Speech Synthesis Middleware: ToSpeak™
Provides far more realistic speaking voice than the current closed-loop training (CLT) technology with about the same amount of memory.
- ToSpeak™ uses a new Toshiba-proprietary technology to reduce sound-quality variations. This technology selects plural speech units and fuses them together to make the synthesized voice sound more realistic and natural.
- The memory-resident version of ToSpeak™ consumes only as much memory as the current CLT technology (approx. 2 MB) to implement a speech corpus.
Comparisons of Sound Quality and Memory Requirement between the Conventional and New Speech Synthesis Technologies
General Specifications
| Japanese | Chinese | English | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required Memory (Incl. Code and Dictionary) |
Approx. 5.5 Mbytes*1 | Approx. 8 Mbytes*1 | Approx. 8.5 Mbytes*1 |
| System Config. Example | Japanese TTS: Approx. 4.0-Mbyte ROM and approx. 2.0-Mbyte RAM*1 | ||
| API Specification | Toshiba TTS API Specification (Android*2 TTS API can also be supported.) | ||
| Input Text | Shift JIS | GB18030 | UTF-16, Latin9 |
| Output Speech Format | Signed 16-bit linear PCM | ||
| 22.05 kHz | |||
*1: Values depend on conditions.
*2: Android is a registered trademark of Google, Inc.
Product Introduction
Two versions of the speech synthesis middleware are available according to application requirements.
- Features of the SYN middleware
-
- Takes a string of phonetic symbols as input and adds natural prosody and intonation
- Eliminates the need for linguistic analysis and thus saves memory.
- Features of the TTS Middleware
-
- Accepts plain text as input and converts it into speech.
- Supports phonetic transcriptions as input.
Benefits of Using Speech Synthesis
Click this image to hear a sample voice.
Route guidance of a car navigation system
ToSpeak™ enables route guidance including a huge number of proper nouns with a natural-sounding voice. ToSpeak™ can be upgraded through simple maintenance of a phonetics database; it is unnecessary to record utterances spoken by professional narrators.
Drive assist
Draws a driver's attention with voice warnings.
Hands-free phone calls
You know who is calling without taking your eyes off the road.
Reading out the delivered information
You can make ToSpeak™ read out content delivered from information service providers.
Reading out emails
Why not add voice messages to make your emails friendlier?
* Bluetooth® is owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and licensed to Toshiba Corporation.
* System and product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of respective companies or organizations.