Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote Review

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(More customer reviews)I put a great deal of interest in my purchases. With a lot of extra down-time at work and an internet connection, I find myself reviewing EVERYTHING before I buy it. And only after I am very impressed and convinced by many positive reviews will I take out my credit card. But this product, the Microsoft XBOX360 Media Remote, was one exception having read many bad reviews and deciding to purchase it anyway. Let me tell you...
This remote is PERFECT if...
1. You would like one, easy-to-use remote to control both basic TV and an Xbox 360 that doubles as your DVD player.
2. The only buttons you would need for the TV are: Channels, Volume (TV speaker/output control only), Numerical channel input, Muting, *INTPUT SELECTION* (yes, it CAN switch between your TV's inputs), Return (to toggle between 2 TV channels), and Power.
3. You do not need specialized/advanced buttons found on a OEM remote or advanced learning remote for the TV.
4. You do not need to control a A/V receiver, DVD player (other than XBOX 360), or a digital cable box (Tivo, DVR, etc.)
5. You are on a budget but would still like a quality remote.
If you can say yes to all or most, then don't hesitate to grab one of these remotes. You will be completely satisfied. Especially with immediate access to the tactile DVD buttons versus the 360's annoying on-screen DVD navigation. For this feature it is almost worth the $30 alone.
P.S.
I also own a Logitech Harmony 880 for the living room which I highly recommend for anyone not fitting into the catagory mentioned above.

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Microsoft Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote The Xbox 360 Universal Media Remote was engineered to serve as your integrated control center for the entire Xbox 360 experience. Enter a new world of digital entertainment with the touch of a single button. Play DVD movies and music, plus control your TV and your Media Center PC with one controller. The centralized, glowing Xbox Guide Button gives you quick access to your digital movies, music, and games library, and backlit buttons make the keypad easy to see in a darkened home theater.

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Xbox 360 Intelligent Remote Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought this to go with my new Xbox 360 so that I could watch DVDs more easily. The fact that it was a learning remote was neat, but not critical.
Pros:
- Inexpensive
- Backlit
- Learning (see notes)
Cons:
- Low powered IR emissions
- Learning (see notes)
- Went screwy on me and I had to reset by removing batteries
The build quality of the remote is pretty decent for a low-end remote. It's not really heavy or solid feeling, but it's not dirt-cheap feeling like the original Xbox DVD remote (the green/black one). It fits in your hand OK just like any remote of this shape or size would. The buttons are the typical rubber buttons you'd expect, and I have had some issues with the directional (arrow) buttons not popping up immediately as they can get slightly wedged in the plastic case. This is only on the large buttons, primarily the left and right direction buttons.
The backlight is green LED and makes the keys easy to see in the dark (see the Customer Photo I added). You must press a button to activate the lighting which could send a code that you don't want - there is no "turn on light" button. The backlight stays on for a very short time (probably 1 second) which was somewhat annoying to me. This is undoubtedly due to the use of AAA batteries and not wanting to use them up too quickly.
The learning was easy enough to program and IMO, I prefer having to take the time to program buttons rather than get this gigantic sheet of paper with a million tiny codes on it for every make and model of equipment, punch the codes into the remote, find-out that some buttons don't work, then try the next code, and so-on. If you've ever used a pre-programmed universal remote, you'll understand. To program this Nyko, I simply got my original remote out, placed it end-to-end with the Nyko, started the learning sequence, and pressed the desired button on the remote to be learned. Fast and easy, but yes, you do have to do each button individually.
The learning did have one problem though: it replays the codes too quickly. I programmed my TV's volume up/down into the Nyko. When I press the buttons on the Nyko, the TV volume jumps up/down rather than smoothly going up and down like with the factory remote. I'm guessing that the Nyko re-transmits much faster when a button is held down, thus causing the TV to jump from 1 to 5 to 10 on the volume rather than 1,2,3,4... This made the remote unusable for anything that needed careful control.
The IR emitter seems to be either under-powered or mounted so far back in the plastic case that the beam is very directional. When using my Tivo, TV, or stereo remote, I just point them in the general direction of the units and they work. With the Nyko, I often had to carefully aim the remote at the device and press the button several times. I did have brand-new batteries in the unit as well. This was my largest annoyance.
The switching between the "360 mode" and "learned mode" is somewhat annoying as other reviewers have stated. There is no real reason I can find to justify this since the 360 controls are at the top, and the others at the bottom with no/very little overlap.
Last night, I had the remote do something weird. I was trying to watch a DVD in the 360 and the direction (arrow) buttons weren't being received, yet the 'enter' button in the center and the Xbox colored buttons worked fine. I fiddled with it for a minute and could not get the arrows working (which is somewhat critical when navigating a DVD menu) and ended-up pulling the batteries out of the remote to reset it. After that, it worked fine. Obviously there is some bug in the remote - at least in the version I got.
Overall, this is an OK remote and if you only have a limited budget for a 360 remote, it might do the trick. However for me, the issue with having to aim the remote and try several times to get things done is too annoying and I'm returning mine (bought locally, fortunately). I suppose it's the old issue of "you get what you pay for" and perhaps spending another few bucks on the official Xbox 360 remote would fix these issues.


