MeetingPro Product Line Expands

5/18/2004 - Trio SystemsSystems LLC announced the release of three new versions of SoniClear MeetingPro 4. The highly affordable MeetingPro software uses digital recording technology to capture, annotate, and archive important verbal information on any Windows computer.

MeetingPro Gov and MeetingPro Enterprise
Digital Audio Archiving and Distribution

The MeetingPro Gov and MeetingPro Enterprise products now include patent pending digital archiving technology, extending audio recording into the realm of information management. Using existing IT infrastructure, MeetingPro recordings can be archived online for sharing within a department, an entire organization, or webcast to the public. This transforms meetings into dynamically accessible audio information for improving communication, increasing organization efficiency, and managing accountability. Recording archives managed by the MeetingPro software make it easy for users to play any section of a meeting, skipping hours of searching through audiotapes. Archived recordings are stored using industry-standard MP3 format and playback is accomplished using any web browser that has installed the ubiquitous Macromedia Flash MX browser plugin (even on Mac and Unix computers). This allows for LAN or web server-based deployment of the recording archive, minimizing installation and support costs.

MeetingPro Assistant
Enhancing Productivity

MeetingPro Assistant is aimed at improving productivity, making it easy to record meetings and transcribe meeting minutes. This version of MeetingPro includes all of the unique note-taking features of MeetingPro Gov and MeetingPro Enterprise, enhancing the productivity of individuals tasked with taking notes and producing meeting minutes. For example, meeting agendas can be imported into the software and used to annotate the meeting recording as it progresses, without having to type. Similarly, predefined notes allow the user to mark an event in the meeting with a single keystroke. Detailed comments can also be typed into the recording file during and after the meeting. Even the optional USB foot pedal can enter a note without the user needing to touch the computer. MeetingPro Assistant can also be used to make recordings that are distributed electronically using MeetingPro Gov or MeetingPro Enterprise.

Enhancing Government Meetings

For government meetings, MeetingPro Gov provides an affordable, easy-to-use digital recording solution, enhancing government efficiency and responsiveness. The Archive Management feature makes it easy for staff and elected officials to directly access any point in meeting recordings from a central recording archive. By posting recordings to a web server, anyone can have immediate Internet access to recordings, enhancing public involvement in government. MeetingPro Gov provides an affordable way for government organizations to switch to efficient digital recording, saving money while maintaining a high level of service to the public.

The City of Los Angeles used MeetingPro Gov to webcast committee meetings about a controversial Police Commission decision dealing with excessive false burglar alarms. Anyone in the city could listen to the online archives, quickly reviewing the work of the Task Force without having to attend the meetings in person. “MeetingPro provided an excellent way for our Burglar Alarm Task Force to use the Web to keep citizens informed about these important meetings,” reported Clifford Eng, ITA General Manager.

MeetingPro Assistant is also very useful for recording government meetings to speed up production of meeting minutes. Majorie Wahlsten of the City of La Canada now regularly uses MeetingPro, instead of reviewing meetings from tape. “MeetingPro has made it much easier to produce accurate minutes of discussions from our City Council meetings,” said Ms. Wahlsten. The ability to record a meeting on a computer and transcribe minutes from key sections is a big help for government clerks, freeing up their time for other important administrative tasks.

Enterprise-Wide Applications

For corporate applications, MeetingPro Enterprise provides the ability to record and manage verbal information as efficiently as other company data. Organizations with important meetings that need to be reviewed by a number of people can benefit from the automation capabilities of the program. Unlike the imperfect process of taking notes by hand, MeetingPro Enterprise ensures that all of the valuable information is captured and made available to decision makers in the organization. The combination of digital recording and automated note taking makes it easy to ensure meetings are efficient and effective, improving communication and helping manage project accountability. No special software or equipment is needed for listening to recordings. Playback is through any web browser, accessing the recording files from a LAN server or standard web server. Typical applications include recording board meetings, phone conferences, management meetings, and employee interviews.

MeetingPro Enterprise can be used to improve project management. Recording and annotating project meetings allows for tracking proposals and commitments to the original verbal statements, improving task performance and management review. MeetingPro Enterprise can also be used to enhance customer communication. For example, one MeetingPro user records phone conferences with their customers in Japan and South East Asia. Their customers are then able to review meetings online, helping overcome language barriers, without the embarrassment of needing to ask to repeat points made in the conversation. This allows the company to be culturally sensitive to their overseas customers, while maintaining a high level of detail in the conversations.

Virtual Foot Pedal

A new feature in all of the versions of MeetingPro is the “Virtual Foot Pedal”. This allows the user to type into a word processor while starting and stopping the MeetingPro recording using special keyboard commands. This makes it easy to transcribe recordings without the need for foot pedal hardware. For users who prefer a real foot pedal, the optional USB foot pedal operates like a transcription tape machine, starting and stopping playback while typing.

Runs on any Windows Computer

MeetingPro products are compatible with all current Windows laptop and desktop computers (Windows 98SE, ME, NT, 2000, XP, and Tablet XP). MeetingPro software has universal sound card compatibility, including USB audio devices. In keeping with the ease-of-use of the software, MeetingPro detects when a USB audio device has been plugged in, and records from it automatically.

Supports Industry Standard Audio Formats

Recordings are saved to disk using industry-standard audio file formats, including WAV, MP3, AU and AIFF. While recording, the audio is digital enhanced using proprietary VoiceBoost DSP processing, resulting in maximum clarity and intelligibility.

For more information, see the MeetingPro Product Page.
For a copy of the press release, see the Press Page.