Philips Hardware SDK integration

Follow the steps in following sections for successfully installing/upgrading the drivers on both the Target and the Client. You can find more details about the terminology and some basics about USB devices in virtual environments in the Introduction section.

Target

To start with the installation, you need to identify which version of the Philips Hardware SDK is integrated by your dictation software, after that continue by one of the methods outlined below.

To check the version of the Philips Hardware SDK, you need to find the following files:

SpMikeCtrl.dll for SpeechMike and Footcontrol SDK integrations
DPMCtrl.dll for DPM SDK integrations

These files can reside in different locations, depending on how the 3rd party dictation software vendor chose to integrate the Philips Hardware SDK:

For registered 32-bit SDK integrations, you´ll find the files in C:\Program Files (x86)\Common Files\Philips Speech Shared\Components
For registered 64-bit SDK integrations, you´ll find the files in C:\Program Files\Common Files\Philips Speech Shared\Components
For side-by-side integrations, you´ll find the files in folders called Philips.SpeechMike and Philips.DPM respectively. These folders are located right next to the 3rd party dictation software´s executable. You might need to ask the 3rd party software vendor where the software´s executable is located.

When you have found SpMikeCtrl.dll / DPMCtrl.dll, check the version by right clicking the file and going to Properties -> Details:

I have found the file(s) next to the dictation software´s executable and the version is >= 4.4.441

Nothing to set up on the target side. Target side extensions are already integrated to all Hardware SDK components with versions >= 4.4.441.

If you want to upgrade the SDK (and implicitly the target side extensions) to a newer version than 4.4.441, follow these steps:

Browse to the dictation software´s installation path. You´ll find folders Philips.SpeechMike and/or Philips.DPMControl next to the software´s executable.
Download the Philips Speech Extensions package.
Copy all files from \3_SDK_upgrade_patch\sxs\[bitness]\[used SDK] to the respective folders you found in the software´s installation path. The bitness must match the other software´s bitness.

Caution

Please be aware that the 3rd party dictation software might not have been tested with the latest version of the Philips Hardware SDK. You might experience unexpected behavior.

If old Philips Speech server extension drivers are installed on this machine, make sure you uninstall them if they are no longer used by other products on this PC.

The best and safest way to do that is by downloading Philips Speech Extensions package and running \3_SDK_upgrade_patch\registered\philips_sdk_upgrade.exe

What philips_sdk_upgrade.exe actually does

By running philips_sdk_upgrade.exe a multitude of factors are checked and executed:

Old Philips Speech server extensions are removed.
All registered Philips Hardware SDK components are upgraded.
These new components inherently contain the server side control extensions (for buttons and LEDs) and auto-detect whether you´re running Citrix, VMware, WTS/RDP or locally. The local use case is detected in case no Philips client extensions are installed, which might be useful in case of full USB redirection.

Note

If other software relying on old Philips Speech server extensions is running on this machine, philips_sdk_upgrade.exe might break Philips dictation device related remote session functionality of that software under following circumstances:

That other software is integrating Philips Hardware SDK (e.g. SpeechMike SDK) and
Philips Hardware SDK is integrated by that other software in a side-by-side fashion and
Philips Hardware SDK´s version used by that other software is lower than 4.4.441

You would notice that in such a software, button events would not arrive anymore (among other Philips dictation device related functionalities). You can fix this by following these steps:

Find the installation path of the other software. Locate folders named Philips.SpeechMike or Philips.DPMControl or both right next to the application´s executable.
Copy files from \3_SDK_upgrade_patch\sxs\[bitness]\[used SDK] to the respective folders. The bitness must match the other software´s bitness.

philips_sdk_upgrade.exe command line setup

For Enterprise environments, it´s possible to run philips_sdk_upgrade.exe via command line. The following parameters are supported:

Parameter	Description
`/silent`	Silent installation (no UI)
`/remove`	Uninstall
`/repair`	Repair
`/debuglog"<path_to_log_file>"`	Log combined setup. This is path to a file. The folder must exist.
`/log"<path_to_log_folder>"`	Log embedded setups. This is a path to a folder. The folder must exist. The embedded setup for the 32 bit components logs to "{100D881C-DF57-4F34-AD13-F7D6091B6B3B}.log" The embedded setup for the 64 bit components logs to "{700565C9-248D-46D7-AD5F-D3AC8F62D203}.log" The embedded setup for the SpeechAir SDK upgrade logs to "{7C9D3AC6-3674-4F3C-9CF4-BBABB21F57B4}.log"

Note

If philips_sdk_upgrade.exe run via command line does not find any Philips components to be upgraded, it will not install anything and exit.

