Are all TV Remote Controls bad?

Cool! Hiding the keys at the back in such a way that you can also hold it easily without accidentally pressing the buttons on the front.

T

That is a great link.

Thinking back to when I’ve bought AV equipment- never has a salesperson even mentioned how to use it, or has even shown the remote, it’s all about features. Then again, I’ve only bought from ‘big box’ retailers or department stores, not specialty shops.

:slight_smile:

Who even uses TV remotes anyways?? If you have cable you are most likely going to be running it through the PVR remote ya?? Then if you have a stereo you’ll be using the amplifier remote?

I’m already controlling my itunes through my phone, maybe there is a remote control app? Also do you still have to program remotes like you used to? That is such a pain.

Not quite there yet, but you can imagine how well this will work n 5 years: KinEmote Control Windows Media Center, Boxee, XBMC & more Microsoft Kinect - YouTube

I love my Harmony…the design on my older model isn’t great - buttons have horrible tactile differentiation and I’ll often hit the wrong key if I’m trying to blindly do it, but at least it’s back lit. But the fact that it controls my TV, AV Reciver, DVR, PS3, XBox, Wii and Radio (and can even control the blinds and lights if you have the right wiring in the house) is pretty amazing. The touch screen lends itself very nice to context aware controls. I don’t need a full time button for something that might only work on the receiver.

We have a B&O stereo from the 80s in our studio with 2 remotes, an earlier version of the one posted before, and a massive desktop one. They are the most cryptic things ever, I have no idea what anything but the function and volume buttons do. And the manuals are AWFUL. But the build quality of the stick remote makes up for that almost- cast metal body, you could knock someone out with it (would work better at that actually than as a remote), I love it as an object. It works with multiple generations of their equipment which is nice given the quality of the hardware.

and

I have a harmony for my HT setup in my living room, but it is a let down, and after recently switching to FIOS I want to lock whoever designed their remote and DVR interface in a closet with the cast of Jersey Shore. The FIOS iphone app shows a glimmer of being awesome, in a few generations it will be a great alternative.

That desktop B&O remote was the one I was looking for when I posted earlier. They seem to have the idea that if all the buttons are the same size and lined up, it will make operating it easier. They do look great though.

This jumped out at me from the junk mail today:


Looks like it works pretty good too:

anyone used one?

Few comments:

  1. I’d be scared to talk to that chick, she didn’t stop swinging her arms around the whole video. Jeez

  2. Like she says, this works with the UI in the TV, but add a cable box and I’m immediately stuck with my original problem. Whose bright idea was it to require an HD cable box today…they just ruined all the progress we had made with TV UI in one swoop by forcing us to have two remotes.

When I was setting up a home media center pc these Logitechs seemed to be made just for the home media center: the Air Mouse and the Dinovo

I guess it more meta than just a TV remote, but still relevant. I think the iphone can control iTV too… or at least itunes remotely

This is pretty awesome too… saw it last year in the UK news


The Duke of Edinburgh has attacked the complexity of television sets and remote controls, giving a rare glimpse of life inside the Windsor household.

BBC link

+1 for Prince Phillip. That guy just went up a notch in my book.

Well, the man has some history in this respect:

http://www.britishpathe.com/record.php?id=68759 (no audio)

It’s a T3 video, so I was sort of expecting her to take her top off.

That is sensational. I can not imagine him using a video though, or even driving a car and worrying about petrol- I thought he’d have a valet for that (I wonder what he watches? “The Inbetweeners” until 'er indoors comes in and he quickly changes the channel to the News).

I was waiting for a racist comment on the ethnicity of the nation of manufacture of the TV.


I’d like to see the rest of the interview and watch Kevin McCloud’s gentle critiquing style on Phil.

In keeping with the tv remote theme, what are some of the best entertainment experiences to have in a family home? How stereo, TV, remote work all together? Or more simplified?

they all look pretty terrible to me.

I got to use one of the kinect-like Samsung Smart TV’s the other day, worked really well, though having hand gestures and voice control and a normal remote might cause conflict:

James Magnussen sounds like he’s still on stilnox in that commercial:
http://www.theherald.com.au/story/1319241/video-we-took-stilnox-pills/?cs=2452