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I don't care about using the software for voice recognition (since I interview many people, that wouldn't be practical), but I can't even figure out how to get the files off the device and onto my hard drive. There are five files on the recorder and they don't even show up in the voice editing software window. The recorder is easy to use and the microphone is very sensitive -- at a recent interview I was conducting, it picked up the voices of people talking in the hallway outside the closed door of the interview room. I'd assumed when I got the recorder that it would be drag and drop, but it isn't. I have just ordered a Sony recorder that IS drag and drop and that needs no proprietary software. Trouble is, I cannot figure out the software, and I am not a techno-idiot. I'm going to leave the Panasonic in my car to use for voice memos that I don't need to save to my computer.
The recorder I bought for $100 is now virtually useless to me. It is bad enough that I would have to buy it (On HPs site, for example, you can conveniently download the software for their electronic products for free), but I can't even find any information on how to buy it. My experience exactly mirrors that of one of the other reviewers of this product. I lost the software for this recorder in a move, and cannot find any information on how to obtain new software on the Panasonic Web site. Never again.
it makes a very simple thing easy. I bought it to record a lecture and burn to cd which is apparently an impossible task. Software is terrible. It is a nice recorder. the software is a nightmare. do not buy.
The functionality of the device is simple and even without reading the instruction book I was able to figure out how to use it. Downloading to your computer is simple and takes very little time. This recorder is the perfect, light weight recorder with plenty of space to store hours of material. I would encourage anyone looking for a quality digital device to consider this one as it is lightweight and durable. Batteries seem to go somewhat quickly so I might encouage people to consider rechargable batteries as an option to save some money long term. I have used it for both inividual interviews and focus group meetings and in each instance the recording was tremendous. Ideal for people doing interviews for their dissertation or other research studies.
If I install it and run it, and you have administrator rights, it still will not run correctly for you. They do offer a player you can give to someone with the files but I've never been able to get it to work.The other big problem is the access rights the software requires. The quality of the audio is above average ( I tried about 8 different models) and compression of the sound file is very efficient. If you don't have admin rights forget about it. It can not be used by multiple users on a single PC running Windows XP.
It must be run by someone with administrator rights who installed it. The problem is the proprietary file types that Panasonic uses cannot be played with anything other then their software. I have used my Panasonic RR-US380 for about 2 years and have been happy with the performance of this product. You can convert to.wav but it's an extra step that shouldn't be needed. So essentially only one person can use the software (and thus the Panasonic RR-US380) on each computer which causes a problem if you have shared computers.
If you plan on using it for personal use it would be a good choice.If you want to use it in a business setting I would not recommend it. The software is powerful and easy to use but my business had to get rid of the Panasonic recorders for theses 2 reasons.
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