International- HOOQ, Southeast Asia’s largest video-on-demand service and SPi Global – the leading content technology and solutions provider, today announced that SmartDub, an artificial intelligence (AI) dubbing innovation emerged the winner of the LocWorld Process Innovation Challenge (PIC) at LocWorld Silicon Valley 2019, the leading conference for localization, translation, and global website management.
SmartDub was chosen among dozens of entries in the Technology track for its industry-first features. Among them is its ability to generate synthetic voices by merging AI with Text-to-Speech (TTS) technology and voice morphology. This feature allows content to be more accessible to otherwise underserved market segments and reduces dependency on subtitles, particularly on mobile devices and in geographies with literacy challenges. With SmartDub in place, users have the opportunity to create deeper connections with content in their native language(s) when dubs are not available.
At large, SmartDub reduces production cycles, speeds up the processing of assets, increases geographic expansion, offers a more cost-effective but accurate alternative to traditional human voice-over, and boosts return on investment for businesses.
“SmartDub winning the Locworld Process Innovation Challenge validates the hard work HOOQ has invested in our mission to deliver a million stories to a billion people. I am so proud of our accomplishments thus far. We see tremendous potential in working alongside our partner SPi Global to launch SmartDub as it represents as essential pillar of HOOQ,” says Yvan Hennecart, Head of Localization, HOOQ.
SmartDub was launched in early 2019 and is currently being deployed to the OTT and video games market. With SmartDub in place, studios, and gaming and eLearning providers can enjoy greater content discoverability worldwide, while regulated markets such as healthcare and finance can make their content fully accessible while meeting Section 508, WCAG 2.0, and ADA requirements.
LocWorld is the leading conference for localization, translation, and global website management. Held annually in the US and Europe, the conference is attended by corporate leaders of international businesses such as Cisco, Uber, and Starbucks. With the theme “Go Global, Be Global”, this year’s conference invites businesses to exchange valuable insights on their globalization journey, thereby providing an excellent platform for businesses to showcase their language, translation, and technology solutions.
