Olympus DS 9500 Firmware Update

A new firmware update for the wifi-enabled Olympus DS 9500 professional digital dictaphone has been released - version v1.121

Mac users, the firmware update program is not supported on macOS 10.15 Catalina.

• Click here to download the DS-9500 firmware update via a Windows PC
• Click here to download the DS-9500 firmware update via a Mac

The firmware should be applied to a docked and fully charged Olympus DS-9500 and can be updated from either a Mac or Windows PC. 

Olympus DS 9500 Firmware Update v1.121 Release Notes

Fixes

• Fixed an issue that occurs when connecting to enterprise Wi-Fi environments.
• Common causes of device freezing have been corrected.

Specification Changes

• Improved the device charging specifications.
  • a. Enabled to charge via USB even when the device is PIN Locked.
  • b. Support recharge from Battery Low via USB AC.
  • c. Deleted the confirmation screen “Charge battery?” when charging via USB AC.
  • d. Improved stability when charging from a certain PC.
• Made it possible to stop and resume recording in MP3 format with Type B and Type C slide switch modes.
• Fixed the issue that the REW function may not operate at the end of a file.

Yesterday Apple released macOS 10.15 Catalina to the world, a day later Olympus released a free update to their macOS software for compatibility. Good work Olympus !

Available for download now, for free, is the DSS Player Plus for Mac update to version v7.7.3 - this is the version you need to be on if you are running the new Catalina operating system for macOS (10.15).

Click here to download the Olympus DSS Player Plus v7.7.3 update package.

Nothing else in the release, just some tweaks for compatibility. 

Firmware v1.041 for Olympus DS-9000 & DS-2600

Olympus has released a firmware update for the Olympus DS 9000 and DS 2600 digital dictaphones. The update is version v1.041 can be downloaded for free and applied to the device either from a Windows PC or a Mac.

Download the Latest Olympus DS 9000 & DS 2600 Firmware

Firmware update for Windows:

• Download Olympus DS9000 & DS2600 Firmware Upgrade v1.041 for Windows

Firmware update for macOS:

• Download Olympus DS9000 & DS2600 Firmware Upgrade v1.041 for macOS

The firmware update fixes a few bugs of note is number 4 below, we have heard of the issued resolved by this fix from a couple of customers. We are expecting a firmware update soon for the Olympus DS-9500 to also resolve this.

1. Improved the device charging specifications.
   a. Enabled to charge via USB even when the device is PIN Locked.
   b. Support recharge from Battery Low via USB AC.
   c. Deleted the confirmation screen for “Charge battery?” when charging via USB AC.
2. Fixed the issue that the SD card may not be visible as a drive when connected to a Mac.
3. Fixed the issue that the speaker and microphone might not work when connected to a Windows 10.
4. Fixed the issue where REW did not function at file end.
5. Changed the order of files to always be in the order of Job numbers.
6. Support Append Recording in MP3 format. Insert recording and overwrite recording are not supported.
7. Rev to Stop will no longer overrun the stop position.
8. Support a skip to the beginning or end of the file when you double click REW or FF.
9. Improved so that noise from the slide switch will be minimized when you Append Recording.

The Olympus trade-in is back for 2019 and up for grabs is either $150 or $75 cash back depending on which new model of digital dictaphone you go for.

• Trade-In and grab a wifi-enabled Olympus DS-9500 then you will get $150 cashback
• Trade-In and grab an Olympus DS-9000 then you will get $75 cashback

The promotion runs for the whole of September until the end of November 2019. You can trade in any dictaphone or voice recorder, working or not, Olympus or any other brand.

You will need one trade-in for each new dictaphone purchased. So when you buy a new DS-9500 you will need to send in your old model to Olympus Australia qualify.

Once purchased head over to the Olympus website and complete the trade-in form.

https://www.olympus.com.au/Learn-Explore/Promotions/Audio-Trade-In

Make sure you pick us, Dictate Australia, from the reseller list:

Enter your details and you will receive your pre-paid Visa card soon after in the mail from the lovely people at Olympus Australia.

Dictate Australia has just launched (1st July, 2019) its online presence in New Zealand with their new Dictate New Zealand store - dictates.nz

Why?

Over the last few months we have had a significant increase in web traffic from New Zealand as well as a few LiveChat sessions with people on both the North and South Islands many looking for digital dictation and transcription advice, software and equipment.

What About Shipping?

