Hi Peter. This sounds very interesting! It could be better than humans! Loll. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Peter Scanlon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <Pc-audio@pc-audio.org> Sent: Monday, October 24, 2005 4:21 AM Subject: Virtual weather man
> > Televirtual unveils a Virtual TV Weatherman > > > > By Submitter: Televirtual > > > > Working in collaboration with Britain's top speech scientists and the > > BBC's weather graphic suppliers , Metra, Televirtual proudly announces > > the world's first synthetic broadcaster. > > > > Whilst many of today's small screen personalities are arguably > > artificial, advanced content pioneers Televirtual, have now produced > > one which is certifiably so. > > > > Televirtual's UK Media Lab has just given birth to METman , a virtual > > weather reporter/forecaster, whose entire performance is generated > > automatically from a few lines of text-based data issued as a > > meteorological summary, and accompanied by a weather map update. > > > > METman doesn't even need a script. > > > > In the final application , raw field-entry data, in the form of facts > > and figures will be fed into the system, which automatically draws > > from a lexicon of appropriate phrases, to produce a narrative > > description of events past, and those to come. This text is then fed > > into METvoice the first ever artificial voice or TTS (Text-to-Speech) > > engine, to be custom-built to broadcast standards. > > > > The human vocal model for METvoice was Televirtual boss and founder, > > Tim Child, a broadcaster and former TV newsman. > > > > Modern speech engines are created by recording up to 30 hours of > > dictated speech, but by capturing Tim's speaking patterns as well as > > words and phrases, Televirtual were able to 'fine-tune' the new engine > > to a performance level unheard of to date.. > > > > The new speech engine has further powerful features. Operating as part > > of Televirtual's award-winning RAP animation system, METvoice features > > a powerful XML-style mark up language stream, triggering lip-synch > > animations, and controlling and dictating the 3d animated METman' s > > moods, expressions, gestures, and screen positions. > > > > Whilst the new voice is still being improved upon, the early results > > are impressive. ' Unless you were aware or suspected it, you would not > > normally be able to detect METman's vocal performance as anything > > other than the real thing,' said Tim. > > > > Further 'broadcast' voices are now planned, and the breakthrough is by > > no means limited to weather forecasting. Gaming channels and Quiz TV > > variants could also employ the system to operate virtual presenters in > > virtual sets , at a fraction of the cost of conventional presentation > > methods. > > > > But the big market for such synthetic voice and character creation > > applications is probably in the Home of the near Future. > > > > Installed in domestic television set top boxes (STBs) , 3d ' > > announcers ' will be able to present a personalised information > > service tailored to individual requirements. > > > > Such 'homecasters ' would be able to advise on TV viewing schedules, > > read the news and weather on demand, and trawl the internet on request. > > > > > > In disability scenarios, they will be able to read incoming emails to > > the blind, and could 'sign' to the deaf or provide lip-readable > > augmented information to the hard of hearing, whilst the > > speech-impaired might use them to make phone calls. > > > > more details from > > > www.televirtual.com > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... > http://www.pc-audio.org > > To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists we > offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com > _______________________________________________ PC-Audio List Help, Guidelines, Archives and more... http://www.pc-audio.org To unsubscribe from this list, send a blank email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This list is a service of MosenExplosion.com. To see what other lists we offer, visit us on the web at http://www.MosenExplosion.com
