Start with a phrase, not just a robot name
When a viewer remembers “TV show home robot” but not the program, the surrounding language is the best search key. Write down five to ten consecutive words, even if some are uncertain. Product names such as KOKO or Coco are short and easily confused; a phrase about the room, task, presenter, or price is more distinctive.
Create variants only for the uncertain word. Search the stable phrase with KOKO, Coco, and Co Co separately rather than creating a long pile of keywords. Add the approximate year, channel, host, city, or segment type when known. The goal is to reduce candidates while preserving the words the viewer actually remembers.
- Longest remembered spoken phrase
- Name-spelling variants tested one at a time
- Approximate date, presenter, and viewing platform
- Distinctive sounds or actions noted in captions
Understand what captions can and cannot establish
W3C describes captions as synchronized text representing speech and important sounds. YouTube explains that caption files contain spoken text and timecodes, and may also include positioning and style. Those properties make captions useful for locating a moment and identifying who said what.
Captions are not a product database. Automatic speech recognition can confuse KOKO with Coco, omit punctuation, or attach a line to the wrong speaker. Creator-supplied captions can also contain mistakes. Use the caption to reach the frame, then verify the audio, visuals, and official product information independently.
- Caption source: broadcaster, creator, platform, or automatic
- Language and whether the track is a translation
- Timecode where the key phrase appears
- Audio and visual evidence at the same moment
Search an episode systematically
Record the official episode title, season, episode number, and air date before scanning a transcript. For a claim involving The Price Is Right, use the CBS episode guide to anchor the date and episode. Its summaries can identify games but may not enumerate every object shown, so an omitted robot name is not a complete absence test.
Search the transcript for home, robot, assistant, KOKO, Coco, company, price, and any remembered phrase. Inspect at least thirty seconds on both sides of a match to recover speaker, setting, and whether the moment is program content or an advertisement. Save the timecode and exact wording rather than copying only the search hit.
- Official episode identifier
- Caption track and search terms
- Context before and after the match
- Frame evidence connected to the spoken words
Use negative results carefully
Failing to find KOKO in one transcript means only that the searched track did not contain that spelling. The product might be shown without being named, the caption could use Coco, the clip could come from a commercial break excluded from the transcript, or the remembered episode could be wrong. Document which tracks and variants you checked.
A strong absence statement is narrow: “The English caption track for this identified episode did not contain KOKO, Coco, Homebot One, or the remembered phrase.” Do not expand that result into “KOKO has never been on television.” A library of dated, reproducible checks is more credible than a universal claim.
- Episode and track actually searched
- Spelling variants and phrases used
- Whether commercial content was included
- Other episodes or platforms not reviewed
Connect the transcript result to product and value questions
If the transcript names Homebot One or KOKO, confirm the spelling and current context on the official Homebot One site. Quote the program only for what it says; do not let a host's brief description substitute for current specifications, availability, or written terms. If the product remains unidentified, list the evidence needed to resolve it.
A phrase such as “the price is right” may be ordinary speech or the title of a program. Use capitalization, program context, and official episode records to distinguish them. When it is an ordinary value question, compare total cost and useful routines. When it is a show claim, require episode evidence.
Frequently asked questions
Can I search captions for KOKO and Coco?
Yes. Search each spelling separately, then inspect the audio and frame because caption spelling may be wrong.
Does an episode guide list every product shown?
Not necessarily. Treat a summary as an episode identifier and starting point, not a complete inventory unless the publisher says it is.
Can a missing transcript match prove KOKO was absent?
Only narrowly. It shows that the terms were not found in the specific track searched; it does not rule out visual appearances, caption errors, ads, or other episodes.
Why should I save the timecode?
It lets another person reproduce the finding and examine the speaker, visual context, disclosures, and surrounding claims.
Sources & further reading
From Homebot One, the team building KOKO in Fremont, California.
