Comcast will be the first company to incorporate GreenPeak’s...

Comcast will be the first company to incorporate GreenPeak’s ZigBee RF4CE remote control chipset when it ships its next generation of HD set-top boxes in November, Ross Gilson, senior engineer, told us at CES. Comcast demoed the technology at the Zigbee Pavilion at CES, showing how the RF benefits of remote control technology are expected to streamline the cable remote control setup process for consumers. Because Zigbee is two-way communication, consumers won’t have to go through a tedious setup process to find the right code for their TV. When they hit the right one, a tone confirms the right model has been selected. The Zigbee cable remote will communicate by RF to the set-top and then by infrared to the TV, he said. The two-way communication also allows cable companies to add a remote locator button on the box which sends a signal to the remote to beep. The second benefit of the Zigbee technology is upgradeability, Gilson said. When TV companies update database codes, the information can be pushed to the set-top through a firmware upgrade. Gilson said the box will be deployed system-wide but wouldn’t name the manufacturer.