Is there a really good (professional)Voice recognition software
availeble for purchase?

qpet..

Thanks for your question.  In the VR software market, the leader has
consistently been IBM.  Their Via Voice application (now in release 9)
has always been rated as the best available VRS on the market. 
However, that is changing.  With the release of Dragon
NaturallySpeaking Preferred 6.0, ScanSoft has taken the lead in the
VRS arena.  In a recent review on CNET, NaturallySpeaking, they said
"No matter what your voice recognition task, at home or at work, turn
to NaturallySpeaking Preferred 6.0 first" and "ViaVoice 9.0, stand
aside. Thanks to NaturallySpeaking Preferred 6.0's higher accuracy, we
recommend it for anyone who wants speedy, precise speech recognition"
Dragon NaturallySpeaking Preferred 6.0 - Software Reviews - CNET.com
http://www.cnet.com/software/0-3227838-1204-9090735.html?tag=pdtl-list

Not to be outdone, The Wall Street Journal Online Consumer Search says
"NaturallySpeaking Preferred is far and away the favorite
voice-recognition package of reviewers. This program has the potential
for 95 to 98% accuracy" and "Dragon NaturallySpeaking bests IBM
ViaVoice in every comparative review we found"
http://wsj.consumersearch.com/computers/voice_recognition_software/

Here are some references, besides the CNet review, where reviewers
chose NaturallySpeaking:

Voice Recognition: Getting Better 
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,54634,00.asp

Dragon: Worth Talking To
http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/article/0,aid,81303,00.asp

NaturallySpeaking retails for around $200 dollars, yet they have
several different versions.  You can learn more about the product at
http://www.lhsl.com/naturallyspeaking/.  Going to
http://www.lhsl.com/naturallyspeaking/matrix/ will show you the
differences in the various versions.  The one drawback there is that
NS only runs on Windows machines.

If you visit http://www.nextag.com/serv/main/buyer/outpdir.jsp?doSearch=y&search=dragon+naturallyspeaking,
you can find a wide collection of online merchants that sell the
product.

Thanks again for your question and I hope the above informtion has
been helpful.  If you need any additional clarification, please let me
know.

Regards,

-THV

Search Strategy:
Voice Recognition Software

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Request for Answer Clarification by qpet-ga on 03 Jan 2003 20:18 PST

thank you for your answere. I was aware of those products and was
looking for something more advanced(and probably more expensive)what
are they using on the closed caption on TV?

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Clarification of Answer by tar_heel_v-ga on 04 Jan 2003 05:46 PST

qpet..

NaturallySpeaking is the best VRS software there is.  Price does not
always reflect quality, however, the Professional Version of NS runs
between $450 and $500 and the medical version starts at $600.

Closed caption TV does not use VRS.  The captions are typed in
manually.  You can see more about how CC works at
http://www.howstuffworks.com/question427.htm

I hope the above information clarifies my answer for you.  If you need
any additional clarification, please let me know.

Regards,

-THV

Couple notes - 

Via Voice is now at Release 10, at least it is in Canada.

In the years I've been in the computer business, I've always felt
Dragon had the advantage. There was some question as to whether that
would continue when they went out of business (or the people who
bought them went under.) But since L & H (who used to, or still do,
make L & H VoiceView, another VR package) they have been back on top.

-sparky4ca-ga

I agree with THV. Dragon Naturally Speaking (DNS), based on the
reviews and my personal experience, is the best voice recognition
software in the market. DNS has several versions that are specifically
suited for a certain field of professional practice - for example, DNS
for medical practitioners. Take note, before you can use it, you will
have to set the software to recognize your voice so clear and good
speaking modulation and a quiet environment is important when doing
this.

Hmmm... I've always wondered how well VR software works with people
who do not speak English as a first language (i.e. they have an
accent).  Anybody have experience with this?