Universal Electronics voice-enabled remotes for Liberty Global

Wednesday, October 7th, 2020
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Universal Electronics Inc. to Provide Voice-Enabled Remotes for Liberty Global’s New Environmentally Friendly Set-Top Box

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI), the global leader in universal control and sensing technologies for the smart home, has been selected to provide voice-enabled remote control units to Liberty Global, one of the world’s leading converged video, broadband and communication companies with 11 million customers in six European countries, for its new environmentally friendly set-top box.

UEI-Liberty Global voice-enabled remote control

The BLE voice-enabled remote control is powered by UEI chip technology, which enables longer battery life, with automated setup and control through UEI’s QuickSet® platform, which provides an unmatched cloud-based solution for simplifying universal entertainment and smart home control.

The remote is designed to improve the customer experience by using voice recognition technology to search for content on Liberty Global’s RDK-based Horizon 4 platform which offers access to live TV, on-demand content and OTT apps.

In August 2020, Liberty Global introduced the compact 4K Mini TV Box, which is made from 35% recycled plastic and reduces energy consumption by 77% compared to its previous set-top boxes. The 4K Mini TV Box, the company’s first all-IP device, is powered by Liberty Global’s next generation TV platform, Horizon 4.

The 4K Mini TV Box is currently available for customers of Liberty’s UPC Poland, the country’s largest cable provider. The set-top box will be introduced in Liberty Global’s other markets in 2021.

“We have a solid and collaborative relationship with UEI with a shared commitment to quality and sustainability,” said Pieter Vervoort, Vice President, Entertainment Products at Liberty Global.

UEI has implemented several sustainability initiatives in its development, supply chain and manufacturing processes, including remanufacturing remote controls, using recycled materials and developing more energy efficient products.

“We are pleased and proud to be selected for this project as it allows us to be at our best, providing an extremely easy-to-use control solution in a durable, sustainable way,” said Menno Koopmans, UEI’s Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing. “Building upon our long-term partnership, we are thrilled to deliver another piece of cutting-edge, voice-enabled control technology to Liberty Global.”

UEI has been at the forefront of developing entertainment and smart home control technologies for over three decades. UEI was the first to introduce voice control and advanced features such as automated setup and universal control of connected devices through its QuickSet platform. Since 2015, UEI has shipped over 100 million of its voice-enabled remote controls to customers around the world.