Courtroom Audio is Only Getting Better

Technology has shaped our courtrooms for the last few decades.  Gone are the days of a simple courtroom sketch and typewriter – today’s courtrooms are outfitted with the newest and latest technology designed to capture the experience in stunning detail and clarity.  Even the TV cameras of the 1990’s pale in comparison to the technology being implemented today.

Video cameras have come a long way in the last few decades.  The switch from analog tape to digital recording has been a revolution in clarity and ability to archive footage.  Rooms of video tapes have been replaced with servers and hard drives filled with hours upon hours of high quality footage – just as detailed as the Netflix or Hulu you view at home!  On top of that, due to the need for virtual participation streaming video has been integrated into the courtroom process.  Plaintiffs and defendants now attend hearings from their home via encrypted connections.  As bandwidth rises, this streaming video improves exponentially in quality.

In years past, you might encounter a single tape recorder sitting in the middle of the room recording every voice in the courtroom.  Thankfully, this is no longer the case.  Complex, multiple microphone setups have replaced the old tapes, allowing each participant to have a clear and robust recording of their voice.  Multitracking technology has allowed for extremely clear recordings of the entire courtroom process.  Looking towards the future, some courtrooms could be equipped with three dimensional microphones – devices that have multiple inputs arranged in a way that reproduce the sound of the entire room as if you were there.

As technology grows, we will only be limited by our connectivity and storage capacity.  This is a vital process in documenting the courtroom proceedings in this country.  These advancements will only serve to make the legal process more transparent, clear, and fair.