RF Remote Controls: Is It Time for You to Step Up?

[Audioholics]

<A href="http://www.audioholics.com/news/editorials/RFremotecontrolsvsIR.php"><IMG style="WIDTH: 67px; HEIGHT: 100px" alt=[radiotower1] hspace=10 src="http://www.audioholics.com/news/thumbs/radiotower1_th.gif" align=left border=0></A>I’ve been fixated on IR and RF remote controls for some time now, and it frequently shows in my review critiques. I have no tolerance for bad remotes – the industry has been around long enough to avoid any of the common errors that plague a bad unit, yet for some reason they seem to always reinvent the wheel… And often times that "wheel" ends up being flat, balding or just plain wrong for its intended use. In that sense, third party remotes are always (and should always be) king. But what do RF remotes offer above and beyond the typical IR remote? Read on!

[Read the Article]

 

[shamus]

Thanks Clint... now how about a couple recommendations??????????? Ive been waiting for your guys review of Harmony 890... any chance of that?? Or would you suggest looking into Universal??? Thanks....

 

[majorloser]

Moving to my Pronto Pro was the best thing I ever did. My next move is to the Pronto Pro NG.

It's so nice to be able to walk around the house and control ALL of you systems anywhere in the house.

 

[westcott]

I love my Next Generation system. The transmitter fits in the battery compartment of my Harmony 688 and the receiver\repeater requires no IR sensors.

Cost? US$150 total for both the Next Gen RF and the Harmony 688.

Works as well as systems I have seen selling for hundreds more!

And the best thing is, Clint reviewed it and recommended it here!

Next Generation RF System

 

[xboxweasel]

RF and a decent back-light are the two options I wish my universal programming remote (which came with my Yamaha receiver) had. Otherwise I am very happy with the way it turned out.

Entry level and a lot of mid to mid-high level equipment still comes with IR remote controls.

With RF I can hide my equipment and never have to be bothered by that annoying red LED (which is telling me that the power is on) while I try to watch a movie.

 

[ned]

I'm happy with my Nevo SL which is an IR/WiFi base system.

 

[CharlyD]

Why Universal Remotes?

Technologies and standards exist today that, if implemented broadly, would render the requirement for universal remotes obsolete. Imagine this scenario:

• Mary purchases a complete home entertainment system that includes devices from multiple vendors. All devices comply with a standard for networked AV devices.
• She sets up her system by interconnecting all devices onto the network. This is only a single wire to each device.
• She picks up the remote for the display, the only remote included in the system, and presses the ON button.
• Each device as it wakes up will broadcast information about its function and control interface over the network.
• A system controller function existing in the display (or receiver) builds a table of the system capabilities and interconnectivity. This information is rendered to the display as either an activity-based or device-based control interface.
• Mary selects the "Play DVD" activity.
• The system controller transmits the required control codes, in the proper sequence, to the required devices (DVD player, receiver, display) and the DVD begins playing.

The single remote in this system could be implemented with a graphical UI (e.g. MS Sideshow) allowing system control without turning on the main display.

All this can be implemented today with DLNA, HANA or HDMI standards. Why not?

 

[Audioholics]

Probably because manufacturers are all different in their priorities and approaches and I haven't seen too many (to-date) integrate the CEC functions embedded in the HDMI spec. We can't even get them all to work perfectly with basic HDMI video and audio, let alone agree on a logical way of doing control systems.

Have you seen some of the included IR remotes that come with receivers and DVD players?

Plus there is a big market for the involvement of custom control solutions.

I DO like the picture you've painted, but I'd almost hope that the manufacturers would provide the compatibility, and then third parties would develop the resulting control systems.

I honestly don't think it will happen for quote some time, however, and when it does it will be mostly inter-manufacturer rather than intra-manufacturer.

Of course, this doesn't mean we shoudn't start campaigning for it!

 

[BMXTRIX]

As a Crestron programmer, I have a bit of a unique perspective on this... I want you to remain as confused and as stupid as possible about all things A/V related.

Seriously, manufacturers are incredibly full of themselves about all things that they produce. The concept of serial control or discrete IR functionality is hit-or-miss with many companies and when they do offer it, they often don't implement it correctly.

HERE ARE SOME BASIC CONCEPTS MANUFACTURERS DON'T GET...

1. Discrete IR commands to power on, power off, and input select your components. Philips, one of the original companies to produce programmable remote controls has LACKED discrete IR codes for many of their products for years. Sony is great about it... sometimes. It's always hit or miss. NOBODY is good about publishing these codes on the go-to website for discrete IR codes - www.remotecentral.com

2. Rear IR input. Come on! If you are going to make a device that is designed to be integrated into a HT system, then put an IR input port on the back so that an IR repeater system can talk straight to a device and you don't have to put a mouse emitter (about the size of a raisin) on the front of your $1,000+ piece of gear!

3. RS-232 codes are not mystic. Stop protecting the serial codes for your products. Publish them, put them on the internet, make them known. Sanyo does it... I think Yamaha does it. Samsung has serial control that they will NOT release! Other companies (like Tascam) have convoluted serial protocols that are twenty steps less than perfect yet they act like they have created golden water with their designs. Get real.

There is no way that manufacturers are going to get together to standardize on control of their products. It would require a very serious commitment on the part of five or six of the major manufacturers and a lot of solid input from design engineers for them to figure it all out. Wi-fi is definitely the solution, something like Inifinet architecture where every device is a transmitter/receiver and auto identifies on a network. But, it then comes down to having everyone agree on every aspect of it.

I look forward to a long and fruitful career.

 

[jcPanny]

Entry Level RF

Clint,
I am getting mixed feedback from your RF Remote article and review. In the article you recommend entry level RF remotes starting at $100, but the review indicates, "Do I have problems recommending a $200 universal remote that can never be updated with new IR codes? Yes"

I am interested in an entry level RF remote like the Home Theater Master MX-600 which looks like it is very configurable and has a good RF implmentation. However, it is not online programable like the Harmony remotes. Would you recommend this type of remote?

 

[Tom Andry]

That's probably because I wrote the review and Clint wrote the article. A $100 RF remote isn't such a hard sell but if you are going to spend $200+ on a remote, I'd recommend just ponying up the extra dough for something that will last. Now, if you are happy with your equipment and never plan on upgrading, then perhaps you don't need something as fancy as the Medius. This, of course, is all my opinion.