First there was asking your significant other to raise or lower the volume, then came the old favorite TV remote control, followed by the clapper, which turned lights on and off when it sensed two hands smacking together. Someone must have thought that there would be a way to combine all three functions.
And finally after much delay, there's a remote that reacts to voice. With the RCA Voice Control remote, the command "Blu-ray" can trigger a macro to turn on the TV, blu-ray player, and receiver, plus all the settings to create the best experience. The device controls up to six components and handles up to 25 user-programmable actions such as volume control and turning the system on and off. It's enough for many basic home theaters, but some of the more complex set-ups may find the remote lacking.
It's faily basic in its design, with buttons to operate the most common functions and visibilty enhanced by blue backlighting. The unit is expected to retail for a low $39.99. RCA plans to target the 25 to 30 age group for its smartphone savvy acceptance of new technogies; special needs groups who may not be able to operate a standard remote; and the "wiser generation." The latter are those who have learned to adopt new devices, but the examples shown at CES suggest an audience who probably had their 25 to 30 year-old kids set up the remote if not the rest of the home video system for them.
A second, and more stylish model, One-For-All's SmartControl universal remote controls up to three activities for up to six devices. The remote also features voice control and will respond to commands such as "Watch TV," "Watch a Movie," or "Listen to Music." The SmartControl remote will retail for $29.99 and is styled with the look of a smartphone such as an iPhone or Blackberry. It's suggested for components such as an HDTV, cable or satellite box, DVD, DVR, iPod dock, Xbox 360, and Wii (although Wiis don't DO Infrared, so that's an odd pairing).
Both remotes lack any kind of display such as an LED screen. Users should find them easy to program through SimpleSet, which walks through the process of pushing the button to be programmed, selecting a device, and entering the device manufacturer. We can see potential mishaps if the remote takes commands from TV programming rather than your own voice. Just as the clapper commercial itself sometimes turned off people's clapper-controlled TVs, we could imagine some havoc ensuing if a TV character happens to say "VOLUME UP!" or "Let's watch a BLU-RAY." But only time will tell.
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