Support for IBM ViaVoice
for Windows 95 and NT
Technical
support: frequently asked questions. Click on the question number to
see the answer.
|
* |
indicates
a new or updated question and answer since January 1998. |
Section 1
- Installation and configuration |
1.1 |
|
What
releases of Microsoft's Word does ViaVoice support and
how much memory does my system require to run both
ViaVoice and a supported version of MS Word? |
1.2 |
|
Does
ViaVoice support Windows NT? |
1.3 |
|
Can I
install ViaVoice over any of the previous versions of
VoiceType? |
1.4 |
|
When I move
from a previous version of VoiceType to ViaVoice, is my
personal data (enrollment, added words and statistics)
migrated? |
1.5 |
|
I have
partitioned my harddrive. Can I install ViaVoice on one
partition and any other version of VoiceType on my other
partition? |
1.6 |
|
I want to
uninstall my previous version of VoiceType before I put
ViaVoice on my system. How do I delete the previous
version? |
1.7 |
|
How do I
reinstall a previous VoiceType version after I have
installed ViaVoice? |
1.8 |
|
How can I
uninstall and reinstall ViaVoice without losing my user
data (e.g. enrollments)? |
1.9 |
|
I deleted
the files and program folders through the Windows 95
Explorer, but the product is still on my system. |
1.10 |
|
Will
navigation macros I have created with VoiceType Dictation
3.0.x and Simply Speaking Gold work under ViaVoice? |
1.11 |
|
Will
additional vocabularies available with VoiceType
Dictation 3.0.x and VoiceType Simply Speaking Gold work
with ViaVoice? |
1.12 |
* |
I have a
sound card that is not advertised as a 100% Sound Blaster
compatible. Can I still use it for ViaVoice?
|
Section 2
- Microphone Setup |
2.1 |
|
What is
Microphone Setup? |
2.2 |
|
When should
I run Microphone Setup? |
2.3 |
|
The
microphone in my copy of ViaVoice is different from the
one shown on the Microphone Setup. |
2.4 |
* |
New
inexpensive ThinkPad adapter now available. |
2.5 |
|
I didn't get
a power adapter (black) with my microphone. |
2.6 |
* |
Do I need to
use the microphone adapters included with ViaVoice? |
2.7 |
|
Can I use
the microphone that shipped with my computer (or the
built-in microphone, if there is one)? |
2.8 |
|
Can any
other microphones be used? |
2.9 |
|
How often
should I change the batteries in the microphone battery
adapter? |
2.10 |
* |
I have an
Ensoniq Sound Card in my PC and I keep failing the test
in Microphone Setup "I am Testing...". |
2.11 |
* |
I have a
Crystal sound card in my PC and when I run Microphone
Setup, a "General Error" message is returned. |
2.12 |
* |
If you have
an FX sound card in your Acer PC... |
2.13 |
* |
The Sound
Galaxy 534 sound card in my PC appears to constantly be
recording background noise. |
2.14 |
* |
I have a
Creative Labs Soundblaster 16 sound card and I am having
a problem with microphone setup.
|
3.1 |
|
What is
enrollment and is it required? |
3.2 |
|
How many
sentences should I read for enrollment? |
3.3 |
|
What if I do
not speak with a native accent for the language version I
have installed?
|
Section 4
- General dictation and SpeakPad |
4.1 |
|
What is the
difference between continuous-word speech and
isolated-word speech? |
4.2 |
|
How does the
system learn as I correct mistakes in SpeakPad? |
4.3 |
|
Once I've
dictated a document in SpeakPad, how do I transfer it to
another application? |
4.4 |
|
Is it
possible to add an alternate pronunciation for an
existing word in the vocabulary? |
4.5 |
|
My
recognition was good, but it now has deteriorated. Why? |
4.6 |
|
How do I
dictate numbers? |
4.7 |
|
How can I
improve my recognition performance with ViaVoice? |
4.8 |
* |
Can I save a
voice session to a diskette or other removable cartridge
like device such as an IOMega Zip or Jazz Drive? |
4.9 |
|
Can I have
text in files read to me? |
4.10 |
|
When reading
the dictated text in VoicePad, the volume is extremely
low compared to the volume of correcting dictation error.
