Working Online From Home As an Audio Transcriber

Working online from home as an audio transcriber has become very popular in recent years due to the internet. A transcribers job is to transcribe an audio tape, CD or file into written words. In this article you will learn what skills that is required and how you can start working from home as an audio transcriber.
When you are working online from home as an audio transcriber you will receive an audio file from the client via the internet. You will then write/transcribe each word you hear into a document and return the transcribed document to the client. There is a wide range of professional fields that are in need of a transcription service, such as medical, corporate and legal, but also authors, students and academics use audio transcribers that are working online from home.
The most important skill that you need is accurate and fast typing skills. Clients usually require you to be able to type 60-70 words pr minute. If you want to test how fast you are, visit typingtest.com to take a free typing test. A common requirement from clients in certain fields is to have knowledge of the terminology used in the profession your clients are in, such as knowledge of medical terminology if you are working for a health care service etc.

You can get started working online from home as an audio transcriber with your own computer with a good word processor such as MS Word installed. You will also need a good foot pedal so that you are able to start and stop the audio files as you are typing. This will speed up your typing a lot.
To find work as a transcriber working online from home, you can post or search for ads at online services such as CraigsList or freelance directories such as Elance and iFreelance.
Working online from home as an audio transcriber requires a few skills, but with a little bit of practice and study, an audio transcription job can make you a nice steady full time income.

If you are looking for other ways to make an income working online from home, please visit

AV Receiver - Heart Of Your Home Theater

Audio Video Receivers are the heart of any home theater systems. They are basically amplifiers that can amplify sound from various sources. Most AV receivers have multiple amplifiers for best results. They can take input from various sources such as Blue Ray devices, DVD players, gaming consoles such as Ps3, TV boxes etc. They can route the video you want to your TV and process, amplify and send the audio to your speakers.
Difference Between Stereo and AV receivers
Stereos can send sound output to only two channels namely left and right and sometimes to the sub-woofer. Audio video receivers, also known sometimes by the name of 5.1 receiver, can send the audio output to five or more speakers. More advanced receivers can do up to 9 speakers.
The main functions of AV receivers are briefly discussed below:
Decoders They are known to have ability to decode sound i.e. process the sound. For example, a they can receive a 2 channel sound but send it to 5 different channels to produce surround effect.
DSP effect They can also manipulate sound to produce different effects, such as equalization and field simulations such as "concert", "hall" etc.
Video upconvertion This is usually called upconvertion or transcoding. They can convert videos from one format to the other. For example, a AV receiver can convert a 480 pixels video(480 lines per frame) to 720 pixels video(720 lines per frame and also change a component video to s-video. For people with incompatible devices, a AV receiver can be very beneficial.

Amplification Last but not the least, amplification. Audio video receivers amply different channels of sound that can be send to individual speakers. a 5.1 amplifier can send sound to a center speaker, left front and right front speaker, rear left and rear right speakers. All of these channels are amplified individually. High quality receiver offers very less distortion of sound offering as clear sound as possible. Thus while buying a receiver you should always consider its distortion level. Distortion less than.1% are really unnoticeable so try not to buy the ones with distortion level more than 0.1%. Louder the sound needed more amplification is needed, meaning more power is used by the amplifier.

Tips on Selecting Home Audio Equipment

Sure, selection is great but in the world of home audio equipment, sometimes too much of a good thing is bad. The great news here is that if you do your homework it should not be that hard of a decision to make. Make sure that you take a list of prerequisites to what you want in the equipment and set your mind before you go check out the selection. Your package and choice selection in this matter can be greatly narrowed if you know before hand what you want.

The major thing with home audio equipment these days that can weed out a lot of the competition is the need to go digital. Everything seems to be going the way of digital and if you cut back on this all important feature of how you are going to listen with your equipment you could be cutting back on a lot of the choices you have in what you are listening too. More often then not you will see a product made with the digital package of home audio in mind.

Next step to narrowing down your choices is probably the second most important and that would be the overall cost to the system itself. And just as there are a lot of different choices, there are a lot of different prices. Good systems that are worth their money typically will start in the $500 range.

