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STREAMZAP PC Infrared REMOTE ACCSCONTROL UP TO 40FT
From the Manufacturer
A Remote Control for your PC! Finally, PC users can sit back on the couch and control their PC music and video from a distance. The Streamzap PC Remote makes it easy to control your PC using a simple hand-held remotejust like you control your stereo or TV. A great addition for anyone who uses their PC for music or DVD playback, or even for Powerpoint presentations! Check out Linux drivers for Streamzap here!
Features
Skip songs, change volume, mute, pause, even load your favorite albums and playlists at the touch of a button; Controls Winamp, Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, PowerPoint, Napster, MusicMatch, Rhapsody & iTunes & over 120 other programs
PowerPoint -- Roam the room and interact with your audience
Internet Radio -- Enjoy streaming Internet radio stations even more relaxing on your couch - adjust the volume, hit mute to answer the phone, or switch stations with the click of a button
DVD & TV Pause, Fast Forward, Rewind your PC DVD Player; Change channels, control Volume, even record TV shows via your PC's TV Tuner Card
Windows 98, 98SE, 2000 or XP, 2 AAA batteries (not included), available USB 1.1 or 2.0 port, Pentium 90 class processor or faster
Compatible with Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Customers like the remote control for its simplicity and ease of use. They say it's a great remote for media centers running under Linux. They also appreciate the value for money and the ease of configuration. However, some customers have reported issues with responsiveness and lag when using the remote. Opinions are mixed on performance, keys, compatibility, and battery cover.
Customers like the remote. They say it's a great remote for MythTV, well supported in Linux, and a good buy. Customers also say it is one of the best remotes for media centers running under Linux. They also say that it'll be nice to have the same remote for every TV in the house. They mention that the configuration for the remote is included with recent packages.
"...I think this PC Remote was a good buy and don't expect to have any more problems." Read more
"...and you can even use the remote as a rudimentary mouse...." Read more
"...I now frequently get the message "Streamzap Remote Software has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry fo the inconvenience."..." Read more
"...the remote is a good buy, considering the price...." Read more
15 customers mention "Ease of configuration"11 positive4 negative
Customers like the ease of configuration. They say it works out of the box without hassle, installation is easy, and straightforward. They mention that it can be easily configured using LIRC to control a Linux-based PVR/DVR, and that it's simple and relatively cheap. They also say that it is flexible and easy to replicate if you have more than one HTPC.
"...You get the remote and a USB infrared receiver. Installation is a snap, and the range is great...." Read more
"...Setup and software installation is easy and straight forward with this device - plug it in, put the disk in and that's just about all there is to..." Read more
"...The first and most serious issue is that the software is designed to be compatable with specific versions of applications...." Read more
"...It's simple and relatively cheap. Hoewver, it doesn't function as a "universal remote". It also has a weak battery cover that doesn't being dropped...." Read more
8 customers mention "Value"8 positive0 negative
Customers find the computer input device to be good value for the money. They also mention that the packaging was fine and it's relatively cheap.
"...Selected this because I thought it would be a good product for the money. Packaging was fine...." Read more
"...but yeah, its worth the money if you really need a remote for your comp, or laptop...." Read more
"...It's simple and relatively cheap. Hoewver, it doesn't function as a "universal remote". It also has a weak battery cover that doesn't being dropped...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the performance of the computer input device. Some mention it works well for their mythtv setup, while others say it only works for a second and the drivers don't work. Some functions in Media center also don' t work, and the mouse is not responsive.
"...But after doing this, it worked great! I can now launch Internet radio streams on Shoutcast using RF on the Harmony while in a different room...." Read more
"...Streamzap does have a few pluses:(+) It is quite usable for a few commonly-used apps such as Windows Media Player and Winamp...." Read more
"...For Quintessential Player it works great; there are even some nice touches like being able to turn shuffle on or off with the remote, so I can..." Read more
"...However, it would not work using the drivers that came on the installation CD. The IR receiver would not work and was not recognized by the PC...." Read more
Customers are mixed about the compatibility of the computer input device. Some mention it's great for MythTV and well supported in Linux, while others say that it doesn't work with 64 bit Windows OS, is not immediately compatible with Win7, and has no support for any programs made in the last 3 years.
