ElectroNext.com

Too much remote for the options (2010-02-11)
This was a replacement for a remote that my dog chewed up. I actually like the model below this one better. It seemed better suited for a simple bedroom system, I also like that it had a constant backlit glow on the function keys which made the remote easy to find in a darkened room. This remote seemed more complicated but had the exact same fuctions as the other one. If I had it to do over again I would have saved some money and gotten the lesser model.

Best Quality and Price for this technology (2010-02-02)
This product is very easy to use and to programme. I solved most of the menus without reading the manual and works great. Before I bought this product, I did not want something complex, something with USB and PC operation with it. This unit is exactly what I was looking for.
Just read the info on the screen and follow the instructions.
The database for the IR units is enough for my even 15 years old technology.

Super Awsome Remote (2010-01-09)
This remote does it all! Gone are the days of the basket of remotes andusing 5 remotes just to move from tv to dvd. This remote even learns things!! Best ever!!

Universal? (2009-12-05)
When I called the Phillips service line because the remote would not recognize the 2 remotes (other than the TV that it had programing for) nor learn from their remotes, I was told that it was working properly because it turned the TV on and off. But it was not intended to learn from every device. Not much of a universal remote. The customer rep kept repeating that it was working properly if it worked with the TV. Would certainly not recommend this product.

Good Remote, Tedious, but maybe worth it in the end (2009-12-04)
First off, this remote does have a few flaws, but this remote is not nearly as bad as some of these reviews sound. It is very tedious to setup correctly, but if you plan your programming out ahead of time it is simple. Maybe because I am a computer programmer this was easier for me, because it was like writing a small software program and I knew I had to be very careful about what order I coded the functions in. It is dumb of them that they didn't add a re-sort option, but oh well. Some of the reviews are just plain wrong, like the guy that said you cannot ADD custom activities except the ones it lists, actually to do this you just have to add the activity, then go back to it and rename it later. It just skips the step of asking you the name in certain cases (but there is a rename function). The way the LCD screen can list functions is superb! This is my favorite part of the remote. Some of my remotes are really complicated and there is just no way to use the buttons for them. For instance, my Pioneer stereo remote has so many buttons that I cannot even remember what they do, but with this remote you can go in and add really long descriptions in the function list and they show up on the LCD screen, then just use those instead of the buttons. I have been using the remote for 3 days straight now, and I have not had any bugs in functionality, and I am controlling 7 devices! One time I picked the remote up and it would not turn on, so I simply unplugged one battery to reset it. After this happened, it has been several days and it has not happened again. I think these kind of things mainly only happen after you do a bunch of programming to it. You should probably reset the device by taking the batteries out after you have added a whole bunch of functions (there may be a small memory leak in the software, but it doesn't affect it after your done programming)

I absolutely love the 500+ colored icons they included and the large screen. This remote has a larger screen than most. The icons are pretty high quality and they have one for pretty much every major cable channel.

To get the best results you really need to use the learning mode rather than rely on the database. Despite these minor issues, my biggest complaint about the remote is the stiffness and how heavy it is. The heaviness does not bother me as much as the stiffness of the channel and volume buttons. After changing channels for a few hours, sometimes my fingers get really tired. If the form factor and buttons were better, I would have given this remote 5 stars, even with the issues it has.

This remote can do more than most people realize, but some of the functions are somewhat hidden and not mentioned in the manuals (but if you try hard you will find them). For instance, you can use "Fix a Key" under the device menu to overwrite a programmed function. True that you cannot overwrite activities, but how hard is it to re-create one (takes a couple mins). I think people are just lazy sometimes.


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Flaws that do not have workarounds:
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This remote will likely take a few hours to get it programmed, depending on how many devices you have and how picky you are about it knowing every single feature of a remote. The volume and channel keys are way too stiff and some of the buttons are kind of small.

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Bugs:
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Back-Light does not come on when you pick it up (this doesn't bother me that much, but it would be nice to have this feature)
Back-Light does not always stay on as long as you have it set to (set it to 20 secs, sometimes light goes off in 5)
Had one time where it would not turn on, but after pulling the batteries out and replacing them, it did not happen again. This usually only happens when you are programming a bunch of stuff and you have never taken the batteries out in a while to soft reset the device (meaning it still retains its core memory).

Flaws that have workarounds:
Cannot re-order any items once added (always added to the end of the list)
--This can be worked around by simply planning your programming out ahead of time.
--What I did was thought real hard about what needs to be at the top, then added that first
--You could also write all the stuff you want on paper first, then re-order it, then program it.

A lot of the issues people have with this remote are out of pure laziness. The guy complaining about the volume issue, well it has a COPY volume function that only takes a second to copy to another device. If you want channel buttons to work on more than one device, just overwrite those channel buttons with the LEARNING function, or in some cases you can just assign it to another device (if editing an activity). So again, a lot of the features people say are missing are really there buried in the menu. (except for item re-ordering which is missing).

Now the JOG SHUTTER ISSUE...
As people have said, when using the UP/LEFT/DOWN/RIGHT arrow keys, you can accidentally hit the jog shutter which causes it to change the device you are controlling. The jog shutter actually makes it so much easier to scroll through long lists on the huge LCD screen it has. I have seen other devices which make you use a DOWN ARROW key to scroll through lists of favorites and functions, and this jog shutter is way easier (but the issue is that it's too loose and too easy, and you hit it on accident sometimes). Yes this can be a big problem, but there is a workaround.

Workaround # 1
First, 90% of the time (even for power users) we are using a remote for a few functions only, volume/channel changing, etc... So one workaround for accidentally hitting the jog shutter is to program those highly used keys over all the devices (how many devices do you really need to change volume on, you should only have 1 stereo hooked to your entertainment system). It has a copy volume command from your stereo, so it only takes a second. Same with the channel buttons, how many devices do you have that actually switch channels? So copy these main keys, and then if oyu accidentally switch devices --- it wont even matter, you'll still at least be able to control the channels and volume.

Workaround # 2
Go to the sub menu of the device, then accidentally hitting the jog shutter will have no effect on switching to the wrong device. If you select the device to view the favorites or functions of the device, then you accidentally hit the jog shutter, it wont matter. So as long as you are already FULLY in the device's child screen where it lists the functions verbally in the LCD menu, then you are great. The only inconvenience is that the next time you need to switch devices, you'' have to first hit the "HOME" key as to go back to the main menu.

Workaround #3
Personally my favorite workaround for the jog shutter issue is to simply get in the habit of looking at the LCD after you do use the arrow keys near the jog shutter (since the arrow keys are close to the jog shutter and this is the only thing that really makes us accidentally hit the jog shutter).


Again, by far my biggest issue is the stiffness of the channel and volume buttons, the other issues are fine as long as you have the patience to program this thing in the order you need from the beginning.

Hint:
You can create your own ROOT categories of favorites (Movies / Pay On Demand / Free on Demand). To do this, just keep adding another CABLE device, then rename it to the category you need, then add the icons as the favorites for that device. To do this you will need to re-learn each device, but for my CABLE box it already knew 90% of the keys, so I only had to LEARN 2 or 3 keys anyways.