--- Forwarded Message from "Ross, Andrew" <[log in to unmask]> --- >From: "Ross, Andrew" <[log in to unmask]> >To: "'Language Learning and Technology International Information Forum'" <[log in to unmask]> >Subject: RE: #5457 Why Convert to Digital? >Date: Thu, 27 Jan 2000 11:18:45 -0500 ------------------ I suspect that there are many facilities across the country that are/will be finding themselves in this position - saddled with analog language lab technology amidst creeping demand for increased access and distribution capabilities. We are also in the midst of going over to a digital distribution system for many of our audio holdings. Here are some responses to specific issues: "What compelling arguments are there for switching to a digital platform?" The term "digital platform" is somewhat troubling here - if you're talking about something proprietary, like Tandberg's Divace or a Sony digital language lab system, I'd say that the compelling arguments are somewhat fewer than they otherwise might be. The compelling arguments for us to go digital were the following: * We are a small (20-station) facility faced with growing demands for very specific services (principally, multilingual word-processing and audio playback - no recording or evaluated drill exercises), and frankly, not much else. Yet. * We have a relatively transient population of lab assistants, and troubleshooting/rerecording audio cassettes isn't always guaranteed foolproof. * The tapes, per publisher policy, were available only in the lab, and the masters generally of poor quality. We have moved, not to a "digital platform" of the proprietary hardware type, but to the Web as a means of distributing audio to our students. * We purchased an inexpensive dual cassette deck, plugged it into the RCA ins on one of our Macintosh 8600/200s, and captured and clipped the audio using Adobe Premiere. Audio quality, although not brilliant, is acceptable. * We output AIFF files to a FireWire drive (easier than pushing large files through the network), walk to our CD-burner, and create archive CDs, then convert the files on them into MP3s, and upload them to our server. * Total initial cost: +/- $1200.00. That's not a bad return on investment. * Capturing and clipping is done by student technology fellows @ $6.30/hr. * Files are available only from on campus, and in the case of some collections, through a password-protected directory. * Students can access them 24 hours/day, 7 days/week. * No more tape issues - overdubbing, eaten tapes, tape deck problems. The notion of a turnkey digital language lab system makes me nervous - it means that I commit to relying on a single source for hardware support - plus the resultant headaches of file compatibility, remote access, etc. I don't know about other folks, but the IS professionals I've talked to don't seem to see a great deal of difference between the "digital media servers" out there and something that you can purchase and run for a lot less money. Other folks may have different opinions. I hope this is helpful. a. Andrew F. Ross, Ph.D Director, Multimedia Language Lab G15 Puryear Hall University of Richmond, VA 23173 Tel: (804) 287-6838 [log in to unmask] "Worrying about a large institution, especially when it has computers, is like worrying about a large gorilla, especially when it's on fire." -- Bruce Sterling -----Original Message----- From: LLTI-Editor [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2000 5:30 PM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: #5457 Why Convert to Digital? --- Forwarded Message from [log in to unmask] (Gordon Hartig) --- >Date: Wed, 26 Jan 2000 09:41:51 -0500 >Subject: Why Convert to Digital? >To: [log in to unmask] >From: [log in to unmask] (Gordon Hartig) A request to subscribers: Please send comments about John Fick's posting about converting from a traditional analog language lab to the list. At MCC we also are beginning to look at how to upgrade our lab. The centerpiece of our present 30-station lab is an 8-year-old Tandberg IS10 (directing both audio and video). We also have 25 IBM-compatible PC's, part of the college network, hooked up to a printer. A basic question: What compelling arguments are there for switching to a digital platform? What I would like to see is a system that would allow students to work either in the lab or to download the materials to computers at home so they could use the materials at home whenever their schedules would permit it. This could not happen with analog. Yet I expect arguments to the effect that this is not necessary and that it is too costly. I cannot argue with people who point out that audio and video cassettes are inexpensive, easy to use, and easy to maintain. And the availability of these technologies is unlikely to disappear anytime soon. Our analog library is small, but concern also has been expressed about the cost of converting current materials and the fact that digital materials are more costly than analog when purchased new. Thank you for any thoughts you might have on these matters. Gordon Hartig [log in to unmask] Language Lab Coordinator Middlesex Community College 33 Kearney Square Lowell MA 01852 (978) 656-3358