In Windows 8, there are three new client (desktop) voices - Microsoft David (US male), Hazel (UK female) and Zira (US female) which sound more natural than the now-eliminated Microsoft Anna. Speech Platform voices, unlike SAPI 5 voices, are female-only no male voices are released publicly yet. These voices are available in 26 languages and can be installed on Windows client and server operating systems. In 2010, Microsoft released the newer Speech Platform compatible voices for Speech Recognition and Text-to-Speech for use with client and server applications. It can also be obtained in non-Chinese versions of Windows 7 or Vista by installing the Chinese language pack. There is no male voice shipping with Windows Vista and Windows 7, and neither Microsoft Mike or Mary will work on Windows 7.Ī female voice called Microsoft Lili that replaces the earlier male SAPI5 voice 'Microsoft Simplified Chinese' is available in Chinese versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. Microsoft Streets & Trips 2006 and later install the Microsoft Anna voice on Windows XP systems for the voice-prompt direction feature. It is a SAPI5-only female voice and is designed to sound more natural than Microsoft Sam. In addition, LH Michael and LH Michelle can work on Windows 7 and later if Speakonia and the SAPI 4 version of the voices in British English is downloaded.īeginning with Windows Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft Anna is the default English voice.

Microsoft Sam, Microsoft Mike and Microsoft Mary can be used on Windows Vista and later with a third-party program (like Speakonia and TTSReader) installed on the machine that supports these operating systems however, the speech patterns differ from the Windows XP versions of these voices. SAPI 4 redistributable versions are downloadable for Windows 9x, although no longer from the Microsoft website.

While SAPI 5 versions of Microsoft Mike and Microsoft Mary are downloadable only as a Merge Module, the installable versions may be installed on end users' systems by speech applications such as Microsoft Reader. SAPI 4 voices are only available on Windows 2000 and later Windows NT-based operating systems. There are both SAPI 4 and SAPI 5 versions of these text-to-speech voices. Michael and Michelle are also optional male and female voices licensed by Microsoft from Lernout & Hauspie, and available through Microsoft Office XP and Microsoft Office 2003 or Microsoft Reader. Microsoft Mike and Microsoft Mary are optional male and female voices respectively, available for download from the Microsoft website. It is used by Narrator, the screen reader program built into the operating system. Microsoft Sam is the default text-to-speech male voice in Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP.

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