How can I increase the volume ? |
4.11 |
* |
A Word Basic
Error 53 appears every time I open Microsoft Word.
|
Section 5
- ViaVoice Options |
5.1 |
|
How do I
change users if more than one user has enrolled? |
5.2 |
|
What is the
Recognition Sensitivity used for under the ViaVoice
Options Voice page? |
5.3 |
|
What is the
Recognition Performance used for under the ViaVoice
Options Voice page?
|
Section 6
- Vocabulary Expander |
6.1 |
|
How can I
quickly add words to my vocabulary and improve
recognition?
|
Section 7
- Vocabulary Manager |
7.1 |
|
How do I see
my added words, and when would I want to delete a word?
|
Section 8
- Hardware and software requirements |
8.1 |
|
What are the
minimum hardware and software requirements for IBM
ViaVoice?
|
Section 9
- Known limitations |
9.1 |
* |
Are there
any known limitations? |
9.2 |
|
When using
an IBM Thinkpad, is there a problem using suspend mode
while dictating? |
9.3 |
|
I have an
MWAVE card and have just upgraded my software from 28.8
to 33.6. VoiceType no longer works since I have upgraded
my modem software.
|
Answers
section 1 - Installation and configuration |
1.1
|
What
releases of Microsoft's Word does ViaVoice support and
how much memory does my system require to run both
ViaVoice and a supported version of MS Word?
MS Word release 6.0C (US English only), 7 and 8 are
supported if running Windows** 95. MS Word release 6.0C
is not supported under Windows NT**. Releases 7 and 8 are
supported in Windows NT. The minimum specification for
running ViaVoice with Microsoft Word is 32MB under
Windows 95 (or 48MB under Windows NT). However, like with
any software, increasing the processor and/or the memory
will improve the speed of decoding, but will not improve
the recognition performance.
|
1.2 |
Does
ViaVoice support Windows NT?
Yes. It supports Windows NT 4.0. You must have
administrator privileges during the installation of
ViaVoice Gold under Windows NT.
|
1.3 |
Can I
install ViaVoice over any of the previous versions of
VoiceType?
Yes. The ViaVoice installation process will automatically
uninstall VoiceType Simply Speaking and VoiceType Simply
Speaking Gold if one of these products is installed on
your system. However, if either VoiceType Dictation 1.32
or 3.0.x is installed, you will have to uninstall this
version and reboot your computer before installing
ViaVoice.
You can uninstall VoiceType Dictation 3.0.x using the
uninstall tool which is part of the product. To uninstall
VoiceType Dictation 1.32, use the ADD/REMOVE Programs
from the Windows 95 Control Panel. You must reboot your
system after uninstalling previous versions of VoiceType
and prior to installing ViaVoice. After this reboot, you
may get a message that another version of VoiceType
Dictation has been detected on your system, but you can
proceed with the installation.
|
1.4 |
When I
move from a previous version of VoiceType to ViaVoice, is
my personal data (enrollment, added words and statistics)
migrated as well?
If you install ViaVoice on top of VoiceType Simply
Speaking or VoiceType Simply Speaking Gold, your added
words and other personal data will be migrated to
ViaVoice, and your enrollments will be saved. Your
previous enrollments however can not be used in ViaVoice,
you will need to reenroll.If you install ViaVoice on a system which
had VoiceType Dictation 3.0.x installed previously, your
personal data will not be migrated.
|
1.5 |
I have
partitioned my harddrive. Can I install ViaVoice on one
partition and any other version of VoiceType on my other
partition?
ViaVoice cannot coexist with other versions of VoiceType
on the same system, because it uses common registry
entries, and the same speech engine, directory structure
and program files. Unless you have two separate copies of
the operating system (for example, two copies of Windows
95 each running in its own primary partition), you will
not be able to run ViaVoice and VoiceType on the same
computer.
|
1.6 |
I want to
uninstall my previous version of VoiceType before I put
ViaVoice on my system. How do I delete the previous
version?
IBM VoiceType Dictation version 3.0.x, VoiceType Simply
Speaking versions 3.0.x and VoiceType Simply Speaking
Gold version 3.5 are equipped with an uninstall program.
You must run this uninstall program to successfully
delete any entries that were made to the Windows 95
Registry. VoiceType Dictation version 1.32, and earlier
versions, will have to be removed using the Add/Remove
Programs icon in the Control Panel of Windows 95. Make
sure you reboot your system before installing ViaVoice.
|
1.7 |
How do I
reinstall a previous VoiceType version after I have
installed ViaVoice?
VoiceType Simply Speaking and VoiceType Simply
Speaking Gold:
To reinstall Simply Speaking or Simply Speaking Gold,
uninstall ViaVoice, shut down and restart your computer,
and then reinstall Simply Speaking or Simply Speaking
Gold in the same directory. Your enrollments and other
personal data will be restored.
