James Delahunty
16 May 2007 19:36
TiVo has announced a new search feature for its line of DVR set-top boxes, Universal Swivel Search, which the company is describing as he first "TV-centric on-screen search tool." Universal Swivel Search not only allows users to search for broadcast TV and cable TV listings, but also expands the device to Internet videos. A search for a popular TV show may bring up a broadcast TV or cable listing, but might also offer on-demand episodes from Amazon's Unbox service.
It also allows users to search for a subject matter both online and offline, like "football" or "healthcare tips". The feature also suggests video content to the user based on the users preferences and other users favorites. "The [TiVo] search tools have always been task-based; you could only search for titles you already know by using specific keywords," says Bob Poniatowski, TiVo's product marketing manager for core DVR. "This [Swivel] is less about knowing exactly what you want, and more about finding things similar to things you already enjoy."
Obviously, bringing more online video to the TV set is a great improvement, but for now TiVo's online search functionality is limited to Amazon's Unbox and a few websites including the New York Times and Cnet. TiVo is currently updating Series2 and Series3 TiVo boxes with the new search service.
Source:
PC World