Today consumers are increasingly comfortable using voice commands to control some devices. The next phase of development is bringing control to a multiplicity of devices
Author:
ContributorPublish date:
Jun 16, 2017Social count:
0
Today consumers are increasingly comfortable using voice commands to control some devices. The next phase of development is bringing control to a multiplicity of devices
0
SHARES
Almost 50 years ago, Stanley Kubrick showed us a vision of a unified voice controlled environment in his movie 2001:A Space Odyssey. The reality took a while to arrive, and at first provided a less than convincing practical experience, as anyone who has ever tried booking cinema tickets or getting through a customer response system by phone will attest.
The reality is that the ability for a machine to understand natural speech in real time takes a lot of computing power, and the first practical propositions used the cloud to deliver the necessary processing. Apple's Siri led the way, and others are now following.
Today consumers are increasingly comfortable using voice commands to control some devices. The next phase of development will inevitably be in bringing control to a multiplicity of devices.
Think of the typical coffee table for a moment. On it you would be likely to find separate - and bulky - remote controls for the television, set-top box, DVD player, games console and OTT box. Although we probably do it intuitively, getting the right source on the screen and speakers generally involves a sequence of commands on different controllers. And that is before we consider what it is we might want to watch - and that's only for our entertainment system. One of the benefits of the internet of things (IoT), we are told, is that we will be able to control remotely other devices around the home, like lights, heating and security. Does this mean more controllers, or at least a succession of apps on a phone?
The logical goal is a single controller which manages everything. Using traditional technology that would mean a very large box with an extremely large number of buttons. Which brings us back to voice control: the ideal way of controlling a broad swathe around the home is by telling the device what to do.
Natural
If this meant learning a specific set of instructions for each piece of functionality then it would be as ineffective as the big box of buttons in terms of user experience. We have to implement natural language instructions, letting the device implement the details.
So rather than turning on the television, then the set-top box, then remembering that BBC1 HD is channel 115, we should simply tell the remote control I want to watch BBC1."
More likely, though, we will be less specific. We might come home and say I want to watch a Steven Spielberg movie." The controller will do the heavy lifting of seeing what is available on movie channels, on your PVR and on Netflix, and will present the results on screen for you to tell the controller which you choose.
The next phase would be to say play the movie , which as well as starting the content would also close the curtains, turn off the main lights and turn on the standard lamp. At the end, you might say good night , which will be the cue for the system to shut down the various entertainment boxes, but also switch the thermostat to the night setting and turn off the lights, giving you time to move to the bedroom.
Smart
It is important to understand that this is a two-part system. The remote control itself has to remain small, compact and practical, even if the intention is that most users will do little other than talk to it. The remote talks to a device which interprets the instructions and routes them to the device or IoT service which will implement them.
We specialise in RF connectivity between the remote and the device. This is necessary, because the speech commands are digitised in the remote control and transferred to the host device which does the voice processing. Obviously the ergonomics of the remote control have to be designed around good acoustic performance: there is no need to overload the processing with sound that has poor frequency response or is over-reverberant.
The remote itself will probably sit on the coffee table most of the time, rather than being picked up by the user. The processing, therefore, has to be able to discriminate between voices, particularly as the living room television is generally a social experience. You may need to train the system on which voices to listen to.
Applying voice biometrics can provide the ability to offer different functionality to different users. Children, for example, can be presented with just the content that is suitable for them. A smart system could even be programmed to limit the hours children can watch television or play games.
This technology is available today. We have already delivered more than 250 million multi-function, voice controlled remotes. The next phase is down to broadcasters or service providers seeing this as a commercial edge to attract and retain subscribers.
By Menno Koopmans, senior VP subscription broadcasting, Universal Electronics
Most recent headlines
11/12/2025
Dalet, a leading provider of cloud-native, end-to-end media workflow solutions, ...
28/11/2025
Nadia Fall attends the 2025 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Brides at the Egyptian Theatre on January 24, 2025, in Park City, Utah. (Photo by Donyale West/...
28/11/2025
It's easy to ignore those little red update available badges. But when it ...
28/11/2025
WASHINGTON Federal Communications Commission has released a tentative agenda for the December Open Commission Meeting scheduled for Thursday, December 18, 2025 ...
28/11/2025
The Professional Fighters League is looking to super-serve fans of mixed martial...
28/11/2025
Fubo has released in beta on select Roku devices a new feature that lets users display up to four simultaneous streams at once....
28/11/2025
The WNBA playoffs and Week 4 of the NFL regular season highlight the list of live sports events airing on television this weekend....
28/11/2025
The 32nd class of honorees to the B+C Hall of Fame took to the stage at New York's Ziegfeld Ballroom on September 26 for a gala induction event. Click below...
28/11/2025
We hold in our hands the very last Next Text for Next TV, the weekly back-and-fo...
28/11/2025
DirecTV said it made a deal with EchoStar to buy EchoStar's video businesses, including satellite-TV provider Dish TV and virtual MVPD Sling TV, for $1 plus...
28/11/2025
The Broadcasting+Cable Hall of Fame, the premier industry event paying tribute to the influencers, innovators and shining lights of broadcast, cable and streami...
