TrueSpeech -- TrueSpeech is similar to RealAudio in many ways and is extremely competitive in terms of both audio quality and speed of playback. TrueSpeech offers versions for several platforms including Windows 3.x, 95, and NT; an aspect not currently found in RealAudio. With respect to overall performance, TrueSpeech was slightly slower than Real Audio when tested with a 14.4 Kb connection, but with a 28.8 Kb connection the differences were nearly indistinquishable. Audio quality is slightly below that of RealAudio but ahead of Internet Wave and still quite exceptional Considering the medium of transmission (the Internet). Any audio file can be converted into a TrueSpeech WAV file for the Internet, but the file will first need to be encoded for use. The easiest way to get TrueSpeech-ready files is to use the Windows 95 or NT sound recorder to save your audio file as DSP Group TrueSpeech WAV files. After this, you'll need to provide a link to the WAV file and configure your server to accept TrueSpeech files. The encoding process for TrueSpeech may well be even easier than that of RealAudio (both are free). While RealAudio still performs better and is found at more sites, TrueSpeech has delivered a very competitive alternative and will likely become an even more agressive rival in the future. Pros: Real-time audio on demand; very competitive with RealAudio; Win 3.x, 95, and NT versions Cons: Performance slightly lower than RealAudio in terms of both speed and audio quality New: Added support for 8-bit sound cards and additional sampling rates, new install program Version Reviewed: 3.10b Date of Review: 3/23/96 Reviewer: Forrest Stroud Date Entered: 7/6/96 Reviewer: Forrest Stroud apps conference Main Menu