TI unveils industry's first 2.4GHz SoC for ZigBee RF4CE remote controls

TI has unveiled a new SoC that is the first in the industry to use 2.4GHz tech for a fully optimized ZigBee RF4CE remote control. The new SoC is the TI CC2533 and it will enable single chip remote controls to be constructed that need low power and offer higher reliability and are cheaper to construct.

The chips will provide new out of the box solutions for the control of all manner of entertainment devices in the home like TVs, set-top boxes, Blu-ray players and other home theater gear. TI will also be offering free software with a RemoTI protocol stack offering reference designs to make it faster for makers to get the new gear to market.

Features of the CC2533 SoC include on-chip memory with 64KB and 96KB of programmable flash optimized for ZigBee RF4CE applications. The SoC also offers four flexible power modes with the lowest consumption around with a 1uA sleep mode for up to ten times longer battery life than a comparable IR-based remote. The SoC is in production now and will start at $1.99 in 10K unit quantities.