RE: Critical missing feature in SSML specification

David,
If I understand your view on this, the "voice browser in this instance"
would use something like DOM to manipulate the SSML. If so, I would think it
would be difficult to know precisely where in the SSML document to insert
the <STOP> tag because one would need to know exactly which point in the
SSML document the renderer currently processing. While <MARK> can coarsely
help with this, I envision numerous complexities in terms of
pipeline-buffers, latency and race conditions. I would think implementation
would be vastly easier and more robust if a "stop" command (e.g. from a
scripted object) was simply sent to the TTS-engine/renderer (as opposed to
attempting to dynamically insert a markup tag at the proper position in the
markup).

Thanks,
Glen Shires
Intel Corporation


-----Original Message-----
From: David Poehlman [mailto:poehlman1@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 10:47 AM
To: Shires, Glen; www-voice@w3.org
Cc: w3c-wai-pf@w3.org
Subject: Re: Critical missing feature in SSML specification


I view ssl mark up in the same way that I view html or xml mark up.  The
user agent retrieves it and from there it is under user agent controll.  The
voice browser in this instance would have to have the capability of
manipulating the mark up in the same way s other agents manipulate html or
xml.  While I understand a requirement for a full stop, it must be in post
get since it could most likely be of no benefit in pre-get or in the data
set.  In the case of streaming, it is still a function of another layer
which exercises controll.  I would encourage that this idea be kept but
enforced in a context where it can have effect.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Shires, Glen" <glen.shires@intel.com>
To: <www-voice@w3.org>
Cc: <w3c-wai-pf@w3.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 1:25 PM
Subject: RE: Critical missing feature in SSML specification



Richard,
I understand why the scenario you describe requires a "stop" command. I do
not understand how a <STOP> markup tag would fulfill these requirements. It
seems to me that the SSML markup would be already generated and in process
of being spoken by the TTS engine when an event that initiates the "stop"
command occurs. I can envision how a scripted object might accomplish this,
but not how a <STOP> markup tag would do so.

Perhaps you could explain.

Thanks,
Glen Shires
Intel Corporation


-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Schwerdtfeger [mailto:schwer@us.ibm.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 29, 2003 9:37 AM
To: www-voice@w3.org
Cc: w3c-wai-pf@w3.org
Subject: Critical missing feature in SSML specification
Importance: High







In reviewing the SSML specification we (PF Group) overlooked an extremely
critical missing feature in the last call draft.

It is absolutely essential that SSML support a <STOP> command.

Scenario:

Screen reader users will often hit the stop command to tell the speech
synthesizer to stop speaking. Screen Readers would use the <MARK>
annotation as a way to have the speech engine tell the screen reader when
speech has been processed (marker processed). In the event that the user
tells the screen reader to stop speaking the screen reader should be able
to send a stop command to the speech engine which would utltimately flush
the speech buffers. Markers not returned would help the screen reader know
where the user left off in the user interface (maintain point of regard
relative to what has been spoken).

I apologize for not submitting this in our last call review but this is a
hard requirement. Otherwise, we SSML cannot support screen readers.

Rich

Rich Schwerdtfeger
STSM, Software Group Accessibility Strategist
Emerging Internet Technologies
Chair, IBM Accessibility Architecture Review  Board
schwer@us.ibm.com, Phone: 512-838-4593,T/L: 678-4593

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.",
Frost

Received on Wednesday, 29 January 2003 14:30:59 UTC