[nudephil (OP)]

Regular listener Paul sent us:

How much speech is required to create artificial, natural sounding speech for a solar powered hologram of one's parents? They were cremated so I cannot take measurements of their skulls or throat, etc. I do have old family photos.

Any thoughts?

[evan_au]

What would you like the hologram to say?
- The best way of producing the audio track would be to have an audio recording of your parents saying this very thing.
- There are speech synthesizers that can be adapted to the vocal characteristics of particular celebrities; you can effectively have your e-book read by the celebrity of your choice. Presumably these are "trained" by having the celebrity read out a series of carefully-crafted sentences which are intended to pick out their vocal tract characteristics as well as regional accents.
- I imagine that training a speech synthesiser on general audio samples will be more difficult, and will need to wait for another generation of speech synthesisers 
- In the meantime, you could talk to someone who is good at imitating voices

Of greater difficulty is producing a convincing hologram that is visible in sunlight.
- Holograms often use a powerful laser that produces a not-very-lifelike green image, best viewed in the dark
- Powering the laser would take a solar panel installation...

Overall, quite a technology challenge. It might be best to have your parents record a video message while they are still alive and well, rather than trying to recreate them posthumously.
- If you are thinking of having a holographic headstone, you may find that many cemeteries are very strict about what is or is not permitted; I doubt that the guidelines even mention holograms, but they may already ban audio recordings in what, for many, is a place of quiet reflection...

[rhinegold]

A very thought provoking question indeed, which needs some very serious treatment.  I do not have the time right now to do so, but like to give a short answer.

Technically speaking, you will need a minimum of a 64K kilostream leased line from BT, to give you good natural sound reproduction. May this be from a recorded or live medium or a synthesized audio source.

Last Memories of a person are a very serious and private thing, in my humble opinion, would I like to have my voice synthesized or be mimed by Arno Schwarzenegger, I don't think so.

Thank You.

[RD]

... How much speech is required to create artificial, natural sounding speech ...

Currently there is AI which can learn to imitate someone's voice ... https://youtu.be/VnFC-s2nOtI?t=20

[Bored chemist]

from BT

Why?

[rhinegold]

Why BT, because this fine company provides a leased line service which is superb und used by the BBC, Banks etc.

On the other hand if you are more dedicated to the "Boom Sound" of the DAB network, and natural sound is not what you are looking for, BT is probably not the company of your choice.

Have a nice day.

[rhinegold]

To: Paul,

We all have different ways of coping with the death of another human being, which previously had played a strong part in our lives. For me this moment of re-conning had came very suddenly when I was 9 years old and my father had committed suicide.  I still remember how I was longing for my fathers touch, visualized him and had cried for many weeks, allone in a cloister many miles away.

Than one night when I was feeling very much down, a nun came along and said to me "I needed to let my father go" and it was at that moment that my healing journey began.

But why do I write this to you ?

Your parents are gone, they have cared for you, made you what you are, but now they need space to care for themselves in the infinity of time and space and rest in your memories from now on.
===============================================================

Technology is being used in Japan right now to create 3 D-Laser holographic sensations, inclusive of Laser touch.

But will your mind ever come to rest, when you bring your parents back as a speaking holographic image ?
I am not a psychoanalyst, but I have my doubts as to the long term effect of such undertakings.

I wish you well, thank you for sharing your concerns.