Voice to Text software

[J Grant]

Been using this one but haven't tried with form software, but I think it should work, especially with upcoming online forms if they are implemented with correct standards:

https://wisprflow.AI

(manually type out the "AI")

Been using on my iPhone and it just blows Siri away, Apple should be embarrassed.

The problem is, UAD 3.6 is not designed as a static form. It is comprised of "dynamic" drop-down fields that we fill in as the appraisal progresses.

The completed drop-down fields will integrate with appraisal software to end up as a form able to send to clients or print. However, it seems the reason that the software companies are having friction developing compatibility is that the UAD 3.6 is an "anti-form " ( imo)

 

[Terrel L. Shields]

Nuance is the worst software company in the world. i will not use their products.

 

[RCA]

There is MacWhisper for Apple. It uses AI for the transcription and there are different models to choose from. - The great thing about it is that it doesn't upload your recording to the cloud, it does the transcription on the MacOS desktop.

BTW, you should try to use AI on your desktop (Ollama), rather than use the cloud AI services. Yes, the cloud ChatGPT can be better at times and probably should be used for something really complex and critical. But if you have something like a MacStudio M2/M3 Ultra, then you can do just fine with a 70B model (or even less). The trick is to have a dedicated Samsung 9100 SSD 2-4T for AI, best over an M3 Thunderbolt 5, otherwise Thunderbolt 4.

Would I use MacWhisper? Not now. Most of my life has been sitting with a keyboard and I am good with it. Talking instead of typing would be a good exercise - and that is about the only reason I would do it - I would eventually become a better conversationalist. ... But I am getting kind of old to worry about that.

Review: MacWhisper delivers on-device transcription without subscription fees

AI-powered transcription services have been around for some time. Typically, they rely on users uploading a video or audio file to an online service that does t

australianapplenews.com

 

[RCA]

Actually, the free Apple iPhone Notes app is pretty good for recording voice and transcribing it on the spot. Since Notes syncs with iCloud, your notes will immediately appear on your Mac desktop, ipad or laptop. It is fairly straight forward to use. Bring up notes, create a note, tap on the note to bring up the keyboard and tap on the microphone. Say "Testing 123" then say "Period" and then tap on the microphone again to close the recording and wait a second for it to close. Or you can tap on the microphone icon to continue recording again. You can also use Siri for commands.

I don't have much interest in this. But maybe I should try to force myself to use it, just as an exercise.

 

[RCA]

I woke up this morning with a bunch of ideas for dictation. I think it would work good for inspections. Walk around and through a house and take video with dictation. You might even throw measurements in at the same time. You could pack a lot of detail into the dictation and much quicker than writing. Also, you are taking the video at the same time. That seems fairly efficient. A Canon EOS R6/R6 ii/iii/R5 ii would be great. You can take lower res jpg photos while doing the video. If you are doing 8K video with an R5 the photos will be pretty good res. If you want hi-res photos, you can EASILY stop the video, immediately take a photo and then restart the video. recording. Of course, you dictate only in the recording. You will need to modify the button functions a bit to make this really easy to execute.

Back at the office MacWhisper does a very good job of transcribing the dicatation from the video files.

So, there you go: Video, DIctation, Photos, Measurements all at the same time.

Protocol:

1. Note the direction of the front of the house, using some kind of compass. Call it N,E,S,W. Keep these directions in mind to dictate to the video.
2. Enter the frontdoor and try to go through the house in a clockwise fashion, lower floor then upper floors.
3. Describe the room's function, floors walls, ceiling, width, depth (using a laser meter), height, location of closets, defects, advantages, design, etc.. In the kitchen describe all major appliances, everything required by FHA.
4. Get all the details you want in the video.
...

Then you are likely to get several pages of transcribed dictation for your hybrid inspection/appraisal.

This, I think is a very good idea. May take some practice.

For those on a budget, a used R6 is about $1300, and a used R6 ii $1600, but you will want a good 15-35mm zoom and that can be expensive. But some of us have had Canons for ages - and a good collection of lenses.

I suppose you could use an iPhone. But that is lower quality, even if the best, and a bit of a hassle to use.

You want to do the video at 24 fps, to avoid over-heating after an hour of recording - if you really do that much. FPS does not impact audio.

 

[Surf Cat]

Nuance is the worst software company in the world. i will not use their products.

Well..... that eliminates Dragon Naturally Speaking. I would give Whispertyping a shot. Especially since it's free.

I've used voice dictation for a long time, primarily Dragon Naturally speaking. However, I've tried others and the one important thing you need to take in consideration is the mic that you're going to use. I used the headset type so my hands are free for the keyboard. Also, my headsets are wired as opposed to wireless. Going directly into USB with the microphone from what I found, is superior for voice recognition. Bluetooth has however, come a long way. I haven't tried a wireless headset in a long time. In the past I found them glitchy and unreliable.

Something like this....

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DBY6LHTR?tag=realestatappraat

 

[cashcatz]

So, there you go: Video, DIctation, Photos, Measurements all at the same time.

Yeah, I think this is a great idea. Especially if it could tag on the LiDar measurement where the photo video/photo was taken combined with image classification.

 

[Mike Ault]

You could do all the above with a lidar equipped drone. Just have the homeowner open the door and stand back!

 

[RCA]

Yeah, I think this is a great idea. Especially if it could tag on the LiDar measurement where the photo video/photo was taken combined with image classification.

I find the videos can be useful when doing floor plans. I draw the rooms to scale, and I like to be exact. In Northern California, many homes feature unique and unusual layouts. Some don't make sense to me, actually. Homes built on hillsides are generally the most challenging. You can't get the detail into a sketch, you still need a good memory - which sometimes isn't good enough, with a video you can scan 360" from any point and coninuous footage as you walk, can capture just about everything. Still, trudging through a video is time-consuming. And I know that while it would save time over writing down notes, it will take more time back at the office to deal with the video. So, there are trade-offs. I am pretty sure that I would avoid video for simple homes. There are large open areas that are easy to navigate, where the rooms are virtual with mostly virtual walls, and these can be okay without a video. But along hillsides, we often get long rooms, long hallways that serve as room split levels and weird crap (although perhaps very elegant and sophisticated): That's where I would go in and turn on the video. Then, for reliability, I avoid doing too many things at the same time, although that means more time is needed to finish the appraisal. So, before I even start on a large, expensive home with 3+ stories, I will ask for time upfront. If I can't get the time needed, then I cut back on my commitments. There can be complications, such as rainy weather on steep hillsides that become muddy and slippery, which are conditions you need to look out for.

 

[Timothy Hogan]

Windows has a built in voice to text application. Hit CTRL & H, it opens it up, it works in all programs that I have used so far, and it is part of the operating system.