Ubuntu
espeak package

No speech in totem using eSpeak w/ Orca

Bug #84220 reported by Joanmarie
2
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
espeak (Ubuntu)
Fix Released
Medium
Luke Yelavich
portaudio (Ubuntu)
Invalid
Medium
Unassigned

Bug Description

Binary package hint: espeak

If I am using eSpeak with Orca and launch Totem (with no media files open or playing), Orca will not speak the contents of anything (e.g. the menu items). If I am using DECTalk, however, Orca will.

Steps to reproduce:
1. Launch Orca and select eSpeak as your synthesizer
2. Launch Totem
3. Press Alt M to get into the Movie menu and use Up and Down Arrow to navigate

Expected results:
Orca would speak each item with focus.

Actual results:
Orca remains silent.

Notes:
1. Fonix DECTalk does not exhibit this issue.
2. I can only reproduce this problem on my laptop, which has exhibited similar resource issues/conflicts between TTS and other sounds. See bug #54975. Driver: ATI IXP AC97 controller. Product: IXP SB400 AC'97 Audio Controller.
3. This is with the latest Orca from GNOME svn trunk, and eSpeak 1.19

Revision history for this message
Joanmarie (joanmarie-diggs-deactivatedaccount) wrote :

On the Ubuntu-Accessibility-Devel list, it was suggested that I give PortAudio V19 a try. This does solve the problem for me.

Revision history for this message
Jonathan Duddington (jonsd) wrote :

This sounds like it's caused by portaudio V18, which uses the OSS sound system, which can only by used by one program at a time. Portaudio V19 can use the ALSA sound system and can mix sounds from multiple sources. I believe eSpeak on Ubuntu is built to use portaudio V18.

Ubuntu could perhaps build eSpeak to use PortAudio V19, and also include the PortAudio V19 library in main? It should be possible for both V18 and V19 of PortAudio to be present, since V19 names its library as libportaudio.so.2 rather than libportaudio.so.0.

However there is a problem with PortAudio V19.

I noticed when I tried using eSpeak with PortAudio V19 from the command
line, eg:
  espeak "hello"

that there was a loud click and a short pause before speaking, every
time I did the command. I don't know whether this effect depends on particular sound hardware.

Revision history for this message
Luke Yelavich (themuso) wrote :

I intend to build espeak with portaudio v19 for next_________
release, and get some wider testing before making a__________
decision.

Changed in portaudio:
importance: Undecided → Medium
status: Unconfirmed → Confirmed
Changed in espeak:
assignee: nobody → themuso
importance: Undecided → Medium
status: Unconfirmed → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Luke Yelavich (themuso) wrote :

A fix has been implemented for hardy.

Changed in espeak:
status: Confirmed → Fix Released
Revision history for this message
Luke Yelavich (themuso) wrote :

Not really a portaudio issue, but espeak being used with totem etc has been resolved for hardy.

Changed in portaudio:
status: Confirmed → Invalid
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