SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ACCESSING TV-RELATED INFORMATION OVER THE INTERNET

The system retrieves information from the internet using multiple search engines that are simultaneously launched by the search engine commander. The commander is responsive to a speech-enabled system including a speech recognizer and natural language parser. The user speaks to the system in natural language requests, and the parser extracts the semantic content from the user's speech, based on a set of goal oriented grammars. The preferred system includes a fixed grammar and an updatable or downloaded grammar, allowing the system to be used without extensive training and yet capable of being customized for a particular user's purposes. Results obtained from the search engines are filtered based on information extracted from an electronic program guide and from prestored user profile data. The results may be displayed on screen or through synthesized speech.