VoiceType Dictation 3.0.x:
To reinstall VoiceType Dictation 3.0.x, uninstall
ViaVoice, then shut down and restart your computer.
Install VoiceType Dictation in its original directory
(x:\ibmvtype).
|
1.8 |
How can I
uninstall and reinstall ViaVoice without losing my user
data (e.g. enrollments)?
When you reinstall ViaVoice, be sure to specify the same
directory where ViaVoice was installed previously. That
way, you will not lose any user data or enrollments from
the previous installation.
|
1.9 |
I deleted
the files and program folders through the Windows 95
Explorer, but the product is still on my system.
You should not delete the files and program folders
through the Explorer. Instead, you should use the
uninstall program provided in the product. IBM VoiceType
Dictation, VoiceType Simply Speaking, VoiceType Simply
Speaking Gold and ViaVoice versions are equipped with an
uninstall program. You must run this uninstall program to
successfully delete any entries that were made to the
Windows 95 Registry. VoiceType Dictation version 1.32,
and earlier versions, will have to be removed using the
Add/Remove Programs icon in the Control Panel of Windows
95. After uninstalling a version of VoiceType, make sure
you shut down and restart your system before installing
any version of VoiceType or ViaVoice.
|
1.10 |
Will
navigation macros I have created with VoiceType Dictation
3.0.x and Simply Speaking Gold work under ViaVoice?
No, navigation is not supported in ViaVoice.
|
1.11 |
Will
additional vocabularies available with VoiceType
Dictation 3.0.x and VoiceType Simply Speaking Gold work
with ViaVoice?
No. ViaVoice does not support additional vocabularies
created for VoiceType Dictation 3.0.x and VoiceType
Simply Speaking Gold.
|
1.12 |
I have a
sound card that is not advertised as a 100% Sound Blaster
compatible. Can I still use it for ViaVoice?
ViaVoice uses a powerful technology. If your sound card
and PC do not meet the minimum requirements, ViaVoice
will not work adequately on your PC.
|
Answers
section 2 - Microphone Setup |
2.1 |
What is
Microphone Setup?
Microphone Setup is a wizard, located in the ViaVoice
Tools folder, that helps you connect the IBM ViaVoice
microphone headset to your computer and helps you
configure your audio settings. Microphone Setup does the
following: |
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- Shows you
how to connect the microphone headset to your computer. |
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- Tests your
existing audio setup. |
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- Adjusts
the microphone volume. |
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- Performs a
speech recognition test. |
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Setting
up your microphone correctly is the single most important
thing you can do to enhance the use of ViaVoice. Proper
microphone set up, and correct audio settings are
required to achieve the highest recognition accuracy.
|
2.2 |
When
should I run Microphone Setup?
You should run Microphone Setup: |
|
|
- BEFORE
you begin your first dictation session. |
|
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- If your
recognition accuracy has deteriorated. |
|
|
- If you've
changed your sound card. |
|
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- If you've
changed your microphone. |
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- If you've
switched users.
|
2.3 |
The
microphone in my copy of ViaVoice is different from the
one shown on the Microphone Setup.
The microphone shown in the Microphone Setup (the Andrea
ANC-500) is one of the many microphones which works with
ViaVoice.
|
2.4 |
New
inexpensive ThinkPad adapter now available.
Some IBM Thinkpads can now use an inexpensive adapter to
provide power to the microphone which does not require
any batteries. This would replace the battery adapter
that you are currently using. These adapters can be
purchased from Andrea Electronics. Please be aware that these adapters will
work on all models of the following families of
Thinkpads: 380, 385, 560, 760, 765 and 770.
|
2.5 |
I didn't
get a power adapter (black) with my microphone.
Not all IBM ViaVoice microphones require the power
adapter (black). The NC-50u and NC-80u (also called
NC-80) have the power adapter built-in to their tips.
Therefore they are not supplied with a separate power
adapter.
|
2.6 |
Do I need
to use the microphone adapters included with ViaVoice?
The Microphone Setup program gives you instructions on
what microphone adapters to use, depending on the sound
card it detects.-
Signal adapter (light gray): this adapter reduces the
microphone signal. It is used with sound cards that
require a weak microphone signal. The Microphone Setup
will give you instructions if this adapter is required.
