Tom's Hardware > All Reviews > Special > Miscellaneous > Comfort Is Everything: Remote Controls for Windows XP

Comfort Is Everything: Remote Controls for Windows XP

06:20 - Monday 20 March 2006 by Siggy Moersch

1. Not Just For Couch Potatoes: Hi-Fi Feeling For Your PC
2. Soundgraph IMon Knob: External USB Receiver
3. Pros And Cons
4. Soundgraph IMON VFD: Nice Multifunction Display
5. Soundgraph IMON VFD, Cont'd.
6. Pros And Cons
7. Soundgraph: Far-reaching Radio Waves
8. Soundgraph IMON 2.4G DR: Internal PCI Card With Radio Receiver
9. Pros And Cons
10. Soundgraph IMON 2.4G LT: External USB Dongle
11. Pros And Cons
12. The IMON User Interface
13. The IMON User Interface, Cont'd.
14. Die IMON User Interface, Continued
15. Thermaltake Media Lab: Remote Plus Robust VFD Display
16. Thermaltake Media Lab: A Soundgraph IMON Clone
17. Pros And Cons

18. The IMON Software
19. The IMON Software, Continued
20. IMON Configuration Software
21. IMON Configuration Software, Continued
22. IMON Configurations Software, Continued
23. VL System: Three Versions, Two Internal And One External
24. VL System M·Play 202: Full Functionality Only For MCE 2005
25. VL System M·Play 202, Cont'd.
26. Pros And Cons
27. VL System M·Play Blast
28. Pros And Cons
29. VL System M·Play Mini
30. Pros And Cons
31. The Media Home Center Software For The M·Play Series
32. Media Home Center Software, Cont'd.
33. Media Home Center Software, Continued
34. Summary And Conclusions
35. HTPC Cases With Remote Control

Every DVD player has one; every television too. You can even find car radios that include them! What we're talking about here is infrared or radio frequency (RF) remote controls, of which you can find multiples in every household nowadays. Nobody wants to do without the comfort or capability of remote controls; are you ready to get up and walk to the TV set to change channels? No way - unless your dog just ate the remote!

These days, a PC can also benefit from a remote control, letting you can extend your couch potato ways to its operation as well. This typically involves either using special function buttons on a remote, or using the remote for simple navigation through a user interface. That way, the remote can replace both mouse and keyboard, at least for many typical activities.

Only with Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE) 2005, which offers a special multimedia interface, do remote input devices truly perform at their peak capabilities. Even so, remotes are also quite usable even with older versions of Windows, as well as with other multimedia interfaces such as PowerCinema from Cyberlink - right from the comfort of your living room sofa.

Soundgraph: Infrared Remote Controls

Pioneering technology from Soundgraph: Here's what started the remote revolution last year.

Korean manufacturer Soundgraph was one of the first companies to react to this emerging market, introducing two interesting products to the marketplace some time ago. The iMON Knob is an external USB solution that consists of a receiver module and a large remote control. The iMON VFD includes a front panel display for insertion into a 5.25" drive bay, along with the same remote; the infrared receiver is located right next to the unit's two-line vacuum fluorescent display (VFD) on the front panel. A USB connection to an internal header pin block or an external USB port links this device to your PC. Both products run the same user interface, which is also featured in numerous OEM offerings, including Home Theatre PC (HTPC) cases from companies such as Silverstone and 3R Systems.