The Future Of The Remote Control In The Age Of Internet TV
At IP&TV World Forum in London, I tried several of the software and hardware technologies pitched by dozens of jostling vendors to new internet TV operators. My conclusion - the four-directional paradigm of the conventional TV remote control, used by most new-wave connected TVs, is no longer suitable for the exploding new set of use cases for the humble telly box.
The remote control must die; but what’s next? One company at the apex of that question is Philips, which, unbeknownst to many onlookers, already makes remote controls for an array of TV makers, set-top box vendors and pay-TV operators like BSkyB.
Philips now offers its own Wiimote-like gesture stick to screen makers like HP; (NYSE: HPQ) a motion-sensitive, qwerty-equipped uWand; candybars with integrated laptop trackpads and, yes, plain ‘ol candybars for internet TV operators who still want them.
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