Soloist
Comparative Recorder Comparison 2-22-01
Email Compilation |
| |
| NOTE: This comparison to Teleste®
Educational's Divace™ Digital Interactive
Audio Video Recorder software is based on
our evaluation of Version 1.02.0, the accompanying
User Manual, and from the Divace Web Site
as of February, 2001. This comparison may
not be complete, or fully correct, and Divace’s
features and specifications are subject to
change. You should contact Teleste if you
have any questions about Divace. Nothing in
this document is meant to suggest a recommendation
for use or non-use of the software. Teleste
and Divace are trademarks of Teleste Corporation.
Sony is a registered trademark of Sony Corporation.
Soloist is a trademark of Sony Electronics
Inc. |
| |
| |
Soloist
(Stand Alone) Version 2.9.8 |
Divace™
Solo Version 1.02 |
Notable |
| Target Usage |
Multi-User
PC
|
Multi-User
PC
|
|
| Operating
Systems |
Win95/98/NT/2000/Me |
Win95/98/2000 |
Yes |
Supported
File Formats
|
|
|
|
"Program"
Audio Files
|
wav,
Zip compressed wav, mpa, mp2, mp3
|
wav,
snd, aif, au, aifc, aiff, mpa, mp2, mp3,
m3u, ra
|
|
"Program" Video Files
|
avi, mpeg,
mov, qt
|
avi, mpeg,
mov, qt, ram, rm
|
|
"Program"
MIDI Music Files
|
mid,
rmi
|
mid,
rmi
|
|
Text Files
|
txt, rtf
|
None
|
Yes |
Hyper Text
Markup Language Files
|
htm,
html
|
None |
Yes |
Audio Recording Files (Saving)
|
wav, Zip
compressed wav, mp3
|
"dim",
"dis", wav
|
|
Only Uses
International Standard Formats for Saving
Recordings
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes
|
Recording
Methodologies
|
|
|
|
No Program
File - Performs Recording to Both Tracks Producing
a Single File
|
Yes
|
Yes
(only when saved as Wav)
|
|
Audio Program Files - Performs
Comparative Recording with a Single File
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes |
Video/MIDI
Program Files - Performs Recording to A Separate
File
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Automatically Copy Audio Files
to PC from Non-Local Hard Drives
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to
Choose Whether Audio Files on Local Hard Drive
are Backed Up
|
Yes |
Not
Applicable
|
|
Ability to Set Format Properties
of Wav File for "New" Recordings
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
"Transport"
Controls
|
|
|
|
Single Button
for Play/Stop Operation
|
Yes
|
No
(Has "Play/Pause" button and "Stop"
button)
|
|
Record Button
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
|
Rewind and
Fast Forward with tape recorder type "ballistics"
|
Yes
("End-to-End" depends on file
length)
|
No
("End-to-End" in ~4 seconds for
any file length)
|
Yes |
Double-click Rewind or Fast
Forward to jump to the Beginning or End of
File
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Fast Forward/Rewind
- "Scroll" Video Image
|
Yes
|
No
(image refreshes only when play is started)
|
Yes |
Slider Bar for Random Access
|
Yes - Mouse
or Keyboard control
|
Yes - Mouse
control only
|
|
Random Access
Accuracy Using Mouse
|
Depends
on file length (0.2 second accuracy with
1 minute file)
|
Depends
on file length (1 second accuracy with 1
minute file)
|
Yes |
Random Access Accuracy using
PC Keyboard
|
1/2 second
(regardless of file length)
|
Not Applicable
|
|
Random Access
- "Scroll" Video Image
|
Yes
|
No
(image refreshes only when mouse is released
if in play or pause mode before scrolling)
|
|
Repeat Phrase Function for Wav
Format Files
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Repeat Phrase
Function for non-Wav Format Files
|
Yes |
No
|
Yes |
Adjustable Sensitivity/Length
for Repeat Phrase Function
|
Yes |
No
|
|
Ability to
set Default Repeat Phrase Sensitivity
|
Yes |
No
|
|
A-B Repeat
|
Yes
|
Yes (Must
slide two "tabulators" to start
and end points, then enable by clicking
"Repeat")
|
|
Additional
Indicators/Information Display
|
|
|
|
Volume Level
Meter during Playback
|
Yes |
No
|
Yes |
Volume Level Meter during Recording
|
Yes |
No
|
Yes |
File Position
Indicator (Time Counter) (Resolution)
|
Real
Time (1/10 second)
|
Real
Time (1 second)
|
Yes |
