"Maybe accuracy matters more than personality after all."
I get what you're saying, but honestly, I think personality still counts for something. Accuracy's great and all, but if my TV sounded like a robot reading off a script, I'd probably just switch back to the remote. Had mine randomly start playing some nature documentary once—guess it thought we needed a break from action movies. Weirdly enough, we ended up watching the whole thing... wasn't too bad actually.
Accuracy's important, sure, but personality makes the whole interaction feel less weird. I mean, I still feel a bit awkward talking to my TV—like when it misunderstands me and starts pulling up random cooking shows (no idea why it thinks I'm into baking)—but at least if it has some personality, it's more amusing than frustrating. If it sounded robotic and cold, I'd probably just stick to buttons... less embarrassing that way.
"I mean, I still feel a bit awkward talking to my TV—like when it misunderstands me and starts pulling up random cooking shows (no idea why it thinks I'm into baking)"
Funny you mention that, because my smart TV seems convinced I'm passionate about home renovation shows. Admittedly, I've browsed a few luxury home tours, but now every voice command somehow leads me back to kitchen remodels or marble countertops. Personality does help ease the awkwardness, but honestly, after a long day, I'd prefer accuracy over charm... fewer misunderstandings and less frustration overall.
Glad I'm not the only one feeling a bit silly talking to my TV. Mine seems to think I'm obsessed with gardening shows lately, and honestly, I have no clue why. Maybe it overheard me mentioning my dying houseplant once or twice? It's funny until you're genuinely trying to find something specific, and suddenly you're knee-deep in landscaping tips or composting tutorials...
Do you think the TV's mic picks up random background conversations or something? I've noticed mine seems extra confused if there's background noise or chatter. It'd be nice if these smart TVs had some kind of "training" feature, you know, like voice assistants have, so they'd actually learn your voice patterns better over time. Wouldn't mind fewer awkward misunderstandings after a long day.
I've wondered about this too, actually. Do you have your TV near a window or in a room with lots of echo? Mine's in the living room, and I've noticed it gets especially confused when there's background noise—like if someone's cooking in the kitchen or chatting nearby. I swear, one time it started recommending cooking shows nonstop after overhearing my partner talking about dinner plans from across the room. Pretty sure it picks up random snippets of conversation and tries to piece together what it thinks we want.
Your idea about a training feature is spot-on. Voice assistants already do something similar, right? They get better at recognizing your voice and speech patterns over time. It'd be great if TVs could do the same thing, maybe even let us manually correct misunderstandings so they learn faster. Like, "Nope, I said 'action movies,' not 'auction movies'..." (true story, by the way).
In the meantime, have you tried adjusting the mic sensitivity settings? Some TVs let you tweak that a bit, which might help reduce accidental triggers from background chatter. Or maybe repositioning the TV slightly away from noisy areas could help too. I moved mine a few feet away from the kitchen doorway, and it seems to have helped a little.
Honestly though, I still feel a bit silly talking to my TV sometimes. Especially when guests are over and I'm repeating myself louder and louder because it misunderstood me again... awkward moments for sure.
