Why isn't the Microsoft voice appearing in Communicator?

February 26, 2018

Microsoft Speech

Communicator supports the SAPI5 voice format.  SAPI5 is Microsoft Speech API 5.  It was the Microsoft standard speech format for text to speech from Windows XP through Windows 8.  Windows 10 introduced Windows Mobile Voices.  There are many more Windows Mobile Voices that come with Windows 10 than SAPI5 voices.  The Windows Mobile Voices are not compatible with Communicator and will not appear under the list of voices.

Below is a list of the voices that come with Windows along with their formats.  Communicator compatible voices are green.  Voices not compatible with Communicator are purple.
 

Windows 8 SAPI5 Voices
Korean Heami
US English David
UK English Hazel
US English Zira
Spanish Helena
French Hortense
German Hedda
Japanese Haruka
Chinese (simplified) Hanhan and Huihui
Windows 8.1 and 10 SAPI5 Voices - all the above plus:
Mexican Spanish Sabina
Indian English Heera
Chinese (traditional) Tracy
Italian Elsa
Polish Paulina
Portuguese Maria (possibly Brazilian)
Russian Irina
Windows 10 Mobile Voices
Arabic Hoda & Naayf
Brazilian Portuguese Daniel & Maria
Bulgarian Ivan
Catalan Herena
Chinese (Simplified) Kangkang, Huihui & Yaoyao
Chinese (Traditional, Hong Kong SAR) Danny & Tracy
Chinese (Traditional, Taiwan) Zhiwei, Yating & Hanhan
Croatian Matej
Czech (Czech Republic) Vit
Danish Helle
Dutch Frank
English (Australia) James & Catherine
English (Canada) Richard & Linda
English (Great Britain) George, Hazel & Susan
English (India) Ravi & Heera
English (Ireland) Shaun
English (United States) David, Mark & Zira
Finnish Heidi
Flemish (Belgian Dutch) Bart
French (Canada) Claude & Caroline
French (France) Paul, Hortence & Julie
German (Germany) Stefan, Hedda & Katja
German (Switzerland) Karsten
Greek Stefanos
Hebrew Asaf
Hindi Hemant & Kalpana
Hungarian Szabolcs
Indonesian Andika
Italian Cosimo & Elsa
Japanese Ichiro, Ayumi & Haruka
Malay Rizwan
Norwegian Jon
Polish Adam & Paulina
Portuguese (Portugal) Helia
Romanian Andrei
Russian Pavel & Irina
Slovak Filip
Slovenian Lado
Korean Heami
Spanish (Spain) Pablo, Helena & Laura
Spanish (Mexico) Raul & Sabina
Swedish Bengt
Tamil Valluvar
Thai Pattara
Turkish Tolga
Vietnamese An
Additional information can be found at:
https://www.webbie.org.uk/blog/microsoft-speech/
https://www.webbie.org.uk/texttospeech.htm