VoiceXML Review - Letter from the Editor

Volume 6, Issue 3 - Sep/Oct 2006

October 2006

Dear Readers,

While VoiceXML and its companion W3C Recommendations have done much to simplify and standardize the development of applications utilizing speech recognition and speech synthesis technologies, there are also significant developments underway in the lower layers of the software stack, upon which conventional VoiceXML platforms are implemented. This issue of the VoiceXML Review focuses on these developments.

It wasn’t long ago when those of us involved in building VoiceXML platforms had to spend a great deal of effort integrating multiple speech resources from various vendors. These proprietary interfaces varied significantly by vendor and typically only a handful would be supported by any given platform at best. Today, thanks to the emergence of the Media Resource Control Protocol (MRCP) under development within the IETF, this is no longer the case. MRCP is a network protocol that standardizes the interface between the VoiceXML interpreter and the underlying ASR and TTS engines. In this issue, Andrew Wahbe (Genesys) presents an overview of this specification, in his article entitled “MRCP: a Standard Interface between VoiceXML Platforms and Speech Resources”. Andrew is actively involved in the IETF SPEECHSC working group responsible for MRCP and also heads up the VoiceXML Forum’s recently chartered MRCP Liaison Committee.

Just as VoiceXML brought the web application paradigm to traditional IVR applications, VoIP is bringing IP transport to traditional telephony. On behalf of the VoiceXML Forum’s Technical Council, Ian Sutherland (Oracle) and Pete Danielson (Lucent) have compiled an interesting article entitled “VoiceXML and Voice Over IP” with contributions from several VoiceXML/VoIP experts: Dave Burke (Voxpilot), Don Jackson (Tellme), and Mark Scott (Genesys). The article provides a helpful overview of VoIP technology in general, and also provides insight into the impact of VoIP on speech recognition and synthesis and indicates why the technology is advantageous in the context of VoiceXML.

In our First Words column, Rob Marchand (Genesys) introduces an entirely new series of articles on Call Control XML (CCXML). VoiceXML provides rather meager support for call control. CCXML is an application layer markup language being developed within the W3C that provides advanced call control. If you’re new to CCXML be sure to put this column and future installments on your “must read” list.

Finally, we’re pleased to announce a new column: “The VoiceXML Forum Field Report”. This column, contributed by the VoiceXML Forum’s Marketing Committee, is anticipated to be a regular column in future issues of the VoiceXML Review. The goal is to bring the VoiceXML community regular updates on happenings within the VoiceXML Forum. Our inaugural installment is authored by Peter Gavalakis (Intel), chair of the Marketing Committee.

We hope you enjoy this issue of the VoiceXML Review. If you’re interested in contributing an article to a future issue of the e-zine, feel free to send me an email describing your proposed article. My email address is Jonathan.Engelsma@voicexmlreview.org.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Engelsma
Editor-in-Chief
VoiceXML Review

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