Luckily International Express ost shipping from Sydney to New Zealand only takes 2-4 business days so physical items will arrive quickly and with tracking. To celebrate the launch free shipping available for the whole of July 2019 with the coupon code ZIPSHIPJULY

What About Olympus Software Licence Keys in New Zealand?

Just like we do in Australia we will also be making software licence keys available to New Zealand customers for both full ODMS R7 licences and ODMS R7 upgrades from DSS Player Pro R6 and ODMS R6.

What About The Olympus Dictation App ODDS Licences?

Yes these also available to New Zealand along with our 60-day free trial. Just like in Australia our New Zealand customers also receive free ODDS licence setup and configuration.

• Olympus Dictation App ODDS Licence for New Zealand
• Olympus Dictation App ODDS Free 60 Day Trial for New Zealand

We already have a number of international ODDS (Olympus Dictation Delivery Service) customers and are looking forward to adding New Zealand authors to the list.

As part of our 2019 strategy to grow our brand outside of just dictation and transcription, we have just become a Dropbox Business reseller here in Australia. This year has already seen us add iOS microphones from Rode and explore new voice-to-text capabilities with Amazon's AWS Transcribe, now we focus on SaaS storage and collaboration with Dropbox.

Why buy Dropbox Business licences from Dictate Australia?

We have been users of Dropbox since June 2009, almost ten years, and it has been invaluable for our business to quickly and securely store, share and collaborate on all kinds of files both in the cloud and on our local devices.

Sure you can buy Dropbox Business licences direct from Dropbox but by going through a trusted partner like us you will receive the dedicated support and guidance you need.

Can I try before I buy?

Of course, Dropbox offers a 30-day trial. We can guide you all the way from initial setup to configuration to migration of data and users into Dropbox followed by training and support.

We have O365 so can just use One-Drive can't we?

Yes, depending on your Office 365 plan you will have up to 1TB of cloud storage. With Dropbox Standard you get 3TB but with Dropbox Advanced storage is unlimited.

With technology unique to Dropbox you can choose to sync some, all or none of your files to your device (Windows PC, Mac, iOS device, Linux computer). Changed files are Smart Sync'd to Dropbox in file chunks, so the whole file does not need to be uploaded every time it is updated or changed. And with network sync, users on the same network can sync files across that network. Fast and secure.

Click the link ( https://dictat.es/dropbox-o365 ) for the one-pager Why Teams use Dropbox Business with Microsoft Office 365

Thinking of moving your on-premise storage to the cloud? Have a chat with us at Dictate Australia ( https://dictat.es/contact ) for some free advice on the benefits of Dropbox Business.

Recorded digital audio of interviews and meetings has long been the pain point in the voice-to-text world. Traditional voice recognition software has failed in its attempts to process audio with more than one speaker. Expensive transcription typists was the only viable option to convert spoken voice to text for meetings and interviews, that is until now. Amazon Web Services (AWS) has launched a service called AWS Transcribe. Amazon Transcribe converts audio to text, for single or multi-speaker audio, quickly, cheaply and very accurately all in the cloud.

To show you just how quick and accurate AWS Transcribe is below is a video of an interview between ABC’s Leigh Sales and Australian politician Bill Shorten (short 90-second audio extract) which we processed through Amazon's AWS Transcribe:

As you can see the output text is highly accurate. Each word is tagged with a confidence score and time-stamp for each word (see image below) which allows proofreaders to quickly focus on words that need review. With punctuation automatically added, no need to speak “full stop” or “period” or “comma” only formatting of the text needs to be applied. 

In our post on the iDictate blog, we estimate that AWS Transcribe will cut voice to text conversion costs by 75%-80% while also increasing turnaround times significantly.  This is a big deal for anyone using transcription services, outsource or in-house, in terms of speed and costs. How will this affect the transcription typing industry? 

Here at Dictate Australia, we are in the process of building a solution to accept and process digital audio files which will be automatically converted to text using AWS Transcribe on behalf of our customers, should you not feel comfortable setting up Amazon AWS accounts and services yourself. More on this service to come.

Olympus declared ODMS R6 Dictation & Transcription Module end-of-life as at 31st March 2019.

What does this mean?

1. The software is no longer supported by Olympus or their resellers. If you have an issue you will be advised to upgrade to the latest supported version of ODMS which is R7
2. No more updates or patches will be developed or released. The last and final release of ODMS R6 was version R6.4
3. To ensure that your business stays secure in terms of cybersecurity best practice is to ensure that all your software is supported and patched

What should you do?