28/11/2025
Friday 28 November 2025
Sky Sports x Slawn drop limited-edition football jersey...
28/11/2025
Rohde & Schwarz shows resilience in a challenging environment, revenue exceeds t...
28/11/2025
Unwrapped: The Toy Show Appeal - airing this Sunday on RT One and RT Player- s...
27/11/2025
LONDON Vizrt has added several AI-driven advanced features offering improved speed, intelligence and accuracy in the newest version of its media asset managemen...
27/11/2025
Prime Video has launched AI-powered video season recaps in a beta version for select English-language Prime Original series in the U.S., a move Amazon is callin...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's Raat Akeli Hai: The Bansal Murders Marks a Grand...
27/11/2025
27 Nov 2025
GSMA brings M360 Eurasia 2026 to Samarkand in partnership with VEON...
27/11/2025
Tahar Rahim and Izuka Hoyle star in the gripping six-part Sky Original from Acad...
27/11/2025
Thursday 27 November 2025
Sky Arts Reveals the Nation's Greatest Basslines - and Queen Reign Supreme
The UK's most iconic basslines have been revealed...
27/11/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things 5': Prepare for One Last Adventure With O...
27/11/2025
The media industry has a paradox at its core. It's an industry built on light, color and imagination, yet behind the scenes, it's powered by one of the ...
27/11/2025
Rating reflects rating progress across areas including policies, diversity & inclusion, health & safety and Net Zero leadership
Winchester, UK, 27 November 202...
27/11/2025
What are the industry standards for Retail Media? Kathryn explains that certification is based on the IAB Europe Retail Media Measurement Standards and the IAB ...
27/11/2025
World champion boxer and Irish sporting icon Katie Taylor will be in studio this...
27/11/2025
Roblox, one of the world's most popular online gaming platforms for primary ...
27/11/2025
Black Friday is leveling up. Get ready to score one of the biggest deals of the season - 50% off the first three months of a new GeForce NOW Ultimate membership...
26/11/2025
SVG Sit-Down: Prime Video EP Mike Muriano Previews Massive Black Friday Slate Fe...
26/11/2025
A cinematic snow sculpture at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. Photo by Randall Michelson...
26/11/2025
Book podcasts are booming. On Spotify, you'll find everything from celebrity book clubs to deep dives with bestselling authors. And in markets where audiobo...
26/11/2025
Mumbai, November 24, 2025: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, JioStar, in collab...
26/11/2025
LONDON Factual content producer ITN Productions has launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins....
26/11/2025
MIAMI TelevisaUnivision said it struck a new multiyear distribution agreement with YouTube TV that includes distribution of TelevisaUnivision's U.S. network...
26/11/2025
OpenDrives, Inc., a leader in software-defined data storage and data services, today announced the launch of the Atlas Corporate Creative Solution. This new Atl...
26/11/2025
Disguise, the industry-leading company powering the world's biggest live performances, is partnering with pioneering LED wall manufacturer DVS to give atten...
26/11/2025
HighField AI, the pioneer in agentic and multimodal automation for broadcast and media production, today announced the expansion of its global channel partner n...
26/11/2025
As high-stakes Premier League fixtures approach and additional premium content launches, with MONO positioning themselves to dominate Thailand's sports stre...
26/11/2025
Hosting a wide variety of events from high-intensity NHL games to complex live music concerts and major entertainment productions, Montreal's 21,000 capacit...
26/11/2025
Vizrt, the leader in live production technology revolutionizing viewer engagement and experience, releases AI-driven advances focusing on speed, intelligence, a...
26/11/2025
ITN Productions, an award-winning factual content producer, today launched a new low-latency IP gallery for news bulletins. Responsible for delivering a leading...
26/11/2025
Ikegami reports ongoing advances throughout 2025 in developing and delivering coordinated television production solutions that maximize quality, versatility and...
26/11/2025
Following the Nov. 21 blackout of NBCUniversal channels on Fubo, the two sides have traded barbs about their inability to reach a new carriage deal....
26/11/2025
LONDON As TV sports rights become increasingly important for both broadcasters and streamers, Ampere Analysis predicts global investment in the genre will surpa...
26/11/2025
LOS ANGELES Vubiquity said it has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Media & Entertainment Competency as part of the AWS Partner Network (APN). This designa...
26/11/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission's Enforcement Bureau said it has entered into a consent decree with Comcast calling for the cable company t...
26/11/2025
Berklee Named to the Hollywood Reporters Top Music Schools List The publication highlights the college's screen scoring program, industry partnerships, and ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
Animated Series Love Through a Prism' Casts New Light on ...
26/11/2025
Back to All News
NALIP Unveils Fifth Cohort of Director Incubator
Social Impact
26 November 2025
United States
Link copied to clipboard
The National Assoc...
26/11/2025
YouView Achieves Greenly Gold Certification for SustainabilityNov 26, 2025
YouView is proud to announce a Gold Certification award from Greenly for our perform...
Today consumers are increasingly comfortable using voice commands to control some devices. The next phase of development is bringing control to a multiplicity of devices
