Making gestures at Hitachi's latest displays

Those of us who like to gesture at the television while watching news and sporting events are going to have to watch it, thanks to Hitachi.

This week at CES 2009, Hitachi is demonstrating a prototype television that is controlled by hand gestures instead of a remote.

Using a 3D sensor from Canesta, people within about 10 feet can perform functions such as turning the set on (with a rapid wave), changing the video source, or changing the channel. The technology -- which works the same regardless of the ambient level of room light -- also can differentiate between single- and double-hand gestures, offering more command options.

(What I need to know is, how well can it differentiate between my hand and the cat's tail? Or a roomful of people 'talking with their hands'? Can I set it to ignore my daughter's hand?)

Ironically, Hitachi said, the use of such gestural interfaces is so common in television programming that consumers believe it's a lot more prevalent than it really is.

The company did not say when it expected to release products with the technology nor how much they would cost.