- Power adapter (black):
if you have one of the ViaVoice microphones Andrea NC-50
and ANC-500, you may require power. Most sound cards
provide power to the microphone, but not all sound cards
provide this power in the same way. This is why the power
adapter (black) is necessary for some sound cards. For
instance, the Sound Blaster(**) cards usually require the
power adapter (black). However, the other ViaVoice
microphones (Andrea NC-50u and NC-80u) have the power
adapter built in to their tips and is therefore not
shipped as a separate item in your microphone package.
- Battery adapter:
A few sound cards and some laptop computers (including
the IBM ThinkPad range) do not provide microphone power.
For those, you must use the battery adapter. If you
require a battery adapter, please contact Andrea
Electronics (information included with the headset). Try
the microphone both with and without the black power
adapter (if supplied with your microphone), following the
instructions in the Microphone Setup program, before
deciding to use the battery adapter. Don't forget to
install two fresh AAA batteries in the correct
orientation into the battery adapter before using it.
Even if it seems that your sound card needs the battery
adapter, you may not, in fact, need it. Some sound cards
have the ability to provide microphone power, but this
feature is disabled. To enable the feature, carefully
read the documentation for your sound card; you might
need to set a jumper or run a setup utility. If you do
not have documentation for your card, contact your
computer or sound card manufacturer and ask if and how
your particular sound card can provide power to
microphones so that you can avoid using the battery
adapter and having to buy batteries.
|
2.7 |
Can I use
the microphone that shipped with my computer (or the
built-in microphone, if there is one)?
We recommend using the microphone supplied with your
ViaVoice product. This microphone has noise cancelling
capabilities and was specifically designed for speech
recognition. However, if you have another microphone for
your computer, you can use it to make sure that the
computer's sound system works before you plug in the
microphone for ViaVoice. For this pretest, make a test
recording of your voice in the Windows Sound Recorder.
Again, use this microphone only for testing the sound
system -- not for ViaVoice speech recognition.When plugging the ViaVoice
microphone into your computer, do not use the
microphone-in jack on the side of the monitor. Instead,
make sure that you plug the microphone directly into your
sound card's microphone-in jack. This will help avoid
getting any interference from your monitor through the
microphone.
|
2.8 |
Can any
other microphones be used?
You can use many microphones for speech recognition;
however, not all microphones will produce satisfactory
results. Several microphones have been tested and found
to produce dictation accuracy consistent with the
microphone included with the product. Please click here to be linked to an up to date list
of tested microphones.
|
2.9 |
How often
should I change the batteries in the microphone battery
adapter?
The microphone draws power from the battery adapter even
when the microphone is off. To increase the life of the
batteries, unplug the microphone from the battery adapter
when you are not using it. If you are using ViaVoice on a
daily basis, you should change the batteries every month
or so.
|
2.10 |
I have an
Ensoniq sound card in my PC and I keep failing the test
in Microphone Setup "I am Testing...".
Updating to the latest drivers for the Ensoniq sound card
often resolves this problem. However, if you still have
problems after downloading the latest drivers, the error
may be due to the microphone input being set too high.
|
2.11 |
I have a
Crystal sound card in my PC and when I run Microphone
Setup, a "General Error" message is returned.
Updating to the newest drivers almost always resolves
this failure. |
2.12 |
If you
have an FX sound card in your Acer PC...
Make sure you disable the wavetable and special effects
such as 3D and Reverb.
Note: Removing or disabling components in this
manner may affect the functionality or performance of
your sound card and other software.
|
2.13 |
The Sound
Galaxy 534 sound card in my PC appears to constantly be
recording background noise.
Removing PB Fast Media and FM Thunk from the Startup
Folder and disabling the wavetable usually resolves this
problem.
Note: Removing or disabling components in this
manner may affect the functionality or performance of
your sound card and other software.
|
2.14 |
I have a
Creative Labs Soundblaster 16 sound card and I am having
a problem with microphone setup.
If your Soundblaster 16 has Auto Gain Control (AGC), you
should make sure the box is checked. Please refer to the
ViaVoice README for complete instructions on how to do
this.
Note: Removing or disabling components in this
manner may affect the functionality or performance of
your sound card and other software.
|
Answers
section 3 - Enrollment |
3.1 |
What is
enrollment and is it required?
Enrollment is the process of teaching ViaVoice your voice
so your speech can be recognized with greater accuracy.
