Comments on: Why I’ll Never Talk to My TV – And Why You Shouldn’t Either

By: AaronVronko

AaronVronko — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 03:24:00 +0000

Varies, from 10-20 ft. I’d rate my success at ~80%, so plenty of room for improvement. But when taking care of an infant and toddler; hands (and remotes for that matter) can be hard to come by.

By: RobertPerez1

RobertPerez1 — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 03:15:00 +0000

I wanna know EXACTLY how you speak to your Xbox. Are you speaking into a microphone? How far away is your voice from the mike?

Also, do you have to use SPECIFIC wording or phrases?

By: AaronVronko

AaronVronko — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 01:08:00 +0000

Congrats. Don’t use it. The voice controls on my Xbox enhance THIS user’s experience immensely! What else matters?

By: RobertPerez1

RobertPerez1 — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 23:13:00 +0000

You’re making the huge assumption that the TV will understand what you want. Thererin lies the problem. If Siri always knew what I wanted and did it on command I’d love it too. But having to repeat or rephrase something three times makes it so much quicker to use a touch UI. Take a poll of people you knew with an iPhone 4S how much they use the “voice assistant”. I’d bet my phone less than 20% of 4S users like it much.

Right now, a voice interface is like having a 3 yr old as an assistant. You end up saying in frustration, “never mind, I’ll do it myself”.

By: Emma Child

Emma Child — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:28:00 +0000

LOL.. I can picture it. I don’t think it’s a good idea to switch channels and adjust volume by voice control.. at least for now. I saw a demo video of Samsung’s voice and gesture control at CES 2012. It looked slower than just pushing buttons. I didn’t see the point of the point of NEW technology.

By: Emma Child

Emma Child — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 13:20:00 +0000

If you can see the value of voice recognition in smartphones, I think you can see it in smart tv as well. I have a lg smart tv and the only thing i don’t like about it is that i need to click every single letter when searching on web browser on tv. I can’t wait to get an ungraded magic motion remote. I hope it’s compatible with older models.

By: David M Harris

David M Harris — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:10:00 +0000

doesnt everyone have their own tv now a days?

By: David M Harris

David M Harris — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 05:08:00 +0000

Hey if it gets people to learn how to speak clearly and decisively, instead of like they’re gargling marbles, I support it!

By: Guest

Guest — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 21:10:00 +0000

Cool story, bro…
So there I am watching a movie on Netflix via my Xbox w/Kinect.
Not even when, one character repeatedly tells another character, “Go home! Go home! Go home!”
And then I’m looking at my Xbox dashboard.
Thanks voice recognition, that was really useful! It’s like you read my mind…

By: Guest

Guest — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:13:00 +0000

Siri is terrible….every time I try it on demos, it’s no better than the default voice recognition on iPhone 4, or on Android.

It’s really no fun repeating yourself over and over until the unit “gets a clue” and figures out what you’re trying to tell it to do.

By: Guest

Guest — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 18:10:00 +0000

It’ll make a push, as they need *something* to get people to buy new TVs, after they bought big screen TVs just 5 years ago. 3D was apparently not it…..so voice recognition will be the new technology, I’m thinking.

Personally, I wish they’d focus on set top boxes or adapters to allow this kind of stuff, instead of putting the focus on TVs. I’m more inclined to spend $500 on a few boxes, rather than $6000 buying a bunch of TVs.

I’m not convinced speech recognition is “there” yet……when it takes 10 tries to get Siri to understand what I’m saying, I have to question why I bother. It’s not like I have a heavy accent, unless a “Canadian accent” is sufficient to confuse it :)

By: AaronVronko

AaronVronko — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 17:23:00 +0000

This article successfully argues that I shouldn’t drive my car to the neighbor’s house (30 ft away) when walking has always worked fine. But just like transportation, different UI solutions aren’t meant to all address the same exact problem, but rather to be applied where they fit best as part of the most effective total solution.

When I want to search for new content, voice is about 10 times faster than crawling across an on-screen keyboard. My voice is never lost in a couch cushion, the battery always charged and I can use it without my toddler working desperately to steal it from me. FOR ME, voice control is an invaluable asset.

Comparison of UI methods in typical off-the-shelf config:
Familiar old remote: Very quickly transmit, small amounts of modestly diverse info, very accurately
Touchscreen input: Slowly transmit, large amounts of diverse input, with high accuracy.
Voice input: Quickly transmit, large amounts of diverse information, variable accuracy.

