[access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic speech trial
- From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 9 Jul 2005 11:26:10 +0100
Not sure which thread or discussion you might be refering to, but I am Not
sure that the 'majority' have been heard from, here at least. what would be
wrong in NLB getting into human reading of books, which needn't and shouldn't
mean duplicating of Talking Book titles. Maybe that the 'evidence' from their
own findings might suggest that too.
No doubt change is inevitable, but a crude majoritarian view isn't what is
called for.
Ray
Personal emails: Email me at
mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx
----- Original Message -----
From: "Steve Bennett" <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, July 09, 2005 10:50 AM
Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic speech trial
> Hi
>
> The one thing that can be concluded from this discussion is everybody
> has a different preferences! The choice for NLB is quite clear to me,
> they must resign themselves to please the majority and not all!
>
> At least this way the books are available.
>
> Steve
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
> Of Steve Nutt
> Sent: 06 July 2005 17:56
> To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic
> speech trial
>
>
> Hi Ray,
>
> Out of interest, the only concatinated speech I have heard that is
> anywhere near good, is A T & T Natural voices, and also Neospeech. The
> others, including Rhetorical, don't come near them. Especially with
> Natural Voices, you can crank them up quite fast, but nothing like
> Doubletalk. But if you want human-sounding speech, I think A T & T and
> Neospeech have it for me. Trouble is, any decent concatinated speech
> needs quite a beast of a PC.
>
> All the best
> --
> Computer Room Services: the long cane for blind computer users.
> Telephone Voice: +44(0)1438 742286, Fax/BBS: +44(0)1438 759589
> mobile: +44(0)7956 334938,
> Email: Steve@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Web site: http://www.comproom.co.uk
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf
> Of Ray's Home
> Sent: 06 July 2005 16:29
> To: access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic
> speech trial
>
> I am sorry, but I just don't know where people are coming from if they
> say synthetic speech has improved over the last five years.
>
> Dectalk has remained the same for me. Eloquence, little difference,
> except the various voices and accents, like UK English.
>
> Others I've only heard via Main Menu, so maybe its not fair to judge
> them. Suffice it to say that sometimes they're going to fast for me to
> understand.
>
> Dolphins orphious I find much too monotone and it bores a hole in my ear
> after listening to it for any length of Time. I still like the Apollo
> 2, which I am using now, though it won't stand too much winding up in
> speed. One thing I always liked about the older Dolphin synths was the
> 'prosody parameter which gave variation to the pitch and made it easier
> on the ear.
>
> I guess Double talk is quite good at fast speeds, and I believe Dolphin
> are trying to combine clarity and intelligibility, along with
> responsiveness in the latest versions of their concatenated speech. Ray
>
> Personal emails: Email me at
> mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tony Cretney" <rac@xxxxxxxx>
> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 2:53 PM
> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic
> speech trial
>
>
>>
>> I think I probably agree with you about eth sound from speech
>> synthesisers
>
>> about five years ago. However, I think that in modern times they are
>> much
>
>> better tha\than they were then. I'm using Zoom Text 9.0 beta screen
> reader
>> and that seems to be excellent and also quite fast and clear. I
>> suspect
> that
>> you may well be right in regard to older people who have no experience
>
>> of
>> these things on computers, it could well be quite difficult fro them
> to
> get
>> into the habit of listening to one of these. I have not been using a
> screen
>> reader for very long and can only imagine what they might have been
>> like
>> five years ago.
>>
>> Tony
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "James O'Dell" <jamesodell@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 12:04 PM
>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic
> speech
>
>> trial
>>
>>
>>>
>>> well now that we have listenable synthesised speech that isn't too
>>> intrusive I'd agree with you, but five years ago I don't think it was
>
>>> really of an acceptable quality for reading literature. Also
> remember
>>> that a lot of older blind people have hearing difficulties, and might
>
>>> never have used a computer with a speech synthesiser before.
