Content area
Abstract
A sideshow to the HDTV of the future is the remote control of the future. LG's Magic Remote, now available in the company's Smart TV series and its just-out G2 series with Google TV, is more mouse than conventional television remote control. It has a scroll wheel/trackball bordered by navigation buttons and a handful of controls for basics like volume, channel and accessing the on-screen home menu. (The G2 version, with a more conventional contour, has a keyboard on the back.)
The Magic that comes with LG's LM8600 and LM9600 Smart TV series diverts dramatically from the common TV remote in its built-in microphone for voice recognition, supplementing gesture controls and a pointer/motion sensor that uses Bluetooth technology to communicate with the HDTV. Isn't this the way a futuristic remote should look too: arching, glossy black, ergonomically perfect with minimalist controls?
The Magic's Wii-mote-like motion sensor that uses Hillcrest Labs' Freespace technology also did not work with the cable box in play. When it did, with a direct-cable feed, it was almost comically awkward. To return to the previous channel, I'd point the Magic at the screen and swipe horizontally. When the corresponding line appeared on the screen, the channel changed. To check recent channels, I'd write a "V" in the air. Touche!
Full text
Voice recognition works for John Malkovich, magically, but iPhone owners and Siri users know better.
Television ads aside, voice recognition remains a work in progress -- just like a next-big-thing no one seems to care about, 3-D television. Apple's first television, arrival date unknown, is expected to include a Siri-like voice control of the now-standard HDTV Cyclops that's mostly television, part computer.
Voice control, with computer-HDTV integration, failed stunningly last year when Logitech's Revue set-top box (with Google TV technology and wireless computer keyboard) contributed to losses of $100 million and the jettisoning of Logitech's CEO.
A sideshow to the HDTV of the future is the remote control of the future. LG's Magic Remote, now available in the company's Smart TV series and its just-out G2 series with Google TV, is more mouse than conventional television remote control. It has a scroll wheel/trackball bordered by navigation buttons and a handful of controls for basics like volume, channel and accessing the on-screen home menu. (The G2 version, with a more conventional contour, has a keyboard on the back.)
The Magic that comes with LG's LM8600 and LM9600 Smart TV series diverts dramatically from the common TV remote in its built-in microphone for voice recognition, supplementing gesture controls and a pointer/motion sensor that uses Bluetooth technology to communicate with the HDTV. Isn't this the way a futuristic remote should look too: arching, glossy black, ergonomically perfect with minimalist controls?
All smart TVs need an Internet connection and programming source, whether it's cable, satellite or over-the-air antenna. The Magic Remote also needs pairing, like any Bluetooth device, with the television. With that done, and the Magic pointed toward the screen of a 55-inch 55LM9600, a cursor appeared on the screen amid icons grouped as a "dashboard," like a computer desktop or smartphone. (This LM9600, in fact, has a computer-style dual-core processor.)
As with a computer, I'd point the cursor at an icon -- maybe for TV programming or YouTube, a premium service like Vudu or LG's apps -- and click the scroll wheel. For most users of conventional remotes, this will take some practice. Yet it became my favorite Magic trick. This nimble technology is a keeper.
The built-in microphone uses voice-recognition technology by Nuance, makers of Dragon NaturallySpeaking software for computers. In the Magic, it helps users search for TV shows, music or Web content. It's accurate too.
To search for "Hartford Fire Department" on the Web, I had to first select the browser from the on-screen menu, then click a tiny microphone icon. Say the words and the results appeared on the screen. With a TV, though, most searches will be for programming. Yet with a cable box, the Magic had no clue. It could not recognize cable's program guide. (LG says a television firmware update in July will allow full voice searches for both cable and satellite set-top boxes.)
It did work, though, in my trials with the cable line connected directly to the HDTV, bypassing the box. This, of course, also eliminated all HD channels and everything else but a basic-package channel cluster. The voice feature did nothing more than enter browser searches. It did not allow a dictated Twitter or Facebook update.
The Magic's Wii-mote-like motion sensor that uses Hillcrest Labs' Freespace technology also did not work with the cable box in play. When it did, with a direct-cable feed, it was almost comically awkward. To return to the previous channel, I'd point the Magic at the screen and swipe horizontally. When the corresponding line appeared on the screen, the channel changed. To check recent channels, I'd write a "V" in the air. Touche!
In either scenario, I'd rather press a single button on a conventional remote.
Yet as a basic remote with cursor, the Magic already beats the everyday remote. Once the voice-search compatibility with cable and satellite boxes arrives and if the motion feature becomes more functional, the Magic truly could become the remote of the future.
What: LG Magic Remote
Price: Comes with LG Electronics' Smart TV series, lg.com
Hot: Computerlike control of HDTV screen, with cursor
Not: Voice recognition programming search function not compatible with cable/satellite boxes until July.
Photo (color); Caption: The LG Magic Remote is more mouse than TV remote, although it's voice-recognition capability needs some work. But it looks like the remote of the future -- glossy black, ergonomically perfect.
(Copyright 2012 by The Daily Press)