Las Vegas, NV; Rockville, MD; and Chula Vista, CA — January 9, 2013 — To meet the growing need for cost effective, power efficient pointing in Smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming media players, and PCs, SMK Electronics and Hillcrest Labs have teamed up to create a new consumer remote control solution. The new remote, to be manufactured and marketed by SMK Electronics, enables in-air pointing and cursor control by combining Hillcrest’s Freespace(R) MotionEngine(TM) Lite software with Bluetooth(R) low energy RF technology in Hillcrest Labs’ award-winning Scoop(TM) pointer. The remote uses Bluetooth low energy wireless connectivity technology from Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI).
“Fueled by the increased adoption of pointing-enabled Android(TM) and Windows(R) 8 operating systems, advanced pointing controls are now an essential part of all the latest Smart TVs and PC devices,” said Chad Lucien, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Hillcrest Labs. “We’re excited to partner with SMK, a trusted industry supplier of high quality, reliable remote control solutions, to create a new product to meet this market need.”
“We are pleased to be able to offer our global customers a turn-key remote control with high-precision cursor control,” said Paul Evans, president, SMK Electronics Corporation. “The combination of Hillcrest’s MotionEngine Lite software with Bluetooth low energy RF technology provides a cost effective, low-latency, ultra-high performance remote control solution for OEMs looking to deploy next-generation Smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming media players, PCs, and other entertainment devices.”
“Bluetooth low energy wireless connectivity delivers the battery-friendly, high performance technology being demanded for advanced remote controls — giving consumers more precise control of their consumer electronics equipment,” said Oyvind Birkenes, general manager, Wireless Connectivity Solutions, TI. “We are excited to continue our relationship with SMK and Hillcrest Labs to innovate in the living room, expanding our success with ZigBee RF4CE to Bluetooth low energy remote controls.”
The Scoop pointer uses Hillcrest’s MotionEngine Lite software to transform data from an accelerometer and a gyroscope into intuitive in-air pointing control. Interfacing wirelessly with Smart TVs, set-top boxes, streaming media players, PCs, and other devices, the Scoop will be showcased at the 2013 International CES show, January 8-11, in Las Vegas, NV, in SMK Electronics’ booth #20661 in Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall 1, in Hillcrest’s Renaissance Hotel suite #932 and in TI booth N119 in Las Vegas Convention Center North Hall.
About Hillcrest Labs:
Hillcrest Labs is the leading global supplier of software and hardware for motion-enabled products. Our Freespace(R) technology transforms human movement into high quality, application-ready motion information. With a decade of development and many unique patented features, products come to life with Freespace motion. Companies licensing Hillcrest’s motion technology include: Atmel, Eastman Kodak, LG Electronics, Logitech, Roku, SMK Electronics, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., TCL Multimedia, and others. For consumers, Hillcrest offers the Kylo(TM) browser, a free Web browser for TV viewing. Hillcrest has received numerous awards and recognitions including the prestigious CES Innovations Honoree Award multiple times, IMS Research’s TV Innovation Awards, EE Times’ ACE Award, PC World’s 100 Best Products and Greatest Tech Designs, Popular Mechanics’ Editors Choice, ECN’s Reader’s Choice Tech, and many others. Additional information about Hillcrest’s broad portfolio of motion control products is available at: www.HillcrestLabs.com. Follow Hillcrest on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HillcrestLabsor Twitter at @HillcrestLabs.
About SMK Electronics:
SMK Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo Japan, is a world leader in the design, development and manufacture of OEM remote controls, producing more than 70 million units annually. SMK Electronics, SMK’s America Group, in coordination with SMK’s Europe Group, is uniquely positioned to offer its global customers advanced OEM remote control solutions that support rich media, interactive content and advanced TV features. For more information, visit SMK Electronics USA, SMK Europe Group and SMK Corporation.
