BURLINGTON, Mass.—LG Electronics is now using a multi-lingual text-to-speech solution from Cerence AI to enable its TVs to deliver information via spoken commands, questions and statements.
As part of the integration, LG has deployed Cerence’s cloud neural text-to-speech (TTS) technology to power voice interaction across its global television lineup, bringing a natural and engaging experience to tens of millions of households, the two companies reported.
“Across our TV lineup, our goal is to not only provide the best possible picture and sound, but also the back-end AI-powered intelligence that transforms ease of use and functionality for everyday life,” said Neo Lee, senior director, webOS Product Planning Department, LG. “By leveraging Cerence AI technology, we deliver customers a seamless, intuitive experience from the second they begin engaging with their LG TVs. Working with the Cerence team enables us to deliver cohesive, flexible and connected voice-driven experiences, and we look forward to our continued partnership.”
As a result of an upgrade to its operation system, LG TVs now feature Cerence’s AI-powered cloud neural TTS when the device is connected, as well as edge TTS, across 65 voices and languages, delivering high quality interaction and extensive functionality.
Cerence TTS enables LG TVs to quickly respond to user inquiries via natural spoken words, creating a more natural, human-like user experience and simplifying users’ interactions as they search for content and programming.
The two companies provided this example of what voice-powered interactions with LG TVs might look like:
User: “Find me movies with Tom Cruise.”
LG TV: “You must like Tom Cruise! I looked up some of his movies; do any of them interest you?”
User: “Can you recommend a feel-good movie to watch on a rainy day?”
LG TV: “Here are the search results for comforting movies perfect for a rainy day. I hope you find something you like!”
User: “Do you know any good sad movies?”
LG TV: “Here are the search results for sad movies. Which one would you like to watch?”
The two companies added that the voice interaction capabilities offered by Cerence TTS enables will help it meet increasing accessibility requirements worldwide, including the European Accessibility Act. Cerence TTS ensures that everyday consumer products like televisions can be easily operated by people of all abilities. For example, TTS can read menus and program information in a human-like voice, helping visually impaired users navigate their TVs.
Integrated within webOS, LG’s smart platform, Cerence TTS delivers minimal latency and no impact on device footprint or CPU requirements, helping keep costs under control while still bringing advanced AI features to LG’s users. In the future, Cerence AI and LG will partner to bring this voice-powered experience to other LG webOS-based products.
More information is available at www.cerence.ai.