC can
be carried out with the one hand held device. The software is loaded and functions at each users PC
with all voice files normally mapped to a server location. We refer to the PC
based software as interactive as authors and typist can input data with voice. The main reason
some PC based dictation systems are purchased. Authors have the ability to direct voice files to any typist as
required (Quikscribe) an author can normally add comments such as mater numbers
(Quikscribe) document
type required (Quikscribe)
or any other instructions that can be entered by the computer keyboard (Quikscribe). All keyboard entries
or comments travel with the voice file across the network and appear in front
of the typist before/whilst typing.
Voice files can generally be sort by priority or time required (Quikscribe). If an author
also wants to record away from the office this can be done from another PC
based software loaded at another PC or on a separate hand held digital
recorder. Voice files can be sent via network delivery or emailed. All PC
based recording hardware and hand held recording hardware will download into the same
PC based software system so all is interchangeable making it ideal for firms
that want a mixture of some user on PC based and some user on hand held
digital recorders. It would be fair to say this is our most common style of
dictation sold by our firm.
Philips Olympus
Quikscribe supply a PC based dictation system.
3.
Hand held Advanced
Professional digital dictation and
Advanced
Professional transcription systems.
As the
name suggest this is a hand held digital recorder, battery power and designed
to be used away from the PC. Having said this it is still used by many authors
when in the office. Recording is carried out directly into the recorder and
saved onto the memory card, ending/saving each voice file (job) as you go by
pressing a save button after each voice file, this button is what locks and
secures the voice job/s before downloading. Example; If you record 5 different jobs to 5 different
people the save button is pressed 5 times, this makes 5 different voice jobs
appear on the screen when downloaded into the PC, The saving of each voice job
separately makes the voice files much
easier to locate and type by the typist. To download dictation that has been
recorded into a hand held recorder you simply connect the recorder to the
cable (or docking station if supplied as some recorders do not come with
docking stations) and the software will automatically download the voice file to
it's already programmed location. Like the PC based dictation mentioned above
the software is loaded at each users PC with all voice files normally mapped
to a server location. The difference between PC based and hand held digital is
PC based can allow the author to send to one of several alternative locations
after the voice job is recorded. The hand held recorder need to be
pre-determined where they are sent and can not be changed during or after the
download process has started. The reason for the "Advanced Professional"
reference when separating the different digital recorders is this "Advanced"
range is designed for everyday use compared to the other
hand held style that is not., Advanced Pro systems come with more features,
generally the units are stronger in construction, they have the
ability to download into a PC faster and have typing carried out using the
similar (Advanced Pro) featured typing software. Automatic emailing of voice
files can also be set up. Nearly all Advanced pro recorders offer removable
memory via either XD or SD card. Advanced Pro systems will also download into
the above mentioned Server based , PC based or Speech Recognition systems we
offer. Basically they are designed for most users that
dictate and also want typing carried out after the dictation is downloaded. Go
to Philips or
Olympus to
view the range of Advanced Professional hand held recorders.
4.
Hand held digital dictation
and transcription systems (Non Advanced Pro series)
Hand held digital recorder, battery powered and
designed to be used away from the PC. The different between Advanced Pro units
and these Non Advanced
pro series units is we do not suggest they are
for everyday use. The Non Advanced Professional recorders normally come with less
features, are a slightly lesser quality unit, have a less featured
download software. Normally a little slower in downloading voice files. No
ability to connect the recorder and download manually via drag and drop. No
interactive software such as available on the Advanced pro systems, no automatic emailing of voice file feature.
But they are slightly cheaper in value. The typing software available is also less
featured but you are able to use the Advanced Pro typing software. Having said
all of this, the pro units are still very good and reliable for what
they are intended and that is a lesser amount of recording and typing
scenario.
Go to
Philips and
Olympus to view more.
5.
Hand held Note takers that can connect and
download to a computer (PC).
All Note takers are
very different from the above mentioned hand held digital dictation systems.
Firstly, not all Note takers can connect and/or download into a PC. If they
can connect to a PC they don't come standard or may not be able to work or be
accessed with a typing software. So if typing is required we suggest the
above mentioned Advanced pro series. Generally Note
takers do not have removable memory, typing software access if not available
means no foot pedal capability at all by either author or typist, no security/encryption
for voice files so voice files can be accessed by anybody so if some level of
security is required again view the Advanced Pro series. Note taker recording is not designed for legal or medical authors that wish to
record individual jobs and during the job rewind and listen/add/delete such as the above mentioned
Advanced pro series hand held digital recorders can do. Note takers are
designed for continuous recording or meetings.
6. Hand
held Note takers that can not connect
or download to a computer.
Note takers that can not connect to a pc and can only
be used to record and listened back from the same unit. No downloading to a Pc
and/or typing can be carried out.
7.
Hand held dictation and Note takers that can
also download music files as well as voice files.
Some
Note takers as well as recording voice files can allow music files to be
downloaded and listened. Go to Music and
Voice dictation to view more.
