We think the best bet for laptops is a USB headset - they work perfectly will
ALL laptops that we have tried. They bypass the laptop's sound card. All of
our customers seem very pleased with the results in v5 (don't touch v6!).
btw, v7 is coming q1 2003.
Regards, Tony
Tony Lees email: [log in to unmask]
Avantek Computer Limited tel: 0116 247 8515
St Peter's Road fax: 0116 247 8843
Arnesby, Leics, LE8 5WJ mob: 07711 98 50 90
http://www.avantek.co.uk
e-mail disclaimer: http://www.avantek.co.uk/e_disc.htm
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Peter Hill [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: 27 September 2002 09:50
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: digital audio notes and transcription
>
>
> Hi
>
> David is right although 'noisy' laptops seem to be less of an
> issue in these days of DVD, multimedia, etc.
>
> I recently bought a new Compaq laptop and it runs Dragon 5
> flawlessly (or so I thought). Yesterday, I proudly
> demonstrated its capability to a student who who was having
> some difficulty achieving decent recognition rates on her own
> machine at hoem.
>
> I connected all of the bits together, opened Dragon, switched
> on the mic. Nothing. Not a squeak. Silly me - I'd plugged
> into the headphone socket on the PC.
>
> I corrected that and began dictating. The recognition was
> appalling. It picked up about every fifth word. Red-faced
> and flummoxed, I pulled the 'mic' plug from the machine - and
> heard a telltale 'crackle' from the earpiece! Futher
> investigation revealed that I'd plugged the headset earphone
> lead into the laptop's mic socket (the earpiece will of
> course function as a mic - so will pick up some sound. Cue
> joke about speaking out of the back/side of one's head!)
>
> Eventually, after everything was connected properly, optimum
> accuracy was achieved - and the student was suitably impressed.
>
> So there you go. Poor speech recognition perforance may be
> attributed to
> any weak or broken link in the technological 'chain'.
> Alternatively, being addled and short sighted can also have a
> significant impact! I shall resort to putting little blobs of
> tippex on the matching plugs and sockets.
>
> PS re training time: 7 - 10 minutes or so for a competent
> reader to enrol with acceptable accuarcy (obviously this can
> take longer for a dyslexic reader or anyone who requires
> cueing by a 3rd party). Longer than this - or a need for
> condsiderable further training suggests problems other than
> software performance. I'd have thought that technical vocab
> (being generally distinctive) should be more recognisable
> once trained.
>
> Regards
>
> Peter Hill
> -----------------------------
>
> David Grant wrote:
>
> > I would recommend running Dragon only on a computer that has been
> > designed and tested for very low 'electronic noise'.
> >
> >
> > iANASYST and MicroLink are well aware of the importance of this and
> > take trouble to ensure that the laptops & desktops they
> supply have minimal
> > 'electronic noise'. If this level is high then the
> software cannot readily
> > differentiate between the auditory input and its own noise.
> Bit like
> > trying to follow a conversation in a noisy pub.
> >
> >
> > David
> >
> >
> > David Grant, PhD., Chartered Psychologist
> > dyslexia diagnosis - a specialist service for students
> > 3 Rosebank Road
> > Hanwell
> > London W7 2EW
> >
> > Tel: 020 8579 1902
> >
> > e-mail: [log in to unmask]
> >
> > ----------
> >
> >>From: Michael Trott <[log in to unmask]>
> >>To: [log in to unmask]
> >>Subject: Re: digital audio notes and transcription
> >>Date: Thu, Sep 26, 2002, 7:23 pm
> >>
>
>
> --
> 01527 500324
> [log in to unmask]
> www.study-pro.com
>
> Dyslexia Consultancy and Resources
>
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