"...Streamzap has little or no support for the newer apps...." Read more
"This is very good for the HTPC- and it can function in Linux, which is why I purchased Streamzap and not something else...." Read more
"...The IR receiver would not work and was not recognized by the PC...." Read more
"...Packaging was fine. Installed it, but it wouldn't auto-detect or it would, but then would only work for a second, then act like it was disconnected..." Read more
Customers are mixed about the battery cover. Some mention it's very well supported under Linux's LIRC program, and reliable. The remote itself is durable and can withstand years of repeated abuse. However, others say it has a weak battery cover that doesn't hold up to being dropped and the clip on the battery covers ended up breaking. This is a sign of poor shielding and a bit flimsy to begin with.
"This remote had great potential since it had native support for almost all of the media programs, and there were plugins for it from Girder and..." Read more
"...As long as you're running a modern kernel, this device is fully supported...." Read more
"...It also has a weak battery cover that doesn't being dropped. Although the remote itself is durable. It can withstand years of repeated abuse...." Read more
"...They are very well supported under Linux's LIRC program, and work flawlessly...." Read more
8 customers mention "Keys"4 positive4 negative
Customers are mixed about the keys. Some mention it's best for their mythtv setup, programmable, and easy to reprogram using the mapping tables. They also say the macro buttons make life much easier. However, others say it offers only a small subset of commands to perform basic control.
"...All the standard keys work as advertised and it is easy to reprogram keys using the mapping tables in MythTV...." Read more
"...no menu , no ff or rew and then the pause/play developed a mind of its own and alternated about every 10secs pause then play on its own...." Read more
"...The software is easy to configure and the macro buttons make life much easier. This remote is an excellent addition to any media setup." Read more
"...The third issue is with a lack of programmable keys. The four pretty color keys at the bottom can only start executables, batch files, etc...." Read more
Customers are dissatisfied with the responsiveness of the computer input device. They mention that it is a little slow in responding, impossible to use fast forward or fast rewind, and has lag when using with Zoomplayer. They also say that the delay after they press to scroll down using the arrows is almost unbearable. They say that it takes a long time and expert level knowledge to create new commands.
"...Every time Streamzap crashes, I have an issue with a lack of responsiveness from my keyboard..." Read more
"...I have and, again, I think has to do with driver is the way the whole thing lags...." Read more
"...the computer becomes unstable and untimately just shuts off and is not responsive plus it will not reboot, gets stuck right after the first load..." Read more
"...(There is a one- or two-second lag, as others have said, but I don't find it a big problem.)..." Read more
Finally I have found a receiver that works with both Windows 7 64-bit and my Logitech Harmony 890 remote. On my prior PC, I was using an old Packard Bell Fast Media remote and serial receiver to launch application on my PC. This setup failed to work when I upgraded to Windows 7. Next I tried a Windows Media Center remote receiver, which did work to control my PC, but for some reason did not work when commands were sent through RF and out via an IR blaster on the Harmony remote. I could not figure this out and no one in Logitech's support was able to help me, so I opted for this Streamzap remote based on a prior reviewer stating that it works with Windows 7 64-bit. At first I had assumed he meant "out of the box" but really you have to download special beta drivers from their website and follow very specific instructions. But after doing this, it worked great! I can now launch Internet radio streams on Shoutcast using RF on the Harmony while in a different room. The software I am using to do this is LM Remote KeyMap and it works great with Streamzap. I highly recommend if you have a complicated setup like mine because it just works.
I've used this the Streamzap PC Remote Control for 5 years. It doesn't have support for a lot of the apps I want to use it for and it's a little quirky at times.
