Does your TV know you better than your partner?

We’d like to think that we know all there is to know about our better halves—from their favorite color to their least favorite food. But do you know what they like to watch on TV when no one’s...

We’d like to think that we know all there is to know about our better halves—from their favorite color to their least favorite food. But do you know what they like to watch on TV when no one’s around? What their guilty pleasures are?

Your TV does. And if it doesn't now, it will very soon, as our viewing technology gets better and better.

Among the things that make today's TV so good is that there are so many options—hundreds and thousands of choices for channels, shows, and movies. Yet with all this choice comes the unique challenge of having to choose what to watch. But if your TV better understood your preferences, you’d no longer have to do any searching. The promise of TV technology is spending less time browsing, and more time enjoying your night in.

This technology is growing increasingly capable, thanks to big data. It can analyze everything from plot lines and actors to genres and ratings, even keywords from closed captioning. And combined with our own viewing history and chosen favorites, it’s making it easier and easier for us to quickly find what to watch.

This Valentine’s Day, you already have to worry about what to wear, what to gift, what to eat, and what to say. If we had our way with TV, at least we wouldn’t have to figure out what to watch.

The thought of data-driven TV technology might not be the most romantic concept, but if it spares you an argument, saves you time, gets you what you want, and lets you sit back and relax… well… if nothing else, it's a beautiful idea to fall in love with.