YouView developing voice controlled TV experience with Amazon Alexa

Sarah

YouView plans pilot to enable a voice controlled TV experience for YouView viewers using Amazon Alexa.

Find out more here: http://ow.ly/5Oha30cqtmE

Roy

Alexa, hide Channel 22!

Visionman

AHA! So you have been working on Voice!
Nice development....

Michael G

All good stuff, but given the general accuracy with voice, Google Home support needs adding too.





Look at auto. Apple Carplay and Android Auto are both offered by all makers with such options, and therefore cater for 90% of potential customers, whatever their preferred ecosystem

I'd be surprised if it didn't happen.

jimb

"Today’s news is likely to fuel speculation that Amazon’s increasingly popular video streaming service, Prime Video, will join rivals Netflix and NOW TV on YouView set top boxes."
http://www.seenit.co.uk/amazon-brings...

Matthew Johns

I'd prefer an Apple TV Youview app to accept voice search for scheduling recordings...

Dan Dan

Alexa , stop, back, back, my view, recordings, down right, down, delete.... "Aaaah deleted the series"
At least I didn't have to press a button

Visionman

jimb said:

"Today’s news is likely to fuel speculation that Amazon’s increasingly popular video streaming service, Prime Video, will join rivals Netflix and NOW TV on YouView set top boxes."
http://www.seenit.co.uk/amazon-brings...

Thats very likely to happen and has been on the cards since Delia Bushell (BT TV) specifically mentioned them.

Visionman

Dan Dan said:

Alexa , stop, back, back, my view, recordings, down right, down, delete.... "Aaaah deleted the series"
At least I didn't have to press a button

HaHa!
Hi Dan Dan. I thought you dumped your YouView for Q?
And the above problem has been fixed with the current 28.6 update that lands the user back onto the episode just watched.

Dan Dan

Dan Dan said:

Alexa , stop, back, back, my view, recordings, down right, down, delete.... "Aaaah deleted the series"
At least I didn't have to press a button

Hey Visionman
No I'm still a Youviewer and even though I take a cheeky swipe now and again, like others I can see where this is going and hanging in there. I've not got that update yet and now I think about it, I'm probably going to miss it haha

scott

I can already do this in a way with my Alexa and Harmony, but if you need any testers I am available :-)

Visionman

Dan Dan said:

Alexa , stop, back, back, my view, recordings, down right, down, delete.... "Aaaah deleted the series"
At least I didn't have to press a button

"like others I can see where this is going and hanging in there."
Yeah...
Just as the original YouView, Next Gen was launched as a basic box, though it isn't really, so perhaps I should say featureless, that will be added back over time. But also with hints of improvements and bonuses, such as this announced one.

redchiz

Only Amazon as opposed to the alternatives? Curious, seeing as their absence from the platform generally has for so long been conspicuous.

jimb

Serendipity - "the occurrence and development of events by chance in a satisfactory or beneficial way".
YouView CEO Richard Halton was speaking at the MediaTech 360 Summit today.
https://www.nbmevents.uk/mediatech360...

jimb

redchiz said:

Only Amazon as opposed to the alternatives? Curious, seeing as their absence from the platform generally has for so long been conspicuous.

"SEENIT understands that talks to get the service onto the YouView platform have been underway for some time and that BT hopes to replicate its deal with Netflix which allows it to charge customers for the service on their standard phone and broadband bill.

Such a deal would allow the ISP to drastically expand the range of 4K content available to subscribers without bidding against Amazon, Netflix and Sky for programming rights."

jimb

redchiz said:

Only Amazon as opposed to the alternatives? Curious, seeing as their absence from the platform generally has for so long been conspicuous.

As above...
"Today’s news is likely to fuel speculation that Amazon’s increasingly popular video streaming service, Prime Video, will join rivals Netflix and NOW TV on YouView set top boxes.

In a bid to better compete with Netflix, Amazon has invested heavily in new content including Jeremy Clarkson’s The Grand Tour and The Man in the High Castle.

SEENIT understands that talks to get the service onto the YouView platform have been underway for some time and that BT hopes to replicate its deal with Netflix which allows it to charge customers for the service on their standard phone and broadband bill.

