Remote Connections

by Roger Wyatt
Winter 2003/Spring 2004

Clutter Buster
These days every device for a home media theater comes with a remote. New amplifier? New remote. New plasma monitor? New remote. Take a look at your coffee table. What do you see? Let's see, there's the remote for the TV, right next to the one for the DVD, next to the one for the VCR. Well you get the idea. At night when we are asleep, do they breed in the dark? Now, don't get us wrong: remotes are great. It is hard to imagine our multimedia life without them. But so many? Cheer up! You can replace them all with one advanced, multi-purpose, programmable, universal remote. Once again there will be room on the coffee table for, well, coffee.

So what are programmable universal remotes? Because they are universal you can control and operate just about any audio-video digital home theater component. Because they are programmable, you can program your universal remote to accomplish any task that the pile of separate remotes could do and more. Some remote units can even learn the routines for even the most obscure feature of your highly specialized gear.

Table-top Design
Some programmable remotes are more like consoles than handheld devices. Their larger size makes them easier to control. To get a feel for what we mean, check out the Home Theater Master MX-3000 ($1,000) from Universal Remote Control Inc. or the Philips iPronto ($1,699). The MX-3000 console sports a 3.8-inch LCD touchscreen, while the iPronto has a 6-inch LCD screen. With these specs, a tabletop makes more sense than balanced on the arm of your recliner. It will definitely replace that pile of separate remotes.

Touch Screen Display
Many remotes feature LCD status displays that display text and even graphics with customized and customizable displays. The MX-3000 can display over 65,000 colors and use many graphic file formats, including Animated GIF, GIF, JPEG and Bitmap - all of which create compelling buttons and screen backgrounds.

Luminous Buttons
Videophiles know that for optimal viewing and a true cinematic experience, it is best to have the lights down low and view your DVDs in the dark. Great! But how do you see the play button? That's where glowing and illuminated buttons come in, allowing you to glance down and find the pause button, even in the dark.

RF
While most remotes use infrared technology, some special devices use radio waves. While the light of IR LEDs needs a direct line-of-sight path to control a device, RF commands can pass through walls and floor to components 75-100 feet away.

Programming
There are several ways to program universal remotes. A very common way to program them is to key in a pre-assigned code based on the manufacturer and type. Usually you will find the codes in the hefty instruction book. You look up the code and key it in to the remote. Learning devices are taught by pointing them at the remotes they will replace. You press the learn or record button on your new universal remote and then press the button on your old remote to transfer the code. A sort of Vulcan mind meld takes place and your new remote can now repeat the pattern to control the device.

Sometimes the easiest way to program remotes is to do it on a computer. Good examples are Harmony's remotes, the models SST-748 ($199) and SST-768 ($299), which connect to a computer via USB. After installing the enclosed software on your PC, you can connect the remote via USB, and click the settings on your Windows computer. You configure them using a Web page interface and both display your TV listings (also downloaded over the USB connection) on their LCD screens.

Holy Macro
You don't need to spend a thousand dollars to get macros on your remote. Macros are scripts that you can write to automate a series of activities on a computer. A macro can open a program, load a file (a JPEG photo for example) and perform a series of operations on it. The macro can sharpen and brighten your image, all with one click. You sequence the macro and the macro does the rest. Now, with that same kind of scripting on your remote, your equipment can jump through any combination of hoops that you want. What are the possibilities? For starters, how about a macro to turn off all your equipment: DVD, TV, audio receiver, satellite receiver, the works.

Macros are one button wonders. How about a TV Macro: power up the receiver, switch it to TV mode, switch your TV on and change to your favorite channel. While you're at it, create a DVD Macro. With one click on goes the DVD, the TV switches to DVD input along with the receiver, up goes the DVD menu, and you're ready to go. Goodbye, four buttons on different remotes to turn anything on. Hello, sweet, simple and convenient future of home theatre.

On some units, macros can deliver a whole sequence of commands related to a specific activity at the touch of a single button. For example, the RCA RCU807 ($30) and the RCU811 ($40) can control up to eight devices, including TV, VCR, DVD, satellite, cable, CD and two auxiliary components. Their LCD displays provide a visual interface between the viewer and the remote, so they are simple to program. The remotes prompt the user for each next step and validates correct entries.

Remote Wonderland
As audio and videophiles enhance their home entertainment systems with more advanced products, they are seeking comprehensive capabilities and quality but with maximum simplicity. Programmable remote controls with multi-device control, sophisticated operation routines, and a host of features for ease of use meet these needs. They make the machines in the living room easier to use. So get rid of that coffee table clutter and get remote.