If you don’t like a particular UI method, then quit wasting your time and our patience Bi%$@n about it, just don’t use it!

By: joe dev

joe dev — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 13:05:00 +0000

How is touch more convenient than voice commands?
You might as well be saying “Why would I want this GUI stuff when I can use the command line way more easily?”

I agree that full functionality should be made available through all possible modes, but being able to say:
“Volume 20%”, “Volume mute”, “Show Comedy programming tonight”, “record this”, etc.. seems much more convenient than messing about with some physical input device.

By: Benjamin Puna

Benjamin Puna — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:53:00 +0000

Isnt this the same guy that said he would buy an Apple TV no matter what? This guy really is delusional!

By: Matt Rosenberg

Matt Rosenberg — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 02:21:00 +0000

Yes you are getting old. Voice recognition isn’t just an idea by itself. It is complemented along with other smart features such as gesture control (LG google smart TV;2012 version). Its so we won’t need a freaking remote and I’m sure we all hate to look for remotes or turning on the TV in bed.

By: Roman Buehler

Roman Buehler — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:56:00 +0000

the problem with most systems is that they simply have bad algorythms… if genetic algorythms are applied the way they are supposed to, you can make a system truly learn the way goes around you… not by storing data, but by adapting and reprosucing its algorythms depending on situations… but yeah… kinect appears to work pretty nicely… :3

tho, a propperly distributed mic and speakers setup could do wonders… no need to even press a button to make a home automation system like that know when you’re talking to it or not… ;)

By: Roman Buehler

Roman Buehler — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:50:00 +0000

funny thing is: thats the way people are catched so they can go buy stuff. if people now need to even start talking the way a very specific way, you can train the masses to start talking exactly in a self persuasive way, so they turn into consumer zombies… zombies are reality already, just look at all that black friday stuff… if speech patterns are chosen specifically, people get used to speak to their appliances, in a very specific way, because otherwise, they are not understood…

and then the zombies turn into media fanatics, and start acting like brain controlled consumer/fashionists and create a society they believe is exclusive and… oh wait… that already happened… :S

hmmm… ok, maybe i’m going a bit too far… ;D

By: hwong24

hwong24 — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 11:40:00 +0000

If this were a beating opinion site, then yes. We are talking about tech opinion here. So, you should have tried in order to get granted to talk about it. otherwise, is just a personal point of view.

By: hwong24

hwong24 — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 11:29:00 +0000

You guys probably were against touch screen too. But in inspire all the odds, voice recognition and command intelligence will be our next interface with appliances and devices. BTW, Siri works fine! In fact, is a decent implementation of this idea. are you still missing the keyboard?

By: firethorn

firethorn — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:30:00 +0000

After the 3D gimmick tanked horribly in consumer electronics (and thankfully so, it’s such an annoying faux-feature) speech recognition will be the next useless fad.

Seriously, even with 100% perfect recognition and proper feature integration – which is quite a stretch to begin with – why would I EVER want to talk at my devices when I can manipulate them way more easily by way of touch?

This isn’t Star Trek, this stuff is not going to work more conveniently for any but maybe the most inexperienced of users.

By: RobertPerez1

RobertPerez1 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 23:22:00 +0000

If it’s like Siri it would go something like this.

You: ”hey (i would name it hey) record mythbusters tonight”
TV: Can’t find Mist Bussers, shall I search the web for it?
You: I said Myth Busters
TV: Searching for Sad Mythbusters
You: Where’s the remote?

By: rjbuddyboi

rjbuddyboi — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 22:19:00 +0000

Well if they are going to implement voice control, they should provide option to only recognize commands from specific users only – otherwise everybody will be barking commands like crazy on the poor thing. I hope by that time Siri is less dumb :-)

By: drzeller

drzeller — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Exactly the scenario I was thinking of. It could be expanded to things like: ”when is X on?” ”record all new episodes of X and only in HD” ”what is on tonight on my favorite channels” “show me movies starring X”

Most of these things take several steps and a lot of remote button clicking to do now, if you can at all.

