listen up: overview of text to speech software

Listen Up: Overview of Text to Speech SoftwareDan ComdenUniversity of Washington

Whenver you get to thinkin’ you’re a person of influence, try ordering someone else’s dog around.

- Unknown

outline Why Platforms Apps What UW uses What I missed

(What you use)

why TTS?

Academic texts

Ancillary/Adjunct reading

Recreational reading

ESL

Other?

platforms

Handheld iOS Everything else

Mac

Windows

apps – everything else Zip, zilch, nada (not really)

Android – TalkBack Mantano, Book Place, blio, Moon+ FB Reader, MultiReader

Blackberry Text ‘nDrive (what?)

Others?

apps -iOS Google Books – only ePUB format will work with VoiceOver iBooks – VoiceOver, other tools?

Others?

mac OSBuilt-in TextEdit

Add-on Read:OutLoud Snap&Read floating toolbar Read&Write toolbar NaturalReader

windows K-3000, WYNN Read:OutLoud Read&Write ClaroRead UltraHal NaturalReader (free and paid) Balabolka TextAloud Narrator…

too big to fail? (no) K-3000

WYNN

Great for K-12, not so much for higher ed

mid range ClaroRead

Read&Write

low cost Text Aloud

NaturalReader Personal/Professional/Ultimate

free Balabolka

NaturalReader (free version)

UltraHal

(ReadPlease discontinued)

UltraHal (free) zabaware.com

Unique highlighting @ bottom of window

Converts into .WAV only

Auto-reads dialogs

Mouse only – no keyboard shortcuts

Beware of Adware/Malware w CNET download

Balabolka The Chatterer is free!

Supports spell checking, skins,

Uses any unlocked SAPI voice

Focus indication by color

MP3 creation

Sketchy keyboard and OS integration (shortcuts, cut and paste)

TextAloud Reasonable price

Group/site licenses available

Custom audio processing, different voices

Creates MP3, other formats

Batch Processing

Firefox plugin

NaturalReader Lots of options

Save to mp3 feature (paid)

Free version works for many

Easy to distribute, uses installed SAPI

outside the box ZoomText MAGic

Other tools?

what UW uses ClaroRead

NaturalReader (Free)

ZoomText

JAWS/VoiceOver

On deck: Read&Write and NVDA

*All supported by local OCR & DRS

what you use (what did I miss?) (+3) Ginger - spell and grammar checker – Clockwork booth NaturallySpeaking Read That Back feature

ClaroSpeak – iOS available now VoiceDreamReader masking reader (sounds cool!)

Demos ClaroRead

NaturalReader

TextAloud