This page contains answers to frequently asked questions as well as general information and tips.  We will continually add content to this page in an effort to provide helpful information for you.  Please contact our office if you have questions or need additional support.

QUESTIONS:

ANSWERS:

Court Reporting 

How to open or use an ASCII file    (back to top) 

Here are the instructions for opening an ASCII file in several popular programs. 

Notepad or WordPad
Double click on the file name or icon.  Most likely, the “Open With” window will appear.  The “Open With” instructions are:  “Click the program you want to use to open FILENAME.  If the program is not in the list, click Other.” 

From this window, use your scroll bar to find the application you want to open the file in.  If you are not using a litigation support program, Word or WordPerfect, then select (double click) either Notepad or WordPad.  The file will automatically open into the selected application. 

WordPad is the better choice because it will retain the page format so that the file can be easily printed.  Notepad will not retain the page format; thus, when you print the file, the page breaks may be in the middle of a sheet of paper instead of at the end. 

Word or WordPerfect 
Follow the instructions above, except select Word or WordPerfect (instead of Notepad or WordPad) as the application.  Adjust the Page Layout so that the transcript pages fit onto your Word or WordPerfect page.  Then you can print or save.  When saving, change the file type to .doc (Word) or .wp (WordPerfect). 

RealLegal Binder
From File, select New, New Transcript.  From the Import Wizard, press Browse, select the drive, select the file, then press Open.  Again, from the Import Wizard, press Next.  Verify or change the Import Details, press Next.  Verify or change the Advanced Options (line number details), press Next.  Verify or change the page number details, press Next.  Importing will begin.  You may see a Transcript Import Query window asking about unnumbered pages.  If so, press Ignore.  You may see another Transcript Import Query asking about page numbers, choose an option (probably Override).  Again from the Import Wizard, press Finish.  

From the Transcript Properties window, change and/or complete the information, press Okay, then Close.  

CaseView
From File, select Import, select ASCII file.  From the Import ASCII File window, select the drive, change the file type if necessary, select the file, press Okay.  From the Import File window, press Yes.  In the Save Imported File As window, you can rename the file, and then press Okay. 

LiveNote 
Open your case.  From the Transcript drop-down menu, select Import.  From the Import Transcripts window, select the drive, select the file, press Open.  In the New Transcript Properties window, name the transcript, press Okay. 

Summation
To add a new transcript:  From File, select Load Transcript, select the drive, select the file, select Copy.  At the “Enter Transcript Description” box, you can rename the transcript in this field.  Then follow the prompts to end.  Next will appear a “Summation Blaze” window.  This is generally the time you will want to re-Blaze, so press Yes. 

To update a rough transcript:  Open the transcript.  From File, select Update Transcript.  At the “Transcript Update” window, press Browse, select the drive, select the file, press Okay.  Then at the “Transcript Update” window, (if you wish, select “Keep draft” or “Ignore non-numbered lines), press Update.  Then press Okay when it is at 100 percent.  Then close the Transcript Update window.

How to open and use an E-Transcript     (back to top)

If you received your E-Transcript via disk:

Place the disk in your disk drive.  Using either Windows Explorer or My Computer, locate your A: drive.  Click or double click on your A: drive.  A listing of the files located on the disk will appear.  Find the file in the list.    To save it:  Select the file.  Right-mouse click, select Copy.  Proceed to the folder or location where you would like to place the E-Transcript file, right-mouse click, select Paste.   To open from the disk:  Double-click on the file name.  A small window named “e-transcript Security Check” will appear.  Check the box next to “Don’t show this message again.”  Then press Okay.  If you received your E-Transcript via e-mail:

Right-mouse click on the E-Transcript attachment. Your choices are View Attachment, Open, Open With, Save As, and Print. It is recommended that you select Save As, and then save it to your Desktop, local drive, or network drive, and then open it from that location. Key Features:  Navigation – Use scroll bar, Up arrow, Down arrow, Page Up, Page Down.  Ctrl-Home jumps to the beginning of the file.  Ctrl-End jumps to the end of the file. Search – Click on the Find button (Binoculars) or press Ctrl-F.  Type in the word or word string, and press Enter. Copy & Paste – Highlight the text you wish to copy, then press the Copy button.  Open the document you wish to paste to, and press Ctrl-V to paste the text. Under View, General Options, Clipboard Copying, place a checkmark in the Include Citation box.  Then when you copy, the citation to the deposition, including page and line number, will be included. Print – Go the File.  First select Page Setup and make any desired changes to the page setup.  Then select either Print Full-Size Transcript, Print Condensed Transcript, or Print Word Index. The Page Setup is particularly helpful in setting up the condensed transcript to suit your needs.  You can have two pages print on one sheet or as many as 16 pages print on one sheet of paper.  You can have a space for making notes, a choice of fonts and borders.

