HomeChoice Set-Top-Box und Fernbedienung

red dot
red dot award: product design 2005

The HomeChoice set-top box and remote control are an integrated original design solution created uniquely for HomeChoice, a multichannel and communication platform that delivers 80+ on-demand and digital TV channels, with instant access to movies and music videos, all to the customers' TV, plus super-fast broadband connection for the PC. The diminutive set-top box features an integrated DSL modem, a software decoder, two Scart sockets and two Ethernet ports and, importantly, is designed to be placed either vertically or horizontally. The only key visual focus of the set-top box is a white Perspex central display lit by blue LEDs when the box is on. The unique feature of this display is the integration of the infrared receiver and photosensitive blue light display into a single unit - which retains brightness in daylight conditions but dims as the ambient light reduces, avoiding irritation to the viewer. The set-top box is constructed entirely out of metal - the sides are mild steel with a black soft-feel paint coating, while the front surround is formed from an extruded, curved 3mm brushed aluminium fascia. The remote control retains the same design as the set-top box, with an aluminium fascia and its plastic base coated in the same black soft-feel paint finish. It is individually programmable and integrates perfectly with the HomeChoice user interface and set-top box. Both products deliver a clear design message to customers that the units are attractive, simple and usable.