Loquendo text-to-speech was selected by the CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) Library of Toronto. The Loquendo software will enable the Library's Audio and Electronic Publishing units to explore the potential for clear, human-like speech, eventually allowing clients to access material in talking book format. The Library anticipates that all material will ultimately become full-text, allowing clients to search and display text in large print with a computer DAISY reader.

"Loquendo's synthetic speech engine will significantly increase our production capacity for digital talking books," says Brandon Nelson, technical lead of electronic publishing at the CNIB Library. "Less-frequently used material like the index in a non-fiction book can be recorded synthetically, increasing booth time for narration of other books for CNIB Library clients".

The Loquendo text-to-speech synthesis engine uses the "Unit Selection" concatenative technique on a wide range of sound samples. With its continuing new voices production Loquendo consolidates its leadership in the latest generation of voice synthesis technologies and guarantees efficiency features such as, portability, natural timbre, intonation, and pronunciation accuracy.

Loquendo's mission is to provide end-users with the best voice applications technology for E-mail by phone, real-time news, access to corporate documentation, and now talking books as well.

Loquendo - Vocal Technology and Services
With over 30 years R&D expertise, Loquendo is at the forefront of the global speech technologies market. Its high-quality, high-performance technologies (Loquendo TTS - text to speech, Loquendo Embedded TTS, Loquendo ASR - automatic speech recognition, Loquendo Speech Server, Loquendo Speaker Verification) and platforms guarantee systems integrators the best solutions in 15 languages and 34 voices - with more coming soon.

From its headquarters in Turin, Italy, Loquendo deploys technologies that power millions of calls every day in the telecommunications and enterprise markets throughout the world.

For more information, visit www.loquendo.com.

About The Canadian National Institute for the Blind
The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) is the nation’s primary provider of vision loss support services.

A national voluntary agency created in 1918, which provides services to individuals across Canada to whom vision loss is a central problem in personal and social activities. In addition to individuals, the CNIB also helps professions, government departments and private industry in vision loss related matters.

For more information, visit www.cnib.ca.