Universal Remote Roundup, Part 1
It isn’t just gearheads who have lots of av equipment anymore. Everyone that sees high definition and hears multichannel sound wants to know what they need to do to have that experience in their home. More and more equipment is ending up in mass market users’ homes as people chase better sound and image. One problem with this that we all share: no one wants half a dozen remote controls sitting on an end table.
That’s where universal remotes come in. Universal remotes are available in a staggering variety of functionality, from $10 candy bars that are barely suitable for controlling a TV and a DVD player, to units that more closely resemble tablet PCs that will control everything from your home theater to your lighting to your home security system. For the purposes of this article I am concerned with units that will unify a home theater with a handful of components running off IR commands, although adding RF to the equation is trivial and will appeal to some.
First off, just forget about the cheap universal remotes from Sony, Philips and the like. These units are adequate for some whose needs are minimal, but for those trying to elegantly command a multi component home theater system they come up short.
Second, I am not going to talk about the ultra high end units from RTI, Philips and Universal Remote. You guys either already know this stuff, or the installer you’re paying does.
So, for us Joe Sixpacks with home theaters that are comprised of four to eight components, what are the best options?
Philips doesn’t have as big a presence in the North American market as they do in Europe. Their universal remotes are around in some of the big box stores, but American readers may be forced to go online if they have their hearts set on a Philips. The Philips Pronto line has been around for awhile and has a huge following. The Pronto line is characterized by large LCD screens and minimal hard buttons. Pronto users have a lot of freedom in configuring their GUI, provided they take the time to learn the intricacies of Pronto theming. They have a lot of sex appeal, but I’m not a big fan of remotes that force me to look at the remote when I use it. Personally I find it more intuitive to let my muscle memory deal with an assortment of hard buttons and look to the LCD display for less frequently used tasks. Philips makes Pronto remotes that fall in both categories.
Philips Pronto TSU7500
The Philips TSU7500 is the latest iteration of the classic Philips Pronto remote. This remote will do whatever you want, and is certainly capable of doing a lot more than what the demands of this article call for. The big plus and the big downside are the same feature. That big, beautiful LCD looks great, but it’s a pain in the butt to look down at your remote every time you need to do something. Expect prices online to range from $590 to $1000. High, but you’re also buying a hobby as it will take you a while to get comfortable with setting it up and customizing it.
Philips TSU9400
New this year is the Philips Pronto TSU9400. A new form factor, the 9400 utilizes an iPod-like jog wheel, but retains the previous Prontos’ reliance on the LCD. The 9400 is a more hand-friendly footprint, and there is no denying that it is the sexiest thing going in universal remotes with it’s crisp 3.5″ color LCD and included charging cradle. Again, users will have to decide if they are comfortable spending so much time looking away from their TV to stare at their remote. A TSU9400 will set you back around $550.
Philips Pronto TSU9200
The Philips Pronto TSU9200 is a Pronto version of their former top of the line Prestigo remote. The TSU9200 receives an upgrade over the former in that it works with a new “lite” version of the Philips PC editing software. The TSU9200 also inherits the iPod-esque jog wheel from it’s big brother, the Philips Pronto TSU9400. Initial response from end users is that Philips has a lot of work to do to polish this remote and it’s software to the level where it competes with Logitech and Universal, so users may be cautioned to wait and keep on eye on future iterations of this unit instead of abandoning a proven performer for it at this time. Poised very much to compete with similar offerings from Logitech and Universal Remote, the TSU9200 is perched at the crowded $230 pricepoint.
Logitech is a familiar name for both PC users and home theater nuts. Their Harmony line of remotes has it’s fans and it’s detractors, mostly based on the PC based configuration of this remote. It makes setting the Harmony remotes up easy, but also makes working around problems tough as the setup is not as flexible as a manual programming routine or an editor based software configuration.
Logitech Harmony One Remote
The Logitech Harmony One is the latest and greatest in the Logitech Harmony line. Sporting a wealth of hard buttons, a color LCD touchscreen, and an included charging cradle, the Harmony One is targeted squarely at both enthusiasts and the mass market alike. The Harmony One has a much nicer hard button configuration than previous Harmonys, and the form factor sits nicely in the hand. My only real beef with Harmony remotes is that they are a little flimsy compared to the competition, so if, like me, you have a three year old in the house, you may want to consider that Logitech remotes probably won’t suffer that kind of abuse for long. The Harmony One sits at the attractive $200 price point.
This wasn’t supposed to be a two part article, but once I started I realized that there were enough attractive options to justify not oversimplifying the choices. Next week we’ll complete the roundup with another remote from Logitech and then on to offerings from Universal Remote.
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[...] to whatever your cable or satellite provider gave you, it’s time to wake up. Last week in Part 1 of this roundup we looked at some offerings from Philips and Logitech. This week we’ll finish [...]