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You can order products directly from our secure website or speak to one of our digital transcription and dictation specialists at 1-866-254-0714.
HTH Engineering, Inc. is the company that owns, runs, and creates the unique products for StartStop.com. We have been in operation since 1998 creating and selling digital transcription systems and custom engineering solutions. Since then we have expanded into selling digital recorders, accessories, and transcription aids from the world's most trusted manufacturers like Philips, Olympus, Nuance, and Sanyo. Started in Tarpon Springs, Florida, our facilities have expanded from coast to coast.
Start-Stop is HTH Engineering, Inc.'s registered brand name used to denote our own line of transcription and dictation products. The products are unique to StartStop.com. We design, program, manufacture, deliver, and support these products that have become the standard for PC transcription and dictation.
Our company is an authorized Philips Master Digital Centre (MDC 2009) Professional Dealer, as well as being a Professional Nuance (Dragon) authorized reseller, and Olympus Audio Products Authorized Dealer. These certifications must be renewed annually through strict auditing measures that verify us for service, pricing, and reliability. On top of that we are members of the Better Business Bureau and can list state, law enforcement, federal government, and international organizations amongst our cherished clients.
We started our company with helpful digital transcription programs like the Start-Stop UNIVERSAL Transcription System. We design this and all of our Start-Stop systems from our laboratory in Tarpon Springs, FL. We are also your go-to source for custom dictation and transcription software and hardware solutions. Most of our Start-Stop line of products got their roots in custom solutions for clients which were then tried, tested, and approved for commercial use. In time we incorporated the sales and support of other trusted names in transcription and dictation, but we started as and continue to be a true engineering company.
We operate on a philosophy that business relationships should be created and fostered. We aim for first-time customers to become life long customers. Because we believe in our products, our service, and our support we offer free technical support, warranties, satisfaction guarantees, quick turnaround and low cost shipping. The faith we show in our products and our dedication to our customers shows that we are truely interested in maintaining strong relationships. This works for our business in the long term, and ensures that you'll want to become another one of our happy repeat customers!
No, no shipping gimmicks. For orders $100 and over we give free UPS Ground shipping (within the contiguous 48 states) and for other orders shipping is usually at or below cost. In truth we are a lean, mean, transcription and dictation system company offering you the best possible combination of price and value. As a high-volume dealer and preferred provider for top brand digital audio equipment, we get good deals from the manufacturers. We also design, create, and manufacture our Start-Stop line which cuts out the distribution and VAR cost bloat most people associate with retailing.
Our technicians are highly trained and experienced, and have been with us for many years. With the inclusion of our second tier of support (several BSEE and MS Degreed Engineers and programmers on staff), we form a team of experts that can answer just about everything. Our technical staff is friendly, caring, and intelligent.
Orders placed before 3:30PM EST will usually leave that same day. Orders placed after 3:30 will ship the next business day. Most of our shipping is done through UPS but if you prefer we can also ship FedEx and USPS.
For orders $100 and over we offer free UPS Ground shipping within the contiguous 48 states. For all other orders we ship near or below our cost to ship. Our business is digital dictation and transcription, not shipping, so you can count on us not having a hidden premium on our products.
We can sell most of our products throughout the world. For some region controlled items we can only sell within the United States and Canada. In general, if you are ordering a product from an international brand like Olympus, your best bet is to give us a call. The only restrictions on our Start-Stop line of products are those imposed by United States trade regulations. As with any international order, we cannot include the cost of import duties with your order. If you have questions regarding any customs fees you should contact your local government. Likewise, for returned items, we cannot refund those importation fees.
We have shipping locations throughout the United States, including Florida, South Carolina, New Jersey, Wyoming, Oregon, and California. We will always works to get you the quickest, least expensive shipping option available based on product availability. We can hit pretty much anywhere in the continental US in an average 0f 1-2 business days.
Digital dictation isn't the way of the future, it is the current standard of professional and hobbyist dictation. Digital files are more durable, secure, and easier to work with than the old tape systems. Digital files allow sharing of dictation files over internal networks, the Internet, and can be quickly copied and saved to CD or DVD. Digital also makes it easier on the transcriptionist as a single multi-file transcription system can work with a large variety of clients.
