Information processing apparatus and method with speech synthesis function

摘要

With this invention, an information processing apparatus which has an audio data playback function and text-to-speech synthesis function allows the user to input an instruction by a fewer operations and provides a fast-forward/fast-reverse function optimal to speech synthesis. During speech synthesis, an instruction input by a button operation is supplied to a speech synthesis unit. When playback of audio data is underway, but speech synthesis is inactive, an instruction input by a button operation is supplied to an audio data playback unit. In a fast-forward mode, an abstract is read aloud or head parts of sentences are read aloud. In a fast-reverse mode, head parts of sentences are read aloud. Also, given tones are generated in correspondence with skipped parts.