CHECK THIS OUT! Combination Universal IR and BT Controller for PS3

[Captainhawk1]

I started a thread the other day where I asked for advice on Frankensteining an aftermarket PS3 IR remote and dongle (in this case, the Nyko BluWave) and a decent Universal that would not only work with the Nyko dongle but also work on my Scientific Atlanta HD DVR, and my Onkyo HT 6200 Home theater setup as neither of the universals that came with those two units work on each other's unit.

My goal was to keep it under $100 total so I bought the BluWave from Gamestop and then last night proceeded to look on New Egg to see what they had as far as universal remotes was concerned because they had a shell shocker deal for a Harmony for $50 last week (refurb) and I wanted to see if they had something comparable.

And then I found this:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16880107005

This is something that I hoped would come out for a long time and I assume I'm not the only one, and for $46 you can't beat the price.

I haven't seen this discussed yet and it appears pretty new with only the two reviews at NewEgg so I thought I'd share. I'll update you with my experience with it as I should have it within a couple of days.

-Shawn

[Captainhawk1]

UPDATE:

So, I got this on Thursday and I wanted to give a review. First, right out of the package, the instructions were incredibly clear and easy to follow. My devices include a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 HD DVR, an Onkyo HTS-6200 Home Theater and a 65" Mitsubishi DLP 1080p HDTV (sorry, I don't have the manual in front of me to tell you what the exact model is) and of course the PS3.

The first step is to register the PS3 BT controller part of the remote. This works the exact same way as the Sony PS3 controller (hold "ENTER" and "START") and blue led indicates when it has established a connection with the PS3 during the initial setup and every time you fire it up so you know if it's working.

From what I can tell, the remote has all of the features the PS3 remote has with the exception of those step forward/reverse buttons. It has the Triangle, Square, Circle, and "X" buttons as well as the red, green, blue and yellow buttons. It even has two "PS" buttons: the power button and the "HOME" button.

On to the IR programming:

Programming the IR functions was a breeze. Press and hold the appropriate device key until they all flash, punch in the four-digit code, rinse and repeat as necessary.

The first stumbling block I came across was on my DVR. If you can believe it, there were no codes for any Scientific Atlanta models, so I got creative and checked out the codes for SA cable boxes and voila, the codes work for the DVR as well for most of the functions which leads me to the next part.

If you come across your code and it doesn't have all the functions you are looking for, simply point the original remote at the Universal's IR transmitter (which is also where the receiver is) and follow the simple instructions (like 3 steps) in the manual. This was especially helpful for the DVR because I was able to program all of the functions that weren't already programmed (The PIP buttons, The "A', "B," and "C" buttons, the page UP/DOWN buttons). Oddly enough, the remote associated the "ON DEMAND" function to the "LIST" key and that's when I discovered that if you use a pre-programmed code, there are certain pre-programmed keys it will not allow you to change. That was a bit of a nuisance, but I decided to use common sense and associate my DVR "LIST" function with the "HOME" key.

The ability of the remote to learn codes from other remotes was helpful for my receiver as well because, once again, the only function that worked for any of the Onkyo codes was the "POWER" function and once again, it only powers off. So the learning mode solved that problem and also allowed me to program one of my favorite functions on both my receiver and TV that is NEVER on Universal Remote: the "SLEEP TIMER" function.

The remote has a "punch through" feature for volume. For people who don't what this is, it simply means that no matter what device the remote is controlling, volume will be controlled by a single default device. This obviously makes sense as if you're using PS3 you obviously don't want to be jumping back and forth on the remote button mashing between the PS3 device button and the TV device button just to turn your TV down. The default setting on this function is for the TV and you can easily change it to another device by pressing and holding the device key you want to be associated with volume (in my case, obviously AUX for the receiver) until it flashes, press the "MUTE" key and your down. You also have the option of disabling the "punch through" feature.

Up to this point, the worst problem I had was with the DVR functions, but honestly I didn't try all of the SA codes for cable boxes and there might be one that's more appropriate for my unit. I might take a chance one day when I have time and go through all the codes (or look them up online as the manual claims that there are more codes at their website) but for right now, it's working fine for me as I have it set up so I'm not going to be too critical on that point (in other words, it could just be "user error.").

The real issue that's developed is that it's been wiggy with the PS3. I have had to remove the batteries and re-register it twice (don't bother trying to do it without pulling the batteries first) because it wouldn't communicate with the PS3. That seriously pissed me off. It seems to be working fine now and the only reason I haven't had a complete fit over it is because I vaguely remember having a similar issue with my original Sony PS3 controller the first week I had it when I bought it two years ago and then it magically worked itself out.

So, for the nuisance of PS3 controller issue, I give this remote 4 out of 5 stars . It really is a great little unit that's incredibly easy to use and program, its features are unbeatable and you can't beat the $46 pricetag. If the issue with PS3 gremlins works itself out and I don't have to keep yanking the batteries and re-registering it, I wouldn't hesitate to give it 5 stars.

I'm sure I've left information out. If you have any questions feel free to ask.

-Shawn

[silversnake]

I think you should post a small review of a few lines for general information. Just a suggestion as some people will just load the page and see the lentgth and move on; but good for you for reviewing a product for the community. I know I reviewed a product but not that many people were interested In it I guess, I hope you have more luck.

[garageinc2001]

Any new news on the remote? Is it still working properly?

[owa]

Thanks for the review.

[Captainhawk1]

Well, I have had the unit for five months now and I think it's safe to say that I've used it long enough to give a real opinion on it.

The issues I had with the remote syncing with the PS3 have been resolved for the most part. Every now and then (it's rare) it won't sync up but all you have to do to resolve the issue is hold the power button down on the remote and eventually it will shut the PS3 and sync. When this happens, it only happens with the initial use of the PS3, i.e., it only happens when you first try to use it and if you have been using it for a while watching a BD it won't just suddenly freak out on you and stop working. Also I did have a situtation two nights ago where the thing just wouldn't sync no matter what I did. I just took out the batteries and put them back in and it resolved the issue. I'm guessing that more than likely, it was dropped and the shock freaked it out.

The functionality of the unit is great, it's the ergonomics and the design that I take issue with. First the size of the remote is far too small for the amount of functions it controls. This thing should be the size of a standard DVR remote. The small size of the remote translates to small buttons that are far too close together and to make it worse, most of the buttons are exactly the same size and shape (circle) and you often wind up pressing the wrong button in the dark because trying to do it by feel is pointless. I've gotten better, but it's still the primary problem with the remote. It becomes especially annoying when you are trying to "rewind" a BD and you hit the stop button instead and then you have to start all over again.

The other problem is that the printing on the buttons is crap. Both DVR and TV are gone already. Thank God I kow where they are.

All things considered, though, I would definitely recommend this and give it the same rating as I did before. The cost is unbeatable and it works as advertised. it's also the only combnation PS3 (bluetooth)/IR remote that I've found and the key advantage over the Logitech harmony is that it doesn't require a separate dongle to be attached vis USB at of course, extra cost.