I've been testing this new feature, it has been using 90% of my CPU (Intel i9,16 cores, 24 threads) for the "piper" program and the rest 10% for my OS, so nearly 100% CPU usage. Total memory usage is about 1GB. This lasts about 5 minutes and then the CPU and memory drops to normal. The sound and inflections sound 100% better than the original sound. I think this will entice me to listen to books rather than read them. Time will tell.

When I activated the reader in the "View" book, it automatically downloaded the program to my computer and installed it in the Calibre program folder. The program is only 40Mb in size.

You all might want to try this out.

https://calibre-ebook.com/whats-new

More information below.

Calibre, the popular e-book management software, has recently released version 7.18 with some exciting new features. Let’s dive into it:

Local Text-to-Speech (TTS) with Piper:

In this update, Calibre introduces a fresh feature to its e-book viewer: text-to-speech functionality. But here’s the cool part—it uses a neural network-based engine called Piper to generate realistic-sounding voices.
The best part? Piper operates locally, which means it doesn’t rely on any cloud services. So your privacy remains intact.
To use this feature, simply access the viewer controls and click the “Read aloud” button or press Ctrl+S. You’ll be treated to TTS goodness right within Calibre!
Of course, if you prefer your operating system’s built-in TTS engine, you can still opt for that.

Experimental PDF Conversion Engine:

Version 7.18 also debuts an experimental PDF conversion engine. It’s like Calibre decided to put on its mad scientist lab coat!
This engine comes with an automatic header/footer removal feature. So if you’ve ever struggled with pesky headers and footers in your PDFs, rejoice!
Plus, during read-aloud sessions, Calibre now supports word-by-word tracking. It plays nicely with certain browser and voice combinations, such as Chromium on Windows, Firefox on Android, and Safari on macOS.

Other Enhancements:

Calibre now displays the number of data files on the data files button. Handy for keeping track!
Improved news sources and several minor bug fixes round out the update.

Remember, Calibre is all about managing your e-books efficiently, and these new features add some delightful twists.

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