A new bread of voice controlled TV remotes is supposed to take watching TV to the next level.

The Promptu (made by AgileTV) voice controlled TV Remote has a TV program search engine built-in that allows users to utter commands like: "Watch Oprah" or "Nicole Kidman movies". The Promptu system will scan through the available current running programs and switch to what the user wants to view if available. Only works well of course on systems with lots of channels. I could not find where the Promptu remote is sold. The video on the site says it is available now.
More details and video of the Promptu in action here. (via Slashdot).

The NY Times runs an article on Voice controlled TVs and paints a scenario where consumers will order Pizza by talking to the TV (Interactive TV). The article also mentions OneVideo, that is also developing a voice controlled TV system.

Voice Activated TV Remotes or voice activated appliances are not a new idea, the combination with smart software is new and possible the key to success.