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A Voice-Controlled TV Remote
Pankaj Arora writes "California-based Agile TV aims to 'change the way people watch TV' via the creation of its voice-controlled TV remote, Promptu. From the article: 'The Promptu remote is designed to replace a conventional remote control and includes a "Talk" button and a built-in microphone, together with an infra-red receiver used in conjunction with an existing cable box.' Personally, I'm waiting for the version that interfaces with your brain."
That didn't take long to get ./ed did it now? Here's a
Mirror
Of course, the best feature of a voice-controlled remote would be to yell out, "Where the hell are you?" and have it respond, "Over here!"
I've noticed that voice commands seem to take more energy than pushing buttons. Why present it like it's an advancement?
How about a TV where you email it directions? Examples:
1. Tape all "Charmed" episodes
2. Turn OFF
Think of the possibilities! You won't even need to be in the same country!
Dashboard Widgets
Firstly, there's nothing on the television.
Secondly, there's people who yell at their tv during normal watching voice control will just add to the aggravation. .. "NO YOU MORON THE ANSWER IS DAMMIT! dammit STUPID TV!!!
Then, there's the issue of 'owning' the remote. All your Girlfriend has to do (you guys have girlfriends right?) is just say "Put it on the Women's Channel"
Excuse my cynicism, but if I have to push a button in the first place, why shouldn't I just press the appropriate button to perform the desired command?
Dan East
Better known as 318230.
No more lifting the remote to change the channel. So now the only exercise people will get is lifting the Bawls can?
... step forward in the lazy, couch potato american stereotype
We had these when I was a kid.
They were called "children".
I remember a similar device being pitched during the early 90's. They would air their commercial and my grandmother (god rest her soul) would always ask for one. We never got her one, after some research it turned out to be more complicated than the regular remote.
time is a perception of a being's consciousness
time is your 6th sense, the wierd ones are 7+
less junk on TV == less channel switching == no need for fancy remote controls
My C$0.02...
"All you have to do is be fragile and grateful. So stay the underdog." Chuck Palahniuk, Choke
...which would be well known to anyone in the custom high-end AV biz. It's also probably a bad idea as sooner or later an argument in the family room erupts over which channel to watch and the system has a nervous breakdown as it hears "Nickolodeon!" "MTV!" "Golf!" and so on until you go back to the good old fashioned button remote.
If my grammar and spelling are off, I am [distracted/tired/careless] (take your pick)
same thing with voice-command dialing with cell phones. i can imagine that being useful for blind people, but do blind people watch much tv? (well, maybe, i dunno) does anybody actually use voice-commands in any technology? (ignoring actual verbal communication with other living beings)
Well at least Scotty will be able to use it.
Hello Computer.
You say 'find a dull actor' and you see XXX next. Does it require voice training? I would be worried about word transcription errors, especially if your kid uses it and ends up with spiceTV. I know that limited vocabulary speech recognition has gotten pretty good, but there are too many names of TV shows and channels and actors to limit the vocabulary enough to make this accurate. Good luck to these guys, they'll need it.
"Those that start by burning books, will end by burning men."
It's just like installing clapper (The thing that turns off your lights when you clap) in a big auditorium. Just watch and see how good the effect will be!
-Palal
It comes with a handy reference card that helpfully explains "You can also find an actor in an Adult program by saying 'Find Adult Actor' and the actor's name".
Aha! The true purpose is revealed! Naturally, one's hands will be occupied when searching for adult actors...
If you could clap patterns and have the channel change you would never have to find the remote again! You would alsohave the fun of the tv going on and off as people talk loudly and open and shut doors, but besides that it would be great.
instead of physical fighting matches for the remote between people there will be yelling only?
Personally, I'm waiting for the version that interfaces with your brain.
What, so it changes to the playboy channel every 3 min?
Ok, outside of the few paralised individuals to whom I mean no disrespect, this is a disgrace. Anyone too lazy to operate a remote control is worthless. Actually, anyone who spends enough time beached out in front of a TV that they even NEED a remote is worthless as well.
... the programs will be generated in real time; if you get bored, the brain interface will create an explosion or have someone shot ...
