This :Philips remote control is the 1st in Philips Prestigo range. It's a long slender remote control with a touch screen and a jog wheel. The jog wheel can be used to cycle through different devices a la ipod. The devices include TV, Freeview, Cable, Satellite, Hi-Fi, DVD
There are hard buttons for the channel up and down and volume, so you aren't reliant on the touch screen. There is also a provision for the "red" button if required
The touch screen looks fantastic - the fonts are in keeping with the modern lines of the remote
Setting it up is easy. Choose the device, select the brand and the remote will instruct you what to do. This works quite well and if there are any buttons that don't work, these can be set up individually. It has the codes for over 800 devices, so the chances are your equipment will be listed are pretty good. Within 10 minutes, I had the TV, Freeview and DVD programmed without even looking at the manual!
If your device isn't one of the 800, you can get the remote control to learn the codes from an existing remote. Just point them at each pother, and follow the instructions - it's as easy as that!
The down side - you are limited to how Philips choose to layout the screens so if you have a DVD that acts as a hi-fi, it might cause issues. This means you can't customise the touch screen with moving buttons around.
The other thing I tried to do but couldn't was on the Freeview menu, to introduce the volume controls for the TV (the Freeview box is JVC and the TV is Toshiba). However, despite getting the remote control to learn the volume controls from the TV remote into the Freeview Volume controls, it steadfastly refused to do that. It just means that you have turn the jog wheel to move to the TV section to change the volume. If it could have done this, it would have been a great product.
Nonetheless, my wife is impressed aqnd has taken it like a duck to water. She isn't one for gadgets and technology but loves it as it means no hunting for the remote control.
All in all a good product - if there is more customisation available, it would be yet another great product from Philips
04.01.2007 14:36
Sounds useful.....and easy!! Steve
04.01.2007 10:24
so do the products you program in need to have infra-red as well?...dont quite understand how it works....looks good tho! gaunty
04.01.2007 00:23
Sounds great