AK Google Cast plugin - Google Chromecast and Google Home - introduction

[alexbk66]

They are all set with a static address so they are still the same as before. They just wouldn't respond to anything until I recycled power to them all. Very strange. That was the first time I have ever had to do that.

Yeah, strange, especially all of them...

[cowinger]

Alex, just wondering why when you go to the config page and select a speaker (blue link) and then select the AK Googlecast tab there is a setting to choose Google Translate or Homeseer. If I select Homeseer it automatically goes back to google translate and it won't stay on Homeseer. How do we get it to stay on Homeseer? Thanks

[alexbk66]

Alex, just wondering why when you go to the config page and select a speaker (blue link) and then select the AK Googlecast tab there is a setting to choose Google Translate or Homeseer. If I select Homeseer it automatically goes back to google translate and it won't stay on Homeseer. How do we get it to stay on Homeseer? Thanks

Hmm, I'll check. I didn't test this for long time as everybody use Google

[alexbk66]

setting to choose Google Translate or Homeseer. If I select Homeseer it automatically goes back to google translate and it won't stay on Homeseer

Version 3.0.0.23 (in BETA) fixes this.

Thank you for reporting. Would be better though to start a new thread - instead of messing up this main thread.

[Meapilot]

Yeah, strange, especially all of them...

I had this happen with just one mini. It was stubborn. But seems alright after I recycled power.

setting to choose Google Translate or Homeseer. If I select Homeseer it automatically goes back to google translate and it won't stay on Homeseer. How do we get it to stay on Homeseer?

Thanks for fix Alex. I will try it as well. I had this happening on ALL of my devices. I use Homeseer with each and NONE with Google. Oddly, leaving it alone for a bit, all of mine did eventually settle back down it seems and allowed to go back to HS.

[alexbk66]

I had this happening on ALL of my devices. I use Homeseer with each and NONE with Google. Oddly, leaving it alone for a bit, all of mine did eventually settle back down it seems and allowed to go back to HS.

I don't think it was actually using HS TTS because it was a bug in my code, I suspect it was always using Google.

BTW, what's the reason for using HS TTS vs Google?

[Meapilot]

Maybe I am not understanding what that option actually does. Does this selection actually choose what is doing the TTS interpretation? Or just the voices that are used?

The voice that was speaking was coming from my HS box. (Windows SAPI voice) and not the voice of Google.

In my case, I have TTS on a mix of Google devices and HS Clients. (Windows SAPI). I generally do not like having different voices speaking at same time for some of the TTS. My default voice (used for a message on all speakers) is with a Windows SAPI voice. So in that instance, I want them all to be the same voice.

Some TTS use a different voice, HS or Google, depending on the message and to which speakers I want to hear it on. I actually rarely use Google voices at all.

[alexbk66]

Maybe I am not understanding what that option actually does. Does this selection actually choose what is doing the TTS interpretation? Or just the voices that are used?

It's both - what is used to transfer the text to actual sound file (mp3) - the TTS. So it also affects the voice.

I used to have my PC making some TTS and added some TTS via Google Home's, and I didn't like the different voices either. So I just changed all TTS to go via my Google Homes using Google voices. Google has more options, i.e. you can select en_us, en_uk, en_au...

Downside: it needs internet connection for Google TTS - but only once for each text string (and each language) - then the result mp3 is cached locally.

[Meapilot]

It's both - what is used to transfer the text to actual sound file (mp3) - the TTS. So it also affects the voice.

I used to have my PC making some TTS and added some TTS via Google Home's, and I didn't like the different voices either. So I just changed all TTS to go via my Google Homes using Google voices. Google has more options, i.e. you can select en_us, en_uk, en_au...

Downside: it needs internet connection for Google TTS - but only once for each text string (and each language) - then the result mp3 is cached locally.

Thanks for clarifying alexbk66 . I am not a fan of the Google voices. I actually prefer Ivonna voices myself. Agree drawback is the dependency on internet.
Unless something has changed *likely*, I thought HS natively used Google for TTS like when using HSTouch default on Android devices for example.

[alexbk66]

Meapilot , Google also has new cloud translate service which has more voices, I do have plans to implement the new API - current interface I'm using is not official so can break any time.

At least I'm caching the produced audio files locally, so if Google decides to remove current interface I'm using - the existing TTS strings will still work.

[Meapilot]

Meapilot , Google also has new cloud translate service which has more voices, I do have plans to implement the new API - current interface I'm using is not official so can break any time.

At least I'm caching the produced audio files locally, so if Google decides to remove current interface I'm using - the existing TTS strings will still work.

I was not aware of the change with more available voices. I will take a look at what they are offering new.
Good information to know.

[alexbk66]

I was not aware of the change with more available voices. I will take a look at what they are offering new.
Good information to know.

There's large choice of voices in the new Cloud TTS API https://cloud.google.com/text-to-speech/
But please note that I haven't implemented it yet, I might if there's a demand.

[Meapilot]

I will check them out.
No problem. so noted. Im stubborn, and I do not like to fix somethign that is not broken........(Ivonna voice)

[alexbk66]

I will check them out.
No problem. so noted. Im stubborn, and I do not like to fix somethign that is not broken........(Ivonna voice)

[Alconnell]

Looks like a great plug-in! Downloaded today and it seems to be working but I get these errors using TTS - any thoughts?