I'm cool with it, as long as the following exchange works:
Me: Computer
Remote: (beeps)
me: Replay video, time index minus five seconds
TV: Lay in a persuit course. Engage.
tasks(723) drafts(105) languages(484) examples(29106)
http://www.pdawin.com/tvremote.html
It's not as cool as you'd think though... pressing buttons is actually easier than saying "One-One" or "Up Up Up" to change channels... plus you feel like a weirdo alone in a room talking to yourself...
the television programs voice command YOU oh wait... actually that's true in Democratic USA too
My voice-activated remote control is broken. I keep asking for cooking shows about "prawns" and I get something wayyyy different.
Height: 38U, Weight: 0 Newtons, Eyes: #0000FF, OS: Gray Matter 1.0 (Alpha)
so how much would a replacement remote cost? I'm thinking it would be quite a bit, and since you can't buy them in stores (at least not now) you would have to wait for one to be sent to you. The real question, I think, is will talking into my remote not only make me appear crazier than people already think I am, but also impair my ability to drink soda/booze and eat?
I just want the voice actived remote to skip to the next channel when I say 'crap', 'damn crap', 'bs', 'junk', 'trash', or 'reality tv crap'
chanel surfing must be a pain in the ass to do with speaking, also wouldnt the tv mess up the command sometimes, due to background noise(the tv)?
If these become common does this mean we will get adds that loudly, and repeatedly say the name of another channel to get these devices to switch to it?
...you watch a show about the english channel and the increase in the volume of ships using it.
Let's make the remote control pointless and have the TV itself be voice-activated.
What's next -- people will be too lazy to talk, so they'll want something that lets them blink Morse code? Come on, using a normal remote control is not hard.
(Disclaimer: Aside from news, Simpsons, and Jon Stewart, I watch no TV. Maybe for hard-core teevee usars, pushing buttons does get tiring. But just remember that you're better off than when people had to actually stand up and walk to the TV to change the channel.)
Signature.
Don't know whether or not you're willing to undergo the surgery though.
Happy people make bad consumers.
Firstly, opening your mouth and speaking up takes up more energy than pressing a button wih your thumb. Value for laziness == 0. I can see a big value for disabled people though.
Secondly, what's really needed is a TV that can recognize commercials and informercials and switch channel instantly (or switch to some radio station for the duration of the commercials), then comes back to the program when the junk is over. Cuz ya know, besides setting the volume, that's what people use their remote for when they don't go to the bathroom during the ads...
"A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
And now we have truly accomodated the american stereotype. Now Joe Sixpack doesn't even have to lift a finger. There goes my excuse for exercise. damn
I have one, and once you have the tv volume loud enough to hear or if there is another person talking and the remote isn't 1 inch from your mouth, it wont work, and when it does work, it's becuase you have said the same thing to it 10x.
I wouldn't want my remote doing crazy things on its own.
How about a Promptu commercial on TV just after you pressed talk :)
Plus, pressing a button and talking cannot faster than pressing two or tree buttons.
why not just bypass the remote and put the voice sensors in the TV? cut out the middle man and all that? Its as useless as those small remote controls on the headphone wire for an mp3 player. I mean think about it.Seriously.
If you mix up the commands with previous article, you might end up with a dancing TV.
One line blog. I hear that they're called Twitters now.
There are lots of them out there. My brother bought me one from the Discovery Channel store 4 years ago for Christmas. (Can't find a link to it right now, can't remember the manufacturer.)
This Promtpu one has some nifty features like the "Find..." thing, but I can honestly say that the one I have is a PITA to use. More trouble than it's worth, especially considering my wife would have to train it to respond to her voice as well, and she doesn't have the patience for that.
The remote control that makes you watch what it wants to watch!
What, don't you "Enjoy uncertainty"?Sounds like a real hassle for channel surfers:
"Down... down... down... down... down... down... down.."
And isn't there a danger of the TV controlling itself?
"Okay, Marsha, I'll tell you my horrible, horrible secret. Now listen UP"
It's bad enough that the majority of Americans are over weight. Now they don't even have to move their fat fingers to push the buttons.
Not to mention that it is about as dumb as a remote for the car stereo which I have seen by the way.
My cousin who has the car stereo remote is a coonass so I wouldn't be surprised if they're the first people to get something like that.
Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid... This is a classic example of technology for technology sake. If you have ever tried to use voice activated ANYTHING, you know that it is the WORST UI possible. We just don't talk the way these devices want to be talked to, and it is just not natural. Microsoft has a pilot program internally using technology from the research group that allows every employee to register themselves in a voice-activated phone directory system. I cannot tell you the number of times I have seem people in conference rooms hitting the button and carefully stating 'Fred Ziffelwitz', and having the system come back with 'Are you trying to reach Bob Zuffenheimer?' It was NEVER right. I have tried the voice interfaces to Office, and just end up drooling all over myself trying to speak the way the damn thing wants to hear. It is just not natural. On top of all that, what is wrong with the current TV controllers that voice solves? You press up, the station changes. You press down, it goes the other way. So now, you say 'up' and the station changes, you say 'lower' and the thing turns your TV off. I hate this technology crawl. We simply DO NOT NEED VOICE ACTIVATED CRAP. If I ever see one, the first thing I am going to do is turn it on and set it in front of the TV speaker, just to see if it will ever become self-aware and take control of the house. When it can do that, I will become a believer. Until then, IT IS JUST A TECHNO-CRAP SOLUTION LOOKING FOR A PROBLEM TO SOLVE.
A most overlooked advantage to owning a computer is if they foul up there's no law against wacking them around a bit.
On my wish list would be the ability to change available channels by time of day. Some channels offer nothing bout infomercials during certain hours. With smart channel surfing, your TV would skip these channels. Also it could help you avoid accidently stumbling onto Larry King or the Teletubbies.
Is a lot more trouble than it is worth, in my opinion. I can still remember the horror of frustration resulting from my attempt to use Dragon Naturally Speaking eight-ish years ago... My copy of which is currently residing in a land fill somewhere; though if I had the choice I'd have sent it right to hell.
Voice control of a TV remote isn't the same as voice-controlling a computer, as there is already or will be a BIG TV MAKING LOUD NOISES IN YOUR VICINITY.
That thing looks awful.
All I want to know, is which retard invented a voice-controlled remote but put a button on it that you have to press before you can actually talk? What would have been useful is a remote control that would make a beep when you called it after you had lost it down the sofa. They could have put all these search features on a device with a screen or just taken any PDA with an infra red port and written some software.
Verdict: no one is using it now and no-one will be using it in 6 months time..
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
Here's another article on the same subject. http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/13.03/brain.htm l
If we start buying CDs then the terrorists have already won.
I'd still prefer an approach where gestures are used to control the TV.
-Max
This is so wrong in so many ways...
First of all, the woman on the web page looks like she is holding something other than a TV remote, which is quite off-putting in a rather pleasant way.
Secondly, it is well known that the only way to defend oneself against the mind altering effects of TV is to talk back to it - so what will happen when I do?
1) TV licence request lands on my door. I say to my TV: "I'm not paying you b*****d, go ahead and fine me"; my TV says: "This is the news from the BBC."; the new TV remote starts to look for a channel about me and eventually tunes into the spy camera hidden in my TV by the NBL.
2) BBC Question Time comes on the air (a popular political discussion panel show with an interesting mix of politicians, newspaper editors, and one comedian). I say to my TV: "Why am I still watching you?"; my TV says: "It's all the fault of the electorate."; the TV remote starts to look for a channel about you, and eventually tunes into the hidden camera in your house, planted there by the NFL.
3) Pop or American Idol comes on the air (a popular gay talent show). I say to my TV: "Oh for the love of God."; my TV says: "You can't sing, you can't dance, but Paula likes you."; the TV remote finds all the TV programmes starring God and eventually shows me an episode of South Park (the one with God in it, obviously) closely followed by an episode of Alias (the one with God in it, obviously).
4) Enterprise comes on the air (a popular sci-fi show starring a man last seen travelling through time on the command of Mo Sislack). I say to my TV: "Please dump Data"; my TV says: "You are a Vulcan"; the TV remote will dump the core out of set-top-box and my TV will die.
Luckily TV remotes don't work in my house, not since I covered everything in tin foil...
Here is the text of linked article:
AgileTV presents Promptu voice controlled television
AgileTV is aiming to change the way people watch TV, with a voice controlled television remote control.
The Promptu remote is designed to replace a conventional remote control and includes a "Talk" button and a built-in microphone, together with an infra-red receiver used in conjunction with an existing cable box.
The remote control translates spoken commands into speech features that are sent the receiver and then to a small runtime application in the set-top box. The actual voice recognition is performed at the cable head-end on commodity PC based Linux systems. This can be tuned to regional accents and can include a large vocabulary database. The response is returned in around a second, and an on screen prompt indicates when the command has been understood.
The remote control can be told to change channel by name or number, or show programme selections by up to 75 pre-defined categories. This perhaps demonstrates the problem of genre classification for television programmes and displays a certain North American bias. So there are currently categories for Cheerleading and Rodeo, but only one for Performing Arts, which might indicate something about the intended market.
