RE: Question about using TTS via the prompt element in VXML

I suppose it all depends on your goals... Obviously, "TTSengine1", whether specified using the "name" attribute, or a property, could be radically different from platform to platform.  On Platform A, that could mean "US English, Female", and on Platform B could mean "GB English, Male, As-If-Speaking-Through-An-Empty-Paper-Towel-Tube, while under the influence of helium".
 
But if your script is only ever going to run on Platform A, I think either would work...  Yes?

 -----Original Message----- 
 From: Scott Mullen [mailto:mullen@ascc01.ascc.lucent.com] 
 Sent: Wed 12/3/2003 2:07 PM 
 To: www-voice@w3.org 
 Cc: www-voice@w3.org 
 Subject: Re: Question about using TTS via the prompt element in VXML
 
 


 You could use can extend the specification and create your own platform
 specific properties.
 http://www.w3.org/TR/voicexml20/#dml6.3.1

 
 ex.   <property name="com.example.tts_vendor" value="TTSengine1"/>
 
 Scott Mullen       Senior Software Consultant
 Covansys        
 
 
 
 Tracy Boehrer wrote:
 
 >Well, we would give those different attributes, by using the "variant" attribute of <voice>.  If the script specifies some set of attributes we don't have, we pick the closest match.  For example, we may only have "US English, Female" defined, and the script writer asks for "US English, Teenage Female".  We would pick the former.
 >
 >I can understand where you are coming from though.  But even if the spec stated defined vendor values, you would run into a similar issue if the script was moved to a platform that didn't have that engine.  Or more likely, because of license costs, or quality, the platform itself changes vendors.  The script, of course, would have to change, or somehow the platform would have to default to something...
 >
 >But the <voice> element has the "name" attribute: "optional attribute indicating a platform-specific voice name to speak the contained text."  But obviously, since that is platform specific, it's probably not very portable.
 >
 >       -----Original Message-----
 >       From: Roopa Trivedi [mailto:rotrived@cisco.com]
 >       Sent: Wed 12/3/2003 1:44 PM
 >       To: Tracy Boehrer; www-voice@w3.org
 >       Cc:
 >       Subject: RE: Question about using TTS via the prompt element in VXML
 >      
 >      
 >
 >       What about the scenario where 2 vendors support the same gender, age,
 >       language etc and the script writer specifically wants to use vendor #1?
 >       Is the "name" of the voice recommended to be used as the distinguishing
 >       factor? Can we assume that this "name" will be unique across all
 >       vendors?
 >      
 >       -----Original Message-----
 >       From: Tracy Boehrer [mailto:tboehrer@calltower.com]
 >       Sent: Wednesday, December 03, 2003 1:35 PM
 >       To: Roopa Trivedi; www-voice@w3.org
 >       Subject: RE: Question about using TTS via the prompt element in VXML
 >      
 >      
 >       I can't speak for W3C of course, but I can't imagine how being able to
 >       specify a TTS vendor would be portable, or even belong in the spec.  I
 >       would think this is a platform specific extension.
 >      
 >       The way we handle it is our TTS server can be configured to start an
 >       arbitrary number of TTS engines (from various vendors).  But the script
 >       writer can only access them based on speech markup elements/attributes.
 >       Namely "voice", "gender", "age", "language", etc...  That way, if we
 >       change the vendor for the "Adult Female", the script writer doesn't know
 >       (or in most cases care).
 >      
 >               -----Original Message-----
 >               From: Roopa Trivedi [mailto:rotrived@cisco.com]
 >               Sent: Wed 12/3/2003 1:22 PM
 >               To: www-voice@w3.org
 >               Cc:
 >               Subject: Question about using TTS via the prompt element in VXML
 >             
 >             
 >      
 >      
 >               In VXML, if we're using TTS via the prompt element, there could
 >       be a
 >               variety of vendors a user could use to perform TTS. The VXML 2.0
 >       spec
 >               does not provide a mechanism to specify which vendor/product to
 >       use. Is
 >               there a recommended way to specify this? Are there plans to add
 >       this to
 >               future VXML versions?
 >             
 >               Thanks,
 >               Roopa
 >             
 >             
 >      
 >      
 >      
 >
 > 
 >

Received on Wednesday, 3 December 2003 17:19:01 UTC