TiVo viewers are already accustomed to finding content textually through a menu, even if typing on a remote is a pain. But soon, a new feature will enable them to find Internet videos alongside their regular HD media.

Betanews tests of a late beta of the new TiVo Search feature reveals the presence of a very sophisticated underlying search engine, not only capable of estimating what you might be looking for -- the way Google tries to complete your query when you're typing it in -- but also associating content you've selected for viewing or recording with other content with a similar theme or with matching cast members.

This system assumes two very important new technical breakthroughs: One is the ability to display the "software" portion of the search in high definition -- at long last, say TiVo viewers. Another is a deeper connection to the Internet that enables retrieval of broadband video from multiple sources, including Amazon Video On Demand, TiVo announced this morning.

Users of TiVo Series3, TiVo HD, and TiVo HD XL will have available to them this vastly expanded beta, which could take "surfing" to an entirely new level. Photos from our test show a viewer who types "SC" into the system, and lets TiVo complete it for him with a listing for the ABC TV series Scrubs. A listing for the latest available broadcast episode appears with a complete synopsis and cast listing, all in HD. The listing is part of TiVo's new complete episode guide for popular series.

But the cast members' names are all hyperlinks, enabling the viewer to go skimming through photos of the cast, eventually to pull up listings for other shows, perhaps movies, where these folks have appeared. And TiVo may be able to pull up the entire show, perhaps from digital cable or satellite on-demand service, perhaps from Amazon, and maybe even from elsewhere on the Internet, such as YouTube.

TiVo has already redefined the viewing experience for millions, though this could effectively be the first all-purpose contextual "portal" for real TV viewing -- a complete metamorphosis of the concept of channel changing.