There are 2 Free Players offered by FTR. The current versions are Player Plus 2.2 and TheRecord Player 3.3.
It is recommended that you download TheRecord Player 3.3 as it's considered to be the "Universal Player". It is compatible and will play back all versions of FTR content (audio & video) no matter how old.
So why would you download Player Plus 2.2? It's simple, if you are already familiar with the PlayerPlus 2.2 player and you know that you'll only be playing FTR Gold audio then, by all means, download Player Plus.
Just so you know - Here at Precise Digital the preferred player is TheRecord Player.
2) I presently have a tape recorder - will my existing microphones work with the FTR Software?
Most likely, Yes. It's very common for courts that are using either a Sony BM246 or Lanier Advocate tape system to use their existing microphones. As long as the original audio quality is okay then there is really no reason to swap out your existing microphones.
If you decide you want new microphones contact Precise Digital to review your environment and they will be able to recommend good, solid replacements for you.
3) How much training is needed to learn the FTR software solutions?
One great thing about all FTR solutions is that they are easy to use. But that doesn't mean that there isn't much to learn. There is if you want to be proficient.
Training is the single greatest investment you can make in your FTR installation. Not only initial training but ongoing refresher training.
FTR support statistics show that end user training is the #1 issue for support calls. According to FTR, many of the support calls they receive are because the end user just didn't know that either a feature existed or they didn't know how to do something.
Let's make this clear. IT'S NOT YOUR FAULT NOR IS IT FTR'S FAULT. Use of a training program can greatly increase the speed and effectiveness of your FTR deployment.
Our recommendation is - always include sufficient training when you get your systems installed and, AT LEAST ONCE PER YEAR, get some refresher training.
Precise Digital is the only company that provides regular, current refresher training for everybody, regardless of where you purchased your system.
We provide continuous training options both instructor led and web-based for as little as $150 per person. If you would be interested in taking a refresher training course please drop us a line and ask for our next session.
4) What's the difference between FTR Gold and FTR TheRecord?
The short answer is: FTR Gold is a 4 channel digital audio recording and note-taking solution and FTR TheRecord is VIDEO + 4 channel digital audio recording and note-taking solution.
Read the question "Which FTR Product is the Right One For Me?" for a more detailed description.
We couldn't possibly provide an answer for all of the possible options in this one FAQ so let's just give you the basic rule of thumb.
The Basic Rule of Thumb Is: You will need one copy of the base software (FTR Gold, FTR TheRecord, FTR Hearings, FTR Interrogator, FTR Minutes) for each system that needs to record. So, as an example, if you have 4 courtrooms, you'll need 4 copies of either FTR Gold Reporter or FTR TheRecord Reporter. Need to know how to get the best discounts on your purchase? Shoot us a note and we can give you some ideas.
It's probably easier to give you examples rather than providing a technical philosophy on how many channels you should have.
Here you go:
Courts almost always use 4 Channels (1 for the judge, 1 for the witness, 1 for the prosecutor, and 1 for the defense attorney).
Police Interview Rooms will mostly have one and sometimes two audio channels that accompany their videos.
Hearings will mostly only use one or two channels. Unless the hearing room is large and has a formal set up like a courtroom with witnesses and the two counsels (prosecution & defense) would they need four channels. This could also be a personal preference.
City Councils & Legislatures always record one or two channels. This is because Coucil meetings and Legislatures have formal rules of order and therefore don't need to worry as much about many people speaking at the same time.
Your situation? Unless you're a court or courtlike environment, you most likely only need to record on a single channel -- two at the very most.
It is not recommended. In fact, NO solution regardless of whether you're using FTR or not, should be used without some sort of mixer.
The problem is not in the FTR software. It will record whatever you deliver to it. If you provide audio of low quality, then what you get is a low quality recording.
Connecting a microphone directly to your PC will provide a very low quality signal. A mixer amplifies that signal so that your recording is the best that it can be.
8) Can others listen to recorded audio without having to purchase a copy of the FTR Gold or FTR TheRecord software?
Absolutely! All you have to do is download the FREE FTR Player - either Player Plus 2.2 or TheRecord Player 3.3. You can find the free Player by going to the Downloads Section of the FTR website.
Which player should you choose? Check out our FAQ - Which FTR Player Should I Use?
By the way, FTR was the first company to offer their player for FREE. As a result, it forced the rest of the competition to follow in its footsteps. Is it any wonder FTR is the leader in digital recording and content management?
One of the great benefits of using any of the FTR solutions is their ability to provide high quality audio and video using as little storage space possible.
Here's how to calculate the audio file size:
Audio is stored at 11 MB per channel per hour. So, one channel = 11MB per hour, two channels = 22MB / hour and four channels = 44MB / hour.
Video, is stored at a rate of 100 MB/hr for small video and 400 MB/hr for large video.
So how do you calculate how much storage is required? Let's do a sample calculation:
A Court is looking to capture small video and 4 channels of audio for their courtrooms. They want to store 1 year (1 Year = 200 - 8 hour days) of video on their servers. Here's the calculation:
* 200 days x 8 hrs/day = 1,600 hours * Audio: 4 Channels = 44 MB/hr * Small Video: 100 MB/hr * 100 MB/hr + 44 MB/hr = 144 MB/hr * 144 MB/hr x 1,600 hours = 230,400 MB
or only 230 GB of data storage for the entire year!
By the way - Here are some other rules of thumb:
* You'll get over 15 hours of 4 channel audio on a CD * Over 4.5 hours of small video & 4 channel audio will fit on a CD * Over 32 Hours of small video & 4 channel audio will fit on a DVD * Over 10 Hours of large video & 4 channels of audio will fit on a DVD. * You can store over 100 hours of 4 channel audio on a single DVD.
10) What audio cards do you recommend for my FTR system?
Delta 44, Antex LX-44, and the Digigram VX440 for 4 channel recording.
Griffin i-Mic for 1 or 2 channel recording.
Regardless of the audio card, you'll want to make sure that you're deliver high quality audio so make sure you're either using an FTR Mixer (MX4, MX5, or DMX8) or are providing audio from your existing mixer.