Panasonic to bring Siri-like voice commands to Viera TVs

Voice-command integration for TV isn’t something that’s really been explored yet. It’s been rumored about in the “Apple iTV“, and it’s available on the Xbox 360 via the Kinect, and not much else. But it looks like that’s about to change. According to Pocket-lint, Panasonic has worked closely with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) to create a voice-activated control system in its upcoming Viera TVs this year.

The voice controls will allow users to adjust the volume, change channels, find out listing information, and even set a program to record. However, for folks who don’t want all the features of voice control, they can adjust it so that only selected functions are enabled i.e. only the volume of the TV. It wasn’t mentioned when we’ll see the TVs on sale but we’ve heard of Panasonic working with Nuance to bring voice-controlled TVs in the past. What do you think of voice control on your TVs? Is it a feature you’re looking forward to?

George Wong
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Tags: Panasonic, TV, voice control