Universal Remote

cplatts · 08-01-2005, 01:25

Hi,

This subject's probably been done to death, but there's a few specific questions I'd like to ask.

My stack of remotes has reached crazy proportions, so I'm in the market for a universal remote. One of the Philips Pronto remotes looks like the kind of thing I'd be after. I've got a fair number of devices (Yamaha RXV350 receiver, Relisys RLT720 TV, Sky+, Toshiba DR-1 DVD recorder) all of which have many, many remote control buttons!

As I've mentioned, something with the flexibility of a Pronto sounds perfect. However, I'm slightly scarred by experiences with previous experiences with One-for-All remotes.

My absolute top concern is the speed of the remote's response. There's nothing worse than a 'laggy' remote. I want to hit the button and have the device respond immediately. I've read some reviews of one particular Pronto (I don't remember the model number, sorry!) which was overall positive, but did mention that there was quite a bit of lag when using the remote. If I'm skipping through channels, I want it to be every bit as responsive as the original remote.

Does anyone have any hands-on experience they can share? Any recommended remotes, or models not to touch with a barge pole?

Cheers,
Chris

clockworks999 · 08-01-2005, 08:59

I use a Marantz RC9200, which is a re-styled Pronto Pro. I've had it for a couple of years, and never been troubled by poor response.

I wonder if the lag you read about was with "buttons" programmed into the touchscreen, or with the proper "hard" buttons? The reason I chose the Marantz over the Philips, was that it has more proper buttons - vol and chan up&down, mute, 4-way pad and 6 function.

A possible cause of lag is using excessively long macros. A bit of thought when programming these speeds things up, such as alternating the commands sent to the TV and amp inside the macro.
In some cases I have had to add delays, because the commands are sent too fast for the TV to respond!

Another possible cause is the use of "dirty" IR codes. Since all codes (except Philips/Marantz) have to be learnt, sometimes extra bits of code are captured. This can slow things down when the codes are transmitted.
It is fairly simple to clean-up the codes, or, you can find pre-cleaned codes on various websites.
Have you looked at remotecentral.com? A very useful site for Pronto owners.

gerbilly · 08-01-2005, 15:34

One for all Mosaic's are very good.

bertietrouble · 11-01-2006, 09:48

I can heartily recommend the One For All Mosaic. Has hard keys for volume and Channel change,is incredibly easy to program. Pricey,mine was about £250 about three years ago,although you may well be able to get it for less now. It has a touch screen that responds without too much lag. My six year old flies around it and despite being thrown about it continues to work like a dream. Batteries need changing quite often,but a minor niggle.

Richard46 · 11-01-2006, 11:08

I have had one for alls; Arcam; Philips; Pronto; and Harmony 'universal' remotes.
They have all been more or less instant with commands like channel up/down. As said above macros (or activities on the Harmony) with a string of commands can take a time.
I can put my harmony down on the coffee table and pour a drink

while it is going through its 'watch TV' sequence. But then it is turning on 4 pieces of kit and changing inputs on them etc. It would take a lot longer with the originals!
I prefer the Harmonies; they dont suit everyone and some setups can be complicated but I dont like touch screens; e.g. the Pronto, I thought I would but got fed up with them; I just prefer hard buttons. That might or might not be a factor for you.
I would certainly never go back to using any setup with a collection of separate remotes.

Richard

mongosito · 11-01-2006, 22:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by bertietrouble

I can heartily recommend the One For All Mosaic. Has hard keys for volume and Channel change,is incredibly easy to program. Pricey,mine was about £250 about three years ago,although you may well be able to get it for less now. It has a touch screen that responds without too much lag. My six year old flies around it and despite being thrown about it continues to work like a dream. Batteries need changing quite often,but a minor niggle.

