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

The SSML spec pretty much says that (section 2.2.1).  It even states what attributes to use.  But I don't think it's clear enough about the algorithm. In fact, it says "the voice selection algorithm may be processor specific."
 
I would think it needs to be ordered.  For example: language, gender, age, variant, name.  Or something like that.  Or, is the order the spec lists it the right way: language, name, variant, gender and age?

I don't know...


 -----Original Message----- 
 From: Lutz Birkhahn [mailto:lbirkhahn@adomo.com] 
 Sent: Wed 12/3/2003 2:14 PM 
 To: Roopa Trivedi; Tracy Boehrer; www-voice@w3.org 
 Cc: 
 Subject: Re: Question about using TTS via the prompt element in VXML
 
 

 Roopa Trivedi wrote:
 > 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?
 
 I think voices in VXML are what fonts are in HTML (or TeX, or Post-
 Script)... Maybe that's a good analogy when discussing this question.
 From that point of view, "name" of a voice is a possible way to select
 a voice, but that name should include the vendor ("foundry") to make
 it unique ("Scansoft-Jim", "Viavoice-Rebecca"). One difference is that
 font names are usually protected, so when I ask for a Times font, I can
 expect to get something which looks at least somewhat similar to any
 other Times font. I don't think the same holds for a voice called "Jim".
 ScanSoft's Jim might sound very different from IBM's Jim (although
 both are probably male american voices).
 
 In general it would be nice to select a voice depending on any mixture
 of attributes, e.g. by specifying *some* of the attributes gender,
 age(?), language, country, name, vendor, etc., much the same as e.g.
 in X Window System I can specify a font similar to "*-Times-bold-*"
 when I don't care where the Times font comes from, or I can specify
 "Adobe-Times-bold-*" when I insist on having the Adobe voice err font.
 
 Just my $.02,
 
 /lutz
 
 --
 Lutz Birkhahn                                       System Software Engineer
 Adomo Inc. --  10001 N. De Anza Boulevard Suite 220  --  Cupertino, CA 95014

Received on Wednesday, 3 December 2003 17:51:11 UTC