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09-25-2007 - Brand New Item. Description - NYKO 86014 XBOX 360(TM) SMART REMOTE

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Xbox 360 Light Up Wireless Remote Review

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(More customer reviews)I got this remote and at first i was very happy with it. Although it feels very light and cheap like another reviewer had stated, it turned on my xbox 360 with no problem. So i was happy. Then i made the mistake of trying to make it work with my tv. First off they do not send you any universal codes for tv's. So i figured no problem it i will be on their website. Wrong, there is no useful information about this remote on the Manufacture's website. So even after that i figured well at least i can use it with my xbox i will just have two remotes. Well after i went through trying to make it work with my tv it has stopped working for my xbox. Even after taking out the batteries and letting it sit over night then trying with just the xbox again it no longer will do anything other then light up. So my recommendation do not even bother with this remote.

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You hold the power. Now, every gigawatt, megahertz, decibel, and pixel of your Xbox 360 is within reach of your thumb.This universal remote control features a slick, ergonomic design that will control the DVD and CD playback functions of your Xbox 360, allowing you to access your Xbox dashboard with one button and control your TV'sfunctions all with one remote.Features the easy-to-use code library to connect to most TVs and A,B,X and Y buttons to easily navigate through your Xbox 360 dashboard.

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Logitech Harmony Xbox 360 Remote Review

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(More customer reviews)Pros: Easy to use, easy to program, supports Xbox 360 out-of-the-box
Cons: Some of the usual Harmony buttons are missing, small number pad takes some getting used to, Expensive
This is not my first Harmony remote. Even though I don't yet have a 360 (I know I'll be getting one sooner or later), I decided to go ahead and upgrade so that I could pass my older Harmony 688 on to a relative who really could use it. As soon as I heard about this remote, I knew I had to have one. As someone who is excited about the Media Center Extender abilities of the new Xbox 360 (because I've been looking for a way to hear my multiple gigabytes of mp3's and wma's through my home theater's sound system), I was thrilled to find out that I'd be able to use a Harmony remote to control the 360.
I really need say only one thing about this remote (or any other Harmony remote, for that matter), and that is that once you've used this device for a week or two, you'll wonder how you ever got along without one. Sure, I've got small gripes about the Harmony 360. Because of the added Xbox 360 compatibility, some of the buttons usually present on other Harmony remotes (such as Sound, Picture, Page Up/Down, and dedicated Activity buttons) have been replaced by the YXAB buttons necessary to emulate the Xbox 360 controller's inputs. Additionally, the number pad feels as if it's been squished into the bottom of the remote; the number buttons are extremely small and very tightly packed together, and I've already inadvertently switched to the wrong channel several times. And then there's the price: $130 initially seems a bit high for a remote. However, I firmly believe--and I don't say this lightly--that this remote is worth every penny of its price tag (even without the $30 rebate for 360 owners). Ultimately, these gripes are very minor drawbacks to one of the best universal remote controllers ever.
The biggest draw of the Harmony remote--and what sets it apart from the other 99% of universal remotes available today--is its simplicity. Whereas other universal remotes have a dizzying array of buttons and modes for individually controlling every component of a home theater system, the Harmony keeps things simple by operating a home theater the way it should be operated: by understanding and executing the activities that the user wishes to experience. When I want to watch DirecTV, for example, I simply press the large Activities button at the top of the Harmony remote, which then displays all of the available activities on the backlit, easy-to-read screen. I then press the button next to the option for "Watch DirecTV," at which time the remote turns on my television and switches to the Video 1 input, turns on my home theater system and switches it to the Video 1 input, and then turns on my DirecTV reciever.
What's even better is that the remote's "Smart State Technology" is cognizant of the power status (on/off) and current input setting (video 1/2/3/etc) of all of my devices, so that I always get to do what I want when I press that Activity button. And even when something isn't quite right (such as having the sound system set to the wrong input, resulting in no audio--which occasionally happens), the remote's Help button guides the user through a step-by-step troubleshooting procedure that even the most technologically impaired can use, by asking questions such as "Is the stereo receiver on?" or "Is the stereo receiver set to the Video 1 input?" As soon as you press the "no" button, the remote then changes the input of the stereo receiver and asks, "Did that fix the problem?" Because of this activity-based functionality and intuitive help system, my wife can operate our fairly complex home theater system like a pro, even though she doesn't have the first clue as to how each component is connected to all of the others. For those of you who have friends and family who are "technologically challenged" (and you know that we all do), this is the perfect gift.
The remote's setup couldn't be any easier, either. Programming the remote is accomplished using Logitech's web-based software and a mini-USB cable (included in the box). You simply input the brand and model number of each of the components you desire to control with the Harmony, and the software automatically configures all of the buttons and settings, in addition to suggesting which "Activities" (such as Watch TV, Play Xbox, Watch a DVD, Listen to CDs, Play Radio, etc) it can setup for you on the remote. After initial setup, the software allows you to add and remove devices, activities, and even individual button functions, so if one feature is working exactly as you'd planned you can manually "teach" the Harmony a specific command from that device's own remote and program it to a specific button. I, for instance, wanted my Harmony's "back" button to jump to the previous channel on my DirecTV receiver, so adding the new command was as simple as pointing my DirecTV remote at my Harmony, telling the web-based software to learn a new command, and then pressing the "back" button on my original DirecTV remote. Voila!
THe design, styling, and fit-and-finish of the Harmony 360 remote are top-notch. Even though I prefer the TiVo-esque design and button layout of my old Harmony 688, the 360 remote is nice; and it's definitely sleeker and sexier-looking than the 688 (or just about any other Harmony remote, for that matter). It also has a nice, solid, and substantial feel to it; it doesn't feel as if it's simply made of flimsy, brittle plastics. Bottom line: if you're home theater setup includes more than just a television and an Xbox 360, then go buy this remote now. If you don't have an Xbox 360 but your home theater has more than one or two components, then go buy this or any other Harmony remote now. Truly, the greatest products and technologies are those that are so successful that we can't imagine how we ever got along without them (the Web, anyone?), and this remote definitely falls into this category.

