6 Unique Remote Control Technologies

So many TV options, so many buttons on the remote control.

Manufacturers are coming to the rescue with new technologies that make A/V control perhaps a little less intimidating.

Here are a few of the latest innovations.

1. URC MX-5000 with Haptics
We gushed about URC's new MX-5000 with haptic technology — apparently the first universal remote to employ tactile feedback.

"It [haptics] gives you an immediate, very satisfying sensation," says VP of technology Eric Johnson. "When you look at the rest of the remote, too, boy it feels so good and looks so good."

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2. Wind-Up Battery-Free Remote
Getting up off the couch to find fresh batteries for your remote control can be such a drag. The new EZPower Wind-up universal remote eliminates the need for old-fashioned batteries. Just turn the jog shuttle 30 to 50 times, and you'll have enough energy to power the remote for up to 7 days. The remote can control up to six A/V devices.

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3. Omnio RF Remote Powers Itself
Enocean is another company that designs battery-free controllers, such as wireless switches that are powered by the rocker motion. Teaming with Omnio, the company offers a four-button RF remote control that requires no batteries. The Ratio four-channel R101 is powered by "electro-dynamic energy generator (induction principle)" and works with a variety of RF transceivers.

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4. Motion-Sensitive Remotion
Some integrators were claiming that URC's new MX-5000 remote with tactile feedback lacks number buttons. Those dealers would certainly have some qualms about the Remotion motion-sensing remote designed by Ryan Sorrell. Simply wave the device up and down for volume control or left and right for channel changing.

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5. Loop Finally Becomes a Product
Hillcrest Labs has been showing its Loop pointer and mouse concept for a couple of years, but the company is finally launching the product. The RF remote lets users control an on-screen cursor with the flick of wrist. It's designed for PC or Mac-based devices connected to a TV. The loop has four buttons and a scroll wheel. It is now available to consumers for $99 via Amazon.com. Me? I like hard buttons and use the Gyration Air Music remote with my S1Digital Media Center PC.

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6. Voice Controllable Remotes
For years, we've seen remote controls that can be operated with simple voice commands such as "Turn to CBS." While some of the products from Innotech still are shipping, most of the others never panned out.

AT&T is moving forward with a voice-controllable remote that uses its Watson voice recognition technology. The remote will be available for its U-verse TV subscribers.

The Dallas Morning News quotes Mazin Gilbert, an executive director in AT&T Labs:

If you press the switch and you say, 'Action movies with Harrison Ford,' the goal here is not just to recognize that. The goal here is to understand that action movies are types of movies and Harrison Ford is an actor, or he could be a director, too. That's what the technology we have in place does.

These are some of the previous developments in voice-controllable remotes:

• InVoca 3.0, Surfboard, Accenda remotes from Innotech (Products still selling through a handful of distributors)
• VRC-400 from Pogo Products – voice control for Scientific-Atlanta cable boxes (apparently discontinued)
• My Voice remote from One Voice -- focusing on Media Center control (discontinued in favor of PC-based voice control systems)
• RCA Voice Control Remote (apparently discontinued)

Top: InVoca 3.0, Surfboard and Accenda remotes from Innotech; Pogo VRC-400
Bottom: One Voice remote RCA Talking Remote