By way of Fierce Cable, we learn TiVo is seemingly posed to introduce voice recognition and control.
Jeff Klugman, EVP and general manager of products and revenues for TiVo, said “I don’t know” when questioned whether the company would build a TiVo app for the Apple TV. Klugman also pointed out that TiVo offers a number of the same features as Apple TV, including universal, voice-powered search.
Now TiVo wouldn’t be the first to bring voice to the DVR and linear television, as Comcast beat them to market with a legit Xfinity solution. And, on the streamer side, Roku and Fire TV both provide voice control… via physical remote or app. Indeed, a quick Internet search shows TiVo has been developing an Android solution with cloud-based, natural language processing.
I assume iOS would also be on the docket and perhaps a revised remote control will ship with the 4k TiVo Bolt. But I really, really hope voice control extends beyond TiVo’s universal search. Despite their generally superior interface, pulling up apps remains inefficient … and I’d much rather just speak “Launch Netflix.”