I have found the file(s) in \Common Files\Philips Speech Shared\Components and the version is >= 4.4.441

Nothing to set up on the target side. Target side extensions are already integrated to all Hardware SDK components with versions >= 4.4.441.

If you want to upgrade the SDK (and implicitly the target side extensions) to a newer version than 4.4.441, follow these steps:

Be sure the HWSDK integration (software using Philips SDKs and drivers) is installed prior to step 2.
Download the Philips Speech Extensions package and run \3_SDK_upgrade_patch\registered\philips_sdk_upgrade.exe.

What philips_sdk_upgrade.exe actually does

By running philips_sdk_upgrade.exe a multitude of factors are checked and executed:

Old Philips Speech server extensions are removed.
All registered Philips Hardware SDK components are upgraded.
These new components inherently contain the server side control extensions (for buttons and LEDs) and auto-detect whether you´re running Citrix, VMware, WTS/RDP or locally. The local use case is detected in case no Philips client extensions are installed, which might be useful in case of full USB redirection.

Note

That other software is integrating Philips Hardware SDK (e.g. SpeechMike SDK) and
Philips Hardware SDK is integrated by that other software in a side-by-side fashion and
Philips Hardware SDK´s version used by that other software is lower than 4.4.441

You would notice that in such a software, button events would not arrive anymore (among other Philips dictation device related functionalities). You can fix this by following these steps:

Find the installation path of the other software. Locate folders named Philips.SpeechMike or Philips.DPMControl or both right next to the application´s executable.
Copy files from \3_SDK_upgrade_patch\sxs\[bitness]\[used SDK] to the respective folders. The bitness must match the other software´s bitness.

philips_sdk_upgrade.exe command line setup

For Enterprise environments, it´s possible to run philips_sdk_upgrade.exe via command line. The following parameters are supported:

Parameter	Description
`/silent`	Silent installation (no UI)
`/remove`	Uninstall
`/repair`	Repair
`/debuglog"<path_to_log_file>"`	Log combined setup. This is path to a file. The folder must exist.
`/log"<path_to_log_folder>"`	Log embedded setups. This is a path to a folder. The folder must exist. The embedded setup for the 32 bit components logs to "{100D881C-DF57-4F34-AD13-F7D6091B6B3B}.log" The embedded setup for the 64 bit components logs to "{700565C9-248D-46D7-AD5F-D3AC8F62D203}.log" The embedded setup for the SpeechAir SDK upgrade logs to "{7C9D3AC6-3674-4F3C-9CF4-BBABB21F57B4}.log"

Note

If philips_sdk_upgrade.exe run via command line does not find any Philips components to be upgraded, it will not install anything and exit.

I have found the file(s) next to the dictation software´s executable and the version is < 4.4.441

The target side extensions version should always match the Hardware SDK version. Please refer to the version of Philips Speech Extensions shipped with your version of the Hardware SDK. You might be provided with these extensions by the vendor of the 3rd party dictation software, or you may contact us via support.speech.com to get your specific version. The extensions package also contains documentation on how to set up that old version of the extensions.

However, if you are experiencing serious issues with respective extension versions in your particular virtual/remote environment, you can give it a try and upgrade the Hardware SDK to the latest version anyway. You don´t need to set up any additional target side extensions anymore, since these extensions are already integrated to all Hardware SDK components with versions >= 4.4.441.

Follow these steps to upgrade the Philips side-by-side Hardware SDK components and drivers:

Browse to the dictation software´s installation path. You´ll find folders Philips.SpeechMike and/or Philips.DPMControl next to the software´s executable.
Download the Philips Speech Extensions package.
Copy all files from \3_SDK_upgrade_patch\sxs\[bitness]\[used SDK] to the respective folders you found in the software´s installation path. The bitness must match the other software´s bitness.

Note

For 3rd party software vendors: When integrating the Philips Hardware SDK in a side-by-side fashion and upgrading from < 4.4.441, it is not enough to just replace SpMikeCtrl.dll / DPMCtrl.dll in the Philips.SpeechMike / Philips.DPMControl folders. For using the new built-in redirection, PSPDispatcherS.exe must be copied to the same folder!

Caution

Please be aware that the 3rd party dictation software might not have been tested with the latest version of the Philips Hardware SDK. You might experience unexpected behavior.

If old Philips Speech server extension drivers are installed on this machine, make sure you uninstall them.

