New remote control designs from Philips Home Control at IBC 2013

-- Philips Home Control is set to unveil the new Surf and Argento off the shelf remote controls for OEMs and MSOs.

AMSTERDAM, Sept. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- At this year's IBC event, taking place in Amsterdam from 13-17 September, Philips Home Control is introducing two new remote control designs to their off the shelf portfolio for OEMs and MSOs, as well as a number of new technology solutions. Together they address the dynamic and exciting challenges coming from the emerging market of smart and connected devices with endless content possibilities.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130914/NY79962 )

Advanced control comes with style

The Surf platform joins Philips Home Control's successful dual keyboard remote control product family. The compact and refreshing industrial design is poised to set a new benchmark in the market. It offers a broad choice of wireless solutions and numerous advanced control features including touch control for intuitive navigation, motion control for gaming and voice input for search, as well as a new head's up text entry experience. That makes it a versatile and effective solution for OEMs and MSOs looking to offer their customers a novel smart TV experience.

Alternatively for the connoisseur who appreciates a remote control as a piece of art, the Argento delivers high-end design with intuitive control. It is a direct result of Philips Home Control's leading industrial design heritage. Every detail of this slim, sleek and simple remote has been carefully thought through and crafted with precision, to achieve its intended look, feel and usability.

Continuing to push innovation

Imagine the possibilities of taking any remote control and simply and cost-effectively turning it into a touchpad. RevoTouch (Revolutionary Touch) from Philips Home Control does exactly that, reusing the same rubber or plastic keys as any normal remote yet it does not need the stiff, flat areas normally required by touch pads.

It delivers full design flexibility for very ergonomic, stylish remote controls that offer both 'normal' key clicks (up / down / left / right / OK) as well as touchpad interactions (flick up / down gestures, cursor control, etc.) using the same cursor pad area.

OEMs and MSOs can also forget about printed manuals, instead they can just give customers the luxury of a graphical wizard running on the TV screen. SimpleSetup already offers a thoroughly user-tested way to program a universal remote. With Philips Home Control's extensive IR code library which can be embedded in the remote or hosted in the cloud, end customers can control their legacy IR equipment in no-time. OnScreen SimpleSetup only needs an HTML browser for painless integration on any modern STB platform. The Philips cloud based service takes care of the rest.

As wireless technology and protocols continue to develop, Philips Home Control's protocol support (proprietary RF, Zigbee RF4CE, Zigbee Pro, Bluetooth 3.0, etc.) is being expanded. The company now offers software stacks and profiles for Bluetooth 4.0 low energy (Bluetooth SMART) and Wi-Fi Direct. With years of wireless RF design-in and mass-production experience, Philips Home Control also offers hardware integration support for optimal co-existence and software support up to the customer user interface level for an optimal user experience.

"We are stepping up our investment in R&D as well as active and open partnerships with leading chipset, hard-, soft- and middleware providers. This will bring further meaningful, easy to adopt and sustainable innovative solutions to our customers," said Jean-Paul Abrams, general manager, Philips Home Control business.

Visit us at IBC in Hall 1, booth A81.

About Philips Home Control:

Philips Home Control is a leading remote control manufacturer. Philips has developed many of the industry's standard protocols (IR, RF) and offers an extensive portfolio of patents that improve the performance, ease-of-use and functionality of remote controls. Offering complete innovative solutions for all possible applications & segments, ranging from IPTV to cable & satellite, consumer electronics, home automation and pc-based applications, Philips Home Control prides itself with the broadest worldwide customer base. Whether choosing a standard solution or a customized remote that matches your product or brand identity, Philips Home Control is the right partner.

www.remotecontrol.philips.com

About Royal Philips:

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people's lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2012 sales of EUR 24.8 billion and employs approximately 115,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. The company is a leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as male shaving and grooming and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

View the full Philips Home Control press kit for IBC 2013 here: http://www.virtualpressoffice.com/kit/PhilipsHomeControlIBC2013