Replacement for Susan (Computer Generated Voice)?

T

The Brit

Joined
Feb 5, 2008
Messages
13
Location
Los Gatos, California
Normally, I use a celebrity voice (H.M. The Queen), which of course, cannot speak street names. Yesterday, I decided to try the default computer-generated voice (Susan?) - boy was that a disaster. She couldn't even pronounce the major cities in the SF Bay Area correctly - San Jose and Santa Cruz became something unintelligible.

Can anyone recommend a good alternative (computer-generated) voice?

Thanks.
 
LOL - have same issue in the exact same area. I had visitors from Germany who could not believe how bad the programing of the TomTom was in this regard - especially with names like San Jose. It seem to have a major issue with the "O" sound and with the "J' sounds in Spanish names

I would also be interested if anyone has come across another one.

Also, for my visitors, they now have a 720 with European maps, but they cannot find any computer voices (in German of course) for the unit through TomTom Home - only celebrity voices - so they cannot get street names, etc. Might there be some for the 9xx series that would work?
 
I use 'Susan' and feel the pronunciation is not bad.

Anyway, use Home-->Add Voices, arrow right 2 screens to Computer voices. There are 4 available: 2 m and 2 f, one each US associated and 1 each UK associated. They're free.
 
Try Simon

Try Simon. Usually his pronunciation is close, though

San Francisco comes out "Sahn Frahn-SEES'-ko"
Alameda comes out "a-la-mah-da" (run together and spoken so quickly all you can make out is the "ah" sounds)

...and the road "Alameda de las Pulgas" in Redwood City... well, you don't want to know. I can't begin to describe it, sounds like the GPS is having a seizure or something.
 
Try Simon 2

In fact, I'd say Simon probably has the best pronunciation of Spanish-originating words of all of the voices (and there are a lot of those in the SF Bay area). It has San Jose correct, and technically the way it's saying San Francisco would be correct in Spanish. Even Santa Cruz is pretty close.
 
I have been putting up with Susan because it is computr gnerated, which is necessary to gt stree names and many alerts.

Still looking for a computer voice fore a 720 in German. The one on my 910 is rather large and I am not sure how to move it over to a 720. This is also being sought to allow for street names and other voice options currently grayed out.
 
Sorry, I know this is an old thread but instead of starting a new one I'll just continue this. I've never used or heard text to speech on the TomToms but just saw an example of them on youtube. Does Susan REALLY sound this bad? Her voice is shaky, can't pronounce, talks FASTslowFAST... Are voices ever updated or is this still the same Susan?

The video shows most or all of the TomTom computer voices, Susan being the first one. She's awful! Does she still sound like this? She even has trouble saying Northbound or Southbound. She says it like she's in freezing temperatures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBLBycqf574&fmt=18

I remember there being complaints about Susan in the video but all of the sudden comments were disabled.

LOL.

"Water Avenue" she pronounces "Water Avander"
"Avenue" she sometimes pronounces "Avadue"
"Salem" she pronounces "sayon"
"Yamhill" pronunciation is irritating.
Beaverton is BeaverDEN? LOL

I could go on and on. I can't wait to get the 720 just to listen to her pronunciations.
 
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GAW said:
I have been putting up with Susan because it is computer generated, which is necessary to gt street names and many alerts.

Still looking for a computer voice fore a 720 in German. The one on my 910 is rather large and I am not sure how to move it over to a 720. This is also being sought to allow for street names and other voice options currently grayed out.
Click to expand...
Stefan is the standard German voice. The cab file is 41,723 KB + toc 4 KB and png 4 KB. You got to dig deep, well past the paid voices.

I prefer Kate to Susan but will probably got back to plane Jane from the UK unless I will get to a thoroughly unfamiliar area.
I done well with Jane and the 3D view in the UK and find the mispronunciations of the computer voices a distraction rather than an asset.

(Send me an eMail.)
 
I am trying Kate (UK). Better than Susan, but I have not headed her to san Jose yet - will be going to San Rafael tomorrow - Susan messed that one up pretty bad also.

Note - I had a 910 with computer voices and did not notice this until after a few application updates. I noticed my old Home 1.5 application has Susan and it was over two times the size of the current Susan - I may try to install it and see how it works. It is over 600 mb, so all you without lots of room - forgetaboutit if it works.

Will post the results.
 
GAW said:
I am trying Kate (UK). Better than Susan, but I have not headed her to san Jose yet - will be going to San Rafael tomorrow - Susan messed that one up pretty bad also.

Note - I had a 910 with computer voices and did not notice this until after a few application updates. I noticed my old Home 1.5 application has Susan and it was over two times the size of the current Susan - I may try to install it and see how it works. It is over 600 mb, so all you without lots of room - forgetaboutit if it works.

Will post the results.
Click to expand...

The Susan from that YouTube video I posted seems to be from 2 years ago on a GO 910. I wonder if Susan had changed since then. My GO 720 arrives on Tuesday and I will mess around with her voice to see what's up. I still won't not use her anyway since I prefer an English accent vs an American accent. UGH EVERY TIME I HEAR SUSAN'S VOICE IN THAT VIDEO IT IRRITATES ME! I WANT TO SLAP SUSAN!
 
Geez...........

Will you guys lay off my 'Susie'. :mad:

She has very sensitive feelings ......... even if she talks funny once in a while! :D
 
dhn said:
Geez...........

Will you guys lay off my 'Susie'. :mad:

She has very sensitive feelings ......... even if she talks funny once in a while! :D
Click to expand...

I was wondering when you were going to come in and say something :) I know you like Susan :) You're right though. Don't piss off Susan or you never know when she might make you turn onto busy oncoming traffic on a one way street facing YOU!

Ohh and if you've ever seen the commercials for TomTom, one of them say "It's not SueSue, it's TomTom!"


Edit : Found the commercial!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co0235KGjQA&fmt=18


And here's scott scott as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k35vF9JSwTk&fmt=18

And DougDoug (Almost sounds like their real name... DumbDumb)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z_neKHdfdA&fmt=18
 
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I don't use any of the females, I have been married to long to listen to an other women telling me what to do.......LOL:D :D
 
I just got a TomTom Go 740. The pronunciation is so bad I can't navigate with it.

Any new developments as far as voices that WORK?

I'm picking away at the voice definition file syntax to see if I can fix things up myself, but it seems hard to believe that this core GPS function is this bad.

It can't say "San Francisco"! It comes out "San Fra - Thih Quah"

Whereas if I hop on my linux box and use the ancient open-source "spd-say" program, it pronounces everything legibly if not perfectly.
 

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