 DECtalk DTC01 (with a cat for scale) | |
| Developer | Digital Equipment Corporation |
|---|---|
| Type | speech synthesizer, text-to-speech |
| Release date | 1984[1][2] |
| Introductory price | DTC01 US$4,000 (equivalent to $11,731 in 2023)[3] |
| Connectivity | RS-232C serial interface[1] |
| Platform | OpenVMS, ULTRIX, Digital UNIX, Windows NT |
| Dimensions | (DTC01 = W 45.7 cm x D 30.48 cm x H 10.16 cm ( 18in x 12in x 4in) ) |
| Mass | (DTC01 = 7.2 kg (16 lbs)) |
DECtalk[4] was a speech synthesizer and text-to-speech technology developed by Digital Equipment Corporation in 1983,[1] based largely on the work of Dennis Klatt at MIT, whose source-filter algorithm was variously known as KlattTalk or MITalk.[5][6]
Uses ranged from interacting with the public to allowing those with speech disabilities to verbalize, include giving a public speech.[7][8]
- ^ a b c DECtalk lets micros read messages over phone, By Peggy Zientara, InfoWorld, Jan 9-16, 1984, Page 21 and 23, ...DECtalk, which the company says will be available in March at a price of $4000...The DECtalk hardware, which fits easily under a 12-inch monitor...The unit attaches to a personal computer via an RS-232C serial interface...
- ^ Advertisement:We just turned every touch-tone phone into a financial clearinghouse., Computerworld, 18 Feb 1985, Page 39
- ^ Advertisement: INTRODUCING DECTALK THE REVOLUTIONARY NEW TERMINAL THAT LETS YOUR COMPUTER SPEAK FOR ITSELF., Computerworld, 23 Jul 1984, Page 70-71, ...The DECtalk system is available now for $4000* or less depending on quantity...
- ^ Andrew Pollack (January 5, 1984). "Technology; Audiotex: Data By Telephone". The New York Times.
- ^ Klatt, Dennis (April 1987), "How Klattalk became DECtalk: An Academic's Experiences in the Business World", The official proceedings of Speech Tech '87, New York: Media Dimensions Inc./Penn State, pp. 293–294
- ^ Computer talk: amazing new realism in synthetic speech, By T. A. Heppenhemimer, Popular Science, Jan 1986, Page 42 and 44 and 48, ..with the creator of DECtalk, Dennis Klatt...Ironically having given computers the power of speech, he slowly losing his own...DECtalk - actually a micro computer itself -...
- ^ Glenn Rifkin (December 16, 1990). "Technology; A Wider Work Force by Computer". The New York Times.
the audience heard the DECtalk, voicing words that the educator typed into his computer.
- ^ Kari Haskell (December 12, 2002). "The Neediest Cases; Battling Federal Bureaucracy To Have His Benefits Restored". The New York Times.