8.
Speech recognition preferred,
professional or mobile.
We offer
Speech Recognition for nearly all business groups, legal, medal, finance,
business and personal. Use in conjunction with our digital recorders, PC hand
held microphones or over the head style microphones. Available in either
Preferred, Professional or Mobile options.
Preferred.
Available in a Basic or Deluxe package. No additional vocabulary available.
Available with basic headset or with a deluxe headset option also available.
Standard single pin connection or an USB connection also available. (4
options)
Professional. As above but with the ability to add a vocabulary for legal,
medical and business. The software can be loaded and used are several PC's by
one author as voice files can be saved at various locations. Typing can be
carried out with the additional typing hardware kit.
Mobile.
A combined speech engine with a hand held note taker recorder. No additional
vocabulary available.
9. Wireless
dictation for sending dictation from PDA, Smartphone or Blackberry.
We offer two choices of wireless
dictation. One is a software for loading directly onto the PDa and it is used as
any other digital dictation software. Any voice file generated is simply
downloaded via activesync, wireless delivery or emailed directly from the
device. the second wireless system is a specially designed SD card with built in
software that allows dictation to be sent from either PDA, Smartphone or
Blackberry. Go to
Wireless dictation for more information.
10.
Apple Mac installations.
Olympus are presently the only
supplier that can support Mac.
Go to Olympus to
view the range of Advanced Professional hand held recorders.
11. Typing
kits. Available for server based, PC based, Advanced Pro digital or Non Pro digital
dictation systems. All typing kits involve a software, USB (optional serial*) foot pedal
and single pin headset.
The typing kit purchased depends on the recording system used by the author. Not
all typing kits can type all recording types or formats.
12.
Software
support options are available for nearly all digital dictation systems. By
taking out a software support 2 or 3 year option you are able to download all
known fixes/patches/updates/firmware fixes for nearly every digital dictation
recorder, microphone, PC based or server based system. It is important to stay
in front of all known bugs and fixes that have and will arise.
Server based transcription.
Server based transcription loads
and resides on your company server. Normally referred to as an "ENTERPRISE"
system. Able to load and operate within a Windows, Terminal Server or Citrix
environment. Web access for typing or managing. Server based dictation allows
transcription by a number of concurrent users with total flexibility on which
users can access the system. The licenses are purchased for
concurrent users so as an example if you have up to 30 typist in your firm but
only have the need for a maximum of 15 to ever type simultaneously you simply
purchase and activate up to 15 concurrent licenses, all 30 can type during the
course of everyday work with only 15 typing simultaneously. Hot key functions.
Philips PC Based transcription. Olympus
PC Based transcription.
The
software is purchased, loaded and functions at each typist PC with all voice
files normally mapped to a server location thus different typist can share
folders or folders can be hidden from other typist/departments view if required.
The choice is yours. We refer to the PC based software as interactive as
depending on the brand supplied typist can move voice jobs, suspend or finish
voice jobs plus view voice job details. The main reason the PC based dictation
system is purchased is authors have the ability to direct voice files to any
typist as required, the author can normally add comments such as mater numbers,
document type required or any other instructions that can be entered by the
computer keyboard. All keyboard entries or comments travel with the voice file
across the network and appear in front of the typist whilst typing. Voice files
can generally be sort by priority or time required. Able to be used on Pc or
Terminal server applications. Hot key functions.
Philips Advanced
Professional digital transcription.
Olympus Advanced pro digital
transcription.
This is a similar software as listed
in the PC based transcription with the only difference it is supplied with the
hand held recorder range of units so some features accessed by the authors that
are not available on the hand held recorders will not become available in the
digital typing software. The software is still
purchased,
loaded and functions at each typist PC with all voice files normally mapped to
different folders that are located in a server location thus different typist
can be mapped to different folders. The difference between PC based and Advanced
pro may be the typist needing to type for a hand held author may have a limit to
the number of folders they can view.
Features can vary between brands but refer to the PC based author section to
see the difference between PC based and hand held recorders.
Digital Desktop Transcription.
The only one like it in the world. A desktop digital unit that comes supplied
with foot pedal and headset. Able to be used stand alone/away from the PC or USB
connected to the PC. Either insert and type directly from the memory card placed
into the recorder or insert and download the voice to the PC and type using the
software thus returning the memory card to the author to continue recording.
Non Advanced pro digital
transcription. This is a less featured typing software of the Advanced pro
digital typing kit. The software is purchased,
loaded and functions at each typist PC with all voice files normally mapped to
one location, no separate folders or features available. Normally no ability to
create more then one location and no sharing or moving of voice files by the
typist. no emailing of voice files or ability to log in via Terminal Server.
Speech
Recognition typing kits.
The Dragon Professional software used
by the authors can be typed by purchasing one of three digital typing kits.
Philips, Olympus or Sony.
Please
email Austwide sales and support for a detailed information pack on any of the above
sale@abpace.com or phone 1300 733 230.