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Prototypes

Charlotte - a Talking TV Guide

Charlotte is a natural language interface to the TVAnytime scheduling information. You can ask her in plain english questions like "when is spooks on", "what is on tomorrow night" and so on. For added impact we've given her an avatar and text-to-speech system - but these aren't essential to her function.

Further work will include more patterns for her AIML matching system, better handling of tag searches ("eg what gritty dramas are on this week"), more natural presentation of results, and conversely, a list mode when you just want a blow by blow schedule.

Charlotte currently focusses on BBC1 and 2 only.

  • 05 Oct 2005 06:20 PM

Comments  Post a comment

  • 1.
  • On 06 Oct 2005 09:55 AM,
  • Will said:

She seems to have trouble parsing questions, or you implemented the questions to work one way only...

People generally look at listings in two ways.
1) When is X on?
2) What on at Ypm

e.g.
You: When is Eastenders on?
eastenders is on BBC One on Thursday, at 7 30 pm, Friday, at 8 pm, Sunday, at 2 50 pm, Monday, at 8 pm,

You: what is showing on BBC One on Monday at 8pm
Sorry I don't know. Ask me something else about the BBC TV schedule and programmes

You: At what time on Monday is Eastenders on?
Sorry I don't know. Ask me something else about the BBC TV schedule and programmes.

What's on now? however does work.

The questions should work both ways. It looks like it's designed to parse "what time is X on at" rather than "What is showing at Xpm" which is the other way. Please implement this.

Are the questions being recorded so that the unanswered questions get "parsed" later on?

  • 2.
  • On 07 Oct 2005 03:41 PM,
  • Simon said:

Hi, deeply impressed I asked her what her name was and how old she was and she answered both, nice touch mate ;-)

  • 3.
  • On 22 Oct 2005 06:26 PM,
  • Helen said:

Me: What is on tonight?
Charlotte: Sorry, but I can't find what is on then.

Bah, she's not very helpful. She didn't tell me one solid piece of information in our entire conversation and thought that "You're a bit rubbish" was a compliment.

  • 4.
  • On 30 Oct 2005 02:42 PM,
  • robomilk said:

I agree. It's not very good at answering questions about the actual schedule.

  • 5.
  • On 03 Nov 2005 11:40 AM,
  • Nick Reynolds said:

This would be a great help for blind people who watch television.

  • 6.
  • On 20 Nov 2005 10:11 AM,
  • Joe said:

A nice idea, unfortunately I have yet to ask a plain English question she can answer.

  • 7.
  • On 20 Nov 2005 11:31 AM,
  • andy said:

" Sorry, but I don't think that news is on in the next 7 days." lol

  • 8.
  • On 09 Dec 2005 10:37 PM,
  • Ian Williams said:

I think this stereotypes blondes - she did not ask one question correctly! What made me laugh was the answer to my question 'When is 'little Britain' on next?' and the reply 'I don't think 'Little Britain' is on in the next 7 days' and same with 'Two pints of lager..' - perhaps I should have asked when are these shows NOT on TV.

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