By: xyz123

xyz123 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 16:35:00 +0000

the guy is right about today’s world.. nothing that advanced will come up for a good 5-6 yrs atleast…

By: Zach Doukas

Zach Doukas — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 15:14:00 +0000

Finally something I agree with Don on. At least at its current state, voice controls do not make sense in a home theater/tv situation. Mainly because you need to turn the volume down everytime you want to change the channel. And the program on the manufacturers using it, does not control external devices so its kind of pointless at this point. Try it again in two or three years…

By: tastygroove

tastygroove — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:36:00 +0000

I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won’t last out the year. —The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957

By: tastygroove

tastygroove — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:34:00 +0000

Looking like a tosser didn’t restrain your commenting…

By: tastygroove

tastygroove — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:32:00 +0000

I’d use the hell out if It “hey (i would name it hey) record mythbusters tonight” done and done, who would use that? (The short-sighted, thats who.)

By: tastygroove

tastygroove — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:30:00 +0000

My mother and father use siri constantly.. which I think is the point… Power users have ways… 60 and 70 year old grandparents don’t.

By: kookoo4kokoakox

kookoo4kokoakox — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 13:26:00 +0000

If I say “OOH GIRL DON’T OPEN THE DO’ CAN’T YOU HEAR THE CH-CH MUSIC?!?” will the dumb bimbo just run out of the house? Will the movie be over then?

By: OgilvyTheAstronomer

OgilvyTheAstronomer — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:22:00 +0000

I’m all for new technology, but this newfangled “motor carriage” things will never catch on. They don’t do anything better than a horse, and you look stupid riding one.

By: timbox100

timbox100 — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 10:01:00 +0000

I have used voice on my Google phone and its OK but I would never use it with my TV. So I’m with Chris on this one.

Saying that there are a load of Ibots out there who will do what ever apple wants them to. Which is generally pay over he odds for tech, so who know what will happen.

By: thereasoner

thereasoner — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:17:00 +0000

If you can initiate a command with out having to pick up something and press a button then it may have some uses, like pausing a movie but the tech is going to have it’s limitations for sure.

By: Chevy Chase

Chevy Chase — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 07:09:00 +0000

Agree, who wants to look like a tosser!

By: Craig Leverenz

Craig Leverenz — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 05:28:00 +0000

I’m against voice controlled TV’s What a stupid feature. How much of a tosser are you going to look like. Plus it’s gonna be great when the kids want to watch different channels and just sit there screaming back and forth at the TV!

By: Zibri (http://www.zibri.org)

Zibri (http://www.zibri.org) — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:30:00 +0000

That’s a very short sighted article. I’m not salivating about voice recognition, not even in phones. But “it has been around for years” is a very dumb phrase. Technology gets faster and cheaper every day. What about a voice recognition engine that it’s on all the time, that can authorize your voice and extract YOUR voice command in a crowded and busy room? That’s totally possible today. TVs are not TVs anymore, they are monitors with embedded computers (usually arm based). This year you will see dual core ARM cpus on 2012 TVs. The power is there. Now it’s up to developers to implement it in the right way!

By: Counsel Dew

Counsel Dew — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 02:36:00 +0000

Do you actually try everything? Logic, please… I don’t need to get my … beat to know I don’t want to get beat up…

How lazy cam we get? Map… what are you? Too old? Remote? ….

Sad.

By: JohnJohnJ

JohnJohnJ — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 01:26:00 +0000

Author, you haven’t tried it but you’re against it. Huh? Why? hmmm. You’re not sure. You are simply short sighted. Afraid that bleeds into your overall writing as well. Time to find another hobby.

By: Wayne McKenzie

Wayne McKenzie — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:55:00 +0000

Oh ye of little vision! This is all starting to sound very familiar. Similar lack-of-vision complaints popped up everywhere in the blog ‘o sphere about the iPhone. Maybe the author is too old, and, in his defense, he did say he was in the minority. Did he give even one solid reason why a product that isn’t even announced, let alone available to, you know, actually experience, shouldn’t be received with an open mind? There’s the “house full of people” bit. Maybe the author has a very big family and they talk a lot during TV shows. In my house, the only time I’ve got a house full of people and we’re watching TV is when the Steelers are in the Super Bowl and we ain’t changing the channel and the volume has one approved setting – LOUD! No voice commands needed. Otherwise, I think voice control over my TV would be great. Commenter no. 2 aside, if Apple’s creating the interface, you know it will be insanely great and it will just work.

By: Guest

Guest — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 00:53:00 +0000

Exactly. I stopped using Siri a long time ago. It’s way too limited and not anywhere near refined enough to be as productive as it could be. I do however enjoy the Kinect voice actions when watching movies as saying “Kinect Pause” is much quicker than finding the controller, waiting for it to turn on and then pause. For flipping channels though and especially volume, I don’t see this being useful in a TV.