Remote Control Freak
Written: Jun 26 '01
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Wide Compatibility, Full Customization, Good Looks, Great Gift, Space Saving.
Cons: Awkward at times, little heavier than normal remotes, odd shaped, Touchpad is difficult sometimes.
The Bottom Line: There aren't many remotes that are similar. When considering, look at the Philips Pronto TS2000-it's the same. Also consider getting a 1mb remote you probaly won't need 2MB.
|
|
|
| auctionman's Full Review: Marantz RC5000i |
The price of the Marantz rc5000i ($550 MSRP) is enough to put most of us into a tailspin, when considering a universal remote. And rightly so, considering it is probably one of the top 25% most expensive remotes available. And yet this remote works wonders on anything that accepts Infrared signals, enough to cool your perspective on the price. The remote out of the box comes ready to handle all of your Marantz equipment. For those of you that don't have Marantz components (like myself) each button on the Remote can quickly be programmed to accept the command of any button on your existing remote, by aiming it at the back of the Marantz. This procedure works great for quickly integrating all of your remotes onto one interface, but you will still experience the hassle of switching through different remotes...only this time on different screens of the Marantz's remote, instead of fooling around with many physical remotes.
To really take advantage of this remote, you will need to use RC5000Setup, a software package that allows you to interface your remote with your computer and program, and design every aspect of your remote. For my remote I designed all of the virtual buttons using Adobe Photoshop 5(not a necessary software package). Using the supplied graphics will suit most users. I've programmed my remote to turn on my entire system with the push of one button, and it can be turned off with the push of another button. This is done through Macros, which assigned multiple IR codes to one button, which can easily be done through both the remote and the RC5000Setup. It took me nearly a week to complete my setup, but most users that don't create their own artwork, and layout should see their remote pretty complete in about a day or two.
The remote is highly versatile- and with that versatility comes complication. This remote will overwhelm you when you first begin to tinker with its tools, but it soon becomes tedious once you learn how the software and remote work. Also once you get the remote working you may experience a little difficulty in using the virtual buttons, you may pus the wrong button, or you may not apply the correct pressure... Using an LCD screen will take some getting used to if you are stuck on physical buttons, but the remote does offer a few physical buttons for mute, Channel +,- and Volume +,-, and two that can be assigned to whatever your heart desires.
If you are really considering this remote, look at the Philips Pronto Remote. They are primarily the same remote, except that the Marantz comes with a charging station and is gold in color and the Philips is silver with no cradle included (it must be purchased separately). The charging station is an excellent thing to have, but if you want to save some money buy a Philips Pronto without the charging cradle, you will already be saving batteries by using one remote as it is. Also you can save some money by getting a 1MB version. Most users will not really need a 2MB model, unless you are using this remote for many rooms. I have four components on the remote and my memory is 94% free.
I purchased my remote for $250 used, but it was less than a month old, and might as well be new, based on the condition of the remote. For help using this remote go to remotecentral.com. That site has EVERYTHING you will ever need to know or use. - Including Remotes for sale, Graphics, FAQ on the remote, software, and a web board for asking people who know a lot about this remote questions.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
auctionman
|
|
Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.