creating speaking web pages: the text-to-speech integrated development environment (tts-ide)

Creating Speaking Web Pages: The Text-to-Speech Integrated

Development Environment (TTS-IDE)

David C. Gibbs

Department of Mathematics and Computing University of Wisconsin-Stevens PointStevens Point, WI 54481

[email protected]

WBE 2007 March 16, 2007 Chamonix, France

2

Introduction

University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point (USA) Department of Mathematics and

Computing Web Speech Research Group

• Undergraduate Computing students


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This Presentation What motivated development of the

TTS-IDE? What? Browsers speak? Which browsers? How do browsers speak? How do I create a speaking

presentation?


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The Motivation Online Course in JavaScript

programming : Spring 2004 Multiple learning styles, as applied

to online instruction Text presentation Online discussion Graphics Audio


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The Motivation, cont’d. First three are “easy” (text,

discussion, graphics) Audio delivery (then) was

problematic PowerPoint, saved as HTML

• large files – inaccessible to dial-up users• Clumsy to edit, maintain


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The Motivation, cont’d. Difficulties with audio

Recording file size 0.5 MB/minute Cannot easily edit the text

Updating presentations essential in technology disciplines


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A timely coincidence? Opera introduced “speaking

browser” – March 2004

Investigated Text-To-Speech (TTS)


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A Possible Solution Speech Synthesis

“The process of automatic generation of speech output from data input which may include plain text, marked up text or binary objects.” (w3.org, 2004)

For this paper, speech synthesis within a web browser


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Competing Technologies Two HTML-like markup languages

Microsoft SALT• Speech Application Language Tags

VoiceXML from W3C


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Microsoft SALT:Speech Application Language Tags

Uses O.S. “default voice” XP ships with Microsoft Mary, Mike,

Sam, LH Michael and Michelle Purchase voices: NeoSpeech Kate and

Paul ($30 US street price) DEMONSTRATION – speech properties

dialog (control panel) Browser use requires download

voice add-in for I.E. (65MB)


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VoiceXML Opera Browser (v8 and beyond)

Partnered with IBM ViaVoice Download Opera – follow Voice

instructions DEMONSTRATION

• Speak the text on any page – select text and right-click | “Speak”

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Code SamplesHello World: html doc

1 <html>2 <head>3 <title>Hello World</title>4 </head>5 <body>6 Hello World! 

7 </body>8 </html>

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Code SamplesHello World: SALT doc (p. 1 of 2)

1 <html xmlns:salt="http://www.saltforum.org/2002/SALT">2 <head>3 <title>HelloWorld</title>

4 5 <object id="SpeechTags" CLASSID="clsid:33cbfc53-a7de-491a-90f3-

0e782a7e347a" VIEWASTEXT>6 </object>

7 8 <?import namespace="salt“ implementation="#SpeechTags" />9 </head>

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Code SamplesHello World: SALT doc (p. 2 of 2)

1 <body onload="hello.start()">

2 <salt:prompt id="hello">3 Hello World 4 </salt:prompt>

5 Hello World! 

6 </body>7 </html>

SALT-HelloWorld.htm

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Code SamplesHello World: VoiceXML doc (p. 1 of 2)

1 <!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//VoiceXML Forum//DTD XHTML+Voice 1.2//EN“ "http://www.voicexml.org/specs/multimodal/x+v/12/dtd/xhtml+voice12.dtd">

2 <html xmlns=http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml xmlns:ev = "http://www.w3.org/2001/xml-events">

3 <head>4 <title>Hello World</title>

5 <form xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2001/vxml" id="sayHello">6 <block>7 Hello World! 8 </block>9 </form>

1 </head>

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Code SamplesHello World: VoiceXML doc (p. 2 of 2)

1 <body ev:event="load" ev:handler="#sayHello">

2 Hello World! 

3 </body>4 </html>

OPERA-HelloWorld.xml(open the Opera browser)


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Text-to-Speech IDE


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What does the IDE do? (SALT)

Modifies existing page by adding the necessary tags Creates the salt namespace

<html xmlns:salt="http://www.saltforum.org/2002/SALT"> Adds SALT Add-in

<object id="SpeechTags" CLASSID="clsid:33cbfc53-a7de-491a-90f3-0e782a7e347a" VIEWASTEXT>

</object>

Adds namespace <?import namespace="salt“ implementation="#SpeechTags" />

Adds SALT prompt tags around “notes”<salt:prompt id=“lecture">


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Preparatory tasks (I.E.)

Download and install the Internet Explorer Speech Add-in

Download the TTS-IDE


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Creating an “Online Lecture”

Run the TTS-IDE Add the text to be spoken Convert the page to use TTS Example: my home page


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Creating an “Online Lecture”:from PowerPoint slides

1. Open the PPT presentation in PowerPoint

2. Then save the PowerPoint file as a Web page (File | Save as Web Page).

3. From the TTS-IDE, open the <filename>.htm file.


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Creating an “Online Lecture”

4. Add the text to be spoken to each page.

5. Convert the page.6. Test the pages.7. Copy the pages to the course

website or CD.


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Demonstration Example file:

E:\WBE2007-SpeakingBrowserPPT.ppt


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Further Work on TTS-IDE Speech Recognition

For basic navigation • “Next Page” “Previous Page” “Links”

Custom Voices FestVox, Carnegie Mellon

Additional Language Support Client browser, speech engine


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Further Work Speech Recognition Speaking and Listening Browser

Hands-free browsing (via speech recognition)

RSS news feeds, by topic


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Conclusion – TTS-IDE Add text to create speaking online

“lectures.” Can use HTML or PPT – saved as web Can create for Internet Explorer

(SALT) or Opera (VoiceXML)


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Contact Information This presentation and download of IDE

(available 2007/03/26)

http://www.uwsp.edu/cis/dgibbs/WBE2007/

e-Mail

[email protected]

creating speaking web pages: the text-to-speech integrated development environment (tts-ide)

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