CSR and Philips uWand collaborate to deliver a complete next generation remote control solution

Cambridge, UK and San Jose, California, USA –28 May 2014 – Wireless technology innovator CSR plc (LSE: CSR; NASDAQ: CSRE) today announces that its Bluetooth® Smart remote platform has been integrated into Philips’ uWand reference design, a complete firmware and hardware solution for developing pointing and gesture based remote controls. The CSR Smart Remote platform is an end-to-end solution with CSR1010™,  part of the CSR µEnergy® range, and the CSR8510™ to enable seamless data transfer between a remote control and TV or set-top-box (STB). When coupled with Philips’ camera-based direct pointing technology, manufacturers using uWand can expect optimal battery life and an intuitive television navigation experience. 

“We wanted to ensure manufacturers using uWand could also count on a seamless Bluetooth Smart connectivity experience,” says Navin Natoewal, General Manager at Philips Business Group Media Interaction. “We are happy to work with CSR’s µEnergy range because the company has an unequalled market heritage, having helped write the Bluetooth Smart standard, and this is reflected in its powerful platforms which offer advanced features without compromising battery life. Coupled with our unique pointing and gesture control technology, the uWand enables remote controls with fluid and accurate direct control.”

Philips uWand also offers manufacturers the opportunity to integrate voice recognition in to their remote control solutions. In addition to communicating gestures, the CSR1010 is able to communicate voice commands over a Bluetooth Smart connection – further expanding the boundaries of Bluetooth Smart technology.

“Today’s wireless remote controls need to cope with seamlessly navigating a range of services – allowing consumers to browse the web, play games and access video on demand services – while not having to regularly charge their devices,” says Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President, Business Group at CSR. “Our Smart Remote platform enables developers to bring market-leading products with this experience to market and we are delighted to be working with Philips uWand to deliver a more intuitive, direct pointing solution.”

The CSR µEnergy line-up of hardware and software products gives developers a complete environment to rapidly create new Bluetooth Smart enabled remote controls with long battery life and high responsiveness. The CSR µEnergy Remote Control Development Kit (RCDK) offers an SDK, a new graphical development tool and an application specific hardware development board at a low initial investment. The kit enables the rapid development of simple or complete next generation remote controls, like those enabled by uWand, with support for advanced features such as pointing, gesture and voice control.

The CSR1010 and CSR8510 are part of a range of CSR solutions designed to offer complete platforms to develop differentiated home entertainment devices – from remote controls and STBs to sound bars and networked home audio solutions. These platforms combine connectivity with high-quality audio solutions, including wireless codec aptX®, which ensures CD-like quality audio over a Bluetooth connection and CSR’s MAPX™ multimedia application processors.