LG Uplus First to Adopt Conexant’s Voice Control Capabilities on Set Top Boxes
Conexant Systems, a provider of audio and imaging solutions, announced that its far-field voice input processor system-on-chip (SoC), the CX2092x, has been adopted by LG Uplus for its new line of set-top boxes (STBs). The CX2092x gives users the ability to use their voices to control their STBs from across the living room without using a remote and regardless of background noise.
"Our customers have come to expect and demand increasingly advanced features from their electronics," said Geon-Yeong Lee, IPTV service team leader at LG Uplus, in a statement. "Speech recognition and voice control are penetrating a wide variety of appliances and electronics in the smart home, and the STB is a critically important device in the connected home. We're improving the way our customers interact with their TV."
Leveraging Conexant's AudioSmart far-field voice input processor, the CX2092x can cut through room noise, such as TV program audio and outside conversations, to enable accurate speech control from up to about 16 feet away. Embedded voice control capabilities alleviate the need for on-screen keyboards that require users to type by moving a cursor at a slow pace. Users can simply say, "Go to CNN" for hands-free channel navigation.
LG Uplus also lets users locate their remote controls using their voice. The CX2092x enables an always listening mode in the STB, and a voice command prompts the remote control to start beeping.
Key features of the CX2092x include the following:
- Fully-integrated wake-on-voice solution with an embedded third-party speech recognition engine.
- Excellent speech recognition hit rate and clear voice quality.
- Compatibility with leading speech recognition vendors.
- Dual 24-bit ADC and microphone preamp with independent microphone bias supply.
"Voice control in an STB is a notoriously difficult proposition, as there are substantial challenges related to echo cancellation, which is what enables the ability to control the STB with your voice while the content is coming out of the TV speakers," said Saleel Awsare, Conexant vice president and general manager, in a statement. "Unlike any other solution on the market, our chip allows users to be at a far distance and at any angle relative to the product's microphones with clear voice communication and accurate commands still possible."