Clap-controlled TV consigns remote to bin of history

A round of applause, please

By James Sherwood • Get more from this author

8th October 2007 11:56 GMT

Losing your TV's remote control down the back of your sofa could soon become a thing of the past. JVC has its sights on replacing traditional TV operation with hand movements and sounds.

JVC_clap_TV
JVC's TV: operated by claps and... er... hand gestures

At last week's Ceatec technology show in Japan, the company demonstrated a TV operated by hand claps and gestures. A microphone is concealed in the TV's top to "collect" the various claps, and it recognises a user's commands based on the number of claps made and the timing between them. A video camera is also built into the top of the TV, which recognises a user's non-audible hand movements.

For example, clapping your hands twice while watching TV will cause volume and channel icons to appear on the screen. Icons then turn red in succession and users select them with a clap or by making pre-defined movements recognised by the camera.

We're not quite sure if waving your arms about and clapping mysteriously is easier than simply pointing and clicking a TV remote control. But if it saves a few pennies on batteries and means we don't have a remote control to keep track of, it gets our vote.

JVC's system uses the same basic technique as a gesture-controlled telly that emerged out of Mitsubishi's labs back in July this year and which watched out for waving viewers.

JVC hasn't yet announced when the 'clapper' TV will be commercially available or how much it will cost.