SpeechHub Version 1.1.0, 1 July 2015
add-on for NVDA version 22.1 and later
Page updated July 2022
SpeechHub can be installed in Windows 10, 8 / 8.1 and 7.
At present in Windows, the NVDA screen reader and SpeakOn MediaSuite can use SpeechHub; more applications will follow in the future. You have to install SpeechHub only once no matter how many applications use it.
The computer resource requirements of SpeechHub itself are modest but the efficiency of the synthesizers connected to it vary considerably. Therefore your success in using SpeechHub will depend on the specification of your computer and the synthesizer you use.
The installation procedure below assumes that the purpose of SpeechHub is to be used with NVDA; once installed it can be used if desired automatically with SpeakOn MediaSuite as well.
SpeechHub is using an NVDA add-on. To get SpeechHub to work with NVDA you need first to install SpeechHub and then install separately the NVDA SpeechHub add-on as explained further below otherwise it would not work!.
SpeechHub is written in Java and requires Java 8; 32-bit is recommended but 64-bit also works. Before you start to install SpeechHub, check that no other version of Java is installed on your computer. If Java is not installed, don't worry as the SpeechHub installer will direct you to install Java 8 before SpeechHub itself is installed.
The easiest way to check if Java is installed is to bring up the 'Add or Remove programs' dialog located in the control panel. One way to do this is to press:
[Ctrl + Esc]. In Windows 10 search for 'remove', the first item is 'Add or Remove programs', press [Enter] to bring up the 'Add or Remove programs' dialog.
Tab a few times until you get to the list of programs installed on your computer. Go down the list and check that if Java is present, it is version 8. If it is another version remove it.
Download the SpeechHub installer from
here
Run the installer SpeechHubInstall.exe. Confirm that you have read and agree with the license agreement and press Next to continue. There are no choices; the installer will announce that the installation is complete; press Enter to confirm.
Install the SpeechHub add-on as explained further down this page.
SpeechHub cannot be upgraded while it is running and if NVDA is used and SpeechHub is selected as your NVDA synthesizer, simply shutting down the server will leave you without speech.
To prevent this, before you install the new version of SpeechHub, select NVDA's own synthesizer as follows:
Press NVDA + n and then select Preferences > Synthesizers from the menu to bring the Synthesizer selection dialog.
Select eSpeak.
Press OK to confirm your selection.
Press NVDA + n again and select the Save configuration from the menu.
To make sure that you have changed to espeak synthesizer, you might want to check that when you quit NVDA and start it again, NVDA's own eSpeak synthesizer is selected.
Now you need to make sure that the SpeechHub server is not running. Assuming you have selected the espeak NVDA's own synthesizer as explained above, probably the easiest way is to simply restart your computer, again check that indeed NVDA's own eSpeak synthesizer is selected after the computer restarts.
Run the SpeechHubInstall.exe file and proceed normally. You will be asked to confirm that you want to replace your previous installation; select OK. Confirm that you want to replace the old version; the installer will announce that the installation is complete; press Enter to confirm. See the next page for instructions for use.
Install the latest version of the NVDA SpeechHub add-on as explained below.
Make sure NVDA is running.
If you are using NVDA version 2022.1 and later you can install the add-on directly from
here
Follow the NVDA standard add-on installation instructions which can be performed directly from your web browser, Windows Explorer or from the NVDA add-on manager. If you had a version of this add-on before you will be asked if you want to update it; select OK to confirm. You will be asked to restart NVDA to make sure your new add-on takes effect; select OK to confirm.
Once NVDA has restarted you can choose a SpeechHub synthesizer and voice in the usual way.
SpeechHub runs as a socket server on your computer. This server is available only locally (known as localhost) which should not expose your computer to security risks but some firewall programs might ask you to confirm that you want to use it; you will need to confirm for SpeechHub to be usable. SpeechHub does not contact any resources outside your computer; it is simply communicating with its client applications such as the NVDA add-on or SpeakOn MediaSuite.
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