On a budget, short of cash, funds a bit low, boss won’t spend big on technology? Then do Philips and Olympus Voice have a cheap digital voice recorder for you.
The range of digital voice recorders on offer from the two big boys, Olympus & Philips, can be a little bewildering to the average person. With Olympus alone having a range of around fifteen digital voice recording devices starting at the AU$99 (VN-8500PC) and going all the way up to AU$945 (DM-5000iD) the consumer can be forgiven for being a little overwhelmed by the choice.
At the bottom of the pile, in a nice way, are the cheap budget digital voice recorders (note takers) which range from AU$99 to AU$129. These are the most basic of voice recorders but will get you by if you are pinching pennies or do not require all the features and functions that some of the more mainstream recorders provide. Your typical lower end digital voice recorder still however picks up and records pretty good audio. They would not be recommended for important board meetings, focus groups and even sound bites if you are a journalist. But if you are looking to record informal chats, your strumming on a guitar, family oral history recordings and at a push lectures and the like, then these digital recorders will be of interest to you.
What You Get:
Simple, easy to use recording
Mac & Windows compatible recorders
.MP3 or .WMA (Windows Media Audio) Recording
Digital note taking
What You Don’t Get:
A digital dictaphone
High quality, high bit rate stereo recording
Background noise filtering
Mic Level adjustment
PCM Recording
Mic adjustment – Wide/Narrow/Zoom
Software for editing, adding notes, sending etc
Large amounts of memory for storage
This list would go on and on
So lets take a look at what Olympus and Philips have to offer in their budget range, both have two recorders…
Philips Digital Voice Tracer LFH0612 & LFH0632
From Philips there is the Digital Voice Tracer, DVT for short, models LFH0612 and LFH0632. You would be hard pushed to spot the difference between these two recorders other than the obvious colour. Both have 1Gb of memory, 3 recording modes (HQ, SP, SLP) and both record .mp3 audio files. The only difference we can find is that the LFH0632 has a voice volume indicator whereas the LFH0612 does not. Both units last around 15-20 hours of recording off the 2x AAA batteries.
Olympus VN-8500PC & VN-8600PC
From Olympus we have the VN-8500PC and the VN-8600PC. These little beauties you can tell the difference between on the spec sheet, although interestingly not to look at (unless you look closely and you will see that the VN-8500PC has a narrower speaker grill than the VN-8600PC). The key differences between these two are; VN-8500PC only records in .WMA (can be painful on a Mac) whereas the VN-8600PC records in your choice of .WMA or .MP3. VN-8500PC only has 1Gb of memory whereas the VN-8600PC doubles up with 2Gb of memory giving you longer maximum recording times. Olympus claim to get 51 hours of usage out of the 2x AAA batteries.
Most who buy these recorders would be hard pressed to find much difference between them, alot would be swayed by brand loyalty. Are you a Philips person or an Olympus person?
In a recent press release from Philips Dictation Australia yet another innovative product has been added to their product line. This one though is a little different to the norm, this really is something different and something that I am sure will be very popular is the LFH2370 Philips Media Player Typing Set.
The innovation with this product is the clever thumb controller that sits under your keyboard which allows the control of audio playback through Windows Media Player 11, iTunes and WinAmp on Windows machines and iTunes and QuickTime on a Mac. Previously people typing notes from audio played back through media player type software had to constantly switch from their word processor to stop/start/rewind audio adding a huge amount of time to the transcription process. With this little device it will make typing notes from audio a much easier, less time consuming experience.
Using the two buttons on the USB thumb control the audio can be controlled in the following ways:
Playback : To start continuous playback, press and release the right key. The status LED glows green during playback.
Pause : Press the right key again to pause audio playback.
Fast Forward : Press and hold the right key during playback. When “forwarding” reaches the desired position release the key.
Fast Rewind : Press and hold the left key while playback is paused. When rewinding reaches the desired position release the key.
Backspace : Double click the left key to backspace the audio by three seconds.
The media player typing set LFH2370 comes with the USB thumb control, stereo headset and Philips Media Player control software and is RRP $200.00 incl. GST.
The media payer typing set is also available as part of the Philips Writers Set, known as LFH087 which comprises the media player typing set and Philips Digital Voice Tracer 682 digital voice recorder.
So, this year has been a big one for Olympus voice with a revamp of all their digital recorder range. Not content with being left behind Philips had a go back in April when they rolled out, finally, Mac compatible note takers with the DVT (Digital Voice Tracer) range comprising of the 660/860/880 models. This week Philips have done a rejig in this range and discontinued the young 660/860/880 recorders and replaced them with new model numbers although essentially they are the previous recorders upgraded. Philips have also added some innovative voice recorder packages, like a set aimed at reporters and a set aimed at writers who might want to attempt their own transcription.
So what has been discontinued and what are their replacement models:
A common change across the range is an increase in memory, that makes sense with solid state memory continuing to grow in size and drop in price. Also added to all recorders are a visual record level indicator and the USB connection, as well as powering the unit, will now also charge a rechargeable battery.
Other notable changes include uncompressed PCM recording now available on the LFH0662. High Sensitivity mic added to the LFH0862 and LFH0882 with the new “Zoom” function.
As mentioned another innovative thing Philips have done is create some Digital Voice Tracer combination packs, new packs are:
LFH0868 (RRP AU$279) – 862 Digital Voice Tracer with docking station.
LFH0888 (RRP AU$339) – 882 Digital Voice Tracer with docking station.
