Holding an OGG file, you can get a text with timestamps from it. Send it to Potok in Telegram and download the transcript, where each passage starts with its time. Keep the file as a single unbroken recording, because joined pieces can shift the times. Spot-check 1 line near the end.
Send a file, get the text
Send your voice message, audio or video to @potok_now_bot on Telegram and the text comes back in the chat.
Go to @potok_now_bot in Telegram
About 30 languages · speaker labels and timestamps · files up to 2 GB · export to TXT, MD, DOCX, PDF, SRT and VTT
Key facts
- Telegram Bot API accepts an .OGG file encoded with OPUS as a voice message.
- Ogg is a data encapsulation (container) format defined by the Xiph.Org Foundation.
- Ogg pages carry a granule position whose meaning depends on the codec.
- Send .ogg files up to 2 GB as they are: Potok decodes them without a separate conversion.
OGG at a glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Kind | Container defined by the Xiph.Org Foundation |
| File extensions | .ogg, .oga |
| What it holds | An encapsulation format that can carry Speex, Vorbis or FLAC audio |
How to get timestamps for OGG files
- Start with the bot. Go to @potok_now_bot in Telegram, then send your .ogg recording. The limit is 2 GB per file, and the Upload button of the mini app is the way to send a big one.
- Mind this about the format. Ogg pages carry a granule position whose meaning depends on the codec.
- Turn on time marks. Under the result open the other-format options and enable timestamps; before you quote a mark, jump to that place in the file and listen.
- Before sending. An .ogg file can hold Speex, Vorbis or FLAC audio; the bot reads the file by its content, so send it as it is.
What time marks look like
[00:00] Speaker 1: Repeat after me: good morning, how are you?
[00:12] Speaker 1: Now try the sentence a bit faster.
[00:31] Speaker 1: Great, let's move on to the next dialogue.
[00:58] Speaker 1: Our neighbour asked whether we could look after her cat.
Lines written by us to show the layout. They are not output from a real OGG file.
| Feature | Details |
|---|---|
| Digest | Press the summary button under a finished transcript for a short digest |
| Languages | Around 30 languages have good published results; a few more come with warnings |
| Desktop app | For dictating into other programs there is a separate Potok desktop app that recognises Russian speech |
| Access | The Telegram bot @potok_now_bot, plus its mini app for big uploads |
| File size | 2 GB per file |
What to avoid with OGG
| What goes wrong | Effect | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Assuming OGG stamps come from the file clock | Granule positions depend on the codec, so values mislead | Read the minutes and seconds in the transcript |
| Chaining two OGG files into one | A chained stream can restart its timing in the middle | Send each OGG recording as its own file |
| Skipping the start of an OGG stream before sending | Stamps begin at the new start and shift every line | Send the full OGG, then jump to a stamp |
| Pasting a stamped transcript into a spreadsheet as one cell | Times and text become impossible to sort or filter | Place each line in its own row with the time separated |
More
Need a converter or a calculator? Open the tools. Unsure about a term? Check the glossary. Apps are on the download page.
Frequently asked questions
Can I send OGG files straight to Potok?
Yes. .ogg files up to 2 GB go to the bot as they are; there is no conversion step before recognition.
Can timestamps be combined with speaker labels?
Yes. Both can be switched on in the other-format options, and the result is shown again with the marks you chose.
Which apps and devices create OGG files?
Android MediaRecorder offers an OGG output format holding Opus data.
Sources
Each source was opened by hand on the date shown. Pages change, so open the source if a detail matters to you.
- RFC 5334: Ogg media types, IETF · checked
- Telegram Bot API, Telegram · checked
- RFC 3533: The Ogg encapsulation format, IETF · checked
Run your own recording through it
Your recording goes to @potok_now_bot as a file or a voice message, and the transcript returns to you in Telegram.
Go to @potok_now_bot in Telegram