HTH Engineering, Inc. sells both digital dictation devices and digital transcription systems. Most of these are powerful, handheld recording devices, however call-in systems and PC based dication recorders are available. Digital transcription is handled by your PC via a transcriber, such as the Start-Stop UNIVERSAL Transcription System or the Olympus AS line of transcribers. Also available is voice recognition software by Nuance called Dragon NaturallySpeaking. This unique talk-to-type software comes in several forms for doctors, lawyers, application developers, and anyone looking to increase their productivity.
Digital files can be transferred from the digital recorder to your computer where they act like any other file. Email, FTP, network transfer, burn to CD, or even connect the recorder to the destination computer.
The digital dictation industry is driven by the requirements of the medical community and as such, many current generation digital recorders are able to encrypt files with 128bit encryption, meeting or exceeding HIPAA regulations. When shopping for your digital recorder make sure 128bit encryption is included in the features.
Dictation recorders record in monoaural audio, perfect for capturing accurate dictation in even noisy environments. Conference recorders record in stereo audio, usually with powerful microphones, in order to capture conversations, meetings, and lectures. Some powerful conference recorders also make exceptional music recording platforms.
Olympus and Philips have professional line recorders designed around the needs of working professionals such as doctors, lawyers, and researchers. These feature-rich recorders are the flagships of the digital recorder market and can only be purchased from an authorized professional line retailer, like HTH Engineering. Professional line dealers must past stringent licensing exams in order to sell and support these powerful recording devices.
The biggest difference in the various recorders are the included features and form factors. For example, a recorder with a slide switch tends to cost more than one that is button controlled. Other features that directly relate to price are whether or not the recorder is rechargeable from its docking station, whether the recorder can encrypt files, and the scope of the editing functions. All recorders can delete, create, and put files into folders, but more advanced editing features like append, insert, and partial delete are exclusive to higher tier professional recorders.
Like most answers pertaining to digital recorders, this one largely depends on your use. Conference recorders will often record in stereo WMA (Windows Media Audio) or MP3 format. Both formats are largely universal amongst both PCs and Macintosh computers. MP3 tends to have smaller file sizes and WMA has higher bitrate, or sound quality. The standard for dictation recorders is the DSS (Digital Speech Standard) format, which creates highly compressed monoaural files. This format was created by a joint venture by Olympus, Philips, and Grundig. If you are looking to contract out your transcription you can't go wrong with the DSS format. The DS2 format is a new type of audio compression designed by Olympus and is the default format for the DS-5000, DS-3400, and DS-2400 digital recorders. This is a closed proprietary format and at the current time only Olympus transcribers are able to open and play these files. As such, we recommend the DSS format (which is also available on the above recorders) as your go-to dictation recording format.
Transcription is when a typist listens to recorded dictation and converts it to text. Modern transcriptionists will typically use a foot pedal and software system installed to a personal computer. The foot pedal controls allows the transcriptionist to play, pause, backup, rewind, and fast forward through audio files while both of their hands are available to use the keyboard. A proper transcription system can increase producivity by several times over using a standard PC audio player or by listening from the recorder. In the past these niche systems would be costly and require special systems for different tape formats, but modern digital systems leverage the personal computer to enable multiple formats on a single system.
We have created a line of products under the brand name Start-Stop. The original Start-Stop product is the Start-Stop UNIVERSAL Transcription System. It is a foot pedal controlled software that has near universal compatibility with digital audio formats. This package includes a USB foot pedal, headset, software, technical support and product upgrades for as long as you own the product for a competitive price. Our software is recommended by several medical transcription schools and has been trusted by professional transcriptionists for over 10 years!
Start-Stop UNIVERSAL Transcription System
The Start-Stop UNIVERSAL is compatible with several different pedal types including USB, Serial, and Gameport pedals, and pedals from Philips, Infinity, and DAC. To find out if your USB pedal will work with the Start-Stop software download the USB pedal tester below. You can also call us at 866-254-0714 to speak with one of our digital transcription specialists.
Funny you should ask! Yes! We have developed the Start-Stop® OmniVersal DVD/Video/Audio Transcription System for just this purpose. Check out the full product page below.
Start-Stop OmniVersal DVD/Video/Audio Transcription System
Unfortunately not. Dragon "learns" the subtle differences in your voice and diction as you use the program. Right now there is no commercial software available from anyone that can separate different voices and accurately convert that speech to text. The technology is constantly improving so this will eventually be a reality. In the meantime Dragon is the most powerful, reliable, and accurate speech-to-text transcriber on the market.
