Windows ebook reader with Text to Speech.

rboatright · 08-06-2016, 09:35 PM

[Begin Rant]
On my android devices I have available excellent ebook readers with good library management tools, and which can use the wide variety of excellent android voices available from many sources.

On my windows devices, while Calibre does an absolutely freaking wonderful job of library management, no good, well featured READER app has text-to-speech capability.

Sure I can run Balaboka, and get TTS, but I can't use it as my usual reader, it just doesn't support the ability to read things the way I want to.

On Moon Reader, I can use the publisher's css, or I can set Moon to my favorite font and such and turn off most of the built in css. I get some of that with Calibre reader, some of it with Freda, but not all, and neither of them do TTS, so I can't switch back and forth between text mode and speech as I go through my day on the same device.

Of course, in an ideal world, the reader on my android device would sync with my windows reader so when I open a book, I'ld be at the same place no matter which device I was on.

Then, there's the derth of voices on Windows. Essentially all the decent ones are expensive, and all the free ones are of marginal quality, and none of them adjust pitch and speed as fluidly as the voices on android.
[End Rant]

Does anyone have offers of explanations, or suggestions about what to use?

Thanks

Rick

Jim Chapman · 08-07-2016, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rboatright

I get some of that with Calibre reader, some of it with Freda, but not all, and neither of them do TTS, so I can't switch back and forth between text mode and speech as I go through my day on the same device.

Freda does support TTS. Just select some text, and then choose 'read' from the menu, to begin read-aloud text-to-speech.

rboatright · 08-08-2016, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim Chapman

Freda does support TTS. Just select some text, and then choose 'read' from the menu, to begin read-aloud text-to-speech.

Really??? Thank you very much. $$ on the way.

HarryT · 08-08-2016, 03:21 PM

Moon+ Pro also supports TTS. I used to use it with Ivona TTS on my Onyx T68 and it worked very well.

shalym · 08-08-2016, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Moon+ Pro also supports TTS. I used to use it with Ivona TTS on my Onyx T68 and it worked very well.

Does Moon+ run on Windows?

Shari

HarryT · 08-08-2016, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shalym

Does Moon+ run on Windows?

Shari

My apologies - I misread the initial message.

dwig · 08-08-2016, 05:23 PM

Book Bazaar Reader is another option on Windows 8.1 & 10

crane3 · 08-08-2016, 09:59 PM

fbreader has a windows app; very old as in 2010; but claimed that a 0.99 version will be available in 2015 which hasn't been seen anywhere I could find. There is also icecream which doesn't have TTS in the free version & haven't seen any info what the paid version does & that it has TTS.

My problem with the various versions is that each app wanted the books to be in that app's own library; cannot use a common place for the books.

08-06-2016, 09:35 PM	#1
rboatright Member Posts: 19 Karma: 1000 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: Kobo Mini	Windows ebook reader with Text to Speech. [Begin Rant] On my android devices I have available excellent ebook readers with good library management tools, and which can use the wide variety of excellent android voices available from many sources. On my windows devices, while Calibre does an absolutely freaking wonderful job of library management, no good, well featured READER app has text-to-speech capability. Sure I can run Balaboka, and get TTS, but I can't use it as my usual reader, it just doesn't support the ability to read things the way I want to. On Moon Reader, I can use the publisher's css, or I can set Moon to my favorite font and such and turn off most of the built in css. I get some of that with Calibre reader, some of it with Freda, but not all, and neither of them do TTS, so I can't switch back and forth between text mode and speech as I go through my day on the same device. Of course, in an ideal world, the reader on my android device would sync with my windows reader so when I open a book, I'ld be at the same place no matter which device I was on. Then, there's the derth of voices on Windows. Essentially all the decent ones are expensive, and all the free ones are of marginal quality, and none of them adjust pitch and speed as fluidly as the voices on android. [End Rant] Does anyone have offers of explanations, or suggestions about what to use? Thanks Rick

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08-08-2016, 03:21 PM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Moon+ Pro also supports TTS. I used to use it with Ivona TTS on my Onyx T68 and it worked very well.

08-08-2016, 05:23 PM	#7
dwig Wizard Posts: 1,613 Karma: 6718479 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Paradise (Key West, FL) Device: Current:Surface Go & Kindle 3 - Retired: DellV8p, Clie UX50, ...	Book Bazaar Reader is another option on Windows 8.1 & 10

08-08-2016, 09:59 PM	#8
crane3 Guru Posts: 608 Karma: 5007204 Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Calif Device: Fire hdx 8.9, Tab S2, Tab S5e, Aura ONE	fbreader has a windows app; very old as in 2010; but claimed that a 0.99 version will be available in 2015 which hasn't been seen anywhere I could find. There is also icecream which doesn't have TTS in the free version & haven't seen any info what the paid version does & that it has TTS. My problem with the various versions is that each app wanted the books to be in that app's own library; cannot use a common place for the books.

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