CSR first to collaborate with UEI to enable QuickSet® setup and infra-red technology on Bluetooth Smart remotes
Cambridge, UK and Santa Ana, California, USA – 25 September 2014 – CSR plc (LSE: CSR; NASDAQ: CSRE) and Universal Electronics Inc. (NASDAQ: UEIC) today announce that CSR is collaborating with Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) to add Infra-Red (IR) setup and control functionality to remote controls based on CSR µEnergy® Bluetooth® Smart platforms. With the capabilities enabled by UEI’s QuickSet®, manufacturers who use the CSR1011™ chipset can deliver remote controls that offer consumers long battery life and are compatible with their existing entertainment products like DVD and Blu-ray players, cable boxes, stereo systems and other AV devices, removing the need for multiple remote controls.
“Most consumers have a variety of remote controls in their homes that utilize Infra-Red LED technology to operate products that they have accumulated over time such as digital media players and sound systems,” says Anthony Murray, Senior Vice President, Business Group at CSR. “Working with UEI, CSR offers customers an important competitive differentiator for their remotes and a ‘best of both worlds’ solution. Consumers can control all of their existing devices with a single remote; gain the low power benefits, increase responsiveness, and interoperability enabled by Bluetooth Smart; and establish a gateway to additional Internet of Things devices.”
The UEI QuickSet IR command upload capability will be integrated into CSR1011 platform based remote control SDKs. Selecting the QuickSet option in the CSR remote SDK enables end TV and set-top box suppliers to take advantage of UEI’s device control database of entertainment devices, which gives users access to many of the control functions for virtually all digital entertainment electronics devices in the world. This simple solution emulates an IR device on top of enabling a Bluetooth Smart remote control. By adding low-cost IR LEDs in a design, CSR1011 based remotes can now seamlessly work with the QuickSet application to detect, identify and control compatible devices traditionally operated via IR remotes with minimal, if any, user setup.
QuickSet integration with CSR1011 means that OEMs can achieve a lower BOM, reduced complexity and engineering time, eliminating the need to purchase secondary IR blasters.
“Bluetooth Smart connectivity enables a growing ecosystem of devices interacting with TVs and set-top boxes, ranging from intelligent remote controls to smartphones and wearables,” remarked Arsham Hatambeiki, Vice President, Corporate Product Strategy at UEI. “The native integration of QuickSet with the CSR1011 Bluetooth Smart chip enables automatic and seamless universal control of AV equipment as well as a range of new applications and accessories around the home while reducing the cost and time to market for smart remote controls.”
UEI QuickSet is currently deployed in over 100 million devices on a variety of platforms including set-top boxes, connected TVs, DVD and Blu-ray players, game consoles, smartphones, and tablets on Linux, Windows, Android and iOS operating systems.
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About CSR
At CSR we push every boundary™ to solve challenges and deliver innovations that help customers differentiate and win in the fast-evolving consumer electronics market. Our technologists are improving people’s lifestyles and unlocking the true potential of seamless connectivity and the Internet of Things by developing and integrating silicon, software and services for customers in Voice & Music, Connectivity and Bluetooth® Smart, Automotive Infotainment, Document Imaging and Location. For more information, visit www.csr.com our blog, YouTube, Facebook or Twitter. For more information on aptX®, the audio codec that has revolutionized the wireless listening experience, visit www.aptx.com
About Universal Electronics
Founded in 1986, Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) is the global leader in wireless control technology for the connected home. UEI designs, develops, and delivers innovative solutions that enable consumers to control entertainment devices, digital media, and home systems. The company’s broad portfolio of patented technologies and database of infrared control software have been adopted by many Fortune 500 companies in the consumer electronics, subscription broadcast, and computing industries. UEI sells and licenses wireless control products through distributors and retailers under the One For All® brand name. For additional information, visit our website at www.uei.com
CAUTIONARY NOTE ON FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS
This press release contains certain statements (including statements concerning plans and objectives of management for future operations or performance, or assumptions related thereto) that are not historical facts and constitute ‘forward looking statements’ within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 in relation to CSR’s Bluetooth® Smart platforms, and their performance characteristics in consumer electronic products, including the performance of the CSR μEnergy® CSR1011™ technology with UEI’s QuickSet® in remote controls, and other future events and their potential effects on CSR. These forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as ‘will,’ ‘can deliver,’ offers’, ‘allows’, ‘to enhance,’ ‘enables,’ ‘designed to’ and other similar expressions regarding the performance characteristics of CSR’s Bluetooth® Smart platforms, and their performance characteristics in consumer electronics products, including the performance of the CSR μEnergy® CSR1011™ technology with UEI’s QuickSet® in remote controls, and their potential effects on CSR. Any future release of CSR’s Bluetooth® Smart platforms or consumer electronics products containing such technology, related products or modifications to such products’ capability, functionality or features are subject to ongoing evaluation by CSR and its customers, and may or may not be implemented and should not be considered firm commitments by CSR or its customers and should not be relied upon in making purchasing decisions. Such forward-looking statements represent the current expectations and beliefs of management of CSR, and are based upon numerous assumptions regarding CSR’s business strategies and the environment in which CSR will operate and therefore involve a number of known and unknown risks, contingencies, uncertainties and other factors, many of which are beyond the control of CSR, including, but not limited to, those detailed from time to time in CSR’s periodic reports (whether under the caption Risk Factors or Forward Looking Statements or elsewhere), which are available at the SEC’s web site http://www.sec.gov. Each forward looking statement speaks only as of the date hereof. CSR does not undertake to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward looking statements contained herein, otherwise than required by law.
Bluetooth® and the Bluetooth logos are trademarks owned by Bluetooth SIG, Inc. and licensed to CSR. Wi-Fi®, Wi-Fi Alliance®, WMM®, Wi-Fi Protected Access®, WPA®, WPA2®, Wi-Fi Protected Setup™ and Wi-Fi Multimedia™ are trademarks of the Wi-Fi Alliance. QuickSet® is a registered trademark owned by Universal Electronics Inc.
Other products, services and names used in this document may have been trademarked by their respective owners.
For more information contact:
US:
James Gerber
March Communications
+1(617) 960-9875
[email protected]
UK:
Russell Lindsey
Octopus Group
+44(0)845 370 7024
[email protected]
Source: RealWire
