Hillcrest Labs stopped working on its HoME interface for smart TVs close to seven years ago. And yet the UI is still better than most you’ll see on the market today. Read more at Zatz Not Funny.

Augmented reality will change the way we use technology and see the world around us. By using an array of sensors to intelligently interpret location, position, and context; augmented reality has the potential to visually enrich our experience of the real world with timely and useful information. As our recent announcement at MWC showed, Hillcrest is excited to be working with ST-Ericsson and VENTURI to develop a next-generation augmented reality (AR) paradigm. Read more on the ST-Ericsson Tech Blog.

Hillcrest’s Freespace motion control technology is currently used in Smart TVs from LG and TCL, Roku players, and Warpia streaming media players (WarpiaTV). Unlike motion control systems that rely on line-of-site (such as cameras or infrared), Hillcrest’s remotes do not need to be used, or pointed directly, in front of a TV screen or computer screen to work. Read more at Broadband TV News.

With Hillcrest’s Freespace Motion Engine software embedded on the Intel Media Server Reference Design (MSRD) kit and controlled by a handheld remote control, TV operators can provide subscribers the ability to control TV with mouse-like navigation, and point-and-click simplicity, Hillcrest said. Read more at Digitimes.

This will allow operators with STBs based on MSRD to design more advanced interfaces that can be controlled with mouse-like precision from the comfort of a family room sofa. Hillcrest is no stranger to the STB market. Roku uses the technology in its series 2 and 3 Internet STB models. … The addition of the Hillcrest software should help operators build better interfaces on set-top boxes based on Intel technology. Read more at nScreenMedia.

Hillcrest Labs has already worked with LG, TCL, and Roku to put its Freespace motion control technology into their respective players, so its partnership with Intel should be a good fit. The software will enable “mouse-like navigation, and point-and-click simplicity” using a handheld remote control. Read more at The Next Web. 

Rockville, MD – March 19, 2013 – Hillcrest Labs today announced that Intel’s newest reference design kit for IPTV set-top boxes (STBs) and media servers will use Hillcrest’s patented Freespace® in-air pointing and motion control technology. With the Freespace Motion Engine™ software embedded on the Intel® Media Server Reference Design (MSRD) kit and controlled by a handheld remote control, TV operators can provide subscribers the ability to control TV with mouse-like navigation, and point-and-click simplicity.

“Computers and smartphones have used motion-based, point-and-click interfaces for years because they are the most efficient way to navigate large volumes of content,” said Chad Lucien, senior vice president of sales and marketing at Hillcrest Labs. “Intel has seized onto this idea for TV, and is now driving innovation for serving TV service providers. We’re extremely proud that Intel has selected the Freespace MotionEngine for use in its new set-top box reference kits.”

“Hillcrest is a leader in motion-based TV software and products,” said Ran Senderovitz, general manager, Service Provider Division Marketing at Intel. “Operators are seeking better and innovative ways to help consumers find and navigate shows and applications. With Freespace, we’re creating an out-of-the box, motion-ready reference solution for operators and OEMs globally.”

Intel MSRD

Intel’s new MSRD is a design kit for OEMs and system integrators that allows them to quickly develop Intel-based set-top boxes and media servers and is based on the Intel® Atom™ processor CE5300. This dual core Atom-based SOC supports hyperthreading, virtualization, an advanced 3D/2D graphics engine, integrated power management, and a H.264 B-picture hardware encoder. Intel has pre-integrated components such as a media engine, broadcast stacks, virtualization, and motion control technology to reduce validation testing for OEMs and to accelerate time to market. The MSRD will be available in April 2013 from Intel and through its distribution partner Videon Central. The MSRD is being showcased at TV Connect 2013 in London at Intel’s booth number 39.

Freespace Attributes

Hillcrest’s Freespace MotionEngine software can be added to a wide range of CE devices, including: set-top boxes, Smart TVs, remote controls, game controllers, mobile handsets, PC peripherals, and more. Hillcrest’s Freespace software is currently used across dozens of Smart TVs models from LG and TCL, and Roku streaming players. Other companies that have licensed Freespace for use in their products include: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Universal Electronics (UEI), SMK Electronics, Atmel, Logitech, and more. Hillcrest has a worldwide intellectual property portfolio that includes over 80 granted and 200 filed patents. Unique attributes of Freespace include:

• High Resolution Pointer Accuracy: Freespace enables a highly precise pointing remote control which allows users to select icons and images, small and large, on a high-resolution screen easily.

• Advanced Motion Controls: Intuitive motion controls enable high-performance motion gaming and replicate the swipes, gestures, and drag-and drop functions which have made devices such as smartphones and tablets easy to use.

• Orientation Compensation: Regardless of the orientation of the remote in space (e.g. pointing at the ground, turned sideways, etc.), Freespace technology generates intuitive cursor motions on the screen from any position— standing, sitting or reclining.

• Intelligent Motion Stabilization: Hillcrest’s technology can distinguish between intentional and unintentional movement, including natural hand tremors and button clicks. This means the remote control accurately and immediately responds to the end user’s actions.

• No Line-of-Sight: Unlike conventional infrared devices and optical motion-sensing devices, Freespace remotes uses RF (radio frequency) technology and inertial motion sensors, so users do not need to point directly at the computer or TV screen. This gives users greater freedom to move around the living room.

Additional information about Intel’s MSRD can be found at www.intel.com. Additional information about Hillcrest Labs can be found at www.hillcrestlabs.com.

About Hillcrest Labs:

Hillcrest Labs is the leading global supplier of software and hardware for motion-enabled products. Our Freespace® 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 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/HillcrestLabs or Twitter at @HillcrestLabs.

Hillcrest Labs, Freespace, and MotionEngine are trademarks of Hillcrest Laboratories, Inc. All other company names and trademarks remain property of their respective owners.

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 Hillcrest Press Contacts:

Renee Burch, JLM Partners Inc. for Hillcrest Labs, renee@jlmpartners.com, 206-381-3600 or Jeremy Pemble, JLM Partners Inc. for Hillcrest Labs, jeremy@jlmpartners.com, 206-381-3600

Intel has unveiled a new reference design kit for a Web-based TV set-top box that will be based on the Atom processor and tap Hillcrest Labs’ motion control technology.

Controlled with a handheld remote, Hillcrest’s Freespace Motion Engine software gives subscribers the ability to control their TVs with “mouse-like navigation and point-and-click simplicity,” the company said in a statement. Intel is showcasing the software at the TV Connect 2013 conference in London. Read more at CNET. 

Intel is super cereal about disrupting the broadcast television industry. The company is reportedly hard at work developing an inclusive, on-demand library of the past 30 days worth of programming. But a managing or even browsing a month’s worth of shows (all of them, not just what you specifically record) can get out of hand really fast. That’s why Intel is teaming with Hillcrest Labs to develop motion-controlled, point-n-click remotes to speed your TV surfing. Read more at Gizmodo. 

Hillcrest Labs Integrates its Freespace MotionEngine Mobile Motion-Control Software with VENTURI Augmented Reality Platform. Read more at InteractiveTV Today.