Hillcrest Labs Selected by TCL to Bring Motion, Gesture and Cursor Control to Android™-Powered Smart TVs

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Hillcrest Labs today announced that TCL Multimedia ("TCL"), one of China's leading TV and consumer electronics brands, is using Hillcrest's patented Freespace® motion software for TCL's Android™-based Smart TVs, including its flagship V7500 Android 4.03 Smart TV, and motion sensing remotes. The Smart TV system will be available in China this month and in other markets later this year. TCL and Hillcrest have entered into a worldwide license agreement for TCL to use Hillcrest's Freespace in-air pointing and motion control solution in current and future products.

TCL Android Smart TVs and motion remotes feature Hillcrest's Freespace MotionEngine™ Smart TV software and Freespace Gesture Recognition Engine, which enable motion, gesture and cursor control to be used to navigate and interact with an array of Smart TV content. This includes the TV menus, Web browser, games, and a wide variety of Android applications. The Freespace MotionEngine Smart TV software provides precise motion data for mouse-like point-and-click functionality, and motion gaming applications. The Freespace Gesture Recognition Engine allows users to perform simple gestures to accomplish various tasks, which can include virtual controls such as twisting the remote to adjust volume, as well as alpha-numeric in-air gestures to change channels, switch applications or function as passwords to login to individual user accounts. 

"As China's market leader in Smart TVs and consumer electronics, we are proud to work with TCL and contribute to its line of Android-powered Smart TVs," said Chad Lucien, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Hillcrest Labs. "Together, we are providing more compelling options and a simpler user interface for Smart TV users. Our collaborative efforts are a concrete example that high-precision, inertial motion technology is the ideal choice for Smart TV user interface navigation, motion gaming, gesture control, and more."

"Our flagship TCL V7500 Smart TV and our Android Smart TV product line have set a new standard for innovation in the Chinese market," said Warren Wang, General Manager of LCD Business Unit at TCL. "As a world leader in motion software and products, Hillcrest's Freespace technology and expertise exceeded our high standards for both quality and innovation. We are proud to collaborate with Hillcrest to provide revolutionary yet intuitive user experiences for our Smart TV users."

Advantages of Hillcrest's Freespace MotionEngine Smart TV

Hillcrest's patented MotionEngine software is a fully featured motion processing software product that can be added to a wide range of devices, including Smart TVs, Blu-ray and streaming media players, smartphones and tablets, game controllers, and more. The MotionEngine software interfaces with an array of MEMS sensors, including accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetic sensors, to produce high quality, application-ready motion data for a variety of use cases. TCL's new Android Smart TVs utilize Hillcrest's Freespace MotionEngine Smart TV software and Gesture Recognition Engine to provide the most advanced motion, gesture and cursor control capabilities. System benefits include:

• Simple Navigation of Smart TV User Interfaces: Advanced motion processing provided to the TCL Android Smart TV motion remote by Hillcrest's MotionEngine Smart TV software translates natural hand movements into precise onscreen actions, replicating computer mouse-like functionality on the TV. This allows users to easily select icons and control objects placed anywhere on the screen.
• Relaxed User Experience: TCL Android Smart TV users do not have to point the remote at the screen to control the cursor, and there are no "line of sight" requirements. This allows the user to sit, stand, recline, lie down, or move around the room while maintaining full control of the Smart TV user interface.
• Comfortable Controls: The TCL Android Smart TV can be controlled by small movements of the wrist and simple button clicks. Hillcrest's patented features, including orientation/roll compensation and adaptive tremor removal, create a more comfortable and less fatiguing user experience.
• Motion Gestures for Improved Navigation: High precision motion data from the MotionEngine software combined with the Freespace Gesture Recognition Engine enable approximately 50 unique gestures to be used, increasing the level of interactivity in the TCL Android Smart TV user interface.

The Freespace MotionEngine is the same software embedded in the new line of Roku 2 streaming media players and LG's Smart TVs. Other companies that have licensed Hillcrest's technology for use in their products include: Eastman Kodak, Logitech, SMK Electronics, Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., Universal Electronics (UEI), and others. Hillcrest's global intellectual property portfolio includes more than 60 issued patents, with more than 200 applications pending.

Hillcrest has received numerous awards and recognitions including the prestigious CES Innovations Honoree Award multiple times, EE Times' ACE Award, PC World's 100 Best Products and Greatest Tech Designs, Popular Mechanics' Editors Choice, ECN's Reader's Choice Tech, and many others. Additional information about Hillcrest's broad portfolio of natural motion control products is available at: www.hillcrestlabs.com. Follow Hillcrest on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HillcrestLabs or Twitter at @HillcrestLabs. 

About Hillcrest Labs

Hillcrest Laboratories (a.k.a. Hillcrest Labs) is a market leader in multiplatform motion software and products. The company provides motion solutions under the Freespace® brand for Smart TVs, Blu-ray and streaming media players, smartphones and tablets, game controllers, and other markets. For consumers, Hillcrest offers the Kylo® browser, a free Web browser for TV. For additional information, visit www.hillcrestlabs.com.

About TCL

TCL stands for "The Creative Life," a slogan that represents TCL's aspirations of building one of China's most innovative and resourceful enterprises. Founded in 1981, TCL is one of the largest consumer electronics enterprises in China with a global presence, as a listed company in HK Exchange.

In 2010, TCL achieved global sales volume of 7.464 million LCD TV sets globally. TCL has established R&D centers and more than ten R&D branches in China and U.S.A., and owns 20 manufacturing bases globally, in China, Poland, Mexico, and Vietnam.

In 2011, the brand value of TCL had exceeded RMB 50.118 billion (USD 7.59billion), rising from 70th with RMB 690 million in 1995 to the No. 1 TV brand in China today. The elevation of this brand value represents TCL's transformation into a truly global brand. Please visit us at http://www.tcl.com/en.php.

Hillcrest Labs, Freespace, and MotionEngine are trademarks of Hillcrest Laboratories, Inc. All company names and other trademarks remain property of their respective owners.

SOURCE Hillcrest Labs