Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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66 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Philips SRU-9600, SRU9600, SRU 9600, July 20, 2006
Philips SRU-9600, SRU9600, SRU 9600 Review
Ok I received my Philips SRU-9600, SRU9600, SRU 9600 from Sharper Image today and here is my impression:
Size: Large one handed remote, slightly heavy but not bad, not completely a one handed remote in that you have to reach around carefully to hit the right screen key. Requires accuracy and does have some sounds from an internal speaker.
Appearance:Top quality
Ease of use: well if you dont mind screen based keys you can't feel then its easy, the bottom non-screen (Hard) keys are NOT illuminated at all but they are usable by feel and they are pleasant to the touch and reasonably fast. They are as fast(command responsiveness) as the stock remote on my sony SXRD tv.
Ease of setup:I think it was easier than Harmony by logitech also harmony was slow and takes sometimes two pushes to get a command to work. The Philips setup process is not perfect in that it doesnt have a way to display all the commands on the remote screen so you have to kind of dream up where you want certain screen buttons to be. Example: my Sony HDD DHG 250 HD DVR (PVR) has a list button on it's remote and there is no list or advance options on the Philips SRU 9600 so you have to assign areas for those controls and use the learn function by pointing the old remote to the new philips remote. The philips remote does have macros(multiple step processes) to operate multiple components in a step by step process. I havent programmed macros yet but will soon. Also the 9600 treats a PVR like a tivo in that it puts a thumbs up and thumbs down on the illuminated screen even though there is no such feature on non tivo products. Also the row of colored bars at the top of the screen as in the literature and illustrations are barely visible when lit.
Would I buy it again? I think I like a mostly hard button fully illuminated remote with a screen better but the logitech was a disappointment in that the buttons were unpleasant to the touch, they felt cheap and didn't offer positive feedback such as the remote you get with the Sony SXRD (Non illuminated). So I cannot find the perfect remote. TIVO has the best remote ever but non illuminated plus I no longer use my tivo because it is non HD and I use cable card with my Sony HD PVR.
Other notes: The remote appears to be an alternative to their other squattier more squarish and expensive screen based remotes. It also appears to be less novelty and more practical but not entirely practical in that it isnt fully lit from the waist down. The scroll wheel isnt as flawless as an ipod but does offer tactile feedback (not haptic like the BMW I Drive...hint to philips). The price seems in line with what I got but for 150 dollars I could have gotten a similarly shaped logitech 550 with a fully illuminated slew of hard buttons and a small screen. I may still go buy that logitech and compare. In the mean time this is not a remote you can fully operate without looking at it... only channel and volume can be adjusted by feel alone. I think what I am looking for is a one handed remote lit up like a christmas tree with different shaped clearly labeled buttons that are pleasant to the touch with positive feedback. One that can operate more than just volume and channel blindly that is also simple to setup. The Philips is simple and it is a piece of art indeed so I may keep it. I think the only competitor to it is that logitech 550 shaped just like it with less screen and more hard keys. Of all the remotes out there this Philips SRU 9600 is the most difficult to find out anything about and sharper image is the only company selling it and they do so without referring to the model number anywhere on their web site. In summary I think this remote scores slightly higher on style and novelty than substance but scores well enough to try if you are a screen (versus button) remote kind of a user.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
An oversimplified sense & sensibility technology, could have been better !, December 12, 2006
I was looking for a remote to replace my original Yamaha universal remote (RAV230) that i configured and loved to use for 3 years, its buttons started seeping silicon oil and went whack.
(+) Have been using Phillips for 3 months now, sure it replaced all my individual remotes for amplifier, dvd player, Tv, xbox & cable modem. It has a solid industrial design.
(-) What i missed most was that in my old remote i had configured all the important functions of Tv, Cable & Amplifier in one layout. Meaning i don't have to swap modes to change amplifier volume, change tv brightness and change cable channels.
Phillips does allow to configure volume for the hard buttons, but some how i constantly seem to switch modes to do something. You cannot add new buttons to the LCD layout (though there is empty space).
The layout is pre-selected based on the device mode selected, like Tv has PIP button and Receiver has surround button. I cannot 'add' PIP button to receiver layout, though that part is empty. Why not ?
(!) By the way the big white ring is used to swap modes (like swapping different physical remotes). Don't think of it as a mode to change channels, or go frame-by-frame of your favorite dvd. Its not configurable.
This scroll wheel should have been more stronger to turn. Many-a-times i accidentally switch modes trying to do something, I think im pressing play button in my dvd, while its actually changing to channel 5 in my TV. This is really annoying !
(!) Whats obviously missing is firmware update or PC connect. You can always manually configure, but only if you have a working original remote !
This is a refreshing change, all you get is the remote and nothing more, and you start right away. The supplied 'simplified' manual is a laugh, but you don't really need it with the 'simple' remote. Cool.
(-) Whats missing is also is a way to change name for new activities...whats Activity 1 ??. Though i should mention there are already pre defined activity names, like Listen to radio, Watch Cbl TV etc.
(+) Its a bit heavier (compared to latest harmonies) and quiet longer, I always have to use two hands while reaching for the red, blue, green buttons on top. The buttons in the main LCD are actually much bigger, compared to a normal press button. Good.
(+) There are two LCD's. 1 small LCD on top which always lights up in bright white whenever a button is pressed. And the big LCD that changes layouts based on selected mode. Big LCD does not light up (is off) if you use hard buttons. Nice.
(-) Back light brightness control is missing. Back light timeout is present.
(-) There has to be a way to enter remote code instead of testing hundreds of configurations from a manufacturer. This is not simplified at all. To find my pioneer remote, i went through like 400 remote codes, in the end i manually configured it. Though the remote has the 400 odd codes it does not say what is what. Instead you have to keep a button pressed and the remote cycles through all the codes to find the likely one.
(+) Finally, it looks great, Any where you put it.
Verdict: 5 out of 10.
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Happy, December 8, 2006
I definitely had my doubts about any universal remote being able to handle all the functions of my 4 remotes. This one seemd like a good deal and I liked that it had both an internal database and a learning functionality.
I didn't really care it the setup was difficult or easy, I just wanted it to work for everything I needed and not have to keep any remotes around for features the universal remote couldn't handle. Luckily though, as advertised, the setup is extremely easy, you really don't need any directions. Just point the thing at the device you are trying to program and it figures it out, then whatever fine tuning you want to do, use the learning feature.
The Activity feature (like a macro) makes things even that much easier. I used to have to use one remote to turn the TV on, then another for the cable box, then yet another for the AV receiver. Now with the activity setup, which was super easy as well, it is just 1 button. Love it!!
Got my universal remote yesterday and now my old remote are all put away and out of sight.
Just felt a quality product deservered a good review
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