A Remote Shoppe reader submitted his review of the PS3IR-PRO from SchmartStuff.com. Thanks Lee!
With the release of the PLAYSTATION 3 on November 17, 2006, Sony took the gaming world by storm. It is the most technologically advanced gaming console to date, and Sony touts it as the multimedia centerpiece of any home entertainment system.
“PLAYSTATION 3…it does it all. It plays all kinds of formats—including Blu-ray Disc DVD, CD-ROM and CD. So, if it's been recorded, taped, filmed, shot, programmed, developed or even just imagined, there's a good chance the PS3 will play it,” according to the PS3 website.
What’s that…It plays Blu-ray movies? That’s right, considering it also doubles as a Blu-ray player, the PS3 is a real bargain. Stand-alone players cost roughly twice as much and don’t offer gaming. Sounds like a no brainer, right? Well, as any home entertainment buff knows, controlling four or more components is no small feat, and a universal remote such as the Logitech Harmony becomes a necessity. Enter the epic blunder.
Sony, in all its wisdom, thought it would be a good idea to ditch the IR interface found on the PS2 and PSP, and instead, they opted to go exclusively to Bluetooth. What does this mean for home theater buffs? That sleek, sexy, do-it-all universal remote you bought is no better than a paperweight when it comes to operating a PS3, and you will need a Sony PS3 Bluetooth remote as well. Two remotes is not the end of the world, but try explaining to your 75-year-old grandmother how to play her exercise DVD, and you will be begging for a one-touch fix.
Technology to the Rescue
Almost as quickly as Sony’s oversight was noticed, a number of third-party workaround solutions began showing up. The earliest solutions involved unsightly dongles or USB plug-ins, such as the Nyko Blu-Wave (available from the Remote Shoppe Store for only $14.99 or Schmartz PS3IR , that allow minimal control of the PS3 using either a universal remote or the original PS2 remote, and in addition to allowing 14—or less—commands, there is also no way to power on the PS3 using this method.
CEPro just posted a list and nice slide show with 19 Remote Controls they recommend for installers. I have made some notes next to each of their recommendations mostly because I don't agree with recommending controllers that aren't even available yet.
Guifx, today announced a new license agreement with Remote Technologies Inc. (RTI). Guifx will now be providing a customized version of their touch-panel remote template, “Curacao,” for RTI’s soon to be released T3-V remote. The new template is designed for Integration Designer Software with easy editing in mind.
Have you ever seen the cool concept cars at an Auto Show? They're one of the top attractions at the shows and even the most bizarre designs end up contributing to a design element of an actual production model. Commercial product design tends to be a lot more bizarre than automobiles so it's a lot tougher to find the diamond in the rough. But, this remote control concept from David Chacon - a design student at the University of Pittsburgh doesn't seem all that crazy. The overall appearance is similar to a lot of other touch screen remotes and Voice recognition, Lighting automation, Flash design and Bluetooth technology are all being used today.
If you have a jailbroken iPhone or iPod Touch and a Tivo Series 3 DVR check out this video at Gizmodo showing the new TivoRemote software in action.
Perceptive Automation, the leading provider of Mac-based home automation software, today announced the immediate availability of Indigo version 3.0, a major update to the company's intelligent home control and automation server for Mac OS X. With Indigo, users can easily control lights, appliances, thermostats, lawn sprinklers, hot tubs and dozens of other items found in the home, literally from anywhere in the world using Indigo's built-in Web server.
Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) (NASDAQ:UEIC), a leader in remote control technology, today announced a comprehensive agreement with Audiovox Accessories Corp. (AAC) that will cover the supply of microcontrollers and software for existing AAC brands, development of new products, and a license for distribution rights for products sold to the North American retail market as the ONE FOR ALL(R) brand.
NoviiMedia, software developers for handheld computers, is coming out with their latest invention, the NoviiRemote Lite for Treos, Palm Centro and Palm PDAs. This new NoviiRemote software boasts all the great features of the NoviiRemote solutions: simple installation, navigational tips, pre-installed infrared codes and an increased infrared range. But the Lite uses less memory than previous NoviiRemote Classic version while still providing enough juice to operate all of your home theatre equipment.
The Concordance Project from Phil Dibowitz provides software for programming your Logitech Harmony remote control in UNIX (which Logitech's own software does not support). Concordance currently supports all Harmony models except the 890 and 1000 (which I'm guessing has something to do with the Z-Wave technology used in those models) and is cross platform, currently working with Linux and Windows and hopefully, soon Mac.
Robert Archer posted a quick little artricle on the Universal Remote Control MX-810 today just to let readers know that it really is an easy to set-up, yet very powerful remote.
Square Eyes Icon Harmony's online database includes more than 1,550 high resolution channel icons designed specifically for the Logitech Harmony ONE controller. They have channel icons for more than a dozen countries and even ask visitors to help improve their database by providing tags to help identify each button. Feel free to browse through the complete online database and select the icons you want and they'll bundle it all into a nice zip folder for download.
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