Technical Questions Where is BigHand Digital Dictation developed? BigHand software is developed in London, England and distributed all over the world.
Is the sound format .wav? .wav files can be created using BigHand, however we have developed an industry leading proprietary format .bhf (BigHand Format) that is both more efficient (compression) and sophisticated (information) than .wav files or any other format currently available.
How large are the file sizes? The files sizes range from 830KB to 1.1MB, per ten minute dictation in both thin and fat environments. For terminal sessions, BigHand has developed an optimised CELP based Codec. The Codec compresses the captured audio and divides it into packets for streaming to the server.
Can I slow or speed up the playback? Yes, BigHand has built in pitch control.
Do I need to buy a new server? No, BigHand can share a server with other applications. The server side components can also be distributed, allowing your files to be kept on a SAN and your data on a shared database server.
Does it have a back end database? Yes.
What RAM will the server need? Minimum: 1GB; Recommended: 2GB.
What processor speed will the server need? Minimum: Pentium IV 800; Recommended: Dual Xeon 3.6GHz 800MHz FSB or higher.
How much server storage space is required? Storage requirement (MB) = 7 x 0.114 x number of users x average dictation
(0.114 MB per minute of dictation - BigHand codec)
(7 days default time to store completed dictations)
What server tolerance do you recommend? Tolerance is the ability to recover data if any part of a server fails. This decision is up to the client IT staff, but the BigHand system is renowned for its resilience and stability.
Can we run BigHand software across servers? Yes.
Can we run BigHand Digital Dictation across regional or international sites? Yes.
How will BigHand affect the network? There should be no adverse effects on your network, as BigHand uses low amounts of bandwidth.
What happens if the network fails? Users can continue to work as normal.
We only have 10Mbit to the desktop will that be a problem? There shouldn’t be a problem, as long as you are currently happy with your network performance.
Does it run on Citrix Metaframe/Windows Terminal Server (ie. Thin Client) Yes.
Will it work effectively over our WAN? Yes.
Can you use Citrix Dial-up for remote working? Yes.
How much RAM do we need on PCs? Minimum: 128 MB; Recommended: 512 MB.
What processor speed do we need? The recommended processor is P4 2.0Gz.
What’s the minimum client spec? A P3 500 MHz and 128 MB RAM with storage of 100 MB.
Operating system Windows 2000 and .NET Framework 2.0
How much storage space is required? Minimum – 100MB
Will it work with any soundcard? The system will work with any soundcard/chip and BigHand will perform proper testing during the installations. An analogue sound card is normally required if you are using a serial port or non-USB device.
What devices can be used to dictate into? Any serial/USB device or a headset microphone - ask us for our recommendations. Additionally, BigHand's mobility suite enables dictation via BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, iPhone and PDAs.
What devices does a transcriber use? The transcriber can use many headset styles such as wishbones, walkmans, single ear-pieces in serial or USB. Serial and USB foot pedals are also supported.
Can you work remotely? Yes BigHand Digital Dictation can be used away from the office using mobile devices and either synchronised remotely through a dial up connection, web, or Citrix.
What’s involved in the Server Installation? We install the BigHand Server and attach the BigHand Database to SQL. We set-up the access rights and test the BigHand Service and ensure that the BigHand Server Tools are functioning properly. Finally we also check the TCP-IP configuration settings.
Do you have to visit each machine to configure the workflow set-up of BigHand? No
Does BigHand support Roaming Profiles? Yes
How many administrators can you have? You can have as many department and full administrators as you want within the confines of the licence agreement.
How do you set up new users? It is very simple and we show you how to set up new users as part of your Administration Training Course.
Do you have a customer support area on your web site? Yes
Do you need access to the server for support? Not necessarily, but if you wished, we can set up PC Anywhere so we can remotely dial in and administer your server.
Can we arrange out of hours technical support? BigHand offers 24/5 technical support, and further out of hours coverage can be arranged if required.
Author Questions
Can an author walk around and dictate at the same time? Yes, BigHand supports Grundig's wireless microphone Digta CordEx, as well as a comprehensive range of remote and mobile devices.
Does each author link directly with their secretary/transcriber? (i.e. when a dictation is sent who does it go to automatically?) By default, the dictations will be sent to your own secretary or transcriber. This can be altered as necessary.
What about confidentiality? You can use BigHand to protect your sensitive dictations and enable ethical walls at file leve and/or network level. Confidential workflows for individuals, groups or custom groups together with password protection ensure dictations can only be accessed by those with permission to do so.
What happens if an author is \'technically challenged\'? BigHand Digital Dictation is known as being extremely easy to use, and its interface looks similiar to popular email applications. Whether using portable devices, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, iPhone or PDA, the working options and processes remain the same from an author's perspective.
