After acquiring voice-recognition software startup Veveo for $62 million 14 months ago, Rovi announced a major sale of the technology, embedding it into the video products of Dish Network (NASDAQ: DISH).
Rovi announced on Wednesday that Dish will add its Rovi Conversation Services natural-language interface to its Explorer second-screen app for iPad, the Hopper Voice remote and the Dish Anywhere app. The technology will be deployed throughout the rest of 2015.
At the time of its purchase in February 2014, Veveo was working with a number of tier 1 pay-TV operators on developing voice-recognition controls that overcome the errors of natural speech and are fluent in the language of TV.
Rovi's says its Conversation Services platform maintains semantic, real-time information on more than 10 million entertainment-related items, including show titles, celebrity names and brands.
Rovi cites the example of a user searching for the 2001 Russell Crowe film A Beautiful Mind: Without remembering the title, they could ask, "What's the name of that movie about the great mathematician who suffered from schizophrenia?" The software will surface the movie, as well as available viewing options.
"Consumers seek a television experience that gets them to their shows with minimal hassle," said Vivek Khemka, senior VP of product management at Dish. "We selected Rovi as our voice-technology provider as they have demonstrated a deep understanding of semantics and natural-language capabilities."
For more:
- read this Rovi press release
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