| Type | Ltd |
|---|---|
| Industry | Electronics, Infrared |
| Founded | Salzburg, Austria |
| Headquarters | Salzburg, Austria |
| Area served | Europe |
| Key people | Ferdinand Maier MD |
| Employees | 190 |
| Website | http://www.ruwido.com |
Ruwido is an Austrian based broadcast electronics company that manufactures input devices for television, specialising in universal remote controls, set-top boxes, IPTV platforms and keyboards that use multi-touch navigation and infrared technology to operate digital television and digital media through a central user interface[1]. It is known for developing a fingerprint recognition system to give users access to personalized TV content via the remote control[2].
Ruwido is widely deployed in the broadcast TV industry. Customers include CE device manufacturers, IPTV, interactive TV, and Pay TV service providers, such as Unitymedia, Orange Mobile, Vodafone, Motorola, and Virgin Media[3].
The company was founded in 1969 in Salzburg, where it first entered the electronics market, launching its first infrared remote control in 1975. Ruwido currently continues to operate from its headquarters in Austria, where there are 190 Ruwido employees, of which 20 per cent work in research and development.
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On 5th July 2010, the Ruwido Tau remote control was awarded a Red Dot Design Award at the Aalto-Theater, Essen, Germany[4]. ‘tau’ is due to be part of a 4-week special exhibition in the red dot design museum in Essen[5]. On 4th May 2010, Ruwido supplied German cable operator Unitymedia with the remote control for its new HD box[6]. On 23rd March 2010, Ruwido was made technology partner to supply remote controls for UK cable operator Virgin Media’s new HDTV set-top box: the V HD box[7]. The agreement extended the 10 year relationship between Virgin Media and Ruwido.
Ruwido develops infrared products and solutions based on the findings of consumer research into the functionality required and how the new technology would impact and enhance user experience. Tau is based on the results of a set of ethnographic studies investigating consumer needs and behaviors.
The Tau is the first remote control to be designed with an interaction concept.[8] In July 2010, Ruwido launched a new design of the model, with the development of a capacitive sensor. The model provides navigation for services and applications, designed as a response to consumer ethnography. The Tau remote control is an element used between the customer and a broadcast operating service, and a tool used in pay-tv. The technology developed for Tau has been developed for set-top boxes. The Invitro is a remote control developed for IPTV operators, where a middleware solution is set up. The device comprises multi-touch technology for navigation and interaction with a television set, or to activate IPTV.[9]