The best and safest way to do that is by downloading Philips Speech Extensions package and running \3_SDK_upgrade_patch\registered\philips_sdk_upgrade.exe

What philips_sdk_upgrade.exe actually does

By running philips_sdk_upgrade.exe a multitude of factors are checked and executed:

Old Philips Speech server extensions are removed.
All registered Philips Hardware SDK components are upgraded.
These new components inherently contain the server side control extensions (for buttons and LEDs) and auto-detect whether you´re running Citrix, VMware, WTS/RDP or locally. The local use case is detected in case no Philips client extensions are installed, which might be useful in case of full USB redirection.

Note

That other software is integrating Philips Hardware SDK (e.g. SpeechMike SDK) and
Philips Hardware SDK is integrated by that other software in a side-by-side fashion and
Philips Hardware SDK´s version used by that other software is lower than 4.4.441

You would notice that in such a software, button events would not arrive anymore (among other Philips dictation device related functionalities). You can fix this by following these steps:

Find the installation path of the other software. Locate folders named Philips.SpeechMike or Philips.DPMControl or both right next to the application´s executable.
Copy files from \3_SDK_upgrade_patch\sxs\[bitness]\[used SDK] to the respective folders. The bitness must match the other software´s bitness.

philips_sdk_upgrade.exe command line setup

For Enterprise environments, it´s possible to run philips_sdk_upgrade.exe via command line. The following parameters are supported:

Parameter	Description
`/silent`	Silent installation (no UI)
`/remove`	Uninstall
`/repair`	Repair
`/debuglog"<path_to_log_file>"`	Log combined setup. This is path to a file. The folder must exist.
`/log"<path_to_log_folder>"`	Log embedded setups. This is a path to a folder. The folder must exist. The embedded setup for the 32 bit components logs to "{100D881C-DF57-4F34-AD13-F7D6091B6B3B}.log" The embedded setup for the 64 bit components logs to "{700565C9-248D-46D7-AD5F-D3AC8F62D203}.log" The embedded setup for the SpeechAir SDK upgrade logs to "{7C9D3AC6-3674-4F3C-9CF4-BBABB21F57B4}.log"

Note

If philips_sdk_upgrade.exe run via command line does not find any Philips components to be upgraded, it will not install anything and exit.

I have found the file(s) in \Common Files\Philips Speech Shared\Components and the version is < 4.4.441

Follow these steps to upgrade the Philips Hardware SDK components and drivers:

Be sure the HWSDK integration (software using Philips SDKs and drivers) is installed prior to step 2.
Download the Philips Speech Extensions package and run \3_SDK_upgrade_patch\registered\philips_sdk_upgrade.exe

What philips_sdk_upgrade.exe actually does

By running philips_sdk_upgrade.exe a multitude of factors are checked and executed:

Old Philips Speech server extensions are removed.
All registered Philips Hardware SDK components are upgraded.
These new components inherently contain the server side control extensions (for buttons and LEDs) and auto-detect whether you´re running Citrix, VMware, WTS/RDP or locally. The local use case is detected in case no Philips client extensions are installed, which might be useful in case of full USB redirection.

Note

That other software is integrating Philips Hardware SDK (e.g. SpeechMike SDK) and
Philips Hardware SDK is integrated by that other software in a side-by-side fashion and
Philips Hardware SDK´s version used by that other software is lower than 4.4.441

You would notice that in such a software, button events would not arrive anymore (among other Philips dictation device related functionalities). You can fix this by following these steps:

Find the installation path of the other software. Locate folders named Philips.SpeechMike or Philips.DPMControl or both right next to the application´s executable.
Copy files from \3_SDK_upgrade_patch\sxs\[bitness]\[used SDK] to the respective folders. The bitness must match the other software´s bitness.

philips_sdk_upgrade.exe command line setup

For Enterprise environments, it´s possible to run philips_sdk_upgrade.exe via command line. The following parameters are supported:

Parameter	Description
`/silent`	Silent installation (no UI)
`/remove`	Uninstall
`/repair`	Repair
`/debuglog"<path_to_log_file>"`	Log combined setup. This is path to a file. The folder must exist.
`/log"<path_to_log_folder>"`	Log embedded setups. This is a path to a folder. The folder must exist. The embedded setup for the 32 bit components logs to "{100D881C-DF57-4F34-AD13-F7D6091B6B3B}.log" The embedded setup for the 64 bit components logs to "{700565C9-248D-46D7-AD5F-D3AC8F62D203}.log" The embedded setup for the SpeechAir SDK upgrade logs to "{7C9D3AC6-3674-4F3C-9CF4-BBABB21F57B4}.log"

Note

If philips_sdk_upgrade.exe run via command line does not find any Philips components to be upgraded, it will not install anything and exit.

