Ahead of one of the year’s biggest technology expos, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January, LG has already unveiled its new voice controlled Magic Remote for its CINEMA 3D Smart TV line-up.

The highlighted feature of the impending universal remote is its adoption of enhanced language recognition capabilities. The company asserted that the device’s voice recognition technology is intended to make executing commands simple, natural, interactive and conversational.

To this end, new Natural Language Recognition software is intended to make giving voice commands to the remote as easy as regular speech, while allowing users to talk to the device in a conversational manner.

The company elaborated that no longer is there a need for an awkward pause between the command and the title to be viewed, users can simply say “Show me Gangman Style video” and the new Magic Remote will ‘understand’.

It’s a kind of magic

However, voice control is not the only trick the Magic Remote has at its disposal. The device will offer three other control options in addition to voice, including point, wheel and gesture.

With the point feature, the LG Magic Remote is intended to become an extension of the human body, and is geared towards being used as a motion-based video game controller, while the wheel control is aimed at scrolling up and down web pages or zooming in and out when using applications such as Google Maps.

Additionally, LG enthused that by making specific gestures with the remote, users can quickly access oft-used menus or perform frequently needed functions, saving valuable time. For example, a viewer will be able to switch to a favourite TV channel by writing the number in the air with the remote.

As expected from an universal remote, the Magic Remote will play host to a variety of devices, including Smart TVs, set-top boxes, and Blu-ray players.

To the point

The Magic Remote will come in two functional models – one which will ship with LG’s premium CINEMA 3D Smart TVs and the other that will be available with the company’s standard CINEMA 3D Smart TV models.The premium Magic Remote will further boast LED back-lit buttons for easy operation in the dark and also sport a more compact design, making it easier and more comfortable to hold.

“LG is committed to providing innovative home entertainment solutions and the Magic Remote is a key pillar of the CINEMA 3D Smart TV user experience,” commented Haves Kwon, president and CEO of the LG Electronics Home Entertainment Company.

“Building on an already impressive feature set, the latest version boasts accurate language recognition and its gesture, wheel and point control options make the Magic Remote stand out amongst its competition as a truly intuitive device,” he said.