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Send til en ven   Udskriv26/11 2010 kl. 12:13
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RF fjernbetjeningen udfordrer den gamle IR-teknologi

RF-baserede fjernbetjeningen vil med fordel kunne erstatte traditionelle infrarøde fjernbetjeninger i stadig flere konsumerapplikationer, mener chefen for Nordic Semiconductor (in english).

Ultra low power (ULP) RF specialist Nordic Semiconductor ASA  Chief Executive Officer, Svenn-Tore Larsen, says that the adoption of RF remote control technology in place of traditional IR is approaching a tipping point because RF now offers the performance and features demanded by consumers at pricing levels acceptable to the mass market.

- While nobody’s claiming that an RF remote control is ever going to be lower cost than an IR unit any time soon, explains Larsen,  one-button-one-operation, line-of-sight-access-only IR will simply become so frustrating that end users will be happy to pay the small premium necessary to access the enhanced navigation and control features supported by two-way (bi-directional) RF technology. T


his includes the use of touchpads, scroll wheels, touchscreens, and LCD displays that can display, for example, 'live' playing status info and album artwork, as well as non-directional – often through-wall – operation.

- These ease-of-use advantages are driving RF remote control technology into the mainstream by raising consumer awareness of what's possible and making IR remote controls look increasingly dated and unappealing in comparison, continues Larsen.
- In addition, the price of RF remote controls continues to fall and is approaching a point whereby RF controllers are becoming attractive to consumer electronics manufacturers for routine bundling with their products.

Several research studies have also independently arrived at the same conclusion. Strategy Analytics, for instance, says that early adopters of advanced Internet TV services (such as Apple TV, Hulu, PlayStation Network video, Netflix on Xbox Live, and AT&T U-Verse) are demanding improved controllers (see tinyurl.com/y4tgxk9), and that when questioned consumers expressed a preference for simple, pointing 'wand' controllers for navigating their way around Internet-connected TVs (see tinyurl.com/2eccrke).

In addition, major consumer electronics (CE) giants such as Philips are now offering RF remote control platforms to OEM manufacturers of digital media devices such as music players, TVs, and PCs (e.g. the Philips Bellagio RF remote control platform from Philips Home Control – see tinyurl.com/2aec5dd), and a growing number of universal RF and IR remotes are being launched (e.g. the M-Remote from Audivo – see tinyurl.com/2dnrvne).

And the Apple iPhone, iPod touch and/or iPad are now being used by a number of innovative CE manufacturers as a remote control using (typically free) downloadable apps to provide the user interface (e.g. Meridian in its award-winning Sooloos digital media system – see tinyurl.com/39bm3to).

- The RF remote control market will be served by a combination of proprietary and standards-based solutions dependent on the needs of the end application, concludes Larsen.
- Nordic Semiconductor is well positioned to provide both types of remote control with its nRF24LE1/Gazell proprietary products and forthcoming Bluetooth low energy wireless technology solutions. urthermore, the proven 2.4GHz wireless connectivity technology Nordic pioneered for PC peripherals (e.g. wireless mice, keyboards and joysticks) is exactly the same technology required for next generation RF remote controls.

RF remote control in details

Inexpensive, reliable infrared (IR) units have dominated wireless remote control since the 1970s. Moreover, IR remote control will continue to satisfy markets where an inexpensive and simple remote control is required for line-of-sight operation only (the user has to physically point the IR remote control at the IR receiver on the device under control), for years to come.

However, the imminent revolution in the way consumers access digital media will only be realized through the advanced functionality enabled by an RF link. RF technology provides a faster response, bi-directional connection (IR is only one-way), non-line of sight control, and extended range compared to IR. RF allows devices to be controlled through objects and even interior walls (usually up to a range of about 15m and assuming wall building materials do not excessively attenuate RF signals).

These are major advantages for consumers when accessing the huge array of digital content – including dozens of cable channels, video stored on the hard disks of set top boxes (STBs), music and photo libraries stored on PCs, or movies cached on remote servers.

Accessing such digital content with a traditional IR remote’s basic one-button-one-operation and step-by-step navigation does not meet the challenge of providing fast browsing and convenient access. This demands a remote control equipped with advanced navigation interfaces such as scroll wheels, touchscreens, touch pads, movement sensors, track balls or joysticks. Only RF has sufficient bandwidth over a bi-directional link to support advanced user interfaces while consuming modest battery power and meeting mass-market cost constraints.

In operation, RF technology utilized for remote control with advanced navigation requires low latency (for rapid response to user input commands), good data integrity (to minimize the need to resend corrupted packets), and low power consumption (because next-generation remotes are likely to be used more intensively than traditional IR remotes but will require a similar battery life to meet established consumer expectations).

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