Super Touch Screen Remotes

These units are beyond the "color coordinated" units supplied by your cable company. We've collected a few remotes that offer features beyond what most of us are using today without entertainment setups. Almost like micro-computers, these remotes make our interaction with the TV a more pleasurable one...

Logitech Harmony Remote
Logitech steps up a notch with their latest Harmony remote control called the Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote. This sleek futuristic remote features a bright 3.5 inch color touch screen display and uses Logitech patented Smart State Technology. Just like the rest of the Harmony remotes, the 1000 is easily programmed using a set up wizard on your computer. Simply connect the remote to your PC and program the macros on your remote. With the Smart State technology, the 1000 knows the current state of your system and turns on and off the systems appropriately.

XSight Touch
This remote control supports more then 3,300 unique brands and has over 285,000 remote control codes in it’s hardware configuration database. Setup of the remote for first time use is quite straightforward and can be done in three easy steps which are pick a device (TV, Stereo etc), select the brand from the menu and finally test and confirm that it is working. This remote does have many of the features that you’ve come to expect from a universal remote including favorites, profiles, learning, keypad backlighting, LCD clock and a charging cradle.

Samsung 9000 Series Remote
Even that this is not an universal remote, the Samsung LED 9000 series' remote, is a touch screen LCD unit and we can use remote as an additional monitor where we can see the TV from this remote. First of all, it's a touch screen control, and each push gives you a strong buzz of haptic feedback. For the most basic functions: volume, channel up/down, and power, there are physical buttons that don't require the screen. There's also a 'home' similar to the iPhone button that calls up the main menu onscreen. The touch screen is fast and responsive. The remote control is linked to the TV via 802.11n WiFi. With the embedded LCD screen, you can preview other channels without changing the screen on the TV, thus not interrupting your spouse's viewing choice. The remote can operate about 30 feet from the TV.

Comments (4)

The Harmony One is fantastic

Don't you guys mean the Harmony 1100? The 1000 was the predecessor.

I actually think that touchscreens are pretty poor for remotes. When it comes to remotes, tactile feedback is very important. I had the Harmony 1000 for a brief minute and got tired of having to look at the remote to make adjustments. I went back to using my Harmony 360 instead.

I know it has a few physical buttons, but I suspect most people, like me, rarely just go up and down through channels these days. Rather, it's more likely that they use the guide that's part of their cable box to go to different channels. With the 1000 and 1100, there are no dedicated physical buttons to bring up the guide, only to navigate it. I suppose you could map one of the existing physical buttons to it but it's not really designed for that.

I've been pretty happy with the xSight Touch .. only problem is I ran out of available "activities" (basically, macros - watch tv, play wii, etc.)

You also need the remote connected to a machine with internet access to program, but that's not a big deal, as I have my HTPC right by the remote.

picked up a harmony 650 on the cheap. not as advanced as any of these but it works pretty good with all of my devices so far. and is between $70-90