Although the product description doesn't mention support for Vista, the latest Streamzap version 3.0.0 does actually support Vista.
The minimum requirement is specified as "Windows 98, 98SE, 2000 or XP, 2 AAA batteries (not included), available USB 1.1 or 2.0 port, Pentium 90 class processor or faster"). Pentium 90? C'mon! As you might surmise, this is pretty outdated technology. The last update before version 3.0.0 was version 2.9.6 - back in 28 Mar 2005! Streamzap doesn't provide updates for their software very often.
I have XP, but I recently made the mistake of upgrading the software to version 3.0.0. I now frequently get the message "Streamzap Remote Software has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry fo the inconvenience." Trouble is, once the app is exited, it cannot be restarted until you reboot your computer. Every time Streamzap crashes, I have an issue with a lack of responsiveness from my keyboard (there's a ~2-second lag from the time I press a key on my keyboard to when the key actually registers). Grrr...
If you have XP or an earlier OS, I recommend that you download version 2.9.6 from the Streamzap site instead. It doesn't crash as often. However, version 2.9.6 has a few problems:
(-) It's supposed to be able to cycle through all the windows so that you can remote control the active window but it doesn't cycle through *all* of them. As Murphy's law would have it, it's usually the Window I need to remote control.
(-) Sometimes, the exit button not only closes the active window, it closes one or two other windows as well.
(-) Occasionally, there's a lag between the time you hit a key to the time the key registers.
(-) Streamzap has little or no support for the newer apps. You would have to wait for them to update their software on the next release (good luch with that). (Alternatively, there's a software called Girder made by Promixis - it takes over control of the remote control functionality from Streamzap *completely* but it requires a little "programming." That's an entire different animal I won't get into here).
Streamzap does have a few pluses:
(+) It is quite usable for a few commonly-used apps such as Windows Media Player and Winamp.
(+) Streamzap controls the master volume, so the mute and volume control will work across all apps.
(+) The up, down, left, right control is universal as well.
--- I would recommend Streamzap only if need minimal remote controlling capabilities or if you're strapped for cash and need to settle for something more affordable.
I just installed the PC Remote from Streamzap and it works fine. However, it would not work using the drivers that came on the installation CD. The IR receiver would not work and was not recognized by the PC. The PCRemote.exe file that came on the CD that installs the drivers was version 2.7.0.0 and would not work on my Dell D610 Laptop running Microsoft Windows XP Professional SP2. I went to the Streamzap website and downloaded the latest driver which was 2.9.6.0. After installing that driver, the PC was able to recognize the IR receiver and everything else worked fine. I think this PC Remote was a good buy and don't expect to have any more problems.
MULTIPLE CLICKS: Anytime I click something with the arrows in the remote it kept repeating several times. I tried to disable mouse mode, screensaver and tested all possible combinations of the Repeat/Delay modes.
LAG: Another problem that I have and, again, I think has to do with driver is the way the whole thing lags. The delay after I press to scroll down using the arrows is almost unbearable. Sometimes you press play and the movie will play....delay 2 seconds... pause... delay 2 seconds... play. Great.
WORK AROUND: After reinstalling the software and disabling all (not one or two) of the advanced settings I managed to stop the multiple click but now I lost most of the advertised features. Basically the only thing that works is to browse around folders in a laggy fashion way. Worth $30 for browsing folders? Doubt it, just get a Logitech wireless mouse (touchpad) instead.
SUPPORT: I opened a support ticket (#QLV-25524-814) with Streamzap and they werent helpful at all: "Try adjusting the repeat and delay rates in Streamzap settings." and then they sent me a link for a beta driver that doesn`t even install on my Windows 7 64-bit. After that no more word from them, even after I expressed my discontent.
If you have Windows 7 64-bit (and you should) stay away from this remote. Otherwise I have no idea if it works good or not, but after my recent experience with their support I wouldn`t risk it.
