remote control

The new remote control reference design platform is base on the ZigBee RF4CE standard.  The solution offers a rich remote control experience that includes voice search and gesture recognition, internet-based multimedia search and discovery capabilities, support for the latest in cloud gaming and more.

The remote platform joins other Marvell smart home, set-top box and smart TV solutions such as their award-winning ARMADA 1500 series SoC (System-on-Chip).

Research done by Strategy Analytics indicated that this is a good time to inter the market for interactive security services and remote monitoring. According to them these services are predicted to worth $1.6 billion in the next five years, in Western Europe alone and a combine total of $11.9 billion with the US. The Strategy Analytics Smart Home Strategies Advisory Services report titled, “Interactive Security: Market Outlook and Competitive Landscape”, looks at both markets up to 2018.

Control4 has made some enhancements to its 4Sight service to include added services for the connected home. The new Control4 Anywhere Access enables homeowners to securely access, manage and control their home remotely.  The upgraded 4Sight Service now sends out configured alerts to inform you about your home, giving you the peace of that your home is being monitored.

Just a week after Google introduced the Android@Home initiative, South Korea’s Conspin has release a new Android 2.1 remote for the connected home enthusiast. The Andi-One allows you to install up to 50 remote controls; smart touch on its 3.5” TFT LCD screen and Wi-Fi, IR and RF communication.

The Andi-One is accompanied by a cradle that allows it to connect to other appliances in your home.  There is a 3W, 2 channel stereo speakers; HDMI output port; DC port and Ethernet port, along with volume controls.

The home control market has lost one of its key players; after 30 years Philips said it will no longer manufacture its Philips Pronto remote control because the product line no longer fits with the Philips’ strategy. This comes as a shock to me because I thought they were going well especially with recent releases, like the TSW9500 in-wall Pronto touchscreen and DUAL.  Apparently the company has been looking for a partner to take the Pronto business off its hands since last year but none was found.

Meet the Ericsson IPTV Two Screen Remote, a touch screen solution to control your TV and other connected digital devices in the connected home.  The remote offers a single user interface for controlling both live and on-demand TV, Internet video, the PC and the mobile phone in the home.  Following a successful launch at IBC in Amsterdam last month, where it won 'Best IPTV Technology' at the CSI Product of the Year Awards (see video below).

Broadcom and Philips Home Control have combined their technologies to create a new class of remote control for the emerging connected home appliances. The remote was developed using Broadcom Bluetooth technology and Philips expertise in advance wireless input and control solutions, and features Gestural Control for game consoles and other wirelessly connected devices.

Philips has increased its list of Home Control appliances with the release of Philips Home Control Dual. The new Home Control remote will be come the tool of choice for those who want one device that will offer the service of a mouse, keyboard and remote all-in-one without the bulk. The DUAL features a QWERTY keyboard, gesture control, pointer, touchpad, 4 directional keys, and an optical sensor to manipulate an on-screen cursor and form fields without switching devices.

Broadcom has announced that TiVo, the advance television service provider has selected Broadcom’s Bluetooth technology for a new remote.  The new QWERTY keyboard remote control will help TiVo customers to take full advantage of the application services available through its TiVo Premiere, TiVo HD and TiVo Services boxes. The new TiVo Slide QWERTY keyboard remote control is the first TiVo remote to feature Bluetooth, enabling comfortable text entry for search and discovery of content.

Synaptics has announced that they are working with Philips Home Control, the developers of Pronto Pronto Digital Home Solutions to implement an optimize hardware-level specification for touchpad technology.  The collaboration is also to simplify the growing complexity in system browsing as more and more devices are interconnected in the home.