Aug 12 2014
Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) the worldwide leader in universal remote control technologies and control interfaces is coming to IBC2014, showcasing the latest innovations in control technology and design for home entertainment.
Growing competition and expanding content across multiple platforms continue to challenge multiple system operators as the center of home entertainment. The one common feature among the many entertainment devices in a consumer’s home is the remote control. Multi-service broadcasters can make their products and services the go to choice for entertainment by offering a single universal controller that delivers complete control of content and services to consumers at the touch of a button.
Redefining Remote Control Set Up
Automatically set up your remote control with UEI’s QuickSet™
The latest generation of QuickSet follows up on the success of the UEI platforms that are currently deployed in over 100 million devices around the world including set-top boxes, connected TVs, media devices, game consoles, smartphones, and tablets. UEI’s QuickSet delivers the simplest and most intuitive universal remote control setup and control experience available today. This technology enables a remote control to be set up and programmed to control virtually any television or entertainment device in the home, with minimal, if any, user input.
This latest release of QuickSet now includes full compatibility with the RDK initiative. The Reference Design Kit (RDK) is a pre-integrated software bundle that provides a common framework for powering customer-premises equipment (CPE) from TV service providers, including set-top boxes, gateways, and converged devices. It was created to accelerate the deployment of next-gen video products and services. The RDK is supported by more than 160 licensees, and is administered by the RDK Management LLC, a joint venture between Comcast Cable, Time Warner Cable, and Liberty Global.
QuickSet, combined with the professionally maintained UEI device code database and associated cloud services, virtually assures successful control of all compatible devices.
UEI QuickSet includes features such as:
- Automated Setup using HDMI-based connections to automatically identify the device brand and model number of connected displays without requiring user input
- Automated Device Detection, and IR control, of IP connected devices
- Cloud-based services to ensure access to a real-time device code database that is continuously updated with the latest control codes for the newest devices on the market, making the universal control interface easy to set up and future proof
- Compatible with RDK and the latest Zigbee RF4CE release
Redefining Home Entertainment Control
Control your TV, set-top box and audio device as if they were one with UEI’s Control Plus™
Control Plus simplifies the home entertainment setup and control experience across all AV devices. This technology solution addresses the most common consumer challenges in universal AV control such as mode confusion on the remote control, and switching to the right input. With UEI Control Plus technology, consumers can simply plug in a new device, have it discovered and set up automatically, and have activities such as “Watch TV” automatically enabled from a single universal remote control.
Key Features of Control Plus Include:
- Automated Setup and detection of most IP and HDMI-connected devices
- Dynamic Key Mapping to automatically map remote buttons to the right functions based on the active content source device
- One Touch View (OTV) – an automatically generated macro button to intuitively send the right commands to get users to their chosen content
- Smart device integration automatically sends system control settings for universal control to compatible second screen apps
Redefining Content Discovery
Interact with voice, touch or motion solutions
Home entertainment control continues to evolve as demands from consumers, and the proliferation of content and services have driven advances in the user onscreen interface and consequently the navigation, design, and two-way interactions between devices and remote controls. UEI is the industry leader in matching the right technology to meet these interaction needs. UEI has the experience necessary to successfully design and implement solutions with over 50 million advanced control solutions deployed worldwide with leading home entertainment brands such as Samsung, Sony, Comcast, DIRECTV, SKY, UPC, Virgin Media, and others.
UEI’s latest demonstration platform, UEI Evoke offers a balanced design that leverages the latest advances in input technologies (touch navigation and voice content search) with an ergonomic design that works simply and effortlessly.
Key highlights of the demonstration include:
- High resolution touchpad navigation of an onscreen UI to move across content and pages quickly
- User independent voice-driven content search that makes finding movies and filtering choices by genre or actor easy
- Emerging low power and low latency Bluetooth Smart RF technology for bi-directional connection with the set-top box
- UEI Universal Application Protocol Interface (UAPI) that is optimized for supporting advance control commands (2-way, different input technologies and additional features to improve user experience and serviceability). The main benefit is that it's fully future proof and allows scalability of the RCU without the need to change the box. This offers flexibility and lower integration cost for any future RCU that needs to work with the box
Redefining the Design Process
Combining consumer insights, technologies, and trends with UEI’s Designovation
UEI has developed and utilizes a consumer-centric and technology-enabling design philosophy called DESIGNOVATION. This guiding principal blends design and user experience to create products that are both aesthetically beautiful and functional to ensure successful product adoption. The collaboration of design follows consumer insights, personas, use cases, trends, brand values, and usability testing to ensure a beautiful and high-performance design.
Guests are welcome to visit Universal Electronics and experience live demonstrations at Hall 1, Stand C41 at IBC, September 12-16, 2014.