Philips RC9800i Home Entertainment Remote Control

by Philips

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 4 x 0.9 x 5.9 inches ; 2 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 4 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0009YCABE
• Item model number: RC9800i
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 2, 2001

Product Description

Home Entertainment Controller, Touch Screen Wirless, Remote Control for all your home entertainment devices, Easy to Read Color LCD TFT screen, 32MB memory, RF control of IR devices, Easy to Program, Universal Learning Capbiliies from other remotes,

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 50 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best remote I've ever used, March 31, 2006

By 

The Hoff (SoCal) - See all my reviews

I have tried a multitude of various universal remotes some with better results than others. The problem I have always faced is that I have eight different components that I need to control. Some of which are fairly obscure components that traditional universal remotes and even learning remotes have never been able to control properly. Most recently I had been using a One For All Kameleon. However like most all the other remotes it too came up short of being able to properly control all of my components.

I received the Philips RC9800i about a month ago. My chief hope was simply that it would be able to properly control all of my components. Or, at least be able to learn the functions of all my other remotes. In the past, remotes have been unable to learn the functions of components such as my Netgear MP101 and my component switch. Since that was the limitation of every other remote I had used it was my primary wish for the RC9800i.

After spending an incredible amount of time programming I was able to more than satisfactorily control all of my odd ball equipment. So, now that I had a remote that would be able to learn the functions of my remotes, would it actually be easier to use than anything I already had. Ultimately this is where the remote really shines. After you program in your receiver, TV, DVD, etc. the remote programs the general activities you will performing. This involves it asking you which components will be involved in performing these functions, what input the receiver will need to be on, etc. It even will allow you to set specific parameters such never changing the input the TV is on, in the scenario that the TV is simply a monitor and all video switching is done externally (as is the case with my system).

The only real problems I had with the component setup were that the remote has fairly specific groups of device categories to select from. What I mean by that is that when I wanted to program the remote for my Netgear MP101 into the remote there was no category for network media players or any type of unlisted device category. In order to program the device in, I had to lie to the remote and tell it the device was a DVD player so that it would provide me a similar set of keys to what is on the MP101's remote. The ultimate result of this procedure was very good, but the description is very inaccurate.

The problem that was more notable was that with my component selector box. The selector is remote controlled and allows me to switch between multiple AV components so that I can have all my equipment connected to the very limited number of Component Video and Digital audio inputs my TV and receiver have. Since the remote didn't offer a component group that would be proper for this device I had to improvise. Ultimately what I figured out to do was program the individual buttons of the selectors remote as input buttons to my receiver. Problem solved.

With all the devices programmed in and the activities for the devices programmed the real joy of using this remote sets in. The first thing it asks you is whether you want to Watch or listen to something. So let's say I want to watch a DVD. I simply select the option to "Watch a DVD". The remote will automatically turn on the TV, DVD, Receiver and switch my component selector to the input my DVD is attached to. In case a component didn't receive the signal to turn the remote provides a "fix" button that will provide you with quick buttons to turn on the devices that didn't turn on the first time or switch to the proper input.

If you want to do something different such as watch cable, the remote will make the necessary changes to activate the addition components necessary. It is intelligent enough to realize that it already turned the TV on so it shouldn't try to turn it on again. This prevents a great deal of headaches. But it also won't turn off the devices that are no longer being viewed.

In addition to the activities controls the remote provides, it also gives you access to a number of other features that may or may not be useful to you.

One of the big things on this list is a built in program guide that is custom tailored to your local's cable or broadcast options. It gives you functionality with UPnP devices and can also function as a network media player all via its built in WiFi connectivity.

For me these extra functions are where the remote's short comings set in. The UPnP functionality is pretty well useless for me. The built in program guide is achingly slow and can be difficult to navigate properly (it occasionally will skip screens as you scroll through the guide). The media player needs to be refined considerably before it can be really useful. It is really only able to preview video and photo and can't actually play them back. The audio playback functions fairly well, but it's only useful when the remote is in its docking station which is connected to a receiver. The small speaker that is built into the remote is insufficient for listening to music. My biggest concern with the media playback is the server software you install on your computer. Once installed it began using over 100 Megs of RAM out of the 1 Gig my computer has and drastically effected how my computer ran. This is unacceptable. However, since music playback is not what I got this remote for I am not overly concerned with this function.

There are a few other nagging issues that could easily be fixed with something as simple as a firmware update. The remote seems to be prone to random lockups, occasionally these will happen during normal use but they are more frequent during learning functions. The remote also will not allow you to remove buttons that are nonexistent for your device. E.g. it lists a button for selecting an HDMI input on my TV of course my TV does not even have an HDMI input.

Earlier in my review I mentioned that the remote has a fix button that allows you to manually turn on components and switch inputs in case the command didn't work when the remote tried the first time. While this is a fantastic function, Philips sadly neglected to offer the same button once you have tried to turn off the components. If a component remains on you have to go into the menus for individual device control to turn it off. If another fix button was provided this wouldn't be a concern.

The remote includes a stylus that is tremendously useful for using the touch screen. Unfortunately they did not provided anywhere on the remote to store the stylus, so as you might guess, it's quite easy to lose. A clip or slot would have been a wonderful addition to the remote.

Shortcomings aside, this is the best remote I have ever used, hands down. It provides a level of control that nothing else I have ever used has approached. The activities functions are very well thought out and come close to seamlessly integrating the functions of all my components as if they were really one. If Philips is able to iron out the few small faults the remote has, this remote would be untouchable.

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sounds great but doesn't live up, July 20, 2006

By 

T. Martin "Phxphotog" (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips RC9800i Home Entertainment Remote Control (Electronics)

I had great hopes for this remote. I was looking for a remote to replace my aging sony univeral remote. I checked out the Proto 7000 and the logitech 880/890 and decided to go with the rc9800i. When I opened it up it looked nice and was pretty easy to get up and running. I had a little problem updating the firmware but finally figured it out. Hooking it up my wi-fi was fairly easy and I was able to access the guide once I got the service established. It only took me about a day to figure out that there was problems. I had to reset the remote because it froze up. It became a daily task. Then I noticed that the channel and volume buttons weren't working real well. I would press and hold them and there was a big delay until the volume would go up or down. This is hard because then the volume would shoot way up after the system caught up to what you had pressed. I just ended up returning it after about a week. I think that there has to be a better remote for the money. I am really disappointed because I like the features it just didn't work the way it was suppose to.

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The RC9800I will not even control its own products, December 7, 2006

By 

Ted Hartman "Ted" (southern Arizona) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Philips RC9800i Home Entertainment Remote Control (Electronics)

I got the remote on Dec 7th and it ships back to where I bought it on December 11th.

It will not control their own DVD player (DVD 5140)
it will not turn off devices after they are used when you switch to something else.
I have had most of the remotes costing over 500.00 and am a pro installer and remote programmer.

I promise you, you will not like this remote. I have no clue how and why Philips thought they could bring this remote to market as they have.

What a waste.

Remember also that you have to use 2 hands to operate this remote, not like the 700, 900 960 from universal. may sound strange but 2 handed operation is cumbersome, but must be expected with a touch screen.

disclamer: use at your own risk. this is fair warning