Sideshow

There are a couple of Media Center remotes that are in development but they seem to be perpetually delayed. Microsoft could remedy the situation by making the Zune Sideshow-enabled. Not only could the Zune play music on its hard drive but it also could be a remote for your audio server (i.e. a media center pc). The Zune has wifi built into it already so there is a way to communicate via a network.

Sideshow on a Zune would be another way to differentiate Microsoft’s handheld device with the iPod juggernaut.

Unlike an infrared remote, the Keyspan remote is RF-based and does not require line of sight to the RF receiver. This allows you to manage Media Center from more areas within the room or even from other areas of your house. I think this remote could have potential, especially if you have your media center in a server room out of sight. The remote has a range of 90 feet.

One other interesting note is that the RF remote is compatible with the IR blaster that might have been supplied as part of your Media Center PC hardware bundle, allowing your PC to control other AV equipment such as a TV, VCR, etc. by sending IR signals to these devices.

The Keyspan remote will retail for just under $50. Buy.com is currently selling the remote for $39.99. Not a bad price for a media center remote though it might lack the bells and whistles of higher end remotes.

Via Missing Remote.

Hopefully we will being to see more Vista Media Center remotes start to hit the market. In this light, Trust has announced the release of their Wireless Vista Remote Control, which appears only available outside the U.S. I assume that the remote will be eventually available in the U.S., though that is just a guess. The remote looks fairly basic, with no Sideshow LCD screen.

The Wireless Vista Remote Control RC-2400 has the following features:

• Wireless remote control with 49 media buttons to control your Windows Vista® Media Center PC
• Control movies, music, photo albums and other Vista Media Center functions from any comfortable location
• Microsoft® certified: full functionality and compatibility assured
• Including mini USB infrared receiver and extension cable for a wireless range of up to 7 meters
• Driverless technology: no need to install a driver, just plug & go

The overall design of the remote looks a little dated. It reminds me of an old cablebox remote.

On May 29 (today, for those of you living in a black hole), Microsoft has been granted the design patent for a Media Center remote design which has been previously showcased in the official Windows Vista Product Guide, but has not been confirmed as of yet.

Microsoft has not yet updated the generic Vista remote control for OEMs to distribute with new computers. No release date exists yet for this remote though hopefully something will be announced this summer.
Other vendors also have Vista media center remotes scheduled for release this summer. Ricavision has announced they will be shipping their Rica 100 Media Center Remote this August for a price of $299 (ouch!). According to the Ricavision website:

The RICA100 features more Microsoft-recommended buttons, mainly for better control of the Windows Media Center in Windows Vista. The new buttons include REC TV button for viewing recorded TV on the PC, LIVE TV button for viewing live TV on the PC, and a DVD MENU button. The PLAY and PAUSE buttons are now compatible with Media Center Extender requirements. Also, Teletext buttons are added to meet the European market requirements. These buttons can be used as software defined buttons for other markets.

Why does everything have to be so expensive? I guess the Sideshow integration is expensive to implement, especially with the Rica 100’s nice LCD screen. Hopefully Microsoft’s remote will not be marketed as a high end item.

From the Logitech website:

• Simple, one-touch activity control. Choose the �Watch a DVD� activity and the Harmony universal remote will power on your TV, DVD player, stereo receiver, set all the inputs, and even press “Play!”
• 4 customized media buttons: Two cable “A” and “B” buttons, plus “Sound” and “Picture” convenience buttons help you change picture aspect ratios and sound modes.
• Access the world’s largest A/V Control Database–updated daily! Logitech’s on-line database includes over 3,000 manufacturers and over 100,000 IR devices–everything from HDTV�s to PVR/DVR�s, from laserdiscs to VCRs–even lighting controls and more!
• Replace up to 15 remote control devices.
• Interactive LCD display and fully backlit keypad make it easy to navigate and manage your media in the dark.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Harmony 550 and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a universal remote. It integrated my cable box , TV, and DVD player into one remote using an easy, online database. The build quality is nice and the remote feels solid. It looks great too, especially with the backlit buttons.

I do have the following complaints about the remote though:

• The number pad is too small for my fingers. I have to use my fingernails to use the number pad to change channels.
• The main power button should turn on the TV and cable box. Right now I have to select Watch TV from the LCD.
• The fast forward for the DVR moves almost at warp speed, blowing by scenes. Hard to explain but almost twice as fast as the fastest setting on the cable box remote.

The first thing I thought of when I saw the remote from Ricavision was its potential as a stereo remote, like Sonos’ cool LCD remote. Could Vista be the answer for migrating digital music to the living room? From the Ricavision website:

The SideShow Remote Control allows direct access & total control of Windows SideShow functions of Windows Vista. The results, it allows you to do following things:

• Browse music library by album, artist, and genre.
• Select “My Playlists” or auto playlists.
• Select radio station by preset name.
• Preset radio stations.
• Play Now starts playing selected music.
• Add to Queue appends all tracks in the selection to the Now Playing list.

A Sideshow remote by itself still requires you to have a computer in the living room (it does eliminate the need for a monitor though). What really is needed is a Media Extender that is primarily for music. A Sideshow remote and a music oriented Media Extender would let you stream music from a computer in your home office to any place in your house or apartment. No one has yet announced a music oriented Extender but I think it is only a matter of time.