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Focus Voice Control
Technical details
Voice Control combines features built into the Focus X2 software together with Microsoft Windows speech recognition. The following sections cover how to enable and set-up Voice Control, how to select a microphone and how to turn on the Microsoft Speech Recognition.
Follow these steps to get up and running with Focus Voice Control:
- Check your PC has speech recognition enabled, if not you will need to install this Windows feature.
- Connect your microphone.
- Train the speech recognition to your voice, this is done using the Windows control panel and takes around 15 minutes.
- Activate your Focus Voice Control license.
- Use Voice Control in your Focus projects.
Activating Voice Control in Focus
From build 1124, Focus X2 has Voice Control added. To activate this feature you need to purchase a license activation key from Elite Sports Analysis (click here to see purchase options). After purchase You will find the procedure is the same as activating any other Focus license: you request an activation (click 'Help' - 'Registration' from within Focus and request a plus license) and we email you back an activation key.
Using Focus Voice Control
Voice Control lets a user control Focus by talking to it. After connecting a microphone and setting up Windows correctly you can log and review data hands-free. The effect of Voice Control is exactly the same as pressing keyboard buttons or clicking the mouse. Using Voice Control does not affect keyboard or mouse input, so it can be used at the same time. You can choose to say some things and mouse-click or key-press others.
Voice Control in Focus X2 is enabled by clicking 'Tools' – 'Voice Control'. There is also a new icon bar on the top right of the Focus display, pressing the microphone button in this will turn on Voice Control. The image below shows Voice Control initially inactive…
And then listening for orders…
When listening, the background of the “ear” icon will change colour from its greyed out form and the activity icon to the right will start to wiggle as Focus starts to hear sounds. If Focus recognises something it hears, it will briefly flash the background of the “ear” icon. Red indicates something was heard that Focus recognises, but it is not sure it has recognised it correctly. Green indicates Focus is sure of the recognition. The above image shows Green, indicating that Focus is confident it has recognised what was said. This could be a command such as to log an Event or start video playing.
Voice Control can be used instead of clicking category buttons when logging or reviewing data. It can also be used to control Focus: for example to control video and move around logged events when giving a presentation. For help on using Voice Control start Focus and click 'Help' - 'Contents' and look under the "Using Focus" section. You can also view a detailed PDF document by clicking here.
Microphones
An appropriate microphone is a key component in making Voice Control successful. There are a bewildering array of microphones available and the choice will often come down to individual style and comfort. However, because you will be using this microphone for sports performance analysis there are some extra points to bear in mind. Go for a powered microphone rather than a passive one. This will give you a better voice signal to start with, especially if you are using the microphone outside or in noisy conditions. You will be able to tell if a microphone has power if it has a battery or, better still, if it connects by USB rather than a simple microphone jack plug. Always select a noise canceling microphone if possible as this will make a big difference.
Installing and Enabling Windows Speech Recognition
Part of Focus Voice is the speech recognition engine built into Windows XP. If you haven’t used this before you will need to enable it and do some voice training. The standard recognition engine is available for US English although Microsoft will release other languages in the future. The Focus interface will only accept commands in English but the range of words required is small and you will be training the recognition engine to match your voice so non-native English speakers should not have any problems.
The Windows speech recognition engine may be installed already on your PC. To check follow these steps:
- Click Start, click Control Panel, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then click Speech.
- Look for the Speech Recognition tab. If the Speech Recognition tab is available in Speech Properties, the speech recognition engine is installed. If it is not available, the engine is not installed.
If speech recognition is not installed you can activate it from within Microsoft Word (Word 2002 onwards). Start Word then click 'Tools' - 'Speech'. You can also install speech recognition using add/remove programs. A detailed article, covering how to install and configure Speech Recognition can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306537. If you do not have Microsoft Office or Word, or have an older version, you can still install speech recognition for free. The process is slightly involved and if you need to go down this route please contact support@elitesportsanalysis.com so we can work you though the install.
For more information, an overview of using speech recognition can be found in the Microsoft Knowledge base article 306901: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/306901.
Training Windows Speech Recognition for your voice
Before using speech recognition you need to train it with your voice. Microsoft recommend training for at least 15 minutes but you can also return later and repeat the training to increase recognition accuracy.
To train the speech recognition engine, follow these steps:
- Click Start, click Control Panel, click Sounds, Speech, and Audio Devices, and then click Speech.
- Click the Speech Recognition tab then select the US English recognition engine in the Language box.
- Click the profile that you want to use from the Recognition Profile group. Training is specific to an engine and profile. Therefore, if you train one engine or profile set, this training does not affect any other engine or profile set.
- Click Train Profile, and then follow the directions in the Voice Training Wizard.