CSR8510™ and CSR1011™ combined for turnkey solution, reducing time to market for new, cutting-edge remote controls for TVs and Set Top Boxes
CSR today announced the availability of new Evaluation and Development Kits for makers of the newest generation of Smart Remotes for TVs and Set Top Boxes (STBs). The kits will enable the development of the first Voice Command enabled Bluetooth® low energy remote controls as well as a low power, robust link for motion pointing and gesture capabilities. And, in collaboration with Hillcrest Labs, CSR has created its solution to work seamlessly with Hillcrest’s Freespace® MotionEngine™ software, which has become the standard for motion control in consumer electronic devices around the world.
“Motion plus voice control is an incredibly powerful combination for Smart TV remote controls and we’re thrilled to collaborate with CSR to make this available in these powerful new kits”
The new kits are based on two CSR devices: the CSR1011™, part of the CSR µEnergy® platform, which is optimised for keyboards and remote controls; and the CSR8510™, a dual-mode Bluetooth solution optimised for TVs and STBs using human interface devices (HID) such as remote controls. New remote control functions and capabilities are needed to meet growing consumer demand for a faster, more immersive experience using services and features provided by next-generation Smart TVs and STBs. [According to the ABI Research report “Digital Home Remote Controls”, demand for RF remote controls will rise to exceed 217 million devices in 2016].
“Motion plus voice control is an incredibly powerful combination for Smart TV remote controls and we’re thrilled to collaborate with CSR to make this available in these powerful new kits,” said Chad Lucien, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Hillcrest Labs. “The combination of our Freespace MotionEngine software and CSR’s market-leading Bluetooth low energy RF technology offers a compelling view of the future where Smart TV user interfaces are more intuitive, more enjoyable and, ultimately, even more integral to our lives than they are today.”
“The interaction between consumers and televisions is becoming more immersive and more complex – and consumer expectations are escalating rapidly because of the kind of experiences they’re getting from their other devices, such as smartphones and game consoles,” said Paul Williamson, director of µEnergy product at CSR. “With growing trends like TV-based gaming and browsing, even more sophisticated control devices are coming into the market, and IR-based remote controls simply cannot offer any more to the consumer. Bluetooth Smart offers the perfect balance of throughput and low-power required for advanced control, and with these two new developer offerings CSR is clearing a path to the next generation of advanced remote controls.”
The Bluetooth 4.0 standard introduced low energy technology to the Bluetooth wireless connectivity specification, enabling new Bluetooth Smart devices that can operate for years on the same set of batteries. The CSR µEnergy platform for Bluetooth Smart uses the recently adopted HID Over GATT Profile (HOGP) in the Bluetooth 4.0 standard to enable TV and STB control functions without compromising the ease of use and extreme responsiveness needed in a consumer remote control unit. HOGP allows and defines the communication between a Bluetooth Smart device and a host device, such as that between a remote control unit and a Smart TV, STB or tablet.
