Tik Tech: We tested the Vivlio Touch HD Plus e-reader that turns digital books into audiobooks - 20 Minutes

  • While the literary return is in full swing with 511 new books on the shelves, digital e-readers remain an alternative to relieve us of the weight of our books.
  • Sold for 159 euros, which can contain 12,000 books in its 155 grams, the Vivlio Touch HD Plus e-reader has a unique specificity: its speech synthesis, capable of transforming any ebook into a digital book.
  • The process that "20 Minutes" was able to test works well, but remains confined to a mechanical reading and without a real soul.

More than five hundred new books are in the literary news of this fall 2020. For bulimics who want to devour as much as possible, a digital e-reader seems the best option. With its 155 grams and its 16 GB memory, the Vivlio Touch HD Plus can store around 12,000.

The literary re-entry is also being consumed digitally. - CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES

Vivlio? Faced with the mastodons that are Amazon and its Kindle e-readers or even Kobo and its various e-readers like the recent Nia, this little Frenchman has been resisting since 2011. And the firm which employs around thirty people occupies the field at Decitre , Cultura, Boulanger, Furet du Nord or CDiscount ...

A unique voice synthesis system

With its back cover with a copper finish, the Vivlio Touch HD Plus stands out with a look that strikes a bit in the traditional gray / black universe of digital e-readers. But this is not the only singularity of the device with the classic 6-inch screen.

Vivlio's Touch HD Plus e-reader launched at 150 euros. - CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES

With a text-to-speech system, the Touch HD Plus turns any digital book into an audio book. Once a book has been downloaded on the publisher's platform, all you have to do is select the "Voice" option in the e-reader settings, download one of the two French voices offered (that of "Céline" or "Mathieu" in this case!) and start reading ... A wired audio headset (3.5 mini-jack adapter supplied) or Bluetooth is required, the e-reader does not include a speaker.

A speech that lacks personality

Surprise: the speech synthesis does a pretty good job. Pronunciation is crystal clear, not too jerky, and the system's ability to swallow pages is surprising: to date, Vivlio is the only e-reader manufacturer to offer this option for French books.

An adapter supplied to connect a wired audio headset. - CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES

Amazon offered the possibility at the end of 2018 on its Kindle Paperwhite, but it remains reserved for English-speaking readers, with books in the language of Shakespeare. More simply, it is through the mobile applications of Amazon, Kobo and Apple that you have to go to enjoy audio books ...

But be careful: text-to-speech reading on Vivlio Touch HD Plus has absolutely nothing to do with reading by an actor (or by an author, like Pierre Lemaitre for his book Miroir de nos sorrows ). Although they have nothing electronic and are perfectly natural, the voices of Céline or Mathieu do not embarrass themselves in any form. They just respect the punctuation. They are even unable to tell the difference in speech between a question mark and an exclamation point. And, small problem: during a dialogue, the voice interprets the “-” (dash) preceding a vocal “minus” reply! Which is a little embarrassing when listening, as we have seen with the first pages of the new Amélie Nothomb, Les Aérostats …

Transforming a digital book into an audio book is done in a few simple steps. - CHRISTOPHE SEFRIN / 20 MINUTES

Nothing beats a real audio book, but we have to admit that the possibility offered by Vivlio opens the field of possibilities on tons of books. Especially since the open ePUB * format is in force at Vivlio. Above all, there is no need to take out a monthly subscription like those offered by Amazon (with Audible) or Kobo (note however that Apple offers audiobooks individually on iTunes). Text-to-speech can thus be adapted to each book, whether it is in the public domain (free) or not. Despite the inadequacies of the system, we imagine that many readers, and in particular visually impaired people, will find a real interest in it.

One of the best on the market

At 159 euros, the Touch HD Plus therefore has serious arguments against its competitors at almost the same price and can boast of being one of the best e-readers on the market.

Vivlio e-readers sold through a large network of points of sale. - CAPTURE

Note, however, that the Amazon Kindle Paperwhite has a larger memory (32 GB, against 16 GB at Vivlio), and that the Kobo Libra H2O has a screen of 7 '', against 6 '' for the Vivlio. Regrets precisely: the definition of the e-Ink screen of the Touch HD Plus is a little low (1072 x 1448 pixels in 300 dpi). But the display reduces exposure to blue light considered harmful, a purchase criterion that heavy readers able to spend hours and hours in front of their e-reader, will necessarily take into account.

* Formats accepted

Text: ePUB, ePUB DRM, DJVU, PDF, PDF DRM, FB2, FB2.ZIP, DOC, DOCX, TXT, HTM, HTML, RTF, CHM, TCR. Images: JPEG, BMP, PNG and TIFF. Audio: MP3 and M4B.

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