[bksvol-discuss] Re: Publishers and Bookshare As a Library
- From: Jackie McBride <abletec@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 20:24:53 -0700
The truth is, most sighted folks find synthetic speech both monotonous
& unintelligible, not to mention annoying when it pronounces words
incorrectly. So the only ones who'd really be using it are the 1's who
actually need it due to disability. I mean, seriously--if I could just
pick up a book & read it, that is precisely what I'd do. When sighted
folks do read audio books, it's usually while driving, & they
definitively want the nice narration, not eloquence reed or something
similar. Even the nicer voices don't have the kind of inflection most
people want.
On 12/12/09, Julia <julia.kulak@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> I agree with Roger. While I definitely prefer human speech, I listen almost
> exclusively to synthetic speech. I download a lot of books from bookshare,
> although I also download from Bard. I like niospeech Kate on my book sense,
> although I'm hoping this latest firmware version that's coming out hopefully
> soon will address the words that aren't pronounced correctly, although I've
> gotten used to that too.
> Julia
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Roger Loran Bailey" <rogerbailey81@xxxxxxx>
> To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Saturday, December 12, 2009 9:34 PM
> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Publishers and Bookshare As a Library
>
>
>>I can't say that I prefer them, but they are still just fine with me. I
>>have gotten used to them. If I am listening to a book read by the Victor
>>Stream's Samantha and concentrating on the content of the book itself I
>>tend to forget that a synthetic voice is reading it. I almost may as well
>>be reading it with my own eyes like I used to.
>> "I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do
>> because I notice it always coincides with their own desires." - Susan B.
>> Anthony
>>
>> The Militant:
>> http://www.themilitant.com
>> Pathfinder Press:
>> http://www.pathfinderpress.com
>> Granma International:
>> http://www.granma.cu/ingles/index.html
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Soronel Haetir" <soronel.haetir@xxxxxxxxx>
>> To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
>> Sent: Saturday, December 12, 2009 9:21 PM
>> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Publishers and Bookshare As a Library
>>
>>
>>>I for one prefer TTS (at least with modern high quality voices) to
>>> human narration. Humans do not speak fast enough for my tastes.
>>> While there are tools that can do a certain amount of speed change
>>> without pitch change that is just too much work to be worth it for me.
>>>
>>> On 12/12/09, Valerie Maples <vlmaples@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>>> I have to agree with Judy. As a matter of fact, Nichole would never
>>>> listen
>>>> to a synthetic voice until the acapella voices that are now available on
>>>>
>>>> her
>>>> device. I don't know anyone who prefers TTS over audio books and most
>>>> are
>>>> more than willing to pay for the alternative. The only people who learn
>>>> to
>>>> accept TTS are those who need a wider range of books or budget
>>>> constraints
>>>> make the other alternative unaffordable. Then there are people with
>>>> auditory
>>>> processing disorders who do not even acknowledge TTS as speech as it is
>>>> processed slightly differently in the brain.
>>>>
>>>> In my opinion we need to constantly be exploring and expanding all
>>>> mediums
>>>> all of text accessibility and in a cooperative effort like Bookshare, I
>>>> think that everyone comes out winners. I know that even though I have a
>>>> membership now I will probably almost exclusively be a volunteer due to
>>>> time
>>>> constraints, but being a member will allow me to check how certain
>>>> things
>>>> are handled in the final process or view how proofreaders have handled
>>>> my
>>>> scans.
>>>>
>>>> Interesting dialogue everyone...
>>>> Valerie
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>>> From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> [mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
>>>>> Behalf Of Judy s.
>>>>> Sent: Saturday, December 12, 2009 2:39 PM
>>>>> To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>>> Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: Publishers and Bookshare As a Library
>>>>>
>>>>> I view the disabling of TTS as about as silly as the digital
>>>>> rights management.
>>>>>
>>>> <snip>
>>>>> I don't know a single sighted person, other than myself, who will
>>>>> willingly listen to listen to a book that they can read by
>>>>> listening to it in a synthetic voice. Me? I can't afford
>>>>> expensive audible downloads, and the NLS's offerings are very
>>>>> limited in my tastes, so listening to books via bookshare
>>>>> downloads using either DAISY or Text Aloud has become an acquired
>>>>> taste, one I've become used to and actually very much enjoy.
>>>>>
>>>>> If sighted readers were the least bit interested in hearing books
>>>>> read with a synthetic voice, I suspect the market would be
>>>>> flooded with that sort of book. Why? It is much cheaper for a
>>>>> book publisher to produce that en masse than it is to hire a
>>>>> professional reader and studio to produce the master for each and
>>>>> every book that becomes an audible book.
>>>>>
>>>>> I really doubt that sales of human-read audible books would waver
>>>>> one whit if ebooks had TTS enabled. It would expand the market of
>>>>> ebooks available to the sighted/disabled reader, but that's about it.
>>>>>
>>>>> Just my opinion. Grin.
>>>>>
>>>>> Judy s.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
>>>> bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>>> put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list
>>>>
>>>> of
>>>> available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Soronel Haetir
>>> soronel.haetir@xxxxxxxxx
>>> To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
>>> bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>>> put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list
>>> of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
>>>
>>
>> To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
>> bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>> put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list
>> of available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
>>
>>
>
> To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
> bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of
> available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
>
>
--
Change the world--1 deed at a time
Jackie McBride
www.abletec.serverheaven.net
Please join me Saturday, 11/7, on my walk against breast cancer by
making a donation at:
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/larkspur>
To unsubscribe from this list send a blank Email to
bksvol-discuss-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
put the word 'unsubscribe' by itself in the subject line. To get a list of
available commands, put the word 'help' by itself in the subject line.
Other related posts:
