Caavo’s voice-enabled universal remote ships February 14th
It uses machine vision to control up to eight devices.
The Caavo universal TV control system, which is aimed at simplifying home TV setups through machine vision, is set to ship on February 14th, The Verge reports. Initially planned to ship last June, the $399 system boasts the ability to control and navigate up to eight devices -- say, for example, a Roku, an Apple TV, a DVR and an Xbox One -- removing the need for a bunch of different remotes, for the most part. It even offers voice control so you can say, "Watch Bob's Burgers," and it will start playing it through one of your streaming devices. You can also set the system to play certain services, like Hulu, on a specific device, like your Fire TV.
There are a few downsides to Caavo. One, it doesn't support HDR, though that could change in the future. And two, it costs $399, which is outside of what many are willing to pay for convenience. However, the company says that the first round of Caavo systems -- 5,000 units -- are all expected to sell out. And next year the team is looking to produce a less expensive unit with fewer ports as well as a soundbar. "This is the first expression of what we can do, and it's a high-end expression," Caavo CTO Ashish Aggarwal told The Verge. "Our plans aren't so big this year. The next goal is people with fewer than eight devices. But first we have to make sure it works."