Although enrollment is not required (you can simply start
using ViaVoice right out of the box), doing either the
short or full enrollment will help improve your
recognition accuracy.The enrollment should not be confused with
the short speech recognition task in the Microphone Setup
where each user must speak 4 or 5 words. The enrollment
process consists in reading a minimum of 50 sentences in
the US English version of ViaVoice Gold.
|
3.2 |
How many
sentences should I read for enrollment?
Although you can start using IBM ViaVoice right out of
the box, we recommend that you do the short enrollment to
improve recognition accuracy. The short enrollment
requires that you read 50 sentences (for the US English
version, this might be different for the other language
versions). After reading the 50 sentences, you will be
prompted to select Train. Unless you have a heavy accent,
the short 50 sentence enrollment should suffice. If you
decide not to train and continue reading beyond the 50
sentences, you must then complete the full enrollment of
265 sentences before you can process this enrollment. For
this reason, we suggest that you choose to train after
reading 50 sentences. You still have the option to do the
full enrollment by going back and reading the remaining
sentences later. Even
after you have processed your enrollment, IBM ViaVoice
continues to update your personal language model helping
to improve your recognition performance. Whenever you use
the Correct Error function to correct recognition
mistakes, IBM ViaVoice will learn the usage of the
corrected word in reference to its language context and
will give this word higher rank next time this word is
spoken. Essentially, doing word correction allows
ViaVoice to learn from its mistakes and recognize the
corrected word next time you speak it.
|
3.3 |
What if I
do not speak with a native accent for the language
version I have installed?
If you do not have a native accent for that language, or
if you have a strong regional accent, and are frequently
getting "red" words while reading the
enrollment sentences, decrease the recognition
sensitivity as follows: |
|
|
- Click
"Options" in the Enrollment panel. |
|
|
- Move the
slider to the left in the "Match word to sound"
section by clicking the "Approximate" arrow 3
to 5 times. |
|
|
- Click
"OK", then click "Yes". |
|
|
- However,
do not forget that most times problems with
"red" words occur because of incorrect
positioning of the microphone. Make sure that your
microphone is positioned and adjusted properly by running
Microphone Setup before you start the Enrollment.
|
Answers
section 4 - General dictation and SpeakPad |
4.1 |
What is
the difference between isolated-word speech and
continuous speech?
Isolated-word speech is speaking with small pauses
between your words. Continuous speech allows you to speak
without pauses between your words, however you should
speak at a moderate pace and pronounce each word clearly.
It is important not to run your words together. You
should use the Dictation Trainer to learn how to
speak when dictating with IBM ViaVoice.
|
4.2 |
How does
the system learn as I correct mistakes in SpeakPad?
As soon as you correct a word, the correction is saved in
memory and is available during your dictation session.
Once you close your SpeakPad dictation session, the
correction is saved to disk and your speech data is
updated with the correct pronunciation of a new word and
its usage of the misrecognized word.
|
4.3 |
Once I've
dictated a document in SpeakPad, how do I transfer it to
another application?
After you have completed a dictation session in SpeakPad
and corrected any errors, you can transfer the text to
any application which accepts text input (e.g. a word
processor). With the left mouse button, click the
Transfer icon in the icon toolbar (this will transfer the
text automatically to the last application that you used)
or click and drag the icon with your mouse pointer to the
opened application window where you want to transfer the
dictated text. The formatting of the document in SpeakPad
WILL NOT be preserved in the other application. You
should format the text after transferring it.
|
4.4 |
Is it
possible to add an alternate pronunciation for an
existing word in the vocabulary?
No. There is no manual way to insert an alternate
pronunciation for a word in the dictation vocabulary.
However, if the system detects that you've corrected a
word more than twice, a pop-up message will appear and
you will be asked to provide a new pronunciation. This
new pronunciation will be stored along with the old
pronunciation.
|
4.5 |
My
recognition was good, but it now has deteriorated. Why?
Several factors could account for this problem: |
|
|
- The
microphone settings might have been changed either
manually or by some other sound application. Please run
Microphone Setup. This will readjust your microphone
settings so that ViaVoice will work correctly. |
|
|
- You might
not be using your own speech data. Make sure you use the
correct user name that contains your own personal
language model. You can use the IBM ViaVoice Options, in
the Control Panel, to check and change users. |
|
|
- You might
be positioning your microphone incorrectly. The
microphone boom should be angled toward the corner of
your mouth (not up or down) so that the flat part on the
microphone element under the foam faces the corner of
your mouth. The Microphone Setup Wizard illustrates the
correct positioning of the microphone. |
|
|
- Make sure
that you are not breathing directly into the microphone
mouthpiece or speaking too loudly when dictating. Also,
make sure the foam microphone wind screen is attached and
in place. |
|
|
- The
batteries in your battery adapter may be running low. If
you are using the battery adapter, try using fresh
batteries.
|
4.6 |
How do I
dictate numbers?
