Text-To-Speech Fans

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by Conan46

I see Amazon has added new Echos to their line up, and they already own IMO the best text-to-speech Ivona.

Having used both Ivona (on my Onyx T68) and the iPhone/iPad's TTS, I really think they're of comparable quality, which is good, because it gives users of both Android and Apple devices an excellent solution. Have you heard Apple's TTS?

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Having used both Ivona (on my Onyx T68) and the iPhone/iPad's TTS, I really think they're of comparable quality, which is good, because it gives users of both Android and Apple devices an excellent solution. Have you heard Apple's TTS?

Honestly, I have not. I have tried to use Google's Android default, and it is not very good.

[Barty]

I've only heard the "Siri" voice on Apple. It's good but I think I give the edge to Ivona. UK Amy in particular sounds very natural and pleasing to me, more so than the other Ivona voices. Maybe that's because I'm American; maybe it sounds more robotic to a Brit, just like Siri still sounds a little robotic to me.

Does iOS allow third party TTS like Android? Android has had TTS for a while and there's an API to access the service so app support is widespread. On iOS, at least til recently, apps that want to have TTS have to license their own.

Voice quality aside, ivona can impress by plowing through long sentences and difficult words, but it still makes some dumb errors. For example, it insists on reading No. as number when there is no number after. It knows Mr. Smith is mister Smith but pauses after mister, like an end of sentence. It pronounces "crime" with an up beat, like asking a question. I report these to ivona and they thank me but never seem to fix anything.

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Barty

Voice quality aside, ivona can impress by plowing through long sentences and difficult words, but it still makes some dumb errors. For example, it insists on reading No. as number when there is no number after

I don't know whether you own any Android devices but if so you may like to try the app @Voice Aloud Reader which will read aloud ebooks (epub, pdf, doc, txt, fb2, mobi, prc, azw/azw3), web articles, and other text sources. I've only tried epubs myself, which work very well. There's a free version and a pay-to-remove-Ads version if you decide you like it.

The main thing is that it has a facility to correct pronunciation. I don't know whether it will solve all your personal bugbears but it does seem to have fixed the No./number irritation in Ivona Amy (and other voices) for me.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

I don't know whether you own any Android devices but if so you may like to try the app @Voice Aloud Reader which will read aloud ebooks (epub, pdf, doc, txt, fb2, mobi, prc, azw/azw3), web articles, and other text sources. I've only tried epubs myself, which work very well. There's a free version and a pay-to-remove-Ads version if you decide you like it.

The main thing is that it has a facility to correct pronunciation. I don't know whether it will solve all your personal bugbears but it does seem to have fixed the No./number irritation in Ivona Amy (and other voices) for me.

Don't they also make a voice plugin for Fbreader?

[jackie_w]

Originally Posted by Conan46

Don't they also make a voice plugin for Fbreader?

Yes, they do - and you can use the same pronunciation edit files for both.

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by jackie_w

Yes, they do - and you can use the same pronunciation edit files for both.

Awesome

[Josieb1]

I like IVONA as well, and Amy is my favourite. I use it with Moon Reader on my Samsung and Voice Dream on my ipad/phone.

[Tarana]

My biggest problem with Voice Dream (which works great) on my Itouch is that I can't get it to recognize books that I sideload. I have no idea why it sees some and not others. Anybody have a clue?

[DDHarriman]

In Windows (8.1 and other windows versions) one as several possibilities:

1 - ebook readers

One of them (app in windows 8.1 / 10) is Book Bazar Reader, can read several formats inclusive mobi and epub and has TTS.
Best of all the free version is fully functional.

2 - Programs that “read to us”

Textaloud - http://nextup.com/TextAloud/
Not free. It’s a very good program and also one can buy voices from them.
If buying voices, my advice is to choose Ivona ones, they are exceptional (as other people have told before).

Balabolka - http://cross-plus-a.com/balabolka.htm
Free - there is also a portable version in their website or from http://portableapps.com.
As long as I can see it’s very similar to Textaloud, very light and can open all the normal text, doc and eBook formats (mobi, epub, etc.)

Both permit the creation of audiobooks - saving in wav / mp3 the read text, thus hearing it in any audio device one desires.

Best regards,

[desito]

I'm avid tts reader. I try all options in IOs, Android and Windows Mobile.

In Windows Mobile: Perhaps the worst of three systems. At the moment the epub reader apps only works with TTS engine of mycrosoft... It's not bad, but the accapela & ivona options (third party) only works in other systems. The best reader for me is bookviser (but not in this moment, the programmer have to upgrade the app to windows 10 mobile, until then...).

In Android... The second option for me. The TTS engines of accapela and ivona are the best and works great with moon+ reader. It's a shame that Play Books don't allow the tts works when the phone is blocked

In IOs. The best system, and only for the existence of One App, the TTS APP Voice Dream Reader. It's the best app, Ines voice of accapela is the best in spanish (I'm for Spain, excuse my english). All the app was created thinking in TTS read, works fine in the pocket with earpods, and in the last beta it's amazing!!! This version includes sync option, real full screen read option and many other things.

Enviado desde mTalk

[taosaur]

I used to use TTS quite a bit when I was reading on a tablet, but since I switched over to a KPW, I don't know if I've used it once. Even then, I was listening to audiobooks more often than TTS, but it was a nice option to switch whatever I was reading over to audio at bedtime, or when having a book in front of me wasn't convenient.

ETA: I had a look at Ivona, and it doesn't look like it's Marshmallow compatible :/ Last update was June of last year.

[Dimsok]

For windows desktop i use coolreader 2 + Acapella Alyona (russian) and ATT Mike for english. But mostly i use TTS for studing foreign languages. For japanese and chinese - Neospeech Lily and Misaki.
And for me Acapella's voices sound better then Ivona

[Conan46]

Originally Posted by taosaur

ETA: I had a look at Ivona, and it doesn't look like it's Marshmallow compatible :/ Last update was June of last year.

That's surprising, I hope they get it updated. Though I wonder if it is because Amazon's Android OS is still on Lollipop?

[Purple Lady]

I tried Ivona and thought all the voices sounded very robotic. Which voices do those who like Ivona use? Do the voices sound better on some books than others? The sample text on the Ivona website sounds terrible to me.