Zatz Not Funny (4/20/2013), Mari Silbey

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.

ST-Ericsson Technology Blog (4/9/2013), Chad Lucien, Hillcrest Labs

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.

Broadband TV News (3/19/2013), By Robert Briel

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.

Digitimes (3/19/2013), By Jessie Shen

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.

nScreenMedia (3/19/2013), By Colin Dixon 

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.

The Next Web (3/19/2013), Josh Ong

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. 

CNET (3/19/2013)

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. 

Gizmodo (3/19/1013), by Andrew Tarantola

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. 

InteractiveTV Today (2/26/2013), By Tracy Swedlow

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

nScreenMeida (2/4/2013), By Colin Dixon

MotionEngine is an application programming interface (API) which devices makers and app developers can take advantage of to bring new, more intuitive capabilities to market … MotionEngine would allow a user to answer a ringing phone simply by bringing it to her ear. MotionEngine can help manage various features of the phone automatically which currently require the user to take action. For example, such mundane things as turning Bluetooth on and off could be handled automatically. MotionEngine would enable the phone to identify when the owner was in their car and automatically connect to auto’s audio system. Read more at nScreenMedia.