Hi there !
As anyone is hyping about voice recog. , i remember that once it was in the talks that the empeg has a Voice Output, so you are able to control it without looking at the display ...
so -> telling one, what menu item you have chosen right now ( maybe using presampled voice files ) and then using a speech synthesizer if you are browsing to your albums/artists/songs.
Or maybe also using the speech synthesizer when you are in the menu to save memory ...

Is there something going on ??
If *NO*, is there a source for synthesizing speech ( could be ugly quality, who cares, i remember that old SAM reciter from C64, Atari and Amiga later on )

Nils

I remember this coming up about a year ago; supposedly we'd be able to record voice samples for our playlists, commands, etc. Unfortunately, it never seemed to be important enough to work on (which I understand, but it was disappointing anyway). I work in the IVR (Interactive Voice Response -for telephones) industry, and already got a voice talent lined up to record the messages, but I have nothing to do with them once they're recorded!
I guess it's still not a priority, but any ideas when it might be implemented?
Thanks,
Jason

_~= Dearing =~_
"WAY too happy about having #99."

I'm a bit iffy on having a voice response to empeg controls. Come on, how annoying will that be? After a few days of that, you will be screaming shut the hell up. In the very least, make it a disablable (is that a word ;) option. Heck, how embarassing will your car be? I can picture the volume knob turning and a voice going "volume, increasing, increasing, increasing, increasing, decreasing, decreasing, increasing...." errraarrrar shut up!! :)

Calvin "fooling around"

However, given a system with both accurate voice recognition and good speech synthesis, think of the possibilities! You could use it as a method of transferring data between two empegs.

"Filename eurodisco dot em pee three"
"Zero one one zero zero one zero..."

Might take a while, though :)

Opinions expressed in this email may contain up to 42% water by weight, and are mine. All mine.

No, wait, better! Get them to use V92 to send information using analog signals. I can't wait for the first empeg that can start with the familiar pops and whines of a modem connection starting up...

Save the whales. Feed the hungry. Free the mallocs.

errraarrrar shut up!! :)

You're right, that would get REALLY annoying. I was thinking that eventually I'd just go back to using various beeps (however more diverse tones than what's on there now) for the commands/menus I use regularly, and voice-response for those that I'm not familiar enough with to use without looking.
Jason

_~= Dearing =~_
"WAY too happy about having #99."

This is starting to sound a lot like a suggestion to turn the empeg into an IVRS (interactive voice response system) a.k.a. ("push or say 1 to continue..."). We all know how annoying those things get.

Calvin

To answer the question, out there for linux is Festival, a very high quality voice synthesis system.

Calvin

Hey come on ... its not meant to be useful, its for showing off :-)


Nils

It would be cool to have certain things confirmed by something other than a beep. Maybe things like song selection, turning functions on or off.
/me: empeg, Bad Religion, Play
/Empeg: Command received

or
/me: empeg, switch shuffle off
/empeg: done, shuffle is off
/me: empeg, sort by artist
/empeg: done, sorted by artist

or
/me: empeg, increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: increase volume
/empeg: volume overload. DAC will meltdown in ten seconds. please exit the vehicle

Murray 06000047
____________________

We all know how annoying those things get.

Hey, wait a minute!
Seriously, I KNOW how annoying they can be, that's why I only design the good ones. ....unless my customers want different...

_~= Dearing =~_
"WAY too happy about having #99."

If you had it easy to control via voice recognition, and with menu feedback either via sounds or speech synthesis, you'd have the option of putting the whole unit anywhere in your car!

--The Amigo