Rovi, Nuance Team: Tell Your TV What You Want

Watch-tv-AB1Just tell your TV what you want.

The big electronic-guide based service Rovi is teaming up with Nuance Communications so cable TV subscribers can tell their TV sets what they want to watch.

"Entertainment options will continue to grow,” stated Corey Ferengul, executive vice president of product management and strategy at Rovi Corp. “With it will be the complexity of finding and deciding what to watch. Consumers want easy-to-use and simple ways for discovering entertainment that doesn't require a remote control with as many keys as a keyboard. Voice brings this capability.”

TV viewers will be able to change the channel with voice commands, as well as browse, bookmark and search for content on both live and VOD TV programming by speaking.

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The technology is similar to that used by Apple’s iPhone 4S's Siri function. The companies did not disclose when the technology would be available.

The companies are also developing an application using Dragon TV -- Nuance's voice- and language understanding platform for set-top boxes and connected-TV devices -- with Rovi's guide technology.

This technology can offer more detailed search information. For example, a viewer can say: Find comedies with Adam Sandler, Show me information on "'The Big Bang Theory," and even Who plays Chuck on "Gossip Girl"?

"Consumers love that today's cable services and program guides offer so many options for shows, movies, content, information widgets and more. But without an easy way to access and discover that content, today's digital living room experience is lost," said Michael Thompson, senior vice president, general manager, Nuance Mobile.

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