Dish Finds Its Voice

Rovi said Dish will use its technology to power a new voice-based TV interface, a win that comes about four months after Dish announced at CES that it would add that capability later in 2015.

Throughout the year, Dish plans to integrate the Rovi Conversation Services platform with its Dish Explorer second screen app for the iPad, Hopper Voice remote (pictured), and the Dish Anywhere app. The coming voice function will be capable of searching for shows and movies across Dish’s live TV lineup and VOD library and a Dish sub’s DVR recordings.

Rovi said its Conversation Services platform includes the “Knowledge Graph”-driven semantic technologies and natural language controls it obtained last year via its $62 million acquisition of Veveo, a company that had also been working with AT&T, Verizon Communications, DirecTV, Cablevision Systems, Rogers Communications and Comcast. Rovi estimates that its Knowledge Graph for the voice-based system contains information on more than 100 million entertainment-related elements, such as program titles, celebrity names, and brands.

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