Client

Philips Speech Extensions are supported on many different clients, choose the one matching your environment:

Windows clients

Linux clients

Windows clients

From the Philips Speech Extensions package, run \2_Windows_clients\philips_client_extension_setup.exe.

What philips_client_extension_setup.exe actually does

philips_client_extension_setup.exe automatically installs all Philips client extensions required for your specific client platform, regardless if it´s 32 or 64 bit, or if you're using Citrix, VMware or WTS/RDP.

Note

If you´re running Citrix, it is required to install the Citrix Receiver/Workspace app prior to philips_client_extension_setup.exe.
Do not install Philips client extensions if you configured your virtualization platform (Citrix, VMware…) to fully redirect USB devices. The Philips SDKs on the target side will detect missing client extensions and automatically switch to a local use case, which fits the full USB redirection approach perfectly.
Only when DPMs are used: the DPM drive is mounted to C:\SPSMOUNT on both client and server/target. For changing the mounting paths, use philips_client_extension_setup.exe command line setup.

philips_client_extension_setup.exe command line setup

For Enterprise environments, it´s possible to run philips_client_extension_setup.exe via command line. The following parameters are supported:

Parameter	Description
`DPM_LOCAL_PATH="<path to folder>"`	Path to which DPMMounterService mounts the DPM drive on the client
`DPM_SERVER_PATH="<path to folder>"`	Path to which DPMMounterService mounts the DPM drive on the target/server
`/silent`	Silent installation (no UI)
`/remove`	Uninstall
`/repair`	Repair
`/debuglog"<path_to_log_file>"`	Log combined setup. This is path to a file. The folder must exist.
`/log"<path_to_log_folder>"`	Log embedded setups. This is a path to a folder. The folder must exist. The embedded setup for the 32 bit components logs to "{ 7B0CAB42-FEAA-43B2-9261-99C4F12F3B42 }.log" The embedded setup for the 64 bit components logs to "{ 50C19A9C-0E96-42F3-9C44-8E72D13F9479 }.log"

Examples:

Silent setup with default values: philips_client_extension_setup.exe /silent

Silent setup with custom mounter paths: philips_client_extension_setup.exe /silent DPM_LOCAL_PATH="C:\DPM" DPM_SERVER_PATH="C:\DPM"

Linux clients

Please specify which operating system your client is running:

IGEL OS

Philips extensions are natively integrated into IGEL OS 10 and IGEL OS 11. Please contact IGEL support for more information about the release plan (which version of Philips extensions is integrated in which version of IGEL OS).

Note

Philips extensions support only Citrix and RDP sessions from IGEL clients.

To enable Philips extensions on IGEL in Citrix environments, go to IGEL Setup -> Sessions -> Citrix -> Citrix Global -> Mapping -> Device Support and checkmark Philips speech channel for dictation.

Additionally, if you´re using DPM devices, you can configure the drive mapping right below that checkbox.

To enable Philips drivers on IGEL in WTS/RDP environments, go to IGEL Setup -> Sessions -> RDP -> RDP Global -> Mapping -> Device Support and checkmark Enable Plugin Support and Philips speech channel for dictation.

Additionally, if you´re using DPM devices, you can configure the drive mapping right below that checkbox.

Foot control button assignment

For changing the Foot control button assignment, go to IGEL Setup -> System -> Registry -> devices -> philipsspeech

Default values:

Button function	Button	Value Decimal
Fast rewind	1	12
Play (Press and Hold)	2	4
Fast forward	3	14
EOL	4	10

Known issues

On IGEL UD3-720 and UD5-720 devices, recording in quality play (dictation.ds2) does not work. There are indications that the cause for that behavior is in the built in audio mixer of the operating system, which takes too much CPU performance.
As only UD3 and UD5 where physically available during release testing it might turn out that other devices face the same issue.
When opening an RDP session on an IGEL UD 5.x client it might happen that DPM related functions do not work properly. This problem is related to the Igel RDP client 2.1. To resolve this issue, open the IGEL setup, go to RDP -> RDP Global -> Options and enable RDP legacy mode:
On certain combinations of client hardware and IGEL OS version users have experienced an issue where audio playback in SpeechExec or SpeechSDK integrations would not work and cause an error when no SpeechMike is connected to the client.
We have addressed this issue in version 13.2.3 of Philips client extensions for IGEL OS which are integrated to IGEL OS 11.08.440. The issue can be fixed by enabling Pulse Audio using this registry (Configuration -> System -> Registry) key on IGEL OS: Parameter –> devices –> philipsspeech –> use_pulseaudio.
Note
If SpeechExec Enterprise is used in conjunction with Nuance SpeechKit for Speech Recognition in a Citrix session, the Nuance channel for dictation has to be disabled on the IGEL client, otherwise the new Pulse Audio drivers will not work as expected.
In this case, audio will be redirected to SpeechKit via Citrix HDX.

eLux

Note

Philips extensions support only Citrix and RDP sessions from eLux clients.