File Length Indication (Resolution)
|
Hold mouse
down on Time Counter (1/10 second)
|
Separate
Numeric Display (1 second)
|
|
Ability to
display File Information
|
Yes |
No
|
|
On-Line Help File
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Help Accessible
via Button in Main Window and "F1"
key
|
Yes |
No
(menu selection only)
|
|
User Selectable Display of "ToolTips"
|
Yes
|
No (always
on)
|
|
Multilingual
ToolTips
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Ability to Set Start Up Default
of ToolTip Settings
|
Yes |
Yes (language
only - always on)
|
|
Bookmarks
|
|
|
|
Buttons in
Main Window for Opening/Closing Files
|
Yes
|
No
(menu selection only)
|
|
Ability to Set Default Folder
for Opening Files
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Ability to
Set Separate Default Folder for Saving Files
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Ability to Prevent Saving recordings
in the Default Open Folder
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to
Prevent Users from Saving Recordings
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to Hide the "Create
Folder" button in Open/Save Dialogs
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to
Hide 'Look In' Combo Dropdown list in Open/Save
Dialogs
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to Hide 'Up One Level'
and 'View Desktop' buttons in Open/Save Dialogs
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to
Display "Folder Select" buttons
in the Open Dialog
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Ability to Start Playing File
Immediately after Opening
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Prompts When
"Read Only" File is Opened
|
Yes
|
No
(original student track does not playback,
can be recorded)
|
|
Automatically Generate a Default
Filename when Saving Recordings
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Ability to
Automatically Close "Save" Prompts
after 10 seconds
|
Yes |
No |
|
| |
|
|
|
Prompts When
Attempting to Save File That Will Overwrite
an Existing One
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Prompts When Attempting to Save
File That Will Overwrite an Existing "Read
Only" File
|
Yes
|
No (appears
to save, but does not)
|
|
Ability to
Save Recording as a Single Wav File with both
Program and Student Tracks
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Ability to Save Recording as
a Zip Compressed Wav File with Both Program
and Student Tracks
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to
Save Recording as an MP3 Format Files with
Both Program and Student Tracks
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Ability to set "Bit Rate"
Used for MP3 Encoding
|
Yes |
Not Applicable
|
|
Ability to
Allow/Not Allow User to Save Recordings as
Follows:
|
Yes |
No |
|
| |
Mix Program
+ Student Track and Save as Monaural Wav
File
|
Yes |
No |
|
| |
Mix Program
and Student Track and Save as Monaural MP3
File
|
Yes |
No |
|
| |
Save Student Track Only as
Monaural Wav File
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
| |
Save Student
Track Only as Monaural MP3 File
|
Yes |
No |
|
| |
"Remove Silence"
from Student Track and Save as Monaural Wav
File
|
Yes |
No |
|
| |
"Remove
Silence" from Student Track and Save
as Monaural MP3 File
|
Yes |
No |
Yes
|
| |
Adjustable Sensitivity for
"Remove Silence" from Student Track
with Preview
|
Yes
|
Not Applicable
|
|
Ability to
set Default "Save As Type" for Recordings
|
Yes |
No |
|
If exiting program after making
recording, can cancel exit and return to work
|
Yes
|
No (prompted
to save, "Yes", "No",
"Cancel") - selecting "Cancel"
exits program without saving
|
Yes |
Ability to
Recover a "Lost" Recording
|
Yes
|
No |
Yes |
Login Function
|
|
|
|
User Login
Function
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to set Network Login
User ID as default in Login Dialog
|
Yes |
Not applicable |
|
Log File
|
|
|
|
Ability to
Create and Maintain a "Log File"
(record user actions to text file)
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to set the path for
