Hillcrest gives motion control to LG TVs, patents to Sony
updated 09:00 am EDT, Thu August 26, 2010
Hillcrest makes deals for LG, PlayStation Move
Hillcrest Labs this morning revealed that it's responsible for the motion technology behind the remotes with LG's LX9500 HDTVs. The Magic Wand remotes the TVs use to support mouse-like pointing are based on the same Freespace motion sensing used in Hillcrest's own Loop pointer. The system is relatively accurate, compensates for Wii-like jittering and uses RF wireless to eliminate any need for a direct line of sight.
The LX9500 is already available in North America and starts at $4,000 for a 47-inch model, with a 55-inch version costing $5,000.
In a statement, Hillcrest added that it had reached a global patent deal with Sony that licensed the use of Freespace for PlayStation hardware. The agreement likely covers the PlayStation Move, but whether it actually uses Freespace or is just a patent agreement for the Move and Dual Shock 3 to avoid facing a lawsuit like that filed against Nintendo for the Wii. Move behaves differently than the Loop or Magic Wand since it's not a pointer in itself.
