Best value portable voice-operated recording device?

[Fran]

I'm an Australian teacher and I'm looking for a portable voice-operated
recording device.

I understand that what I'm after may not exist, or may exist only at a
price that is not cost-feasible, but I'd like to see how much bang for
the buck I can get.

In order of importance, the device should have the following features:

1. *Effective* and sensitive built-in internal microphone that focuses
narrowly on the frequencies within which human voices are audible and
triggers VOR
2. Audio in
3. Plug and Play device with built in digital memory
4. Battery rechargeable through USB port
5. *Records* in common file format (eg mp3/4, WMA)
6. Less than $AUS200.00

Highly Desirable:

Built in camera ... resolution unimportant

|||||

Now I could use my Motorola C975 to do some of this, but it misses on
points 1-4 (but has the camera. At the moment, the only data transfer
is via email as I need drivers and a USB cable to get data off it,
which don't seem any longer to be available. Email will cost a bomb as
my service provider charges like a wounded buffalo for web access.

I could get an MP3 player such as IRiver but that has batteries and no
VOR and the mike is not sensitive.

JNC recorders have VOR but it doesn't work except in silent rooms and
uses some rare proprietary format that you have to instal on your PC to
convert files.

Some PDAs have these features but are bulkier and between three and six
times the price of the JNC.

Any ideas?

Fran

[gunnar]

Fran,
I am not aware of any unit like you are asking for.

Frankly I have never ever seen a VOR that works. My idea is to simply
let the recording run, then take the generated sound file into a
computer and use a program there to manually cut out the silent parts.
Audacity is a free program allowing you to do this, there are literally
a hundred other programs that does the job. It may seem like a bit of
hassle, but as you "see" the sound on the screen it is actually quite
fast.

Gunnar

[Laurence Payne]

On 20 Aug 2006 00:45:21 -0700, "Fran" > wrote:

>I'm an Australian teacher and I'm looking for a portable voice-operated
>recording device.
So it has to operate upside-down? :-)

>
>I understand that what I'm after may not exist, or may exist only at a
>price that is not cost-feasible, but I'd like to see how much bang for
>the buck I can get.
>
>In order of importance, the device should have the following features:
>
>1. *Effective* and sensitive built-in internal microphone that focuses
>narrowly on the frequencies within which human voices are audible and
>triggers VOR
>2. Audio in
>3. Plug and Play device with built in digital memory
>4. Battery rechargeable through USB port
>5. *Records* in common file format (eg mp3/4, WMA)
>6. Less than $AUS200.00

You won't find anything that can tell a voice from a squealing cat.
And anything that DOES function "voice operated" needs to be used
pretty close to the voice so that other sounds don't trigger it. Hence
it needs to be pretty insensitive.

There are plenty of cheap digital devices that will record for quite a
long time. You tell us you're a teacher. Is this relevant? Is the
length of a teaching session what you need to record? You're
starving us of information concerning just what you want to do. More
details please, else we'll just be guessing.

[Fran]

Laurence Payne wrote:
> On 20 Aug 2006 00:45:21 -0700, "Fran" > wrote:
>
> >I'm an Australian teacher and I'm looking for a portable voice-operated
> >recording device.
> So it has to operate upside-down? :-)
>
> >
> >I understand that what I'm after may not exist, or may exist only at a
> >price that is not cost-feasible, but I'd like to see how much bang for
> >the buck I can get.
> >
> >In order of importance, the device should have the following features:
> >
> >1. *Effective* and sensitive built-in internal microphone that focuses
> >narrowly on the frequencies within which human voices are audible and
> >triggers VOR
> >2. Audio in
> >3. Plug and Play device with built in digital memory
> >4. Battery rechargeable through USB port
> >5. *Records* in common file format (eg mp3/4, WMA)
> >6. Less than $AUS200.00
>
> You won't find anything that can tell a voice from a squealing cat.
> And anything that DOES function "voice operated" needs to be used
> pretty close to the voice so that other sounds don't trigger it. Hence
> it needs to be pretty insensitive.
>
> There are plenty of cheap digital devices that will record for quite a
> long time. You tell us you're a teacher. Is this relevant? Is the
> length of a teaching session what you need to record? You're
> starving us of information concerning just what you want to do. More
> details please, else we'll just be guessing.

