speech recognition

[stuart99]

does anybody use speech recognition software supplied with windows xp.i have used it to create this thread . is it usable after two training sessions ? i find it makes a lot of mistakes !
has anybody trained it to respond correctly or is it advisable to buy IBM via voice or other software program.

[keywester]

I procured via voice a loooong time ago, about the time VR tech hit the steets, so I have one of the very first versions, if not the first, of Via Voice. "Great" you say, but not so fast -- it just was not workable, I discontinued use of it after a very short tryout.

EDIT: the problem was, for general typing, say this post, it was way, way, way too slow (I had to try to slow down my brain to the speed of the VRT and that messes up fluid thought processes...), and Via Voice simply came up with some really off the wall interpretations of what I actually had actually spoken, making it difficult to simply go back and try to correct what it had badly misconstrued. So, it was much easier and considerably less frustrating to just go with typing text than putting up with what was then not very great technology. I considered using it just for voice commands to the PC, but ended up just shelving it...


But, that's why I am here, found your post on a search. Wondering what the current scoop is on VRT, as I have always thought about giving it another try if it ever became usable. I know that Via Voice has been neck and neck off and on over the years with Dragon, as I have tried to follow it, hoping to jump back in when it became a better technology. And, overall I would have to say that most of the time it looked like Dragon came up with a better rated product.

I have no idea what the situation is now, but sounds like it has not improved a whole lot, altho I thought that I had recently noted some news that there had been some improvements?

Does anyone here have more accurate current info on this???

[DuaneB]

AOL has both a Dragon Forum and Dragon Newsletter. If you have AOL or know someone who does: go to Keyword "Dragon Forum".

[bistro]

I've tried versions of both a couple of years ago and while they were fun to play with, I found them to be inaccurate enough to make them both impractical. It also drove my wife batty to hear me talk to the computer ("Start!, Programs!, Games!)...
Turns out I could use the mouse faster than what the VRT programs could react, so the "fun" waned quickly. Dictation was interesting, but I could type with far fewer errors. After dictation, I ended up having to retype half the text anyway. It is my understanding that VRT has improved greatly, but from recent reading, it still is far, far away from Star Trek quality....

[techman]

I've used the on that comes with XP. It is usable after two training sessions. But you need to do the training multiple times to make it work better. I also have used Dragon's voice software and (I hate to say this) I thought the XP one worked better.

Just my 2 pennies.

[ecrosson]

How do you find the one that comes with XP? Where on the OS is it?

[arifu]

ecrosson

It's on Office XP.

arifu

[markp62]

ecrosson, to use voice with XP, you may need the SAPI 4.0 download, text to speech engine, and speech recognition engine, and maybe a charactor or two.
The core componets are already installed on W2K, ME and XP, except for these.

http://www.microsoft.com/products/ms...loads/user.asp