Over the past 3 years I've gone through every Universal remote on the market.
The Mosaic was a nice idea,but it required far too many KEY MAGIC settings for Panasonic equipment.But Richer Sounds were selling this discontinued model for £30 just before Xmas.
The harmony could not even work my manhattan motorised satellite receiver.
The OFA Kameleon was also hopeless when it came to dvd recorders.
Although you coulod download the commands,they had to be placed on buttons you cannot rename.So you had about 12 commands on buttons where you would never know which is which.
The recent marantz 1200(I think) is a downgraded version of the excellent Marants RC2000,but it also could not even learn commands from my Denon amp,even though basic commands were built in and its supposed to be a learning remote.
After trying Philips Prontos,Harmony's,Angels,One For All etc there is still nothing to equal the Marantz RC 2000 MK2.
So even though it was discontinued about 5 years ago,I hunted ebay until I found someone with a new one.
It cost £130 just before Xmas,but thats still £15 lower than I paid for my first one in 1999,and included shipping from the US.
If you have run of the mill devices from popular brands,most remotes do the job,but if you have anything even slightly obscure check the remote first.

RedEarth · 12-01-2006, 14:18

I have a Cambridge Audio M1+ and I'm very pleased with it. The response is quick, it will learn any remote signals, you can configure the layout (to a certain extent), set up macros and it isn't as pricey as a Pronto.

I paid £50, but they might be a little less now.

mongosito · 12-01-2006, 22:09

I found the Cambridge simply did not have enough buttons onscreen for certain devices.
Most remotes will do all your basic functions,but some don't have enough room on the screen to include every obscure command.

Keith G · 24-01-2006, 10:58

One For All's Kameleon range is very good. I have the Kameleon 10 which has rechargeable batts and sits on yop of the TV in it's own charging cradle. never runs low! It has learning and code ability and controls my CD, DVD (recordable), Pace Twins Freeview, TV , Yamaha DSP1 amp and still leaves 5 more items that i can asign in the future!
£95 from QVC..... Looks good too as it's chrome !

08-01-2005, 01:25	#1
cplatts Forum Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Orpington, Kent Posts: 251	Universal Remote Hi, This subject's probably been done to death, but there's a few specific questions I'd like to ask. My stack of remotes has reached crazy proportions, so I'm in the market for a universal remote. One of the Philips Pronto remotes looks like the kind of thing I'd be after. I've got a fair number of devices (Yamaha RXV350 receiver, Relisys RLT720 TV, Sky+, Toshiba DR-1 DVD recorder) all of which have many, many remote control buttons! As I've mentioned, something with the flexibility of a Pronto sounds perfect. However, I'm slightly scarred by experiences with previous experiences with One-for-All remotes. My absolute top concern is the speed of the remote's response. There's nothing worse than a 'laggy' remote. I want to hit the button and have the device respond immediately. I've read some reviews of one particular Pronto (I don't remember the model number, sorry!) which was overall positive, but did mention that there was quite a bit of lag when using the remote. If I'm skipping through channels, I want it to be every bit as responsive as the original remote. Does anyone have any hands-on experience they can share? Any recommended remotes, or models not to touch with a barge pole? Cheers, Chris

11-01-2006, 09:48	#4
bertietrouble Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 15	One For All Mosaic I can heartily recommend the One For All Mosaic. Has hard keys for volume and Channel change,is incredibly easy to program. Pricey,mine was about £250 about three years ago,although you may well be able to get it for less now. It has a touch screen that responds without too much lag. My six year old flies around it and despite being thrown about it continues to work like a dream. Batteries need changing quite often,but a minor niggle.