Combing the advice to go digital and buy within a specific price range with listening to it for yourself are the three top specifics when looking for home audio equipment. You have narrowed down your selection and now think of how it will be displayed in your house. Put it up in a way that is similar to your needs and listen for yourself.

Keep in mind that the home auto equipment system will most like have at least 5 speakers and 1 sub-woofer. Display all of those speakers according to where they will need to go in the real environment, pick a CD or DVD and give it a try. You have the tools to get started and purchase if you like what you hear.

My Home Audio Equipment Throughout The Years

When I was younger, even though we didn't have that much money, we still had a nice home audio system. This was the early nineties and CDs still had different quality levels of digital recording. My father played Bach loudly on his home audio equipment, and sometimes he mixed in rock 'n' roll. I didn't like the classical music at first, although today I love it.
Growing up, music was important. By the time I was buying my own CDs, my room was a haven. I had my own bathroom, a big bed, colorful lighting and a stereo with a remote control I used whenever there were commercials on the radio or a song came on I didn't like. It wasn't the best home audio system but it worked for me. Then we moved and my stereo became fuzzy and broken with age. I inherited my father's home audio equipment with its still-powerful Japanese speakers and slick black design.
I listened to music loudly during my teenage years, as do most teenagers, but then the iPod came out. This was a different beast. Music was no longer on discs, it was on computer files. So are you telling me I have to convert all my CDs onto my computer? Fine. Ever since then it has been less about buying albums and more about downloading tracks. I still value and treasure my home audio system, but instead of the individual player and receiver I had when I was in high school, I use my computer as my dock. I've invested in nice speakers still, so I have good home audio speakers, but I no longer listen to the radio. What about music in the future?

I want to be able to plug in an iPod or whatever music device I have to a wall in my home and have my home audio speakers blast it throughout the house, according to which rooms I allow it. Same goes for the car. There will be a music subscription service that plays whatever music you want, while also having access to your personal collection, and you will be able to bump it over your automotive electronics. This may take ten years or so but the future will be glorious when it comes. If there's anything I was taught while growing up, it's that music is powerful. It can make you feel better when you're having a tough time, and there's always something to match what you're doing. That's why it's important to invest in it and reap the benefits for years.

Multi-Room Audio: You Have Many Options

Why Choose a Whole House Audio system? Most people choose to have a whole house system because it allows them to take their music and audio with them regardless of which room they happen to be in at the moment. A whole house system allows you to carry on your life without being plugged into an iPod. You can have conversations with your children, spouse, and guests while listening to the ball game or your favorite tunes. What is on your honey do list for this weekend? You have to clean out the garage. No problem. You can take your music with you. You have to do all of the yard work too? No problem, take the game outside and listen while you work. A whole house system allows you to go about your life and still be able to do the things you want to do like just listening to the ball game.
What are my Choices?
The two big choices are single source systems or multi-source systems. Those can be set up as a wireless audio system or hardwired. The biggest difference is in the quality. The quality of the audio you receive goes up tremendously with professional installation. One consideration is the fact that every room in your home has different audio needs as each room responds differently to sound. A professional will be able to recognize the acoustic requirements of every room in your home.
Features include wall mounted volume dials that allow you to instantly adjust the volume of your audio specifically for that room. Most systems allow you to turn rooms on or off with a remote. No use waking your neighbors up at 3 am when you start to watch Jurassic Park and the outdoor system is streaming dinosaurs fighting. Streaming music is another option with built in iPod docking stations that allow the contents of your iPod to be played over your whole house system or multi-room audio system.
Components:
There is a variety of complete audio packages. These pre-configured systems include speakers, wire, keypads, and everything else you need to set up a multi-room audio system. You can build your own system or allow one of our pros to help you select components that fit your audio needs. Start with an Amp and Keypad package or individual components. From there, you can add in power amplifiers to build a custom sound. Speaker selectors allow you to control which rooms receive audio and when. These allow you to control the overall sound throughout your home. Speakers are another area where choice plays a large part in the quality you receive. A professional installation will allows you to add speakers in your ceiling and even add in-wall units. The type of speakers that you choose makes a difference. Wireless setups allow you to broadcast audio without installing wires. These can afford an advantage to really customizing speaker location. Abus Audio components allow seamless streaming of audio via Cat5 cables.