>>>
>>> James
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: "Angel" <angel238@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 10:18 AM
>>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic
> speech
>>> trial
>>>
>>>
>>>>I think we blind people are spoiled in that we don't want to tolerate
>
>>>>synthetic speech for reading. Sighted people have to use their own
>>>>skills to read unless they are reading an audio book. If they read
>>>>well or not they have to tolerate their failings as readers but they
>
>>>>do get the job done, and we seem to just have to have human speech.
>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>> From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 5:18 PM
>>>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic
>>>> speech
>>>> trial
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Nice to have your thoughts Maggie and others on books read using
>>>>> text
> to
>>>> speech in DAISY format proposed by NLB.
>>>>>
>>>>> I should say that I was reminded of this experiment by someone I've
>>>>> known
>>>> for a long time who much prefers Braille as a medium for reading
>>>> novels, though he is of an older generation. He realises, however,
>>>> that Braille simply is not an option for the many of the present and
>
>>>> up-coming generations and, that if NLB is to survive, then it has to
>
>>>> move with the times.
>>>>>
>>>>> My own feeling is that I much prefer reading of books, especially
>>>>> fiction,
>>>> to be done by human readers, and preferably those who can put some
>>>> expression and drama into an involved reading of the text. We have
>>>> to realise though that synthetic, or stitched together human speech,
>
>>>> is being tried out for reasons of quickness and economy, so if a
>>>> significant number
>>>> of readers will accept it, then its one way to go.Let us hope that
> it
>>>> will
>>>> get better with time; but we can never hope that it will be the
>>>> equivalent
>>>> of human readings.
>>>>>
>>>>> I use synthetic speech a good deal of course with my computer, and
>>>>> can
>>>> withstand a good deal of factual reading this way. What I cannot
>>>> bend
> my
>>>> ears to is the greatly accelerated rate at which many use, and even
>>>> prefer,
>>>> to use synthetic speech. Sometimes I wonder if such hypersonic
> rates of
>>>> reading serve more as a virility symbol on the part of some: 'Look
> how
>>>> fast
>>>> I can go!' Do they (really enjoy it! Well, I can't. And what's so
> good
>>>> about reading so fast? Sure you get through a lot of stuff, but
>>>> its
>>>> hardly
>>>> enjoyment to my ears. Maybe its age on my part, but I prefer life,
> or
>>>> reading, in the slow lane, thanks very much.
>>>>> Ray
>>>>>
>>>>> Personal emails: Email me at
>>>>> mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx
>>>>>
>>>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> From: "Maggie norton" <maggie.norton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>>> To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>>> Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 5:12 PM
>>>>> Subject: [access-uk] Re: National Library: Audio books in synthetic
>
>>>>> speech
>>>> trial
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> > Hi Ray,
>>>>> > I took part in the trial and found the synthetic voices very hard
>>>>> > work!
>>>>> > I think they were pleased with the feedback they received!
>>>>> > Personally, if it meant I could have faster access to newly
> published
>>>> books,
>>>>> > I would suffer it!
>>>>> > Maggie
>>>>> >
>>>>> > I can be contacted on:-
>>>>> > MSN Messenger;
>>>>> > Skype (vipmags);
>>>>> > TAFN (Ventrilo)
>>>>> > Mobile 07773 562 085;
>>>>> >
>>>>> > or maggie.norton@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>>> > ----- Original Message -----
>>>>> > From: "Ray's Home" <rays-home@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>>> > To: <access-uk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>>>>> > Sent: Tuesday, July 05, 2005 2:51 PM
>>>>> > Subject: [access-uk] National Library: Audio books in synthetic
> speech
>>>> trial
>>>>> >
>>>>> >
>>>>> >> Wondered if anyone on list took part in the NLB trial of books
>>>>> >> read
>>>>> >> in
>>>>> >> synthetic, or rather, concatonated speech? If you have, how
> have
> you
>>>>> >> found it?
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> Question is prompted by James O'Dell's mentioning just now of
>>>>> >> the alternative of a DAISY Harry Potter in Synth speech. Ray
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >> Personal emails: Email me at
>>>>> >> mailto:ray-48@xxxxxxxx
>>>>> >>
>>>>> >>
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