To dictate numbers, like a social security number, you
should break them up into two digits at a time. For
instance, to dictate the following social security
number, 521-44-9655, say fifty-two one hyphen forty-four
hyphen ninety-six fifty-five. Initially, the numbers will
have spaces in between them, but once ViaVoice
understands the context of this number, by saying another
word, it will glue these digits back together.
|
4.7 |
How can I
improve my recognition performance with ViaVoice?
ViaVoice is speaker independent, so you can use SpeakPad
to dictate without first training it to recognize your
voice (enrollment). Let's assume that you are using the
US English version of ViaVoice. If you have set up your
microphone correctly, and if you have a native US English
accent, you should get more than 90% recognition accuracy
for words in the ViaVoice vocabulary without enrolling.
To gauge your true recognition accuracy, dictate a few
paragraphs, say, from a business letter, skipping words,
such as names, that are not likely to be in the
vocabulary. After you finish dictating, you might find
that there are a number of misrecognized words in your
text. If you find your recognition performance is lower
than 90%, then we recommend going through enrollment.
Refer to the enrollment section in these frequently asked
questions for further information.Here are some tips on how to
improve your recognition performance:
- Use speech correction to
correct a word that ViaVoice misrecognizes and teach it
how to display the word. Speech correction adjusts your
personal speech files so that ViaVoice remembers the
correction each time you say the word. There are several
methods for error correction using ViaVoice. Please
reference your "How Do You Dictate and Correct
Errors" in the on-line help.
- ViaVoice is a continuous
speech program. However, you will still need to ensure
that you dictate at a moderate rate of speed and
pronounce your words clearly. Do not run your words
together.
- It is important to speak
in a normal tone of voice. If the audio level is low (not
reaching the green in the microphone input level), move
the microphone closer to the side of your mouth, or rerun
the Microphone Setup program to readjust your microphone
settings.
- The microphone position
is very important for good recognition accuracy. Be sure
that the microphone boom bends toward your mouth. The
microphone should be about 20 mm (3/4 inch) away from
your face. It should be a little to the side of your
mouth so that you do not breathe into it.
- If you have enrolled,
use the same microphone and sound card that you used for
enrollment when you dictate. Although you can move your
speech data to another computer, your accuracy will never
be as good as on the system you used to enroll. So if you
switch computers, sound card, or microphone, and you want
the highest possible dictation accuracy, rerun Microphone
Setup and re-enroll on the new system!
- If your system has at
least a Pentium 200MHz processor, then you can increase
recognition accuracy by setting recognition performance
to "accurate" under ViaVoice Options in the
Voice page. Refer to the ViaVoice Options section in
these Frequently Asked Questions for further information.
- If you want to interrupt
your dictation, for example in order to answer the phone
or talk to someone, first stop your dictation by saying
"Stop-Dictation" or by clicking Stop Dictation
in the Dictation menu.
|
4.8 |
Can I
save a voice session to a diskette or other removable
cartridge like device such as an IOMega Zip or Jazz
Drive?
One minute of dictation equals approximately 1MB of disk
space, because ViaVoice saves your original dictation
audio. A two page document could be as large as 30 - 40
MB of disk space. Therefore, you will be limited not only
on the size of the document you want to save but also how
many documents you could save as a result of the size.
Since these files are so large, they can take a long time
to save, especially if you are using a parallel drive. We
recommend that you save the file to your harddrive and
then use a file copy command to copy them to your
removable drive.
|
4.9 |
Can I
have text in files read to me?
Yes, ViaVoice (US English version only) has a text to
speech option, ViaVoice Outloud. Dictate some text or
open a file using SpeakPad, then select
"Reading" on the toolbar, and finally select
"Begin Reading". All of the text in the file
will be read back. To have portions of text read instead
of the complete file, highlight the portion you want read
and then select "Begin Reading". The first time
you do this, the IBM Text to Speech icon will appear on
the right of the Taskbar. Right mouse click on the IBM
Text to Speech icon and select Help to find out how you
can use IBM Text to Speech.
