--- Forwarded Message from [log in to unmask] --- >From: [log in to unmask] >Date: Thu, 4 Nov 1999 11:30:15 EST >Subject: Re: Re: #5290.6 Language Lab digital upgrade (!) >To: [log in to unmask] Patrick, We are in the third year with an ASC DI-8 Lab in our school. We have 38 positions, 24 of which have computers. It's absolutely wonderful, & actually has more functions than the Sony 2000 & Tandberg Labs, & we looked at all 3. Ours is a tape Lab, but another school in our area has the digital lab, which is the just the same, but with both tape & digital capabilities (the DAVID). In the DI-8 you have 8 programs sources, 8 conference groups, telephone calling system (where the students call from 1 booth to another), pairing (random, teacher assigned, or side-by-side), Library, Analyzer, & Editor. You can use all of these at once, so there is great flexibility. It's new technology, very space efficient, & our Lab is beautiful. We also have a dual teacher console, so that 2 different teachers can be operating the Lab at the same time in any configuration. We also utilize videos, a Vizcam, etc. I would be happy to talk to you & give you any other information you might need. Drake University has the same DI-8 Lab with the DAVID. You can reach Dr. Arther Hughes at [log in to unmask] for information about theirs. Several other universities have the ASC Labs, & I'm certain they would be happy to put you in touch with them. I think that you would be impressed with everything the ASC Labs do. The President is George Washington (yes!). His phone # is 1-800-344-1201, e-mail [log in to unmask] The Vice President is Concheta Lanpher, phone # 1-800-613-9554, e-mail [log in to unmask] They give you great service that doesn't end with the purchase. I hope this helps! Linda Gump Foreign Language Department Chair Trinity Christian Academy 17001 Addison Rd. Addison, TX 75001 (suburb of Dallas) [log in to unmask] 972-931-8325 ext. 247 a message dated 11/4/99, 7:48:57 AM, [log in to unmask] writes: <<We are about to purchase a Sony LLC-2000MH system to replace a Tanberg Lab here at the University of Queensland although we've agonised about whether this is the correct direction. The alternative is to replicate the functionality of the Language Lab in a 'multi-purpose' PC lab - the peril of this just became apparent as my Divace player crashed :( . The benefits of the off-the-shelf Sony system as I see it are reliability and cost efficiency over time. A colleague at the University of NSW has used a Sony digital system for over four years and it hasn't failed once in that time. Moreover, they have not had to spend a cent on it since. !!! The systems offer some flexibility in that the cabling is very simple and they can be made to fit a variety of physical layouts and the current models can have similteneous "library" and "classroom" modes. While the student listening units are low cost one downside is the very high cost of the mass storage units Sony supply. My other concern about the system is that it is really running on 10 year old technology - in some respects I would have thought Sony would have moved beyond the .wav (PCM) files that they use. If anyone out there in Language Lab land thinks I'm completely out of my mind to be considering this system please let me know ASAP - before I throw all this money at Sony. :) >>