Automated Announcements

[Bittern]

No idea about Inverness probably a manual system.

When I was at Inverness last I recognized the voice as the same heard at many Glasgow suburbian stations (for example, Central low level). With that, I'm sure it's an automatic.

The system that is being installed at a number of (mostly small for now) Scotrail stations is Ditra.

Are you talking about the one I mentioned above, or the new one that's popping up on smaller lines (I noticed her on the Paisley Canal line)? The latter sounds quite stale and depressing, certainly lacking emotion of any kind. At least the former sounds a bit more cheery.

 

[Jordy]

The Inverness type is Ditra - it also appears at Queen St and Central low level, amongst others. I have heard about the new one that is appearing on smaller lines but haven't actually heard it yet. It may be Ditra with an alternative voice but I won't know until I hear it.

 

[Bittern]

Then the one Inverness has is "Ditra". The Paisley Canal one doesn't sound like Ditra, but it's good to finally have a name to put to a voice I hear very, very often. I wonder why no stations beyond Rutherglen have her voice, or any automatic announcement system for that matter.

 

[dan_atki]

If you needed to get something from scratch, you might go by price - but FCC already had (at least on the GN side) something that worked fine. So, even if it only cost £10, that's money wasted!

Exactly! Although the point stands about updates to the system (which I believe are done remotely over the realms of the internet) - Ditra gets Phil and Celia to go to a studio every 2-3 months to (re-)record new things.

I would guess these update costs were considerably greater than those of ATOS, and after a while would save money after the initial outlay of the system had been recouped.

 

[jon0844]

But what does Ditra charge for updates? Is there a fee for updates, or a subscription model where they're simply included?

Atos must sell its software and that's it. I can't believe they do any updates. In fact, someone could probably have written an entirely new bit of software to work better than this.

What's amazing is how bad it can be when they're pretty good at doing the web based stuff, and the Journey Check service (PDA/WAP versions) is good too.

 

[dan_atki]

But what does Ditra charge for updates? Is there a fee for updates, or a subscription model where they're simply included?

If it is the Ditra Informer product then there is a fee for updates. In a contract I'd expect it is part of the deal, but obviously at greater cost than the product alone.

Atos must sell its software and that's it. I can't believe they do any updates. In fact, someone could probably have written an entirely new bit of software to work better than this.

Updates would need to be included for various reasons. Go to London Bridge platform 6 and you will witness some of Sarah's updates: 'Platform six for the... thirteen hundred.... FIRSTCAPITALCONNECT!.... service to Bedford. Calling at: London Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon, STPANCRAS INTERNATIONAL, St Albans, ...'.

The new segments needed for the new operator and station could really not be made more obvious. It would seem that ATOS simply get the voice over to record the segments and have the system updated to use them.

Ditra, on the other hand, have the new clips recorded and a sound engineer adjusts the recording to make it sound like other clips from previous sessions, making updates less obvious and almost impossible to spot. Try East Croydon platform 2 and listen to Phil's version of the above Bedford announcement.

 

[thefab444]

Ditra, on the other hand, have the new clips recorded and a sound engineer adjusts the recording to make it sound like other clips from previous sessions, making updates less obvious and almost impossible to spot.

I believe they play a sample clip (recorded back in 1996) to the voice-over artist so they can copy the tone of voice.

 

[dan_atki]

I believe they play a sample clip (recorded back in 1996) to the voice-over artist so they can copy the tone of voice.

Indeed - this was confirmed by Phil himself. They then equalise the volume between old and new clips to ensure the announcement sounds as natural as possible.

 

[thefab444]

Didn't help much with Phil's LM/Cross Country recordings.

 

[jon0844]

I've seen how they record voices for TomTom, and wonder if some TOCs realise with these el-cheapo systems that it's quite an art and must be done properly.

The system FCC now has proves quite clearly what happens when it isn't done right!

 

[Fred26]

They have obviously changed Stevenage over as the announcements are different than before (& the screens now say "Kings X" instead of "London Kings Cross" - could be confusing somewhere like Royston where trains could go to Kings Lynn from the same platform...)

However, I was on a Cambridge train at platform 4 and all I could hear were announcements for the train to Kings Cross arriving at platform 1. Couldn't hear any announcements for the train I was actually on.

I don't think it will stay like that. The system was being worked on for a long time today - a lot of strange announcements were being made, including announcing the same train four times with two different voices in different styles.

...I didn't know the PA voices were real. I assumed they were computerised and 'Phil' and 'Celia' were nicknames given to them.

 

[thefab444]

They are segmented phrases recorded by a real person, then put together into sentences by a computer.

http://www.sayerhamilton.com/
http://www.celiadrummond.com/ (I'd advise against visiting this website due to the awful background and animated Word Art)

If anyone could get any recordings of this new FCC system then that would be great, I'd love to hear how rubbish it is!

