(January 5, 2010 – PRNewswire) — Hillcrest Labs, a leader in motion-control technology and interactive television applications, announced a low-cost, embedded motion-control system for TV manufacturers. The new turnkey solution is designed to support new motion pointing and gesture-enabled user interfaces for navigating the Web, Internet-based applications, and games on televisions.
It will be showcased at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), January 6-10, 2011, in Las Vegas, NV, in the Broadcom Meeting Room, Hillcrest Labs suite at the Renaissance Hotel, and the Universal Electronics (UEI) booth on the CES show floor.
Hillcrest’s patented Freespace MotionEngine is now integrated with Broadcom’s new BCM35230 digital TV system-on-a-chip (SoC) and Broadcom’s new BCM20730 single-chip Bluetooth solution, enabling a turn-key, cost-effective, and fully-featured motion control solution for connected televisions.
In addition at CES, Universal Electronics, manufacturer of TV remotes, will showcase a new Freespace and Bluetooth-enabled TV remote control, utilizing a single-chip, digital-output, 3-axis MEMS gyroscope from InvenSense, that is compatible with the new system from Broadcom and Hillcrest. The demonstrations will include a TV user interface optimized for motion pointing, which includes Hillcrest’s HoMEcast video application and a Webkit browser engine.
"As the demand for Internet-based content on TV continues to rise, manufacturers are seeking differentiated, turn-key, and economical solutions that enable immersive and intuitive user experiences for consumers," said Chad Lucien, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Hillcrest Labs. "We are proud to have collaborated with Broadcom and the market leaders in remote controls and MEMS devices to create a turnkey solution that enables TV manufactures to quickly add Freespace motion control, pointing applications, and Bluetooth to connected televisions."
"Broadcom is at the forefront of producing very low power chipsets that will enable a growing portfolio of innovative remote control devices for Internet-connected TVs and home entertainment devices," said Craig Ochikubo, Vice President and General Manager of Broadcom’s Wireless Personal Area Networking line of business. "We are very pleased to have worked with Hillcrest Labs to incorporate their pioneering Freespace technology into our new class of Bluetooth and digital TV chipsets."
Unlike alternative motion control technologies, both the new chipset and compatible TV remotes use fully-integrated motion sensors that do not require additional external cameras or lightbars in order to control the onscreen viewing experience. In addition, the low-cost Bluetooth-based solution does not require line-of-site, which enables consumers to control their TVs without the need to aim at the TV. The new system is compatible with a variety of smart TV platforms including Linux, Android or Google TV-based solutions.
Broadcom is a leader in applying Bluetooth wireless technologies to an increasingly diverse range of consumer electronics and media devices. Additional information about Broadcom is available at www.broadcom.com. Additional details about Freespace or Hillcrest Labs are available at www.hillcrestlabs.com.