RE: Homeseer

[Mark Harrison <Mark.Harrison@xxxxxxx>]

OK, here's what happened, over a few months:

- Got an AM, an LM, a CM-12U an IR receiver and a Pronto
- Got lots more X-10 modules, LMs, AMs and LWs.
- Played with the CM-12U supplied software
- Downloaded the eval copy of HomeSeer
- Liked it for the control flexibility, but found the VR dodgy, and the
text-to-speech a gimmick that didn't get turned on after the first evening.

On the VR, I've a bit of experience with Audio (I was a recording engineer
for a small classical label once, many years ago.) I figured that if I was
having trouble with a normal mike plugged into the PC, then it was going to
be way worse with ceiling mounted mikes, mixers and noise gates.

- Then the HomeSeer licence ran out.
- Faced with the choice to either pay the $80, or go for a HomeVision, I
called Mark McCall...
- ... I figured that I was going to end up buying a HomeVision in the end,
so might as well save the licence fee on the HomeSeer.... on that basis, I
bought a HomeVision.

I DO believe in downloading trials. I DON'T believe in running unlicenced
software!

On the question of HomeVision vs. HomeSeer:

HomeVision advantages:

- faster
- not reliant on my PC
- in my (limited) experience, much quicker to develop complex macros
on

HomeSeer advantages:

- cheaper
- VR
- TextToVoice

For me, HomeVision won because:

- money is less of a problem for me than time (two IT incomes, no
kids!)
- I think that the VR technology will improve, perhaps ACE will be
the answer...
- I didn't want to tie up a PC at this stage, but probably will have
a spare when I finally get around to doing the VR seriously.

Mark Harrison
Head of Systems, eKingfisher

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-----Original Message-----
From: Brown, Andy [Infrastructure] [mailto:andyb@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 4 May 2001 16:07
To: 'ukha_d@xxxxxxx'
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Homeseer


Which bits of it did you abandon?

I've played with Dragon which was quite impressive on the recognition
front.
I understand you can replace the MS SAPI stuff in Homeseer with another
recognition engine.

I just want to replace the text to speech engine - it's horrid!

Andy

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Harrison [mailto:Mark.Harrison@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 04 May 2001 16:01
To: 'ukha_d@xxxxxxx'
Subject: RE: [ukha_d] Homeseer


Andy,

Played with it, abandoned it!

I got a homevision instead, and am planning to add voice recognition later,
when the technology improves...

Mark Harrison
Head of Systems, eKingfisher

****************************************************************************
Kingfisher plc
Registered Office: North West House, 119 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5PX
Registered in England, Number 1664812

This e-mail is only intended for the person(s) to whom it is addressed and
may contain confidential information.  Unless stated to the contrary, any
opinions or comments are personal to the writer and do not represent the
official view of the company.  If you have received this e-mail in error,
please notify us immediately by reply e-mail and then delete this message
from your system.  Please do not copy it or use it for any purposes, or
disclose its contents to any other person.  Thank you for your
co-operation.
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-----Original Message-----
From: Brown, Andy [Infrastructure] [mailto:andyb@xxxxxxx]
Sent: 4 May 2001 15:45
To: ukha_d@xxxxxxx
Subject: [ukha_d] Homeseer


Downloaded Homeseer the other night and I'm very excited by it.

Within 15 minutes I was turning my bedroom lights on and off by voice
recognition (my wife even managed it, but only after affecting a
particularly dodgy cockney accent - it was half trained by me and she's a
Brummy).

Anyway - wending slightly OT, anyone know of any better text to speech
synthetic voices?  The MS agent ones are horrible and I don't think its too
impressive to have Stephen Hawking answering you back all the time.

I guess I could disable the text to speech and play back some pre-recorded
wav files?

Any one else played with this?

Cheers

Andy




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