LFH0867 (RRP AU$369) – Writers Set. 862 Digital Voice Tracer with the media player USB hand control (LFH2370/00) which allows audio control with yours thumbs.
LFH0885 (RRP AU$369) – Reporters Set. 882 Digital Voice Tracer with stereo lapel mic.
LFH0895 (RRP AU$749) – Compact Meeting Recorder. I like this one, 882 Digital Voice Tracer with two of the best looking and good quality boundary mics available.
Expect to see these new models appearing around Australia from October.
Philips Dictation Australia recently advised that their hugely popular and successful revamped Digital Voice Tracer (DVT) range of digital notetakers will be subject to a price increase starting 1st June, 2009.
The price rise has been attributed to a slide in the Aussie dollar against the Euro, Philips Dictation’s head office is in Vienna, Austria.
Philips Digital Voice Tracer Range
So what are the new Australian dollar RRP’s including GST for the DVTs:
Philips Dictation Australia continue there surge forward in 2009, hot on the heals of their awesome new DVT (Digital Voice Tracer) range of digital notetakers (did I mention that they are now finally Mac compatible, only several times) they have just announced out of their Worldwide headquarters in Vienna – Dragon NatutrallySpeaking 10 – Voice Recorder Edition. I know, makes you want to say “wow” loudly.
It is fantastic to see some more innovation from Philips, taking the initiative to work globally with Nuance, the Dragon NaturallySpeaking people to provide an affordable package for people looking to get into the voice recognition. We have seen huge growth in the voice recognition software, both Mac and Windows over the past year as professionals, students, authors etc give up on the need to type for hours. Most people talk around the 120 words per minute mark, way faster than most can type so why not let your computer do it for you.
One of the best features of the Philips digital voice tracer (DVT) models is the ability for the end user to update the firmware in the recorder. This is an easy way for Philips to pass on bug fixes and product enhancements to the recorders without the need for return to base saving the consumer considerable time.
The firmware update is very simple. Basically you USB connect your DVT to your PC or Mac and download the .bin firmware file to the recorders root directory. Once it is there select the firmware upgrade through the recorders menu system and Bob’s your uncle, DVT updated with the latest firmware.
Full instructions and the latest firmware release notes are on the Software Downloads page for each DVT on the Philips Dictation Australia website.
This week we took delivery of the new Philips 880 Digital Voice Tracer. Philips have really made an effort with this new range of digital voice tracers which also include the 860 and 880 models, we finally see Mac compatibility which is a smart move by Philips. Gone is the need to install software in order to retrieve audio from the recorder as was the case in the old voice tracer range, these new models are all simple plug and play. Olympus have for sometime been the only descent Mac compatible digital voice recorders around and with the boom in Mac sales it makes good business sense at Philips to recognise this fast growing, tech savvy user base.
Philips DVT Digital Voice Tracers are Windows, Mac & Linux Compatible
In the box I am impressed by the number of goodies. Along with the recorder and the mandatory instruction manual in 752 languages comes a neck strap (handy), batteries so you are ready to go (essential), USB connecting cable (long so no messing around the back of your PC or notebook), stereo headset (nice touch) and a very nice stereo lapel mic, usually an optional extra for most voice recorder manufacturers.
Philips Digital Voice Tracer - DVT - 880 - LFH0880
The recorder itself is lightweight with the batteries in and about the size of a Nokia chocolate bar mobile phone. There is a sticker right over the built in speaker on the front of the unit which is stuck with that special glue, you know the kind that leaves half the sticker attached as you peel it off. Tad annoying.
Powering up the recorder the display is backlight blue so looks good but the display is big and clear. Flicking through the menus isn’t as intuitive as it could be and some initial manual referencing is required to work out things like changing the recording mode and mic sensitivity.
USB plug and play is a breeze on Winows, Mac and also Linux, the device is simply a USB drive so audio is easily accessed via the voice folders where they are stored.
This is recorder has a PCM mode for better than CD quality recording. In our office testing we did find the audio pickup at close range to be excellent like all recorders however it did seem to struggle a little with voices at the end of a large boardroom table. We did the same distance test with an Olympus WS-210S and the picked up clearer audio from a distance that the 880.
Some will like the ability to play music (mp3 and wma) on the recorder and to listen to the radio. I still find this a bit of a gimic in a voice recorder so we didn’t test these functions although I am sure it playes back music as well as any other USB music player. The ability to record FM radio will also appeal to some.
Summing up, the 880 is a good, cheap voice recorder for close range meetings (max 4 or 5 people) and for single speakers. It is very easy to get the audio off of the recorder no matter what platform you use.
Pros:
Well priced entry level PCM recorder.
Easy to use.
Fast easy transfer of files on all platforms – Windows, Mac and Linux.
Can be USB powered conserving battery life.
Firmware is user upgradeable giving the end user access to bug fixes and improvements as they are released from Philips.
Cons:
Poor audio pickup around larger number of speakers, i.e. large boardroom table.
Look out digital voice recorder world, Philips are making a big bold statement with their new line up of digital note takers known in the Philips world as the Digital Voice Tracer (DVT).
Some things we instantly like about this new range:
No more software to install, plug and play USB only which is the way it should be.
Finally, Mac compatible
PCM recording introduced in the 880 model at a bargain price
Value for money, these are cheap recorders for the quality you get
Click for the Digital Voice Tracers on the Philips Dictation Australia website.
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