Paul B. kindly asked:

"I'm really interested in speech technology but the biggest hurdle I have seen to actually working with Speech Server is the hardware requirements. I don't have a PBX to hook the server into.

So what I'd love to see is something that could be used to simulate the hardware so that we could then develop apps for fun and profit without having to try to install a PBX system in my house. "

We aim to please. To develop and play with applications you don't need all the telephony hardware. The Microsoft Speech Application SDK (SASDK) has everything you need to develop, debug and simulate calls into your application.

Once you've thoroughly put your application through the wringer perhaps think about taking some next steps...

To begin connecting to the public telephone network you need an interface for Speech Server. It's called a TIM or Telephony Interface Manager. In essence it abstracts the interface to the telephone network and telephony card so you don't have to worry about signalling, call control, etc. Speech Server has certified several TIMs in the marketplace. Then, as Paul wrote, you might need hardware to actually connect to the phone network.

But, there are interesting twists you may consider.

1.) For those of you who happen to have access to a VoIP SIP network you also might consider a SIP TIM; one that connects to your VoIP network or allows you to connect directly with your server using a SIP softphone (software that acts/looks like a phone). We have certified a SIP TIM from Vail Systems and there is another one coming soon from another partner Intervoice.

2.) Consider hosting your application with a 3rd party. A couple of business I'm aware of provide application hosting. They provide the necessary servers and connections to the telephone network including Vail Systems, Intervoice and others.

Cheers!
Chris

 

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