[bookport] Re: Enhancements to Bookport Device
- From: "Jerry Neufeld" <jerry.neufeld@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 2 Dec 2004 18:21:05 -0500
Walt, from what I have seen, the BookPort is able to process data at
reasonably high speeds, all of which suggests that dictionaries, in the form
of look-up tables, properly compiled, should pose no problems at all for the
device. The problem, eventually solvable, I think, is to provide users with
the ability to get dictionaries into binary form, something that will
require a lot more user utilities than now exist. I, too, am a little tired
of hearing mustake for mustash, drive for doctor and such.
All this said, I do think that the double talk firmware, resident on the
BookPort, does a fantastic job with English, it being a stress language from
a phonological standpoint. In short, while I would like some improved
pronunciation of certain words, there are higher priorities on my list.
Cheers,
Jerry
----- Original Message -----
From: "Walt Smith" <walt@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 3:54 PM
Subject: [bookport] Re: Enhancements to Bookport Device
> The problem with any kind of dictionary on a device as relatively (when
> compared with even an old PC) slow as the Book Port is the processing time
> that would be required for the synthesizer to identify a word, decide
> whether to look it up in the dictionary, retrieve the dictionary
> pronunciation, then insert that data into the output stream that's being
> sent to the audio chip. In fact, if one of the APH guys wouldn't mind
> sharing this, I'd be interested just as a matter of information in knowing
> what the processor speed is on the BP, but I doubt it's very robust.
>
> I've always looked at (or listened to, if you prefer) synthesizers like
> being friends with a person whose native language wasn't English and who
> speaks with a strong accent. I wouldn't permit their occasional errors in
> pronunciation to stand in the way of our friendship or influence my
opinion
> of their worth, and I feel the same way about synthesized speech. If I
want
> the end result, I'm more than willing to put up with some of the
relatively
> minor hassles involved in getting from here to there.
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Francis E. Khan" <fekhan@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <bookport@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2004 3:35 PM
> Subject: [bookport] Enhancements to Bookport Device
>
>
> Hello Bookport Users:
> These are a few thoughts I have about Bookport. For your information, I
> received my unit on November 23 this year and so far, have read about
twelve
> books, all from the CD which came with the package. For the most part,
the
> pronunciation of words is very good but there are instances where someone
> can get confused. Take the word "pitiable" which I came across in one of
> the Sherlock Holmes stories. It is pronounced "pishiable" and the word
> "mustache" is pronounced "mustake". Do any of you recall a software
program
> we used with the DOS operating system? It was a great program and we
could
> always correct the pronunciation of words by adding lines to the special
> table provided for that purpose. Additionally, those of us who could,
> purchased upgrade chips for the DoubleTalk synthesizer which corrected a
lot
> of the pronunciations and a lot more.
>
> I am not sure exactly what the firmware updates are all about as I haven't
> downloaded any since last week but on the Bookport there are two screws
> holding the back cover so some of the hardware must be accessible. Just a
> thought and I am wondering whether some chips in the case can be upgraded
in
> the future to enhance the product even more.
>
> I would appreciate hearing your comments and, who knows, we might have an
> even better Bookport in the not too distant future.
>
> Francis Khan
>
>
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