Note: when using ViaVoice on NT4.0, ViaVoice
Outloud is only available to users who have administrator
access.
|
4.10 |
When
reading the dictated text in SpeakPad, the volume is
extremely low compared to the volume of correcting
dictation error. How can I increase the volume ?
Select Dictation and then Dictation Options from the
SpeakPad menu and click on the audio tab. Move the slider
to change the output volume level. Or you can use the
Audio Mixer (by running the Volume Control applet in the
Accessories/Multimedia folder) to increase the playback
volume.
|
4.11 |
A Word
Basic Error 53 appears every time I open Microsoft Word.
If this error occurs, copy the NORMALB.DOT file into the
MSOFFICE\TEMPLATES folder (Word 7.0 & Word 8.0) and
rename the file to NORMAL.DOT. After that you will need
to update the Microsoft Office Registry entry to point to
the current templates drive and folder for Microsoft
Office. Refer to the online reference for more help on
how to correct this error and other problems you may
encounter with Microsoft Word.
|
Answers
section 5 - ViaVoice Options |
5.1 |
How do I
change users if more than one user has enrolled?
Start IBM ViaVoice Options located in the Tools folder
within the IBM ViaVoice program folder. You must click
the User tab and select a new user from the drop down
menu. If you have multiple enrollments for the same user
(for example, one for a noisy environment and one for a
quieter environment), or multiple languages installed,
you can switch enrollments and languages from this menu
as well. You can make these changes by clicking on "OK".
Note: If any speech applications are active, you
will be prompted to close them.
|
5.2 |
What is
the Recognition Sensitivity used for under the ViaVoice
Options Voice page?
The Recognition sensitivity slider does not affect the
recognition for dictation, but is used to relax or
tighten the acceptance of the pronunciation of words read
during enrollment. If the pronunciation doesn't match the
expected pronunciation of the word read during
enrollment, ViaVoice will reject the sentence by
highlighting this sentence in red. ViaVoice will be more
likely to reject sentences when this slider is moved
closer towards "Exact Match". If during
enrollment you get a lot of red sentences, you can move
the slider closer to "Best Guess". This will
help reduce the number of red words, by relaxing
ViaVoice's expected pronunciation of words read during
enrollment. This is particularly important for people
with heavy accents. This setting is the same as the Match
Word to Sound setting under Options in Enrollment.
|
5.3 |
What is
the Recognition Performance used for under the ViaVoice
Options Voice page?
The Recognition Performance setting is used to increase
performance or accuracy depending upon your system. In
general, if your system has a lower speed Pentium
processor (166MHz, for example), we recommend that you
set the recognition performance to "fast" or
"balanced". This will speed up recognition
processing at the slight expense of accuracy. If your
system has a higher speed Pentium processor (200MHz, for
example), you should set the recognition performance to
"accurate". This will improve recognition
accuracy with a small degradation of speed.
|
Answers
section 6 - Vocabulary Expander |
6.1 |
How can I
quickly add words to my vocabulary and improve
recognition?
By using Vocabulary Expander you can analyze text and add
words to your current Added Words List. Vocabulary
Expander also helps ViaVoice learn your dictation
patterns, and updates your personal language model via
the "Words in Context" dialog. This helps
improve dictation accuracy. To analyze text you can open
a file which has previously been created, copy text from
the clipboard, or create text in the Vocabulary Expander
by using your keyboard. Vocabulary Expander will be able
to analyze the text, allow you to select words you wish
to add, and train the words you added.
|
Answers
section 7 - Vocabulary Manager |
7.1 |
How do I
see my added words, and when would I want to delete a
word?
The Vocabulary Manager utility is used to display words
that were added to your personal added word list. On
occasion, a word will be added to your personal added
word list that will take the place of an already existing
word. For example, if the word "comma" was
inadvertently added during word correction, the word
"comma" might appear instead of the punctuation
mark ",". In your added word list, you can
delete the word "comma" and the punctuation
mark should again appear during dictation. You might also
want to delete misspelled words and words such as proper
names that you know you will not use again.
|
Answers
section 8 - Hardware and software requirements |
8.1 |
What are
the minimum hardware and software requirements?
To run IBM ViaVoice, you must be running Windows 95(**)
or Windows NT 4.0(**) and have at least the following
hardware: |
|
|
-
Pentium(**) 166MHz, or equivalent AMD-K6 MMX Enhanced
Processor (**). |
|
|
- 32MB of
memory for Windows 95 / 48MB of memory for NT 4.0. These
memory requirements include running Microsoft Word.