08-01-2005, 08:59	#2
clockworks999 Forum Member Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Cornwall, UK Posts: 2,014	I use a Marantz RC9200, which is a re-styled Pronto Pro. I've had it for a couple of years, and never been troubled by poor response. I wonder if the lag you read about was with "buttons" programmed into the touchscreen, or with the proper "hard" buttons? The reason I chose the Marantz over the Philips, was that it has more proper buttons - vol and chan up&down, mute, 4-way pad and 6 function. A possible cause of lag is using excessively long macros. A bit of thought when programming these speeds things up, such as alternating the commands sent to the TV and amp inside the macro. In some cases I have had to add delays, because the commands are sent too fast for the TV to respond! Another possible cause is the use of "dirty" IR codes. Since all codes (except Philips/Marantz) have to be learnt, sometimes extra bits of code are captured. This can slow things down when the codes are transmitted. It is fairly simple to clean-up the codes, or, you can find pre-cleaned codes on various websites. Have you looked at remotecentral.com? A very useful site for Pronto owners.

08-01-2005, 15:34	#3
gerbilly Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 842	One for all Mosaic's are very good.

11-01-2006, 11:08	#5
Richard46 Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: London Posts: 41,718	I have had one for alls; Arcam; Philips; Pronto; and Harmony 'universal' remotes. They have all been more or less instant with commands like channel up/down. As said above macros (or activities on the Harmony) with a string of commands can take a time. I can put my harmony down on the coffee table and pour a drink while it is going through its 'watch TV' sequence. But then it is turning on 4 pieces of kit and changing inputs on them etc. It would take a lot longer with the originals! I prefer the Harmonies; they dont suit everyone and some setups can be complicated but I dont like touch screens; e.g. the Pronto, I thought I would but got fed up with them; I just prefer hard buttons. That might or might not be a factor for you. I would certainly never go back to using any setup with a collection of separate remotes. Richard

11-01-2006, 22:34	#6
mongosito Banned User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,307	Quote: Originally Posted by bertietrouble I can heartily recommend the One For All Mosaic. Has hard keys for volume and Channel change,is incredibly easy to program. Pricey,mine was about £250 about three years ago,although you may well be able to get it for less now. It has a touch screen that responds without too much lag. My six year old flies around it and despite being thrown about it continues to work like a dream. Batteries need changing quite often,but a minor niggle. Over the past 3 years I've gone through every Universal remote on the market. The Mosaic was a nice idea,but it required far too many KEY MAGIC settings for Panasonic equipment.But Richer Sounds were selling this discontinued model for £30 just before Xmas. The harmony could not even work my manhattan motorised satellite receiver. The OFA Kameleon was also hopeless when it came to dvd recorders. Although you coulod download the commands,they had to be placed on buttons you cannot rename.So you had about 12 commands on buttons where you would never know which is which. The recent marantz 1200(I think) is a downgraded version of the excellent Marants RC2000,but it also could not even learn commands from my Denon amp,even though basic commands were built in and its supposed to be a learning remote. After trying Philips Prontos,Harmony's,Angels,One For All etc there is still nothing to equal the Marantz RC 2000 MK2. So even though it was discontinued about 5 years ago,I hunted ebay until I found someone with a new one. It cost £130 just before Xmas,but thats still £15 lower than I paid for my first one in 1999,and included shipping from the US. If you have run of the mill devices from popular brands,most remotes do the job,but if you have anything even slightly obscure check the remote first.

12-01-2006, 14:18	#7
RedEarth Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Posts: 1,004	I have a Cambridge Audio M1+ and I'm very pleased with it. The response is quick, it will learn any remote signals, you can configure the layout (to a certain extent), set up macros and it isn't as pricey as a Pronto. I paid £50, but they might be a little less now.

12-01-2006, 22:09	#8
mongosito Banned User Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 2,307	I found the Cambridge simply did not have enough buttons onscreen for certain devices. Most remotes will do all your basic functions,but some don't have enough room on the screen to include every obscure command.

24-01-2006, 10:58	#9
Keith G Forum Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 44	One For All's Kameleon range is very good. I have the Kameleon 10 which has rechargeable batts and sits on yop of the TV in it's own charging cradle. never runs low! It has learning and code ability and controls my CD, DVD (recordable), Pace Twins Freeview, TV , Yamaha DSP1 amp and still leaves 5 more items that i can asign in the future! £95 from QVC..... Looks good too as it's chrome !

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