IBM ViaVoice - what a load of tosh
Submitted by dagoz on Mon, 08/06/2007 - 12:25.
It took me a week to get through the voice recognition text. I should explain that I have a Scottish accent and I have MS ( Multiple Sclerosis ), neither of which works well with IBM Viavoice. My speech is hard to understand for anyone, due to my MS, but when my week of torment from trying to get through IBM's speech recognition script was ove, the program didn't understand a word of what I was trying to say and I ended up having to use the keyboard anyway.
In short, this program stinks.
What do you expect from a
What do you expect from a program that is about 4 to 5 years old?
Although this has absolutely
Although this has absolutely no bearing on your problem, we find it interesting that most of the ViaVoice development was conducted in Edinburgh. NaturallySpeaking may not be a solution for you but it is considerably more accurate than ViaVoice as the development on ViaVoice was discontinued several years ago. The good news is that you can upgrade from ViaVoice to NaturallySpeaking Preferred 9.5 for $49 US (after $50 manufacturer rebate).
It is unfortunate that ViaVoice is still marketed in Europe because you won't find it on store shelves in the US and our understanding is that it will probably be discontinued sometime next year as it is not Vista compliant.
Lunis Orcutt - Developer of KnowBrainer (DNS Command Software)
A Nuance Gold Certified Endorsed Vendor
Hopefully Dragon
Hopefully Dragon NaturallySpeaking will respond better to your debility, but you can't know until you try it. It could be that you will have to work a while with any SR program to get decent results. It might help to get feedback from other SR users with MS.
Bruce
There is more to speech
There is more to speech recognition that just reading the training script. It can take time to train it to the way you speak. This doesn't matter whether you are using ViaVoice or Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
It's also possible that it could be something as simple as needing a better sound system (USB sound pod?) or microphone (noise canceling?) or someone more familar with ViaVoice.
Quentin Crivon is one of the best with ViaVoice and hopefully will be able to give you some tips when he checks in.
It would help us to help you if you told us which operating system you have, how your computer (processor & speed & how much RAM memory) is configured and what version of ViaVoice you are trying to use with it. What type of microphone and how is it connected to the computer (usb/sound card)?
Regards,
Skip
Skip wrote: There is more
There is more to speech recognition that just reading the training script. It can take time to train it to the way you speak.
We think that the system trains you more than you train it. You quickly learn to enunciate clearly and speak in phrases. When you do, accuracy increases to the maximum.
--
Martin Markoe, eMicrophones, Inc.
The best microphones for Speech Recognition
Read, "Key Steps to High Speech Recognition Accuracy"
To state that the programme
To state that the programme "stinks " is way over the top. With all due respect, the problem is not with the programme, but with the user.
SR requires clear enunciation no matter which programme you are using. There is nothing wrong with ViaVoice, and I have trained users with Irish Kerry accents, and after the initial training, they were able to dictate with 95 per cent accuracy at approximately 100 per words per minute.
However broad Scots accents are more difficult for any SR programme to understand. From what you have stated, you would appear to have additional problems that create greater difficulties.
A tradesman does not blame his tools for his shortcomings. However later models of his tools can help.
As Skip has said, we do not know the specifications of what you are using to give a more accurate diagnosis of your problem. If we knew your computer specifications, type of microphone you are using, etc., then perhaps we could solve your difficulties.
Quentin
Maybe a smaller custom
Maybe a smaller custom dictionary might help?
ryokanNHC wrote: Maybe a
Maybe a smaller custom dictionary might help?
A custom dictionary is necessary as otherwise words which are not in the general directory, such as names, or words peculiar to a user, such as unusual legal words, would not be recognised.
The ViaVoice custom dictionary is only as big as the user makes it. My user dictionary, with names, unusually legal words and words which were not in use when ViaVoice was being programmed, has approximately 3200 words. I would not call this large.
The programme is designed to have a custom dictionary, and there is no reason why it should cause any problems.
Words are only added when ViaVoice does not recognise them, ie. they're not in the general vocabulary. These are added through the Correction Window .
Of course one does not have to add the words, and I certainly do not do so with words or names that I am unlikely to use again, but simply type them into the text.
Quentin