It comes with a handy reference card that helpfully explains "You can also find an actor in an Adult program by saying 'Find Adult Actor' and the actor's name".
Voice control always seems to be a feature of visions of the future. While not dismissing its potential application for ensuring accessibility, the Promptu approach still requires a remote control and the user needs to hold down the Talk button when giving commands. However, the real advantage is that it may eliminate the requirement for keyboard entry when searching for titles, or adult actors.
Promptu is currently on trial by Comcast and Time Warner in the Philadelphia region. Comcast chief executive Brian Roberts has been quoted as calling it "one of my favourite new pieces of technology".
www.promptu.com
__
Manisha Patel
But what if the kids of my neighbours are really noisy and I accidentally yell "fucking kids!"
Does it find me the channels which are playing R Kelly's or Michael Jackson's music videos?
the old remote controls from the '70s? They had two buttons that made a loud clicking noises. With just a little practice, one could made similar mouth generated sounds that would make the TV either turn on/off or change channels. We've gone full circle!
I've had an Invoca remote for a couple years in my kitchen. Friends want to know how on earth I rigged it up so when I yell CBC the channel changes to it. It is really nice when cooking and your hands are covered in whatever. Another nice feature is the macros, "DVD Player" can switch the video inputs, get it to the right channel, set the volume, turn on the receiver, etc. Takes a decent bit of training and it ofcourse doesnt work 100% of the time, but I find it more than a gimmick on occasion.
Wouldn't it make more sense to make a voice controlled TV and not a voice controlled TV remote.
By the way, Bush told the truth.
In about '89, when I was in college, some friends of mine had company over to demonstrate the prototype voice controlled cable box they had. They explained that it wasn't very sensitive, so you had to speak up, and sure enough, as they shouted, "13! 27! ESPN! MTV!" the box switched to the appropriate channel. The visitors were duly impressed and wanted to know how they could get one of the prototypes from the cable company. My friends told them that they may already have one, and they should try giving their box at home voice commands. I don't think they ever found out that my roommate and I were standing outside with our cable box remote pointed through a gap in the curtains, "interpreting" the voice commands.
http://www.smarthome.com/8169.html
these things came out arround 1995, they used to cost $$$, but are now afordable. Unless this one requires no training it's nothing to jump up and down about.
A Call For A New Slashdot Moderation Level!
...to watch TV for you. Then you can go and spend that time doing something interesting with your life.
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
We have a whole own theatre system set-up, so we have one of those univeral remotes that controls everything, it would be a lot easier to say 'TV on' or 'Stereo' on then having to press a few buttons. In the home theatre sense, it makes sense. but just for TV, just using the freaking remote.
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
So, if you need to press a "Talk" button in order to talk to it, how is this useful? I could see a remote that sits on the floor hidden behind the couch, and you just talk and it recognizes that it's being given a command. If you need the "Talk" button, it's no more useful than a normal remote.
Personally, I'm waiting for the version that interfaces with your brain
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4396387.stm
http://brandonbloom.name
"Remote, put on the Playboy Channel"
"Robosapien, bring me some wetnaps"
Never play chicken with a passive aggressive.
Mine seems to be broken.
If bad TV shows could shout out to the remotes to change the channels, so we didn't have to do that either - then we'd be set. Carolyn
Discovery Channel store has sold a voice activated remote for years.
I would know. I had to sell that piece of crap.
and they're OFF!
I've owned a voice controlled remote for about 3 years now. I got it at the mall, some one took it out of the box and took the its book, so they sold it to me for $5 :)
Mine was like this one but I did not have the base.
Taco?
This voice controlled stuff is for the birds... I keep my volume way too lound for that to be useful. I'd rather have a remote control that included a built-in optical mouse that I can use to navigate around my DVD and cable/satellite box's menus. Then I'd be happy.
Oh yeah, also let me listen to the digital music channels and buy mp3 of songs that come on with a single click (or two, to be safe)... just email them to me and add the bill to my cable/satellite bill. Then I'd be REALLY happy.
Monitor bandwidth usage on IIS6 in real-time: http://www.waetech.com/services/iisbm/
Barclay> "...Tie both consoles into the Enterprise main computer core utilizing neural scan interface."
Enterprise computer >"There is no such device on file."
Barclay> "No problem--here's how you BUILD it..."
This has been a test. If this had been an actual Sig, you would have been amused.