However, like with any software, increasing the processor
and/or the memory will improve the speed of decoding, but
will not improve the recognition performance. |
|
|
- 125+MB of
available (non-compressed) hard file space. |
|
|
- Creative
Labs(**) Sound Blaster 16 (or 100% compatible) or
Mwave(*) sound card. |
|
|
- CD-ROM
Drive.
Refer to our list of systems tested with ViaVoice for additional information.
|
Answers
section 9 - Known limitations |
9.1 |
Are there
any known limitations?
Following are known limitations: |
|
|
- A user
must use the same application for retrieving deferred or
delegated dictation as was used for saving it. For
example, if SpeakPad was used to save a dictation, then
you must use SpeakPad to retrieve and make corrections to
that dictation. |
|
|
- In the US
version, when using the "Text to Speech"
function, the volume is lower compared to the volume
when correcting dictation errors. Please note that
ViaVoice Outloud (the text to speech function) is found
under SpeakPad as 'Begin Reading' as specified in the
online help. If you have VoiceCenter up, you can also say
'Begin Reading' to read any text from any active window.
Also note that you must have administrator privileges to
use ViaVoice Outloud when running ViaVoice on NT4.0. |
|
|
- If
"Check Grammar as You Type" option in Word 97
is selected, dictated word correction does not work.
You can temporarily remove the grammar checking by
right-clicking the underlined words and clicking Ignore
Sentence |
|
|
-
Microsoft Word 6.0c and Word 7.0 (Office 95) might not
work after you install Word 97 in the same system and
then install Dictation Support for it. |
|
|
- The Dictation
Trainer is difficult to read with the display
properties set to Large Fonts. To change to small fonts,
click Start/Control Panel/Display and make sure that the
font size is set to small fonts. |
|
|
- You must
have administrator privileges to install ViaVoice
on Windows NT 4.0, use ViaVoice Outloud (text-to-speech
utility) and MS Word support. |
|
|
-
Problems with ViaVoice and Anti-Virus Software. If
you receive errros such as SMAPI RC = 215, SMAPI = -4 in
Microphone Setup Wizard, general error in Dictation
Trainer, no playback in SpeakPad, or errors using
ViaVoice options, make sure that you are not running any
antivirus software (e.g. IBM Antivirus for Windows 95 or
NT, or Norton Antivirus) during the installation of
ViaVoice. If you
run IBM Antivirus for Windows 95 or NT, make sure you
disable the "Check files when accessed" field
in System Shield setup before installing ViaVoice.
|
|
|
- On
Windows NT, do not use an Audio Description on saved
dictation sessions. You must answer "No" to
the question "Would you like to record an audio
description for this session?" when saving a
dictation session. |
|
|
- Direct
Dictation to Word 6.0c is not supported under Windows NT.
You can use SpeakPad to dictate, then transfer your
dictated text into Word 6.0c.
|
|
|
Recently
there has been a trend towards lower end, inexpensive
consumer like PC's. One of these cost cutting methods
is the elimination of L2 cache. L2 cache is used to
buffer data into the main CPU (processor) to insure
optimum system performance. This is also referred to as
Pipeline Burst Cache or Processor Cache. Systems without L2 cache will run
slower with CPU/floating point calculation intensive
applications such as speech recognition and other
multimedia programs which may result in performance
problems. Some systems have sockets where customers can
add L2 cache by purchasing this feature separately.
Customers who experience
performance problems should contact their place of
purchase or system manufacturers for information on
adding cache to optimize their systems to run these
applications.
|
9.2 |
When
using an IBM ThinkPad, is there a problem using suspend
mode while dictating?
On IBM ThinkPad computers, you must Stop Dictation before
you enter suspend mode.
|
9.3 |
I have an
MWAVE adapter and have just upgraded my software from
28.8 to 33.6. ViaVoice no longer works since I have
upgraded my modem software.
The 33.6 modem software uses a lot of resources and may
keep the modem on all of the time. This will prevent
ViaVoice from being able to use audio and therefore,
ViaVoice will not be able to run. You should use the 28.8
modem software for MWAVE with ViaVoice.
|
THE
INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS TECHNICAL SUPPORT WEB SITE
IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY
KIND. You assume the entire risk as to the accuracy and
the use of the information contained herein. |
(*) IBM ®, Mwave ®,
Aptiva ®, ThinkPad ® and VoiceType ®
are IBM registered trademarks.
(**) Microsoft ®,
Windows ®, and NT ®, are registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.
(**) All other products are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies.
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