[DECtalk] Thoughts

Jayson Smith ratguy at insightbb.com
Wed Feb 1 03:32:06 EST 2012


Hi,

Here's what I'd suggest doing. It's just that, a suggestion, so take it as 
you wish.

Release the new SAPI product, along with the Speak window and the Say 
command line tool. Explain in the documentation, and probably even in 
information available before purchase, that the SAPI version cannot sing 
because of restrictions placed on SAPI by Microsoft. However, two programs 
are included with which you can make DECtalk sing if you wish.

Now, for those who think there should be a demo. You're right. MP3s of 
DECtalk speaking fixed messages are fine as far as they go, but they don't 
let people know if the product will work in their particular application. So 
my idea would be to have a free demo version available. This demo version 
does not have the SAPI interface, does not have the Say command line tool, 
and has a deliberately crippled Speak window. Possible limitations of Speak 
might be no saving to wav files, a very restrictive character limit E.G. 
1024 characters max, etc. In other words, the program should be functional 
enough that prospective customers can try it out and see if it meets their 
needs, but limited in ways such that people who want to actually use it for 
production work need to buy the full product. If a SAPI demo was desired so 
potential customers could see how the SAPI works with their own software, 
possibly make it so it dies after so many phrases have been spoken, so 
people don't just use the demo.
Jayson




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