Quote:
Originally Posted by Moejoe
... Machine-read audio is unlikely to reach the levels of intonation and emotion that a trained actor can achieve....
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I wouldn't bet on that: it's come a long way in the past decade, and in another decade or two it may be right up there.
I can see the point of Paul Aiken, but the reasoning for differentiating between a computer and the K2 is weak. Computers get smaller - the next gen iPhone will likely have enough power to do respectable text-to-speech.
The reality is that, just like the power-loom rendered weavers obsolete during the Industrial Revolution, text-to-speech will sooner or later displace human readers.
Sound-reproduction technology created a revenue-stream for publishers and authors, where there was none before, text-to-speech may well take it away.
The publishers need to adjust to the new reality, or go the way of the weavers. Their e-book costs are different, as are the methods of distribution.
Trying to "kill" new technology which threatens their current model, by taking congressmen to expensive lunches, may work in the short run. But in the long run, it would be as effective, as the weavers breaking the power-looms.
Text-to-speech is here to stay, and the Kindle 2 is only the first drop before the deluge.