 

[Ibex]

Ah no they are indeed real people, Phil Sayer and Celia Drummond. Sample of Phil here:
http://www.sayerhamilton.com/phil/phil_corporate.mp3

The London Midland Atos system has recently had an overhaul and our delay / cancellation reasons (around 30) has now been extended to 70 reasons, plus plenty of new miscellaneous phrases for pre-announcements, they're all obviously updated sounding clips and all fall victim to the Liverpool South Parkway effect!

Does anyone have any clips of this new FCC system? Sounds quite cruddy!

 

[Fred26]

I don't know why I clicked those links. I knew they'd irritate me. Thanks though.

Which FCC stations have the new system installed?

 

[Aictos]

I don't know why I clicked those links. I knew they'd irritate me. Thanks though.

Which FCC stations have the new system installed?

The Hertford Loop has it installed as does the TL route as well, every 5 minutes or so you heard some announcement which compared with the Ditra system was quiet by comparison!

 

[Eric]

Ah no they are indeed real people, Phil Sayer and Celia Drummond. Sample of Phil here:
http://www.sayerhamilton.com/phil/phil_corporate.mp3

The London Midland Atos system has recently had an overhaul and our delay / cancellation reasons (around 30) has now been extended to 70 reasons, plus plenty of new miscellaneous phrases for pre-announcements, they're all obviously updated sounding clips and all fall victim to the Liverpool South Parkway effect!

Does anyone have any clips of this new FCC system? Sounds quite cruddy!

I miss Phil Sayer's voice at Leeds although he's still at Bradford Interchange but for how long?.

 

[MCR247]

http://www.celiadrummond.com/ (I'd advise against visiting this website due to the awful background and animated Word Art)

That website is terrible! I wouldn't think she was proffesional by looking at it!

 

[thefab444]

I miss Phil Sayer's voice at Leeds although he's still at Bradford Interchange but for how long?.

He should be there for some time seeing as he was only installed a year or so ago; that's using the Funkwerk system not Ditra. Mind you, if the Northern version of Funkwerk is as rubbish as First Capital Connect's, he'll probably be replaced shortly.

 

[londonmidland]

This may sound stupid but is "Sarah" in the Thameslink side yet or is it still Phil Sayer?

 

[Jordy]

Sarah is in.

 

[londonmidland]

On every station?hock:
If so when did she get installed?

 

[Jordy]

I don't know, but she is at many of them and has been for some time - so I'd imagine she is at all of them by now. Bedford was still Phil at last report but I expect it will jabe changed by now.

She has been installed over the past month or two.

 

[WestCoast]

Recently, I have been paying more attention to the automatic announcements.

I can easily identify most of them but not this one:

It is used at Lancaster, Wigan North Western, Warrington Bank Quay, Blackpool North and possibly a few other North West stations.

I can't identify the voice-over and It has a rather strange characteristic of saying calling at _______, ____________ and __________ ONLY (regardless of how many stops there are).

The chime signaling the start of the announcement sounds more akin to a supermarket as well

It can be heard in this YouTube video at Warrington Bank Quay (not my video all copyright to "virgintrainsuk")

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPbrQQXGHnk (play all the way through as there are quite a few examples of it including the ONLY characteristic at the end of the announcement)

Can anyone identify it?

 

[159jim]

What platform of STJ is that funny help point on?

 

[Via Bank]

Hi,

I noticed today that SWT seems to have slightly reconfigured the Ditra set-up at Farnborough. The down announcements on Platform 2 are unchanged, but on Platform 1 Phil announced the 8:16 as the "0816 stopping service to London Waterloo."

I've got no idea how this applies to expresses, and indeed under what basis it decides what's a stopping and what's an express. (I'd class the 8:16 as more of an express than a stopper, since it's only two stops - Brookwood and Woking - before it runs fast to Waterloo. True, there are non-stop trains and those that only call at Clapham or Woking, but there are also ones that call at Weybridge, Walton and Surbiton.)

Either way, it's an improvement on the previous arrangement.

 

[thefab444]

I think it is defined by a human in a similar fashion to false destinations.

I hope they bring "stopping service to" back for the Waterloo - Poole services, it's a bit unclear at the moment for pax at stations north of Brockenhurst.

 

[142094]

Went on a GC service from Wakefield Kirkgate to Bradford today - automatic announcements going haywire, announcing our arrival at Kirkgate when in fact we were at Brighouse.

Also, whoever inputted the text onto the dot matrix display should be shot - "Please take you personal belongs with you". Not at all professional looking.

 

[Bittern]

It's like how every time ScotRail says "Sorry" for something, it's always "ScotRail apologize..." both on the Information displays and in actual announcements. Shouldn't it be "ScotRail apologizes..."?

 

[Fred26]

...Or even 'apologises'...

 

[Jordy]

As suggested I've moved the discussion about the FCC system over to a new thread http://www.railforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=38044&page=7