[gentoo-user] bluetooth headset and espeak

[gentoo-user] bluetooth headset and espeak

[W.Kenworthy]

I have set up sound to a jabra halo bluetooth headset and it works using
"mplayer -ao alsa:device=bluetooth soundfile". This works fine for apps
like mplayer which can specify the right output device. 

However, I want to use espeak (in a console) to play back text files -
its a good method to check grammar - but I cant get it working?  It
works out of the box on a nokia n900, but I cant figure out how to get
gentoo (gnome desktop) to do it.  espeak doesnt support specifying a
sound device that I can see - it uses portaudio which is supposed to
work with alsa bluetooth but how?

It looks like bluez is continually changing so most of the guides Ive
found dont apply - I am using bluez-4.39.  alsamixer etc dont list the
bluetooth device and I cant see it in /proc/asound, but its obviously
there if mplayer can access it!

BillK


bunyip linux # hciconfig -a
hci0:	Type: USB
	BD Address: 00:02:C7:E5:A1:65 ACL MTU: 384:8 SCO MTU: 64:8
	UP RUNNING PSCAN ISCAN 
	RX bytes:199720 acl:43 sco:0 events:28229 errors:0
	TX bytes:23638521 acl:82313 sco:0 commands:59 errors:0
	Features: 0xff 0xff 0x8b 0xfe 0x9b 0xf9 0x00 0x80
	Packet type: DM1 DM3 DM5 DH1 DH3 DH5 HV1 HV2 HV3 
	Link policy: RSWITCH HOLD SNIFF PARK 
	Link mode: SLAVE ACCEPT 
	Name: 'bunyip-0'
	Class: 0x4a210c
	Service Classes: Networking, Capturing, Telephony
	Device Class: Computer, Laptop
	HCI Ver: 2.0 (0x3) HCI Rev: 0x77b LMP Ver: 2.0 (0x3) LMP Subver: 0x77b
	Manufacturer: Cambridge Silicon Radio (10)

bunyip linux # hciconfig hci0 revision
hci0:	Type: USB
	BD Address: 00:02:C7:E5:A1:65 ACL MTU: 384:8 SCO MTU: 64:8
	HCI 19.2
	Chip version: BlueCore4-External
	Max key size: 56 bit
	SCO mapping:  HCI

[gentoo-user] Re: bluetooth headset and espeak

[walt]

On 05/23/2010 05:20 AM, W.Kenworthy wrote:
> I have set up sound to a jabra halo bluetooth headset and it works using
> "mplayer -ao alsa:device=bluetooth soundfile". This works fine for apps
> like mplayer which can specify the right output device...

I know nothing about bluetooth except that the kernel does have quite a
few different bluetooth-related items in the config menu.  Have you checked
your kernel config for things that may need to be added?  Don't ask me what ;)

Re: [gentoo-user] bluetooth headset and espeak

[Canek Peláez Valdés]

On Sun, May 23, 2010 at 7:20 AM, W.Kenworthy <billk@iinet.net.au> wrote:
[...]
> It looks like bluez is continually changing so most of the guides Ive
> found dont apply - I am using bluez-4.39.  alsamixer etc dont list the
> bluetooth device and I cant see it in /proc/asound, but its obviously
> there if mplayer can access it!

With:

gnome-base/gnome-2.28.2
net-wireless/gnome-bluetooth-2.28.6
media-sound/pulseaudio-0.9.21.1

You only go to System->Preferences->Bluetooh, "Set new device...",
detect and connect yo your headset, and then System->Sound, in the
output tab you select your headset, and all the PulseAudio
applications will output sound through your headset.

If also you have

pcm.!default {
    type pulse
}
ctl.!default {
    type pulse
}

in your ~/.asoundrc, all the ALSA applications will use PulseAudio,
and then it will work for them too.

Regards.
-- 
Canek Peláez Valdés
Instituto de Matemáticas
Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

Re: [gentoo-user] bluetooth headset and espeak

[Bill Kenworthy]

espeak is not a pulse audio application but uses portaudio - something
quite different.

I dont have pulseaudio installed and seeing all the bad things people
say about it on other distributions I am leary about installing it on an
otherwise working system without good cause.

Note that as mentioned previously I have audio through the headset
already via mplayer, just not with espeak.

BillK


On Sun, 2010-05-23 at 13:27 -0500, Canek Peláez Valdés wrote:
> On Sun, May 23, 2010 at 7:20 AM, W.Kenworthy <billk@iinet.net.au> wrote:
> [...]
> > It looks like bluez is continually changing so most of the guides Ive
> > found dont apply - I am using bluez-4.39.  alsamixer etc dont list the
> > bluetooth device and I cant see it in /proc/asound, but its obviously
> > there if mplayer can access it!
> 
> With:
> 
> gnome-base/gnome-2.28.2
> net-wireless/gnome-bluetooth-2.28.6
> media-sound/pulseaudio-0.9.21.1
> 
> You only go to System->Preferences->Bluetooh, "Set new device...",
> detect and connect yo your headset, and then System->Sound, in the
> output tab you select your headset, and all the PulseAudio
> applications will output sound through your headset.
> 
> If also you have
> 
> pcm.!default {
>     type pulse
> }
> ctl.!default {
>     type pulse
> }
> 
> in your ~/.asoundrc, all the ALSA applications will use PulseAudio,
> and then it will work for them too.
> 
> Regards.