the Log File
|
Yes |
Not applicable |
|
Ability to
Include "Transport" data in Log
File
|
Yes |
Not
applicable |
|
Ability to Set Log File Maintenance
Method
|
Yes |
Not applicable |
|
Other Multimedia
File Support
|
|
|
|
Built in Text
Editor
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Ability to Display "Text
Editor" launch button in main window
|
Yes |
Not applicable |
|
Automatically
open text file for viewing/editing when sound/video
file is opened
|
Yes |
Not
applicable |
|
Built in HTML File/Web Page
Viewer
|
Yes |
No |
Yes |
Directly Open
HTML files in viewer
|
Yes |
Not
applicable |
|
Follow links in HTML file to
Web Pages (Internet connection required)
|
Yes |
Not applicable |
|
Automatically
open HTML file when sound/video file is opened
|
Yes |
Not
applicable |
|
Appearance
|
|
|
|
"Always
on Top" User Selection
|
Yes |
Yes |
|
Ability to set "Always
On Top" Start-up Default
|
Yes
|
No ("remembers"
last setting)
|
|
Main window
can be placed on top of video window
|
Yes
|
No |
Yes |
Resizable window
|
Yes - 3
sizes (4 sizes if connected to optional
comparative cassette recorder)
|
Yes - 2
sizes
|
|
Main Window
Always Appears in Center of Screen Whenever
Started
|
Yes |
No |
|
Selectable Colors for main window
|
Yes |
No |
|
Selectable
"Background image" for main window
|
Yes |
No |
|
Selectable font for Time Counter
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to
set Start-Up Default Font for Time Counter
|
Yes
|
Not
Applicable
|
|
Sound Card
"Wave" Device Selection
|
|
|
|
Ability to
Set any of Installed Devices for Recording
(or "Windows Default")
|
Yes |
No |
|
Ability to Set any of Installed
Devices for Playback (or "Windows Default")
|
Yes |
No |
|
Sound Card
"Mixer" Device Selection/Control
|
|
|
|
Ability to
Set any of Installed Devices for Mixer
|
Yes |
No |
|
Automatically Set "Mute"
and "Select" Settings for All Related
Mixer Controls
|
Yes
|
Limited
(on test PC, did not unmute Master Playback
or Wave Out Playback)
|
|
Automatically
Restore "Mute" and "Select"
Settings Upon Exiting
|
Yes
|
Limited
(on test PC, "Selects" Line-In
for recording)
|
|
Ability to Set Default Volume
Levels for All Related Mixer Controls
|
Yes
|
No (Always
sets "Master Playback" and "Line
In Record" to 87% of maximum)
|
Yes |
Ability to
Restore All Volume Levels Upon Exiting
|
Yes
|
Yes
(only "Master Playback" and "Line
In Record")
|
|
All related Volume Controls
can be displayed/adjusted
|
Yes
|
No (only
"Master Playback" and "Line
In Record")
|
|
All Volume
Controls Can Adjust From 0 to 100%
|
Yes
|
No
(on test PC, minimum of 3%)
|
|
Changes to Related Volume Controls
by Another Program Reflected in Volume Controls
in Software
|
Yes
|
No |
|
Integration
with Comparative Cassette Recorder
|
|
|
|
Can be Integrated
with Language Learning Comparative Cassette
Recorder
|
Yes
|
No
|
Yes |
Can Remotely Control Comparative
Cassette Recorder
|
Yes |
Not Applicable
|
|
Comparative
Cassette Recorder Can Be Located up to 40
meters away
|
Yes |
Not
Applicable
|
|
Can Perform Two Times Normal
Speed Copy from Cassette to Digital File
|
Yes |
Not Applicable
|
|
Ability to
Set Wav File Format Properties for 2x Copying
from Cassette
|
Yes |
Not
Applicable
|
|
Can Perform Two Times Normal
Speed Copy from Digital File to Cassette
|
Yes |
Not Applicable
|
|
Other
|
|
|
|
Ability to
"Password Protect" All Configurable
Settings
|
Yes
|
No |
|
All Configurable Items Saved
In Windows Registry Under "Local Machine"
Key
|
Yes
|
No |
|
Ability to
Set "Thread Priority" for the Application
|
Yes
|
No |
|
Ability to Set "Seat Number"
|
Yes
|
No |
|
PC Keyboard
shortcuts for most functions/features
|
Yes
|
No |
|
Ability to set "User Definable"
button in main window (can launch any program)
|
Yes
|
No |
Yes |
Ability to
Disable Windows "Taskbar" While
Running
|
Yes
|
No |
Yes |
Ability to Disable "Ctrl-Alt-Del",
"Ctrl-Esc", and "Alt-Tab"
While Running
|
Yes
|
No |
|
Ability to
Hide Windows "Desktop" Icons While
Running
|
Yes
|
No |
|
Software Written and Maintained
in USA
|
Yes
|
No |
Yes |