Please remove all older Philips extensions before installing the new version.
Start the ELIAS tool (can be downloaded from www.myelux.com) and create a new image.
Download the Philips Speech Extensions package and import Philips extensions from the folder \2_Linux_clients\Unicon.
Alternatively, you can download Philips extensions directly from the eLux website www.myelux.com.
Add the Philips extension package to the Defined packages area.
Right-click and activate the protocol you want to use, all additionally required packages (for example, the ICA client) will be added automatically:
Upgrade the thin clients with the new image.
In Scout Enterprise, ensure that Input USB devices are not muted:

Foot control button assignment

For changing the Foot control button assignment, Change the /etc/PhilipsSpeech/Settings.ini on the client.

Default values:

Button function	Button	Value Decimal
Fast rewind	1	12
Play (Press and Hold)	2	4
Fast forward	3	14
EOL	4	10

Stratodesk NoTouch OS

The Stratodesk noTouch operating system already has the Philips extension drivers implemented, they must be enabled in the configuration menu.

Note

Philips drivers support only Citrix and RDP sessions from Stratodesk clients.

To enable Philips extensions on Stratodesk NoTouch OS in Citrix environments, go to System configuration -> Connections -> <your Citrix connection> -> Citrix -> Citrix Workspace App -> Dictation device/SpeechMike driver and select Philips.

To enable Philips extensions on Stratodesk NoTouch OS in RDP/WTS environments, go to System configuration -> Connections -> <your FreeRDP connection> -> FreeRDP -> Dictation device/SpeechMike driver and select Philips.

Foot control button assignment

For changing the Foot control button assignment, Change the /etc/PhilipsSpeech/Settings.ini on the client.

Default values:

Button function	Button	Value Decimal
Fast rewind	1	12
Play (Press and Hold)	2	4
Fast forward	3	14
EOL	4	10

Ubuntu

Note

Philips extensions support only Citrix sessions from Ubuntu clients. VMware or WTS/RDP is not supported.
Philips Speech extensions are supported and tested on Ubuntu 18.04 and Citrix Workspace App, you might run into issues on other versions.

Make sure an ICA Client (version 12.x or newer) is installed.
Download the Philips Speech Extensions package and copy \2_Linux_clients\Ubuntu\x64\PhilipsSpeechDriversLinuxSetupUbuntu.sh to a folder on your client.
Make the file executable (chmod +x)
Open a terminal window and check if a wfclient.ini exists in /opt/Citrix/ICAClient/config (or your installation path) – if not, create one by copying the existing template using sudo cp /opt/Citrix/ICAClient/config/wfclient.template /opt/Citrix/ICAClient/config/wfclient.ini
Change to folder where the .sh file is located
Install the drivers running following command sudo ./PhilipsSpeechDriversLinuxSetupUbuntu.sh --default_hiddev_dir /dev/usb/ --default_joydev_dir /dev/input/ --ica_dir /opt/Citrix/ICAClient
Distribute the updated wfclient.ini as required

Foot control button assignment

For changing the Foot control button assignment, Change the /etc/PhilipsSpeech/Settings.ini on the client.

Default values:

Button function	Button	Value Decimal
Fast rewind	1	12
Play (Press and Hold)	2	4
Fast forward	3	14
EOL	4	10

Another Linux-based OS not mentioned above

If your Linux system is not IGEL or Stratodesk and it is not listed in section Platforms tested by Thinclient vendors (Supported platforms) , it is very unlikely that Philips Speech Extensions are integrated into the system. In this case, you have the following options to get Philips dictation hardware like SpeechMike or Foot control working on your client:

Check whether your system provides Full USB Redirection or Device Splitting methods and use that to redirect Philips hardware
Try to set up Philips extensions yourself by using (and probably modifying) the Ubuntu script (see Ubuntu)
Ask the client vendor to integrate Philips extensions natively
Note
If you are a Thinclient vendor and you are willing to integrate Philips extensions into your OS/firmware, please contact us via support.speech.com.

Philips Speech Extensions guide