The key to corralling those unruly components is a good universal remote. These can range from simple 4-device replacement remotes to thousand-dollar customized touch screen systems. The new R50 by the aptly-named Universal Remote Control company is designed to give average users a high-end control experience for a reasonable price. At $150 it’s about the same price as the low-end Harmony remotes and $100 cheaper than the Harmony One.
The first thing you notice about the R50 when you pick it up is it’s weight. At a little more than a half pound, it’s got the heft and solid feel that makes you confident your kids won’t destroy it. The face of the remote bears a colorful LCD screen that displays the names of your devices (TV, cable, DVD …) and 44 buttons for controlling all those devices. Up to six devices can be displayed at once on the screen (more available by pressing the Next Page button). The buttons are well-laid out and backlit for use in the dark. It’s designed to control up to 18 components, 1,500 buttons and 48 favorite channels.
Programming is the area where the R50 differs from the Harmony line. This remote comes preloaded with codes for thousands of devices, so there’s no PC or Internet connection required to set it up. On-screen instructions lead you step by step through the setup process.
In configuring the R50 for my system (consisting of an audio receiver, cable box, DVD player, TV and video game system) I found the on-screen system fairly intuitive for basic setup. To start, you identify which device you want to setup, then through the on-screen list to select the brand. You never need to manually enter a device code, but you might have to try several offered by the remote before you find the one that controls your component properly. If by chance you run into a device that isn’t in the R50’s database, the remote is also capable of learning from your original remotes. Within 15 minutes I had all my main components working off the R50 sans the game machine because it operates via Bluetooth. When configuring my Motorola DVR I had to look under the Cable Box menu rather than the DVR menu. To control the TV I pressed the TV button on the remote, then LCD screen would change to reflect the buttons unique to that device.
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