Why can’t I receive an E-Transcript through my firewall?    (back to top)        

Your firewall recognizes the .exe extension as a potential virus, worm, or Trojan horse, and automatically strips out the attachment. 

However, we can zip the file, thus sending the E-Transcript as an attachment with a .zip extension.  You will then need to unzip the file by using either WinZip or PKZIP.  If you need to install either one of those free programs, go to www.winzip.com or www.pkware.com. 

Is there another way to receive an E-Transcript without zipping and unzipping?    (back to top) 

Yes.  If you go to RealLegal’s website and download their E-Transcript viewer, we can then send you an E-Transcript formatted as a .ptx file, which will easily pass through your firewall.  The link to this download is:  www.reallegal.com/downloadSoftware.asp.

 Video and Media Services  

How should I store my disks or VHS tapes?    (back to top)  

1. NEVER leave tapes or computer disks in your vehicle.  Temperature extremes can render electronic media unreadable or susceptible to damage. 

2. Avoid overly humid or dry environments. 

3. NEVER store floppy disks or tapes near strong magnetic fields such as speakers.

4. Disks and tapes should be stored in an upright or vertical position. Tapes should be rewound when viewing is completed.  Storing tapes horizontally can lead to edge damage of the tape.

5. It is always a good idea to have a backup copy of all important information, especially when filing the original with the court.  Sometimes media files get “lost in the system.”

How can I protect my VHS tape from accidental erasure by recording?    (back to top)

1. Locate the spine of the tape.  This is the same as the spine of a book where the label is located.

2. Holding the tape horizontally with the spine facing you, look for a small “tab” on the left side.

3. Using a fingernail or pair of scissors, pop the tab out COMPLETELY. (This prevents it from falling into your VCR.)

4. The tape is now safe from being accidentally recorded over.

How do I view a video deposition on a CD-ROM?    (back to top)

1. Insert the CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive of your computer.

2. Locate your CD-ROM drive in Windows Explorer or in the My Computer icon on your desktop and double click on the CD-ROM drive icon.

3. Look for a folder with the witness name and double click on it to open it.

4. You should see a file or files named something like “Doe, John 7_1_03 1 of 2.”  Double click on the desired file.

5. Media Player should open and the deposition should start playing.  You can pause, play, fast forward, et cetera, using the controls at the bottom of Media Player.

How do I troubleshoot a CD-ROM deposition that will not play?    (back to top)  

1. Make sure your computer has at least a 350Mhz processor, Windows 95, sound card with speakers and a CD-ROM drive that is 4x or faster.

2. Make sure Windows Media Player 6.0 or higher is installed on your computer.  If it is not, go to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/default.aspx and download the latest version, following the instructions.

What can I do to get audio to play if I can’t hear anything?    (back to top)

1. Make sure the computer has a sound card and that the speakers are connected correctly and operating.

2. Verify the volume/level control setting of the speakers.  It should be set somewhere in the low to middle position.

3. On the Windows Taskbar at the bottom of your screen, look on the right side for a speaker icon.  Double click on it and make sure that it is NOT muted.  It should be set in the medium to high position.

4. In Windows Media Player, make sure that the audio level is NOT turned all the way down.

Trial Presentation Services

How to import a digital video transcript into Trial Director 4.0    (back to top)  

It is recommended that you copy the CMS and Media files and/or folders from the disk you received onto the hard drive of your computer prior to importing (preferably to the same location where your case resides).

1. Open Deposition Director

2. Select “Transcript” from the menu at the top of the screen

3. Select “Deposition Director Case File” from the drop-down menu

4. Click “Browse” and navigate to the folder on your hard drive that contains the CMS file(s) that you just copied and select the desired file(s) and click “Open”

5. When the “Import Digital Video Transcript(s)” dialog box opens, click “Next”

6. Confirm that the correct file is selected and click “Next,” then click “Import.”  When the progress bar has completed, click “Next” and then “OK”

7. When asked if you would like to “Index the transcripts now,” it is recommended that you click “Yes,” then click “Next,” and then “Index.” This will enable you to perform keyword searches of the transcript.

8. When indexing is complete, click “OK”

9. Double click on the deposition you just imported.  It will be labeled by the deponent’s last name, first name, volume number and date.

How to view a digital video transcript in Deposition Director 4.0    (back to top)

1. Verify that the correct case is open in Deposition Director.

2. Double click on the correct witness and deposition and double click the icon that says ASCII.

3. Select “Transcript” from the menu at the top of the screen and make sure “Digital Video Synchronization” has a checkmark next to it.

4. Select “View” from the menu and make sure “Audio/Video Manager” is checked.

5. On the viewer window, click the “Play” icon.  (It is a small triangle that points to the right.)  The video should play with the synched transcript.

 Copyright 2003 Spectrum Reporting LLC  |  333 E. Stewart Avenue, Columbus, Ohio  43206  |  legal info