Upgrade your Olympus software to the latest supported version ODMS R7 by purchasing upgrade licence keys:

• Olympus Part AS-9003 - Dictation Module (DM) Upgrade from DSS Player R5 or ODMS R6 to ODMS R7
• Olympus Part AS-9004 - Transcription Module (TM) Upgrade from DSS Player R5 or ODMS R6 to ODMS R7

How do I know if I need AS-9003 or AS-9004?

This is defined by the module that you have installed based on the licence you you received with your Olympus eqipment, either for dictation or transcription. Olympus Windows software has two modules, Dictation Module (DM) and Transcription Module (TM). 

• DM is the software that is supplied with the professional digital dictaphones. A valid original licence key which can be upgraded to ODMS R7 would start with the letters RD5 or RD6
• TM is the software that is supplied with the transcription typing kits. A valid original licence key which can be upgraded to ODMS R7 would start with the letters RT5 or RT6

Yes, I have my original licence key so can buy my upgrade licence. How is the licence delivered?

• Your licence key starts with the letters RD5 or RD6 buy AS-9003
• Your licence key starts with the letters RT5 or RT6 buy AS-9004

Your licence key will be emailed to you automatically after checkout. The latest ODMS R7 software can always be downloaded from this link - https://dictat.es/r7 - and all the latest Olympus documentation can be found here.

I have my upgrade licence key now, how do I upgrade?

To upgrade to ODMS R7 you must have your original module (DM or TM) installed, either DSS Player Pro R5 or ODMS R6, using your original licence key first.

Once you have that installed you can then download and run the ODMS R7 installer, please install as an Admin user, which will recognise the old version and prompt for your upgrade key.

I have a DSS Player Pro R5 licence key that i'm upgrading to ODMS R7 on Windows 10. DSS Player Pro is not compatible with Windows 10 what do I do?

Correct it is not compatible with Windows 10 but must be installed with your original RD5 or RT5 key before you can upgrade. Just use your RT5/RD5 licence when installing DSS Player Pro but do not run DSS Player Pro once it is installed.

I have my original DSS Player Pro R5 or ODMS R6 licence key but I can't find the original install disk, where can I get a copy of the old software?

• For ODMS R6 you can download from here: https://dictat.es/r6
• For DSS Player Pro R5 - contact us - sales@dictate.com.au

How do I do the upgrade to ODMS R7?

Olympus last month (April 2019) released some minor updates to their macOS and Windows audio software. The updates do not include any new functionality just bug fix and performance updates.

The updates bring the latest available versions of their Dictation and Transcription software to:

• ODMS R7 v7.2.0 Patch 0003 for Windows
• DSS Player v7.7.1 for macOS

You can download the latest updates and installers from the following links:

• Windows - https://dictat.es/r7
• macOS - https://dictat.es/mac-downloads

macOS – DSS Player Plus v7.7.1 Release Notes:

This update resolves an issue whereby when the audio output is switched over or the external headset is physically inserted/removed during file playback, audio output will stop even though the screen continues to playback.

Windows Olympus ODMS R7 v7.2 Patch 0003 Release Notes:

Resolves an issue regarding playing dictations from Windows Explorer.

Olympus have released an update to their macOS dictation and transcription software for macOS taking it to version v7.7.0 and bringing official macOS 10.14 Mojave support.

Although Mojave has been out for a while and fortunately with this macOS release there were no DSS Player compatibility issues this release you should upgrade to v7.7.0 if you are running Mojave.

A couple updates of note in this release as details in the release notes below. The Windows WMA (Windows Media Audio) audio format has been dropped leaving supported audio formats as:

• .ds2 (DSS Pro) with or without encryption
• .dss (older DSS Pro format)
• .aac
• .mp3

As always a link to the latest release of the Olympus software is on our webpage. Please review the video at the bottom of this post for details on how to find the latest sofware and how to install it on your Mac.

Release notes:

====================================================

OLYMPUS DSS Player Version 7 Readme                  

====================================================

Copyright (c) 2008-2019 OLYMPUS CORPORATION

This Readme explains the updates of DSS Player V7.

====================================================

====================================================

Version 7.7.0

====================================================

Updates

=======

1. Migrated to a 64-bit version.

DSS Player runs as a 64-bit application on macOS.

Note:

WMA playback is no longer supported.

2. macOS Mojave 10.14 is supported.

Note:

Dark Mode introduced in macOS 10.14 is not supported.