Audio and Video Formats and How to Work with Them
So you’re looking to have your interviews, conferences or dictations transcribed. You have everything organised and have chosen the most suitable typing services company to take on the work so what is the next thing you need to consider? One of the most easily forgotten but biggest time saving elements of having audio and video transcribed is the format that your files are saved in. So here are some tips to help you make sure your audio and video files are as compact and easy to work with as possible
Memory Space
The first thing to consider is the size of your audio or video file. Large files can be easily opened by you, but remember when outsourcing work to transcription services, files will need to be uploaded or sent online, and with larger files, this can be highly time consuming for you. There are two solutions to this problem. The first is to record in a format that takes up less space . We recommend MP3 or WAV for audio files, and MP4 or AVI for video files. However, if you are unable to record in these formats, you can always make a zip file and upload which will take up less space.
Compatibility
It is highly important that if you are recording in a more obscure or less popular audio or video file format, you make sure your transcription company accepts that type of file. Alternatively, you can download a file converter programme online to convert the video or audio yourself prior to sending to your chosen company. We recommend Prism Video Converter and Aimersoft file converter software, which both offer a free trial period.
Price
Many transcription companies and typing services offer an option to send cassette tapes, DVDs or CDs via the post and have them transcribed. As this service comes at a higher cost, we recommend you consider converting your own audio into a digitally usable format. For information on how to do this and other useful tips and tricks, visit our YouTube channel (located in the sidebar).
At Transcription City, we aim to make it as easy and quick as possible for you to get your audio and video files to us, whatever file format you are using and we accept a wide range of audio and video file formats. No matter what size or format your file is in, we should have an upload or delivery option that suits you. If you are having any issues with our secure upload facility, we can also accept files directly via email or other file sharing services such as YouSendIt and Dropbox (great for iPhone, Android or iPad users) or we even accept cassette tapes, DVD’s and VHS.
Contact us today for transcription services, translation services, note taking services, subtitling services and live captioning services.
