Open DSS files

  • Full name
    Olympus DSS Voice Format
  • Developer
    International Voice Association
  • Popularity
Have you encountered a problem with a DSS file? Don’t you know which program opens a file with this extension? You will find all the information you need about working with a DSS file here. In the further part of this page we have added a list of programs that should open your DSS file. It is enough you choose a proper application for your operating system, download and install it.

What is DSS file?

DSS files are so-called digital speech standard, digital standard speech files created by speech recognition and recording programs such as IBM ViaVoice and various professional dictation devices such as the DS-5000. These are highly compressed audio data that can contain not only voice recordings but also metadata such as date, time and length.

More info

The DSS format was developed by the International Voice Association (IVA) specifically for speech processing. Due to their good quality and comparatively small size, DSS files are used for automatic speech recognition systems (eg transcriptions) and voice mails. In the meantime, the DSS format has been further developed into DSS pro and now also supports encryption and a higher sampling rate of 16KHz.

For the further processing of DSS files either a dictation management program is needed or one converts the file into another format, for example wav. To listen to a file there are also free playback programs.

Programs which can open a DSS file

How to open file with DSS extension?

In order to open a file with DSS extension one of the following programs must be installed on user’s system. If a problem with opening DSS file occurred, it is highly possible that none of the listed programs is present on user’s system. Even if one or more said programs are installed, there may be issues related with given programs. In order to solve a problem with DSS files, follow the instructions below.
1
Install ViaVoice or other program from the list

Most often resolving problems with opening DSS files is very simple. Just install an appropriate program that supports such files. All of the listed programs support DSS files, but may vary in offered function and purpose. Some programs may be capable only of viewing contents of DSS files or offer file conversion options, but may not be capable of editing such files.

Set ViaVoice as the default program for opening DSS files

It is possible that although a compatible program has been installed on user’s system, it is not used by the system to open it. This may happen because no default application was associated with this type of files. To associate DSS files with given application, select "Open with" from drop-down menu (accessed by right-clicking on the file). Then select from the list the program or application you want to be used to open this type of file. If the ViaVoice applications is not on the list, select "Browse" option in order to manually locate the directory where ViaVoice has been installed.

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Check the section that lists most common problems with DSS files

Sometimes problems with opening DSS files may not lie with the application itself, but can arise due to other causes, such as:

  • File data is corrupted
  • DSS files has been not been completely download from the internet (only a part of the data has been downloaded)
  • Currently used user account hasn’t been granted necessary privileges to open DSS files (should that be the case, please contact your system administrator or IT specialist)
  • DSS file was being copied from a corrupted storage device and is incomplete or data is corrupted. (Copying files from unknown or untrusted sources should be conducted with great care as such files may contain malicious software, which can damage your system)

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