New Builds and Retrofit
It is obviously easier to install a multi-room audio system during construction, but most of us are not building a new home. That means either using a wireless audio system or installing wires. That is where a professional installer comes in handy. Not only do they understand how to run wires the correct way, they know where wires should go and how to hide them. They can also make sure that all of your components are installed correctly and that all systems are working. They can even give you an overview of how to use the system.
There are a lot of advantages of having a whole house system. The systems range from simple to complex, but the grade of sound should always be professional. When you decide you want home audio choose your components carefully. Working with a professional can make a huge difference in the quality of the audio you receive. Understanding that not every room in your home is going to respond the same way to audio is important. By customizing speaker selection to each room, you gain a huge advantage in the quality of the audio that each room receives. No more popping and crackly connections. As you begin to explore all of your options feel free to ask for our guidance, we are always happy to answer your questions or show you what a component does.

Home Theater Installation: Contractor Vs Installer

To a lot of consumers, home theater installation can be a mind boggling concept. Unfortunately for some, it can also be wallet draining. So it comes as no surprise that the average consumer would try to find ways to save any money they can. The normal place most try to save is home theater product itself, trying to go with entry level equipment expecting high end performance which often leads to unsatisfaction and high returns. Another unfortunate place home owners try to cut corners is on the actual install itself. There are a few notable reasons why this is a choice that saves money now but could end up costing more in the long run.
New construction homes are seeing a lot more than just electrical wiring ran. Surround sound wiring and pre-wiring for a HDTV above the fireplace are common place now. It is a great addition to your home during construction or renovation for immediate or future use and almost always adds resell value to the home. Who doesn't want the experience of theater quality sound in their home? As more and more home owners request this service, more and more contractors are becoming adept to world of home theater. The place where the two worlds intersect is a notable place where homeowners try to save money on their home theater installation. The contractor offers a bundled "home theater installation" price to run speaker and video wiring and connect it all. The average consumer would think to themselves that the walls are down anyway and I am trusting this man to construct my wall so why not let him connect what he is already running for me? Why spend the extra time and money looking elsewhere for a home theater install team to come and do the same thing? A penny saved is a penny earned as the saying goes.
This is where it is wise to stands back and think about long term results. The contractor has been doing his job for twenty-plus years in most cases. He can build a house and make it livable, but does this mean he can set up my new home theater that I spent my hard earned money on? My new Smart LED HDTV lets me surf the internet wirelessly on it. My new surround sound receiver lets me multi-zone whole home audio. With what I am paying this person for my home theater installation, is he going to make sure I am getting everything out of the four-thousand dollar cinema system I purchased, or is he going to simply plug it in and turn it on?

Sadly, the ladder is usually true. There is no disrespect intended, but twenty-plus years in one field does not make you a viable expert in another. There is a lot more to your entertainment system than an on and off button. Are the speakers going to properly be calibrated for phase, crossover, distance and EQ to have the best sound for the size of your room and location of the listener? Is the receiver going to be setup to properly control multiple zones of sound so that you can enjoy the game inside while your wife enjoys the radio outside? Are your audio sources going to properly be set for PCM or Bit stream in the receiver to receive the best quality sound from each of them? Probably the most important question of them all; Will you know how to properly work your entertainment system when installation is complete? With the contractor the answer is usually a no. With the home theater installer, the answer will always be a yes.
The home theater installer knows the equipment inside and out. He keeps up to date on what's new in the audio/video world so he can properly recommend the right equipment for family. He knows the capabilities and limitations of your system. He knows the right settings for your speakers so your surround sound receiver has to do less work and get better results. He knows the best settings for your HDTV for the type of room it's in. To put it bluntly, the installer knows home theater installation.
There is an old saying that goes "do it once, do it right" and it's never more true than when it comes to the home entertainment system you have installed into your home. While it is understandable to want to save as much money as you can, it is also important to know the experience of the people doing your work. While the contractor might offer to do the work for you, it would be a wise choice to look towards a certified home theater installer. You wouldn't expect the installer to know how to build your home, so why would you expect the contractor to know home theater installation?

