hutcsa wrote:
IHaving recently used DNS9.5 I am really surprised at how good MSR is in comparison. | Yes, WSR (Windows Speech Recognition) is quite good. Using the WSRToolkit adds much of the functionality found in Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
Is there a possibility to doget a licence deal on WSRToolkit for so many people? |
Our http://www.mymsspeech.com/ - MyMSSpeech.com website dedicated to products for WSR has a button that says, http://www.mymsspeech.com/contact_us.asp - Contact Us. This is a good way to send a message with a request such as this. There should be a Contact Us button on this forum and I will see if we can get that installed thanks to your request for information.
Secondly, is it likely that people's current microphones will be quite acceptable without having to change to the recommended microphone? |
An inexpensive microphone used in a quiet environment for basic correspondence like E-mail should work fine if the sound card is good. Best accuracy (even in quiet environments) comes from a good noise canceling microphone tested to work with speech recognition software. USB sound pods like the Andrea, Buddy or VXI are designed for the frequency range of the human voice and not music. These USB sound cards bypass electronic noise within the computer enclosure and assure the best audio input from a good microphone.
Here is a way to think of accuracy. Say microphone A allows you to get 97% accuracy and microphone B, a good noise canceling unit, gets 99% accuracy. If you are only dictating a few E-mail a day the less expensive microphone is adequate. If a person dictates 5000 words a day, the better microphone means 100 fewer corrections to fix (2% of 5000 = 100). If each correction takes 15 seconds, that comes out to 1500 seconds a day, 25 minutes a day, about 2 hours a week saved by a better microphone.
Other factors to consider besides accuracy and noise canceling:
- Style of Headset microphone:
- headsets can go over the head
- behind the head
- over an ear
- headsets can have a single earphone, 2 earphones or no earphone
- Comfort of a headset over the course of the day. Comfort and usability are one of the most important things we test for.
- Reliability/Ruggedness. Most users are careful and our microphones last for years. Carelessness? See item below on warranty.
- Manufacturer's attention to warranty issues (must be easy and fast)
- Alternate Microphone types:
- Handheld
- Desktop mounted on a stand for handsfree use.*
- Wireless (different from Bluetooth which is not compatible with WSR)
As you can see there are many factors involved in selecting a microphone. Be advised, the best microphones in terms of accuracy and noise canceling are one's where the microphone is kept close to one's mouth. This is because the audio pickup signal does not have to be so strong as a microphone that sits 6" away. A stronger signal will also pickup unwanted background noises which distort the audio signal.
On MyMSSpeech.com you can not only read about, but see short informational videos that show how to use and wear our microphones.
Marty Markoe, eMicrophones, Inc.
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