Best remote control (1 Viewer)

[badbob]

then I have you beat: PocketPC. Done.

Try to use it without looking at the screen. LCD touchscreens are great, in theory. To the HT noob they look much pretty and advanced than a ugly remote with couple of dozen buttons on them. They do have there advantages- you can add any button, place it where you like, and create graphics/logos. However in practise they're annoying. Imagine watching a film and you want to do something on the remote. You need to look down, so navigating on screen whilst looking at the TV itself is a chore. Plus if you press a button next to it accidentally might do something you don't want it to do.

I had a LCD touchscreen and learnt my mistake. A remote with majority of the buttons as "hard buttons" is much easier to use. Common transport controls which'll span multiple devices (cursor, menu, volume, play/pause stop/ffwd/rwind/forward/back should be hard buttons. With a smaller screen for custom buttons.

 

[Marcusb]

You can control a lot more stuff with the MCE remote and the replacement plugin.
This lets you control things in a context sensitive environment as well.
Aaron has one a great job on that one.

The MCE remote is also perfect for people who aren't too comfortable with technology. It's not intimidating to look at, like a lot of other remotes are (simple, clear buttons) and the price is better than anything else I have found.

If you are unsure, then I reccommend that and then if you want to expand in the future then you can buy a remote for $100s with lots of buttons. You'll still have a simple remote for when your grandma visits.

 

[gxtracker]

Try to use it without looking at the screen.

Thats what gestures are for. Touch the screen and you pause. touch it again and you resume/play. Draw a line to the right and you fast forward, to the left and you rewind, etc...

The only downside might be the people who have a PocketPC too large to control with one hand, like one of the older Axims, but most slimmer PPC's allow for one hand control, and some even have mini keyboards or function keys built right into the device. since they act like keyboard keys, they are fully customizable just like on a remote.

Having two axis to control your interface gives so much more flexability in design then simply having a static one dimensional button. of course both can be customized to your liking, but if you're going to go all out, you might as well do it with style, right? It's nice being able to toss a PPC at someone with a visual interface and tell them that they can control the entire home from this tiny device in their hand that they can recieve complex visual feedback from.

Sorry for going OT, but I like adventuring into unknown territory when it comes to usability design and user interfaces.

 

[RoyN]

Take a look at the new Gyration Pro MCE remotes... expensive, but its RF, which means the PC can be hidden, or can be used without pointing, plus its learning and programmable for 3 or 4 additional devices... plus its a gyro mouse, and its range is very good!

 

[r8td]

How would the ATI remote wonder compare to the MCE remote. They are about the same price on Ebay. I know ATI is RF and MCE is IR. Are there any differences that make one better than the other.