Such a deal would allow the ISP to drastically expand the range of 4K content available to subscribers without bidding against Amazon, Netflix and Sky for programming rights."

redchiz

Yeah, but an open platform with PSB stakeholders signing up with one of the devils, rather than all of them?

jimb

As usual uSwitch have a rather misleading report...
https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/new...

Joe

I can see my nearly 4 year old daughter putting this to good use...."Alexa Factory Reset, Reset "

Joking aside this is an exciting development, feels like there is momentum building with next Gen and new possibilities...also bodes well for Amazon prime/video coming to the platform

Michael G

Joe2 said:

I can see my nearly 4 year old daughter putting this to good use...."Alexa Factory Reset, Reset "

Joking aside this is an exciting development, feels like there is momentum building with next Gen and new possibilities...also bodes well for Amazon prime/video coming to the platform

So, me and the boss were sat together on the sofa the other night, talking about a party. No talk of "OK Google" nor any other variation involved. Then my phone says "fa*t, emission of wind from the an*s".

No need for that kind of talk

redchiz

Alexa: why don't Amazon pay any taxes?

Michael G

redchiz said:

Alexa: why don't Amazon pay any taxes?

Supplemental: And how come Bezos is world's third richest man?

redchiz

redchiz said:

Alexa: why don't Amazon pay any taxes?

Because he didn't invent anything. Just opened a shop.

Roy

Joe2 said:

I can see my nearly 4 year old daughter putting this to good use...."Alexa Factory Reset, Reset "

Joking aside this is an exciting development, feels like there is momentum building with next Gen and new possibilities...also bodes well for Amazon prime/video coming to the platform

Best not discuss the playing piece in a game of ice hockey in its earshot, then......

redchiz

Joe2 said:

I can see my nearly 4 year old daughter putting this to good use...."Alexa Factory Reset, Reset "

Joking aside this is an exciting development, feels like there is momentum building with next Gen and new possibilities...also bodes well for Amazon prime/video coming to the platform

Nor a major resort in Thailand...

dvdjames

Michael G said:

All good stuff, but given the general accuracy with voice, Google Home support needs adding too.





Look at auto. Apple Carplay and Android Auto are both offered by all makers with such options, and therefore cater for 90% of potential customers, whatever their preferred ecosystem

I'd be surprised if it didn't happen.

That seems to show responses to questions about factual knowledge, rather than the voice recognition element.

dvdjames

scott said:

I can already do this in a way with my Alexa and Harmony, but if you need any testers I am available :-)

I'd also be more than happy to become a tester. YouView developers, please allow the command "Run VT" to work in addition to "Play" so I can pretend I'm in a TV studio gallery!  

Michael G

Michael G said:

All good stuff, but given the general accuracy with voice, Google Home support needs adding too.





Look at auto. Apple Carplay and Android Auto are both offered by all makers with such options, and therefore cater for 90% of potential customers, whatever their preferred ecosystem

I'd be surprised if it didn't happen.

Which is why i mentioned "general accuracy with voice" and the need to support the main ecosystems.

dvdjames

Michael G said:

All good stuff, but given the general accuracy with voice, Google Home support needs adding too.





Look at auto. Apple Carplay and Android Auto are both offered by all makers with such options, and therefore cater for 90% of potential customers, whatever their preferred ecosystem

I'd be surprised if it didn't happen.

I'm not sure I follow. That graph isn't showing that Google Assistant is better at voice recognition (the only bit that matters in a YouView scenario), but that it is better at general knowledge questions. It's also not showing market share (which you'd expect to be of interest to YouView). I believe (not checked!) Alexa is in the lead by quite some way given that Google and Apple have barely launched.

Visionman

Thinking about it, this will be a big accessibility feature for those less able, on top of those already available -
https://community.youview.com/youview/topics/youview-nextgen-accessibility-features
So as well as addressing sight, YouView, moving forward, will also be addressing voice and touch.
I already have a Sony (2015 model) YouView Voice remote and its a godsend (for searches). Unfortunately, it doesn't talk to YouView and nor will it ever, either. Maybe in the future, for upcoming models.... maybe.
Though in regard to the box, this is an excellent development and shows momentum.

redchiz

Yeah, I agree about accessibility and generally moving forwards, but tying it into a particular device/system, why? Will you have to buy an Echo Dot as a minimum in order to get this feature?