Voice enabled media presentation systems and methods

1. A media presentation system, comprising:

a remote-control device including multiple keys and an audio input device; and

a set-top box wirelessly communicatively coupled to the remote-control device,

wherein the media presentation system is configured to:

receive a signal transmitted by the remote-control device, the signal indicating a voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user, the signal including signaling information including a flag indicating a beginning of user speech and wherein the signal is generated in response to the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user;

in response to the receiving the signal transmitted by the remote-control device generated in response to the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user, reduce audio output volume provided by the set-top box, cause audio output of other devices than the set-top box to be muted, play an audio prompt that indicates that the media presentation system is ready to accept a spoken command and display, immediately after the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed, an icon that indicates that the media presentation system is ready to accept a spoken command; and

after the audio is reduced in response to the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user, receive audio data including data representing speech of the user including a set-top box command from the user, the audio data including data representing speech of the user including a set-top box command from the user having had signal processing operations performed on the audio data by the remote-control device in order to subtract from the audio data presence of other television program audio components output by the set-top box.

2. The media presentation system of claim 1 wherein the remote-control device is configured to transmit the audio data to the set-top box, and wherein the set-top box is configured to perform the speech recognition upon the obtained audio data.

3. The media presentation system of claim 1 wherein the remote-control device is configured to perform at least some of the speech recognition upon the audio data.

4. The media presentation system of claim 1 wherein the set-top box command includes a program title to identify programming and the set-top box is configured to present the identified programming in response to a determination of the spoken command.

5. A method of controlling a set-top box, comprising:

receiving a signal transmitted by a device that is remote from a customer premises on which the set-top box is located, the signal indicating a voice enable key of the device being pressed by the user, the signal including signaling information including a flag indicating a beginning of user speech and wherein the signal is generated in response to a voice enable key of the device being pressed by the user;

wirelessly receiving audio data from the device that is remote from the customer premises on which the set-top box is located, the audio data representing a spoken command uttered by a user into an audio input device of the device that is remote from the customer premises, wherein the spoken command includes a command to schedule a recording of a particular program identified by the spoken command;

determining the spoken command by performing speech recognition upon the received audio data;

controlling the set-top box device based on the determined command by scheduling recording by the set-top box of the particular program identified by the spoken command;

in response to receiving the signal, reducing audio output volume provided by the set-top box.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the spoken command additionally includes a request for help.

7. A method of controlling a set-top box comprising:

receiving a signal transmitted by a remote-control device, the signal indicating a voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user, the signal including signaling information including a flag indicating a beginning of user speech and wherein the signal is generated in response to the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user;

in response to the receiving the signal transmitted by the remote-control device generated in response to the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user, reducing audio output volume provided by a set-top box device, cause audio output of other devices than the set-top box device to be muted, play an audio prompt that indicates that the media presentation system is ready to accept a spoken command and display, immediately after the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed, an icon that indicates that the media presentation system is ready to accept a spoken command; and

after the audio is reduced in response to the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user, receiving audio data including data representing speech of the user including a set-top box command from the user, the audio data including data representing speech of the user including a set-top box command from the user having had signal processing operations performed on the audio data by the remote-control device in order to subtract from the audio data presence of other television program audio components output by the set-top box device.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the set-top box includes a digital video recorder, and wherein controlling the set-top box includes controlling operation of the digital video recorder.

9. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

disambiguating a plurality of set-top box commands that correspond to the spoken command, by:

determining, based on the spoken command, the plurality of set-top box commands;

presenting the plurality of set-top box commands to the user;

receiving from the user an indication of one of the plurality of set-top box commands; and

controlling the set-top box using the one set-top box command.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein receiving the indication of the one set-top box command includes receiving an additional spoken command from the user.

11. The method of claim 5 , further comprising:

determining audio data that represents a voice prompt directing the user to provide a spoken command; and

transmitting the determined audio data to an audio output device configured to play the voice prompt.

12. A method in a remote-control device that includes an audio input device and multiple keys, the method comprising:

under control of the remote-control device:

transmitting a signal by the remote-control device, the signal indicating a voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user, the signal including signaling information including a flag indicating a beginning of user speech and wherein the signal is generated in response to the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user, the signal transmitted by the remote-control device in response to a voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user causing:

audio output volume provided by a set-top box to be reduced in response to the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user;

audio output of other devices than the set-top box to be muted;

playing of an audio prompt that indicates that the media presentation system is ready to accept a spoken command; and

displaying of an icon, immediately after voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed, that indicates that the media presentation system is ready to accept a spoken command;

after the audio output volume is reduced in response to the voice enable key of the remote-control device being pressed by the user, receiving audio data including data representing speech of the user including a set-top box command from the user;

in response to receiving the audio data including data representing speech of the user including a set-top box command from the user, performing signal processing operations on the audio data in order to subtract presence of other television program audio components output by the set-top box in the audio data;

transmitting to the set-top box, by the remote-control device, the audio with the presence of other television program audio components output by the set-top box being subtracted from the audio; and

causing the set-top box to begin speech recognition upon the transmitted audio data.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising controlling the set-top box based on a command spoken by the user that includes selecting programming identified by a title.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

initiating speech recognition including performing the speech recognition, by the remote-control device, upon the audio data with the presence of other television program audio components output by the set-top box being subtracted from the additional audio; and

controlling the set-top box based on the audio data, including transmitting a command to control the set-top box, the transmitted command based on the audio data representing speech of the user including a set-top box command from the user.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

transmitting an indication to the set-top box to reduce audio output volume.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the transmitted indication is a signal generated by the remote-control device in response to another key pressed by the user than the voice enable key.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the transmitted indication is a first portion of the received audio data.

18. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

receiving from the set-top box audio data that represents a voice prompt directing the user to provide a spoken command; and

playing the voice prompt.