Amazon Polly

Amazon Polly is a versatile AI tool that focuses on deploying high-quality, natural-sounding human voices in various languages. It offers a significant amount of free usage, with up to 5 million characters per month available for free for the first 12 months under the AWS Free Tier.

The core of Amazon Polly's capabilities lies in its advanced speech synthesis. It employs deep learning technologies to create natural-sounding human speech, making it possible to convert text-based content, such as articles, into lifelike spoken audio. This feature is particularly beneficial for applications that require speech activation or for conveying information through audio in multiple languages.

One of the distinguishing features of Amazon Polly is its support for a broad set of languages and its ability to deliver dozens of lifelike voices. This diversity in languages and voices enables developers to add speech functionality to a wide range of applications, catering to a global audience. These applications might include RSS feeds, websites, or video content, enhancing accessibility and user engagement.

Amazon Polly also stands out for its customization and control over speech output. It supports lexicons and Speech Synthesis Markup Language (SSML) tags, allowing users to adjust the speaking style, speech rate, pitch, and loudness. SSML, a W3C standard XML-based markup language for speech synthesis, supports common tags for enhancing phrasing, emphasis, and intonation. This level of control is crucial for creating more dynamic and nuanced speech in applications.

Another practical aspect of Amazon Polly is its ability to store and redistribute speech. It enables users to store the speech output in standard formats like MP3 and OGG, which can be used in various ways, such as prompting callers through interactive or automated voice response systems.

Amazon Polly has been successfully implemented by notable customers like The Washington Post, Trinity Audio, and the USA Today Network. These organizations utilize the tool to deliver audio content across platforms, embed Text-to-Speech (TTS) players on websites, and efficiently deliver breaking news in audio format.

For those interested in using Amazon Polly, it offers a straightforward starting point with a free account sign-up. This initial step provides access to its advanced speech quality improvements. Additionally, Amazon Polly provides resources for users to learn about customization options and to understand better how to leverage the tool for specific needs. Users can also contact experts for more in-depth information on custom lexicons, speech synthesis, newscaster speaking style, and other advanced features.