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MODEL- 966200 VENDOR- LOGITECH INC.FEATURES- Harmony Advanced Universal Remote for Xbox 360- Silver All the right one-touch activity buttons for your Xbox--and your entire home entertainment system! The Harmony Advanced Universal Remote for Xbox 360 makes gaming easy. Simply choose "Play Xbox 360" and the Harmony will automatically power on your TV Xbox 360 and stereo receiver then set all the inputs and even press "Play"!Logitechs patented Smart State Technology gives you one-touch control over your console.And like all Logitech Harmony remotes the Harmony 360 helps make home entertainment accessible to the entire family. An intuitive setup wizard will walk you through the steps to configure the remote for your audio/video system. An online database containing the remote codes for more than 2500 manufacturers and 80000 devices ensures that your Harmony Advanced Universal Remote will be compatible with your favorite components.Includes Harmony Remote USB cable Installation CD Installationguide (4) AAA batteries.* Use the special Xbox buttons. The Harmony 360 includes convenient Y X A and B buttons and media center controls for your Xbox gaming. * Control your devices: past present and future!The Harmony 360 gives you full control of up to 12 devices. The Logitech database contains over 2500 manufacturers and over 80000 IR devices -- everything from HDTVs to PVRs DVD players to VCRs and game consoles to lighting controls! The database is updated daily so it is guaranteed to work with all models and manufacturers. * Set it up in a snap!The Harmony Set-up Wizard does the programming so you do not have to. Just connect your remote to your computer and answer a few questions about how you currently use your audio/video and entertainment components. Logitechs patented Smart State Technology does the

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Pelican Xbox 360 TSZ Slim Line DVD Remote Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD remote (manufactured by Pelican) is defective by design. It only works if you are sitting 4 feet or closer to your XBOX 360. I am certain that this is because of the cheapness of the product but why would Pelican even bother selling a DVD remote at all if the user must stand so close to their XBOX 360 that they could actually push the buttons on the console instead? This kind of defeats the whole purpose of a "remote control" in my opinion. I contacted Pelican to see if they would give me a better product, however, their customer response was completely unsatisfying. Basically, Pelican customer service told me to pay to ship it back to them and include $4 to cover the cost of return shipping - then they would send me another of the exact same remote. Don't buy this!!!

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Features:Provides all the basic functionality of the original remote.Has fewer buttons and a smaller footprint.

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