What happens when a show has a a character giving commands to his TV? I don't know about most shows, but the Simpsons would definitely have fun with it.
It comes with a handy reference card that helpfully explains "You can also find an actor in an Adult program by saying 'Find Adult Actor' and the actor's name".
Thanks, but I'd rather not let everyone in the house know that I'm looking to watch some pr0n.
If you want to know who's in what movie or vice versa, it's much better to do a little quiet research here-- plus, it's free!
Anyone else remember the old Magnavox commercial featuring John Cleese using a voice-enabled remote? I haven't ever seen any devices using the technology, but I clearly remember Cleese programming his VCR by talking into the remote.
As other users pointed out, this isn't a new product. It's been done in the past, the demand for it just isn't high. If you're going to have a remote, you might as well push the buttons. Our "remote" that we designed was meant to be placed and left on a coffee table and that way you would never lose it, but could always control the TV from anywhere near the microphone. IT had a special catch work which activated it so that normal audio from the TV would not activate the remote functions.
Inevitably an actor on tv will say shutdown or power-off
My PDA already has this function through TV Remote Controller 5.5. I don't really fancy the voice part. I find it much more couch potato-ey to just hit the buttons.
Code softly but carry a big magnet.
I have the InVoca voice activated remote http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B000 059S86/104-2019136-6738345?v=glance
( I got mine for $30 new)
It can control the TV, cable, tivo, dvd, etc.
I don't think that it "changed the way I watch tv" ... It's pretty much a pain if you listen to the TV loud, because it messes up the commends.
The nice thing was that it was totally hands free. You didn't have to press any buttons (but could if you wanted to) .. it listened for control words. I could also do long macros like turning on TV & DVD player and pressing play with one command. I can't say that I use it anymore. It's a lot easier to just pick up a regular remote and press a button.
-- these are only opinions and they might not be mine.
It would be helpful if certain buttons had tactile cues, such as texture, shape, or patterns of raised bumps.
They say the first thing to go is your penis. Well, it's either that or your brain. I forget which...
Other short list must skip channel:
no, no OJ
f'in dumb paris hilton
f'in donald trump
f'in mtv or 'where's the f'in music'
How about resting your eyeballs on the screen, so you could easily change the channel with a free arm. TV's don't have panels anymore, most of the functionality is in the remote, so that won't work.
How about just watching less TV, when you don't feel like moving anymore?
Second is the best
Brain Chip That Reads Mind
BrainGate
My father bought a universal remote with this feature at least seven years ago. The voice recognition was crap, but the nice part was that you could program it for different remotes by actually recording the signal they broadcast, not typing in a number from the code book. I wish I could remember the manufacturer's name now...
"because moving cccasionally can be strenuous..."
"watching tv doesn't have to mean finger excercise..."
"you're fat. you know you need this."
Get your torrents...
Why would I need some remote control, that speeds down the zapping process?
First I need to find it too, that sucks. Why couldn't they make something prevents me from looking for the remote for half an hour in the first place. It's faster to manually control the tv 9 out 10 times.
Why would I need a television anyway?
Oh, I do really hate the television crap they put on air, it seems every time I'm zapping I see a 'police academy' rerun or a 'married with children' passing by. As soon as you notice the laugh-tape in those shows, the fun is over.
A turkish company made it or licensed a technology.
:)
Guess why they gave up? TV changed channel immediately when someone spoke about other channel
I can't totally remember but I guess a washing machine has been victim about same thing, started washing whenever someone spoke about clothes.
Heh, just think of the ambush advertising possibilities. EvilTV buys 5 seconds of time on the competing channel, which is just enough to shout in a loud clear voice "switch channel to EvilTV!"
http://search.ebay.com/invoca_W0QQfkrZ1QQ
I tried one of these a while back...it was junk....unless this new device uses reasonable technology and a well-thought out ser interface it will be junk too.
I watch about 40% free to air and 60% downloaded epz from the US, I have two xbox's And I watch all dl'ed content on those(very convenient, just like watching the broadcast epz, only better). I refuse to get payTV cause it's too damn expensive IMO. It seems that in the US you get your TV shows as they are produce and in order. Here in Australia, as many others have already stated, series are late to appear on our screen, played out of oerder, or not played at all and even worse than that, some are simply staop half way though a season. Crikey! this is drivin' me flamin Mad!
DUM DEE DUM
during an advert, the sound channel could say:
"REMOTE, change to fox news"