(19 May 2007 1:40 pm)

MUMBAI: Tivo which creates television services for digital video recorders (DVRs) in the US has begun releasing the Tivo service’s universal Swivel Search.

This provides broadband-connected TiVo subscribers the power to quickly find programming.

Rather than starting with a title or keyword with universal Swivel Search on the Tivo service, TiVo subscribers can also search using the way they intuitively think about television; that is, by starting with a programme they currently enjoy and using elements of that program to find more of what they like.

Universal Swivel Search allows viewers to seamlessly link from descriptions of one programme to all others that have common elements, including programme name, actors, or suggestions based on other viewers’ feedback. Additionally, users can find programmes related to a specific subject with ’tags,’ which are topic-related terms that might not be included in the programme's title or episode description, but fall under an over-arching subject of interest.

Tivo CEO Tom Rogers said, "Universal Swivel Search is an easy way to find programming from virtually anywhere, any time the user wants. We know that as broadband video continues its rapid growth, and broadcast and cable programming continue to proliferate, consumers are finding it more and more difficult to find the content they want, when they want it. Now there is a fun and easy new way for TiVo subscribers to explore the few degrees of separation connecting content that they enjoy in a way that matches how the TV viewer thinks about programming."

For example, a user would start with a television show or movie that they enjoy, for instance Seinfeld. Seinfeld features Julia Louis-Dreyfus from the cast list. With the click of a button, the viewer can ’swivel’ and see other programmes that the actor appears in, for instance, The New Adventures of Old Christine, including both broadcast lineup and available for download. Additionally, from that cast list a user can select Clark Greg and discover that he was also in The West Wing. With universal Swivel Search, a TiVo subscriber’s search can jump from a show to an actor, to a second actor and then to another show, following a unique path through the content that interests them. The new ’swivel’ ability is not limited to actors, but available on topic tags, or even lists of similar programmes.