Being a teacher is relevant because of the typical setting -- a
classroom, with a fair bit of background noise (rather than someone
merely doing transcription or interviews in a quiet place). I wanted
something unobtrusive that I wouldn't have to turn on and off or
alternatively, if I left it on, would require me to scroll through lots
of irrelevant noise and chatter to get to what I wanted. Lessons are 55
minutes, and if what I want is contained in 10 minutes, I didn't want
to waste the other 45. I'd also envisaged using the device to interview
children at sporting events (i.e. outdoors) which files I could then
place on the school website.

I tested one device with VOR, (the JNC) in a shopping centre but it
didn't start and stop on my voice. It also disn't record in mp3, but
some other weird format you had to install drivers to playback or
convert.

Thanks


Fran

[Laurence Payne]

On 24 Aug 2006 00:20:01 -0700, "Fran" > wrote:

>Being a teacher is relevant because of the typical setting -- a
>classroom, with a fair bit of background noise (rather than someone
>merely doing transcription or interviews in a quiet place). I wanted
>something unobtrusive that I wouldn't have to turn on and off or
>alternatively, if I left it on, would require me to scroll through lots
>of irrelevant noise and chatter to get to what I wanted. Lessons are 55
>minutes, and if what I want is contained in 10 minutes, I didn't want
>to waste the other 45. I'd also envisaged using the device to interview
>children at sporting events (i.e. outdoors) which files I could then
>place on the school website.

That's the problem. A device can tell when something is loud, but
there's no way it can tell when something is relevant.

[Scott Dorsey]

Laurence Payne <lpayne1NOSPAM@dslDOTpipexDOTcom> wrote:
>On 24 Aug 2006 00:20:01 -0700, "Fran" > wrote:
>>Being a teacher is relevant because of the typical setting -- a
>>classroom, with a fair bit of background noise (rather than someone
>>merely doing transcription or interviews in a quiet place). I wanted
>>something unobtrusive that I wouldn't have to turn on and off or
>>alternatively, if I left it on, would require me to scroll through lots
>>of irrelevant noise and chatter to get to what I wanted. Lessons are 55
>>minutes, and if what I want is contained in 10 minutes, I didn't want
>>to waste the other 45. I'd also envisaged using the device to interview
>>children at sporting events (i.e. outdoors) which files I could then
>>place on the school website.
>
>That's the problem. A device can tell when something is loud, but
>there's no way it can tell when something is relevant.

Hell, lots of what I learned in school that I thought was irrelevant at
the time actually turned out to be relevant a couple decades later....
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Fran]

Laurence Payne wrote:
> On 24 Aug 2006 00:20:01 -0700, "Fran" > wrote:
>
> >Being a teacher is relevant because of the typical setting -- a
> >classroom, with a fair bit of background noise (rather than someone
> >merely doing transcription or interviews in a quiet place). I wanted
> >something unobtrusive that I wouldn't have to turn on and off or
> >alternatively, if I left it on, would require me to scroll through lots
> >of irrelevant noise and chatter to get to what I wanted. Lessons are 55
> >minutes, and if what I want is contained in 10 minutes, I didn't want
> >to waste the other 45. I'd also envisaged using the device to interview
> >children at sporting events (i.e. outdoors) which files I could then
> >place on the school website.
>
> That's the problem. A device can tell when something is loud, but
> there's no way it can tell when something is relevant.

A quick update:

Since I posted this, I've decided that the device that comes closest to
meeting my needs is a small MP4 player/recorder. I bought one made by a
company called, unfortunately, "MP4" which makes it hard to track down,
as the documentation doesn't bother to mention how you contact them
despite inviting you to check their website to download relevant
firmware.

The written instructions are just what you'd expect. Here is an
excerpt:
||||
Declarations

This machine should click the mission column after format turn or
download to complete right under can move the disk dish mark hornily,
from flick of open can move the disk wins election to take need of disk
click to carry on flick open.
||||

That was on the first page! Clear as mud.

The interface is not what I'd call "intuitive", but I guess with enough
"trial and terror", I'll get it. If anyone has a clue on how I can find
this company's webpage, I'd be grateful.

Fran