Text to Speech Software

[webb99]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm looking for some advice on what TTS is the best. The requirement is that it can read pdf's as the user highlights text, or that the step forward/backward text works smoothly as it will be used in place of a reader during an examination. I've experimented with Natural Reader Free, Balabolka, Deskbot and Word Talk however management aren't happy with them and neither am I really. Natural Reader appears the most professional and its reader is the best however the lack of control moving around within pdf's and it jumping sentences if you use the forward/backward buttons isn't good enough for an exam. Balabolka doesn't keep the formatting of the pdf and deskbot has that annoying desktop animation which I can't seem to disable. Word Talk works well however having to convert the pdf to a word document isn't ideal.

 

Any help / pointers towards something good would be much appreciated - paid solutions are not off the table I just couldn't find trial software for them!

 

Kind regards

Jack

[1066girl]

We use Read and Write software from Texthelp. Our SEN team assessed it, you can buy a version which is MAC/Windows compatible and also have a licence that allows install on the student PCs as well as School PCs.

[SpaceInvader83]

ClaroRead SE is pretty good, think our SEN department paid around £500 one off fee for a site licence . I'm pretty sure it does everything you require.

[ITGURU]

We use Read and Write software from Texthelp. Our SEN team assessed it, you can buy a version which is MAC/Windows compatible and also have a licence that allows install on the student PCs as well as School PCs.

 

We've just recently bought TextHelp Read & Write (Site License) When they first showed me the site license cost I thought it was extortionate, until I found out it was either per PC (expensive) or a Site license, nothing in between.

 

Departments are yet to use it intensively, but will be used for exams.

[ADMaster]

I personally like text aloud by nextup.com, it will not keep the formatting of PDFs though. Nextup does have a trial.

 

We also have a site license for read and write for google by texthelp.

 

My biggest issue with read and write is voices. My personal favorite right now is Ivona Amy.

[Bagpuss66]

ClaroRead SE is pretty good, think our SEN department paid around £500 one off fee for a site licence . I'm pretty sure it does everything you require.

Sorry for hijacking your thread, but we have looked at this but we need to run it only allowing the students to use the software using headphones.

The head of SEN wants the software on all the student computers around our academy. Obviously this could be a big problem as although it's a nice idea for the SEN students having access to using the software with headphones,

there could be an obvious problem of students just highlighting any page and we would have a class of noise!!

Is there a way of muting the internal sound on the computers running ClaroRead or is the idea we suggested of just installing it on the SEN students laptops a more obvious way round?

[gcoomber]

You cant use it in exams as it stands . that's a major drawback..we've been caught out by this one