Samsung is making some bold choices with its new HDTVs. The company's upcoming, high-end LED-backlit and plasma HDTVs, the 8000 series, forego the traditional universal remote control entirely.
Instead, the new screens use a combination of camera, microphones, and touchpad to provide a control scheme that seems more like a cross between Microsoft Kinect and Back to the Future than normal home theaters. I played with the new interface system on Tuesday, at a Samsung press event.
The 8000 series HDTVs include Samsung's new Smart Touch Remote, a touchpad-based remote control with only a few purposeful buttons around a device that's primarily gesture- and voice-based. There are only 12 physical buttons on it, and no number pad or playback buttons at all. Instead, the touch pad in the middle nagivates the on-screen menu while most buttons bring up features like an on-screen number pad, the Media Hub menu, and a voice control prompt.
Voice control is the second part of the 8000 series' interface. By speaking either into the remote while holding the voice button or speaking directly to the screen, users can bring up menus, input commands, and even search on Google. The HDTVs come to life just by saying "Hi TV,"; after that, switching between sources and accessing different online services is a matter of a few words. Voice recognition understands words when using commands, and can convert speech to text when inputting text into the Webkit-based Web browser.
If touchpad input and voice control aren't enough, the 8000 series HDTVs also support Kinect-like gesture control. A small camera on the top edge of the bezel watches your movements and, with a shake of your hand, activates a motion-controlled, on-screen pointer for navigating menus and browsing the Web. That's not the only trick for the camera, though. It also incorporates face recognition, so it can automatically log on to social networks and show favorite services based on the user as soon as they sit down. With multiple users, a menu of all recognized faces show up, with logins for each.
To integrate the controls with a Blu-ray player or set-top box, the 8000 series include an IR blaster. The voice and gesture commands also sent commands to the cable box on display, changing channels when I told the HDTV to do so. These integration features will make switching away from a conventional remote much easier, and made the combination voice and gesture control system seem even more feasible. If you want a more conventional control system, an optional $99 Bluetooth keyboard will be available. The keyboard will also be compatible with all Samsung Galaxy Tab devices.
After playing with the controls, I'm optimistic about the change. While voice and gesture recognition wasn't completely accurate because of the noise and crowd of the venue, the basics were definitely there and the different features, in a quieter and more controlled setting, could be easy to control. We'll have a full review of the 8000 series HDTVs' control systems when we get a screen in the PCMag Labs in the near future.
The UNES8000 HDTVs, the LED-lit versions of the high-end screens, will range from $2,999 for a 46-inch model to $5,099 for a 65-inch model. The PNE8000 plasma HDTVs will range from $2,199 for a 51-inch to $3,949 for a 65-inch model. Both screens are scheduled to ship this month. The controls will also be available in the step-down UNES7500 LED-lit HDTVs, which range from $2,599 for a 46-inch model to $3,999 for a 60inch model. A 75-inch version of the UNES8000 is also planned, but pricing and availability has not yet been announced.
Samsung is staying with conventional remotes for its lower-end HDTVs, including its EH series of budget LED HDTVs, which from the 5300 series and up include built-in Wi-Fi. 32-inch EH5300 HDTVs will be available for just $579 and 50-inch models for just $1,199.