How come no one talks about the BEST REMOTES??


hi all -
I need a great remote for my home theater. Considering Crestron Smartouch (STS) system, and can get one used for $1200, but after about $1000 for programming and another $3-400 for current and video sensors and another $100 for IR probes, I'm in at almost $3000. I know Crestron is the best, but is it worth all that $$??? Can anyone knowledgeable with remotes offer any words of advice?? Thanks everyone!

Baz
bazmataz

Soix 

 

you and I must have gone to the same school.  You didn't beat me up at recess, I hope

The best remotes are capable of activating a thread even after twenty years.

Ha!  I’ve found Universal remotes to be bulletproof and just work (my 30 year-old model still functions flawlessly), and I just like having the ability to “drive by feel” with hard buttons. But maybe I’m just old school and 20 years behind the times.

Logi Harmony was discontinued?  I have 2 units, both over 8 years old ang going strong.  Maybe they made them to well.

Pronto, lol. That brought up some good memories! Funny thing is, as soon as I saw post recommending visiting remotecenteal.com, I knew it was an old thread. 
 

These days there are no good consumer remote systems available. Logi Harmony was the last one and it was discontinued this year (that's 2021, if you are reading this thread in the year 2041) I think it leaves Control 4 as the only viable choice, but it's distributed by professional installers only. 

The best remotes are capable of activating a thread even after twenty years.
Bmpnyc, It's concievable but honestly, I have only had this piece a short time. I wouldn't want to say yes 100% to your question without becoming a little more familiar with this remote. I'll get back to you!
Check out http://www.remotecentral.com/
"The Philips ProntoPro TSU6000 is aiming to be the most sophisticated remote for under $1000. With a bright high-resolution 256-color screen, pickup sensor, optional RF station, more hard buttons and an updated version of the ProntoEdit software package, this remote is the answer to many Technicolor dreams!"
Glen, can you program things like the editing functions of a minidisc recorder, access to all parameters of a pre-pro or the slow mo and jog wheel of a DVD player into the RC5000i?
I have a marantz RC5000i, cost $500.00 new. It runs my entire home theatre system. I'm talking every function on my components and TV. It is a lot like the pronto. I have been very happy with this piece. It is very easy to program and works great in the dark thanks to a back lit LCD touch screen. You can find them used from time to time for half price. Good luck!!!
The Pronto is a very good remote, I've had one for almost two years and it works well for me, but you're right Bazmataz, you cannot hook it up to 'current sense'. If all of your components have discreet power codes, (or any way to get to a 'known state') this isn't necessary.

If you can't, and it sounds like you can't, the Creston is a great system, there are other Phast systems that can be worked to do this as well....you've got your work cut out for you, none of them are cheap, but their are cheaper remotes, though not as pretty as the Creston.. The creston is the coolest looking remote I've ever seen!

I don't like that you have to have someone else program it though, one perk of the Pronto.
thx all - yes, good remotes do cost that much. i saw one going for $13000! crestron has great home automation stuff like it can control lighting and all that. the benefit of better remotes is that it can do discrete operations with the push of a button. a problem with pronto and such is that they dont current sense, meaning sometimes they will just toggle TV or sources on/off getting things out of sync which can be a pain in the butt. i like crestron, but am wondering if the extra $$ are worthy of what I'm getting in return... remotecentral doesn't really discuss these high end things in detail i think, imho... baz
Bazmataz:

OUCH!!!!!! $3,000.00???? For a remote?!?!?!?!?!?!!! That's an awful lot of money for a remote control system, isn't it?? But $3,000.00 for a remote control system?? That's about how much my entire home theater system costs. If you don't mind me asking, what kind of system do you have that justifies you to spend $3K on a remote control system??? If I had a home theater system that costs in excess of about $40K to $50K (or even more), then I can justify an expenditure like that. But for anything less than that, $3K for a remote control system seems like overkill to me. Why don't you look at either a Sony RM-AV210 ($180.00), an "All For One" URC-9900 ($350.00), or a Philips Pronto ($400.00) intstead?? You may find that they'll do most of what you want for substantially less. I am looking into a Philips Pronto myself. But I am going to try to find one in which I don't have to pay $400.00 for it if I can help it. If I can find one for around $200.00 or $250 or so, I'll be pretty happy or satisfied.

Good Luck.....

--Charles--
Hi Angela,Baz, I too wish there was a bit more activity here regarding home theater remotes. Remote Central is a great resource, but can be quite daunting when you want the short story. I am considering various remotes, but will wait a while due to slowdown in business here.
So far many people lean toward the Pronto.
Wow, I didn't know remotes could get so expensive. I got into home theater over three years ago, but have spent the last two years completely enamored with 2 channel.

However, even with my new found love of music reproduction over movies and the theater-like playback, I must say I still covet the RC2000MKII remote that came with my Marantz AV500. I've been out of HT for a few years and haven't kept up on the latest pre/pros and remotes, but for $250 [free with the AV550] the RC2000MKII is pretty damn good. I love the smart functions and the macros, but boy is this thing a battery hog.

For $3000 what will the Smartouch do? I own pieces from Simaudio, Electrocompaniet and ProAc and none of them cost that much.
Baz,
http://remotecentral.com/ces2001/

-here are a couple of threads where remotes were discussed. And personally, 3K for a remote?!?!?! Unless your system is worth 10X that, it seems a bit overkill - of course, I am a woman and we just don't get that remote thang like guys do ;~)
Anyway, hope these threads help a little.

http://audiogo5.iserver.net/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ymisc&968181947&read&keyw&zzremotes

http://audiogo5.iserver.net/cgi-bin/fr.pl?ymisc&1000172770&read&keyw&zzremotes