A Few High End Home Theater Systems Worth Mentioning

What determines a high end product line? An innovative and streamlined look, a price that few can call affordable, or effective technology that surpasses the consumer's expectations? When investing in high end home theater systems, it is crucial to investigate your motive, your ability to make the payments, and your overall satisfaction and buying experience.
There are the components of high end theater systems which may include: rear projection televisions, high definition plasma displays, home theater front projectors, amplifiers, per-amp/processors, receivers, home theater speakers and speaker systems, subwoofers, CD/DVD players/burners, high-end interconnects and accessories. Accessory components included in more larger projects are adequate seating, if 3D screens are being employed then the availability of 3D glasses, ambient room lighting versus a totally dark room and carpeting. Will you opt for wireless components? Will you have a few standard remotes or a universal remote?
But is that everything? Of course not, this is not an all inclusive list. If you really are interested in keeping up appearances with the neighbors, here are some descriptions of home theaters that have been recognized as Best High End Theaters of 2011 by CE Pro.
The Casablanca Home Theater was designed to reflect the adventurous gambler theme of Hotel Casablanca, the venue for many of the feature film's scenes. With leopard printed carpeting, extreme buttresses, and black leather seating, the room itself commands attention. With over a $250,000 investment in technology, deftly powered by one touch.

The Mega 3D Theater as per the client's request, has the largest screen possible. 15-foot 2.35:1 Cine-V Stewart Film-screen is paired with a DPI Titan Reference 1080p 3D Projector. Vertical masking also incorporates into this humungous screen for those 16:9 projections as well.
The Ice Palace Cinema located in the basement of a large three story residence in Western Canada, was commissioned for and completely assembled off site, and later on installed in one installation cycle. The client was specific in wanting a "glitzy" palace feel complete with muted gold leaf adornments and deep wood tones.
Syrupy Sweet Home Theater has an AMX control system coupled with Vantage lighting control to add convenience and dramatic lighting scene changes. The theater entrance is unique as well, with an automatic sliding door, controlled by the lighting and automation systems, which is something right out of a science fiction program.
Basically, you get what you pay for. And if you have a vision and the right installation team to convert a portion of your residence into a high end home theater, then by all means take on the challenge. Your dream theater may be featured as the Best High End Theater of the near future. At any rate budget wisely, design and redesign both creatively and with space limitations in mind, and have fun planning your install. High end home theater systems are a luxury that should not be overlooked.

How Much Should You Be Spending For High End Home Audio Speakers

Music is something that is a part of everyone's lives. For this reason, it is essential you have a set of high end home audio speakers to place somewhere in the house. As oppose to wasting $50 away, you are much better off spending the money to get quality speakers. But how much do you really need to take advantage of high end speakers?

As with anything, this answer is going to vary as every company, model and brand differs. You may be able to find a similar product from a less known company for far less than you would from a well known brand. The risk you take is spending money on a product that may very well break on you in a few months.

With that said, your best bet is to shop around and price compare online. If you really want to go all out and purchase high end home audio speakers to the extreme, KEF has a number of different models that are around $2,000. Features like the Tangerine waveguide provide you with smoother and clearer high frequency responses so you get the best results.

If you are not looking to spend quite that much, Polk is another brand to look into. This brand offers bookshelf speakers between $600 and $1,000 on average. There are countless features that make this brand more than worth the price including the dual driver and ring tweeter which is hard to find in speakers at this price
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The last level of high end home audio speakers to take a look at is Canton. Canton offers products that vary from $300 to $600 allowing you to save money while still dispersing quality sound throughout your home. If you are going to listen to music you might as well do it the right way.