Changes

== Using Text to Speech ==  

== Using Text to Speech ==  

Read Etexts uses software called Speech Dispatcher to read text aloud and to perform callbacks which enable the word being spoken to be highlighted.  Speech Dispatcher is not yet included with the normal XO software distribution, but can be installed using the instructions found [[Speech_Server#Installing_speech-dispatcher_on_the_xo|here]].

Read Etexts uses software called Speech Dispatcher to read text aloud and to perform callbacks which enable the word being spoken to be highlighted.  Speech Dispatcher is not yet included with the normal XO software distribution, but will be included in version .84.

To start text to speech you simply press the check mark button on the XO's display (Numeric Keypad "End" on a standard keyboard).  This button will also pause and resume speech.  Only the current page will be spoken, and always starting from the first word on the page unless you are resuming after pausing.  You need to have the text control containing the text to be spoken in focus.  I use the check button because you can use it when the XO is folded into its ebook reader configuration.  There is also a Play/Pause button on the Speech tab of the toolbar that you can use instead.

To start text to speech you simply press the check mark button on the XO's display (Numeric Keypad "End" on a standard keyboard).  This button will also pause and resume speech.  Only the current page will be spoken, and always starting from the first word on the page unless you are resuming after pausing.  You need to have the text control containing the text to be spoken in focus.  I use the check button because you can use it when the XO is folded into its ebook reader configuration.  There is also a Play/Pause button on the Speech tab of the toolbar that you can use instead.

If you do not have the Python bindings for speech-dispatcher installed you will ''not'' see the Speech tool bar.  This is intentional. The toolbar is very much like the one in the Speak activity and was adapted from its code.  It allows you to change the language, pitch, and rate of speech.  You can only do this while the Activity is not speaking.  You can pause the speech, change its rate, pitch,or language, and then resume.

If your system does not have the needed software to support text to speech you will ''not'' see the Speech tool bar.  This is intentional.

 

The toolbar is very much like the one in the Speak activity and was adapted from its code.  It allows you to change the language, pitch, and rate of speech.  You can only do this while the Activity is not speaking.  You can pause the speech, change its rate, pitch,or language, and then resume.

The latest version of Read Etexts supports either speech-dispatcher or the gstreamer espeak plugin developed by Aleksey Lim for the Sugar project.  This plugin should be part of Sugar on a Stick and future releases of Sugar for the XO.  This plugin works much better than speech-dispatcher does and does not require running a demon program or doing any configuration.

The latest version of Read Etexts supports either speech-dispatcher or the gstreamer espeak plugin developed by Aleksey Lim for the Sugar project.  This plugin should be part of Sugar on a Stick and future releases of Sugar for the XO.  This plugin works much better than speech-dispatcher does and does not require running a demon program or doing any configuration.