Need to improve experience with narration
Reading aloud by system narrator needs to be improved.
Include more voice choices, and voices more similar to natural voice.
Improve reading of biblical book abbreviations and other abbreviations.
Fix some system pauses for no reason.
Give more speed options: 0.9x 1.1x 1.2x 1.7x etc.
Highlight the word being read aloud for those who want to follow the narration with reading (the option given does not work).
Formatting the reading page with parameters for users with dyslexia and other disabilities.
Thanks.
Comments
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What platform are you referring to? Windows / Mac / iOS / Android?
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Windows, because I don't think Android supports the functionality.
But I suppose the question applies to other systems, but I don't know.0 -
Hi Mário:
Here are some things to know about the Read Aloud function:
- The Desktop Read Aloud is available in all feature sets.
- The voice choices depend on your operating system (Windows or macOS) and are utilized, but not provided, by Logos. When I used Windows (only), I did not like any of the default (out-of-the-box) voices. I purchased Ivona voices, which are now probably old technology. You can find voices for several languages and they probably range from 25-40USD. You'll need to shop around (maybe others can make up-to-date recommendations). On macOS, I prefer the Siri voices and didn't need to purchase others.
- One downside to the desktop app is that you have to change the machine-narration voice at the operating sustem level and restart Logos. (Otheres: please correct me if this has chaged.) So, if you're listening to an English book being read and want to listen to a Spanish book, you'll have to change voices.
- The Mobile Read Aloud is available in the Bronze Feature set and above. (It might be in Starter in some non-English feature sets.) In both iOS and Android 9 or above.
- Logos has done a very good job implementing Mobile Read Aloud. I use it on Android 13 on a value-priced Samsung phone, with great results. I also get good results on a Fire OS 7 tablet, which I don't use as often.
- The app does some helpful processing prior to passing the text to the OS, such as expanding abbreviated Bible book names (one of your issues). It also seems to pass a phonetically-correct pronunciation of many Biblical names to the OS. This is sometimes defeated by the possessive case, where 'Micah's' sounds 'mick-ahs' instead of 'mike-ahs'.
- Of interest to bilingual users is the Mobile Read Aloud's abilty to change voices based on (I assume) the language in the book's metadata, so the language change is effortless.
- If you use Windows 11 (my understanding from anecdotes) or macOS on M1, M2 etc. (my experience) on the desktop, you can use the Logos Mobile app on your desktop to take advantage of these features (if you have Mobile Read Aloud per above).
In addition to your suggestions, it would be helpful if Logos could make the Desktop app Read Aloud emulate the Mobile's capabilities.
macOS (Logos Pro - Beta) | Android 13 (Logos Stable)
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Thanks!
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Just to remind that Read Aloud needs to be upgraded by Logos or by an existing app that works on Logos. It would be an invaluable improvement. Just listening to books read, or listening to books while reading, is an extremely useful learning experience! But Read Aloud needs other customizations, it can't have breaks in the reading or lags between voice and marker of the word read (as it does now), it has to have better & more natural voices, etc, etc…
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Until Logos makes those changes, see this post about a piece of software that enables you to use the newer "Natural" voices from Microsoft even inside Logos:
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Thanks! I will see.
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