Can I stop recording and pick up the file later? Yes, your file and position is saved in your Drafts folder and you may resume at a later time/date.
Can I email dictations outside of the BigHand system if required? Yes, an export and attach to email function is standard.
Is it possible to see the status of the dictation at all times? Yes, via real time updates, you can easily see whether a dictation is Pending, In Progress or Completed.
Is it possible to insert audio mid sentence within an audio file? Yes.
What if the batteries go flat on my handheld device while I am recording, what happens to my file? Your dictation can be recovered on insertion of new batteries
How do I seamlessly transfer files from my portable solution to be transcribed? Unlike other systems, BigHand offers native device support ensuring you can transfer files seamlessly, with sychronised automatic transfer.
Can an author forward dictations on to different transcribers? Yes, an author will be able to forward dictations on to other transcribers.
Do the authors see the same screen as the transcribers? The two screens are very similar in display except a fee-earner will have a ‘Drafts ’ folder and an ‘Outbox’ folder.
Can the authors check whether a dictation has been completed from their own screen? Yes. They will be able to see whether dictations are ‘pending’, ‘in progress’ or ‘complete’, and which transcriber has worked on them.
When the authors are dictating, does the text automatically appear on the screen? No. Digital Dictation is a way of recording ‘sound’ and transferring it to a transcriber via the organisation's network. Speech recognition is when an author dictates and the text appears on the screen automatically. BigHand software has an optional speech recognition module that can be supplied upon request.
Can an author change the priority level of a dictation once it has been submitted? Yes.
Can authors access the digital dictation once it has been sent? Yes.
Will authors be able to see who is doing their dictation? Once a transcriber has opened a dictation, it will appear as locked by that transcriber.
How do you insert into a dictation? This procedure is very straightforward. They will simply get to the position that they want to insert, press a button on the toolbar or handheld microphone and then continue recording as normal.
If an author is dictating a long document, could they interrupt that dictation and start something else, for example, an urgent memo? Yes. The author can save a dictation as a draft and can access it at a later stage through the ‘drafts’ folder.
Can authors use headsets? Yes. As an alternative an autnor can use a headset if desired.
What are the chances of authors actually deleting or losing dictated work? Very difficult indeed as BigHand has been designed with certain fail safe procedures in-built.
How does the recording actually work? The author quite simply presses a Record button on the desktop device and starts dictating. He/she will then assign a title or notes to the dictation when finished and then presses another button to send it. This paradigm is the same across all client platforms such as BlackBerry and Windows Mobile.
Transcription Questions
How do I actually get into the digital dictation screen? BigHand Digital Dictation will be available either on your desktop, start menu or application launcher (depending on set-up).
Am I notified if I have received a new dictation? Yes. There will be two customisable notifications. A small icon in the system tray will be displayed when ‘pending’ dictations are in your inbox. Also, you can receive alerts in the form of a message box that you then click on, or a fading alert simply appears and then disappears.
Can I alter the volume of a digital dictation? Yes.
With a cassette based system I can set it up so that if I stop typing and then start again, the tape will automatically jump back a couple of seconds. Can this be done with the digital dictation system? Yes, an ‘auto backspace’ feature is available. This can be set from 0 to 10 seconds.
What do I do if I job share? Depending on how it is set-up, when an author sends a dictation, it will go to both of you as required.
What do I have to do if I have to log on to somebody else\'s station? You will receive your dictations on that PC.
What happens if the author that you work for has done some dictation the night before and I am on sick leave the next day? Your work administrator will enable the dictation to be picked up by another transcriber.
When somebody is given access rights to my digital dictation system, can they also view my e-mails? No.
Does the person who is covering me need to log on as me? No, they are just given certain access rights, or the work administrator can decide to manually redistribute the work.
If access is given to somebody else, how does the work then get directed back to me? The work can be re-assigned. Alternatively, you will be working from a shared folder so there will be no problem.
Will I be able to see who has accessed a dictation? Yes. There is a ‘user’ field that will display who has accessed a dictation.
What happens if nobody is assigned to cover me but there are dictation files in my inbox? Depending on their priority your dictations will be re-assigned to another transcriber.
Can a secretary stop transcribing one dictation and move to another more urgent one? Yes. This is simply a case of closing the current dictation and opening the urgent one. When transcribers open the unfinished dictation, they can continue from where the dictation was last stopped.
THE FAQS LISTED ABOVE ARE DESIGNED TO HELP YOUR GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF DIGITAL DICTATION, BUT ARE NOT DEFINITIVE TECHNICAL ANSWERS. PLEASE CONTACT BIGHAND FOR MORE PRECISE INFORMATION OR CLARIFICATION.
