This article was originally posted on WomenLearnThai.com.
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SpeedUpTV + AUA Thai = reading Thai…
I’ve got some exciting news. I love the AUA Thai language videos. They are great fun as well as packed with Thai vocabulary and phrases to learn. And here’s the exciting news. Awhile back I got a wild hair about reading along with the AUA Thai language video so I asked a Thai typist to transcribe Level 1.
The first part of the typist’s transcript looked pretty good. Then shortly after the transcripts arrived I was contacted by Peter Song, a SpeedUpTV rep. What fabulous timing!
SpeedUpTV is an iPhone app that slows down videos like AUA Thai. Excellent. This means that Thai readers won’t freak out. THEY will be in control of the speed of the conversation. Readers can go back, loop, whatever they need.
So I had the Thai videos. I had the transcripts in the works. And I even had SpeedUpTV. Now all I needed was permission from AUA to set a Thai reading project in motion.
David Long (head of AUA) is nice guy. So nice, he even thought a reading series using AUA’s Thai language videos was a great idea too! Fabulous. Permission granted.
It’s going to take a bit to get sorted so in the meantime, here’s the SpeedUpTV iPhone app review from Peter Song.
Peter Song: SpeedUpTV iPhone app review…
SpeedUpTV for iOS is a file viewer application focusing mainly on video and image files. SpeedUpTV is not just a glorified video viewer as it allows the user to have greater control over their videos including storage and playback as well as other features most other players for the iOS platform lack.
Some of the main features of SpeedUpTV include the ability to playback videos at variable speeds, 0.5X – 2.0X. This can be an invaluable feature for those students who are trying to improve their proficiency in second or third language. This can be useful for foreign language students because they can slow down the speech of the dialogue in their favorite dramas or movies to understand more clearly what is being said. In addition, SpeedUpTV preserves the audio pitch while slowing down or speeding up the video playback speed. Users can use the standard pinch-to-zoom gesture to browse scenes and by swiping, users can skip and jump between scenes. Other playback features include scrubbing for more precise time control. There is also support for A-B repeat. Support for SMI subtitles is also supported.
With SpeedUpTV, learning a foreign language is much easier as video files can not only be watched at their normal rate, but they can be slowed down without distorting the voice of the speaker which is imperative for proper pronunciation. Transferring files to the app is simple and can be done via a USB cable. Novelty features such as remote controls and the pausing of video playback when headphones are unplugged add to the appeal of SpeedUpTV as well.
For iPhone and iPad users, this app will help them in many different ways, and it is a must for students trying to learn foreign new languages. It’s moderately priced, making it a great choice for students (and everyone else), and it’s a fantastic way to make learning fun and efficient.
Price: US$$2.99 | £1.99
Seller: Chun-Koo Park
Date: Updated 15 June 2011
Version: 1.6.3
Internet connection required: No
iVersions: iPhone, iPad, iPod
More on AUA and the SpeedUpTV iPhone app…
Here’s another review of SpeedUpTV from missiontolearn.com: Learning Apps – SpeedUpTV
And here are previous posts featuring AUA’s wonderful videos:
AUA Thai Videos on YouTube
HandBreak Thai Language Videos for the iPhone
AUA’s ALG Thai YouTube Videos at AUAthai.com
I’m going to end with a HUGE thank you to David Long from AUA. What a great gift to the Thai language learning community! And a sweet thanks also goes to Peter Song from SpeedUpTV. Without SpeedUpTV’s ability to control videos, I’d have to look for an alternative. Thanks you two!
Lani, stay tuned for transcripts to go with the videos…
I do enjoy the AUA videos. I need to go back to them to supplement my tutoring! Thanks for the reminder…