The
X Sight comes in two different versions. We tested the touch remote. It includes an X Sight Touch remote, Lithium Ion Battery, Charging Cradle with extension, Installation Disk, Power Adapter, USB Cable, and Start Up manual. I didn't spend too much time with the manual, I'm too impatient to do that. Normally skipping the manual could be bad but not with this remote! In fact I think it's encouraged. I have had a few universal remotes before, and to be honest I wasn't too excited about searching through the thousands of codes to try and talk this remote into controlling my devices. GOOD NEWS, NO CODES TO SEARCH THROUGH!!! Just slip in the provided disk in a pc, (I used a laptop and highly recommend this as it will save you some back and forth from the pc and devices), and the X Sight EZ-RC software guides you through it all. Just enter the model number of the device OR remote and the software finds the info for you. Just like that you are ready to control your device.
Another great thing is EZ-RC is web based. So if you need to access your settings on a different computer it will be saved for you online.
As you can see the software is very simple to use. Just click on what you want to do and follow the onscreen prompts. It does install in the system tray so it will be running all the time so when you plug in the remote with usb EZ-RC will automatically start. I like to keep my system tray as clean as possible and with as little as I will be needing to change the remote I just simply removed it from my start up folder. After setting up your devices to be controlled by the remote now you can go in and get things the way you want. Or just stop and use the remote. If you want to use all the features like I do, just use the simple software to customize start up and shutdown sequences. I did a Movie, TV, and Good night sequence. Now with just a couple of button pushes my home theater is turned on and ready for a movie or TV. One button and it's all off. Yah no more receiver left on by the wife and kids. In all I probably spent 45 minutes setting up the remote. With tweaking the delay times and everything. I even used the Learn function to get a few of my special buttons on my receiver to work.
X Sight is built very well except for a few of the top buttons under the LCD. It seems these are a little flimsy but only time will tell. The rest of the buttons are very sturdy and smooth to operate. I have had one other touch remote before. We ended up ditching it because the touch pad was too difficult to operate. This one seems a little better but occasionally I have to press the touch area just right to get it to function properly. I would choose the non touch if I had the choice, the touch is the only one that has the RF available. Over all the
X Sight is a sturdy remote. My one year old managed to throw it on the hardwood floor just after I had opened it. It still works fine though! The surface is just as most remotes a shiny black and tends to show finger prints. Not really a deal breaker though.
All in all I would definitely recommend this remote! The
X Sight is very easy to use with almost no setup, if you don't want to get fancy. If you like to dig into electronics and get the most of them like me you wont be disappointed with the options and flexibility of this universal remote.
X Sight picked two out of three of my devices with no trial and error. Just enter model and go. My VCR is a bit old and I had to try three codes before it worked correctly. No need to enter codes though the remote already has a list in it to try.
Some of the features I like are:
- Motion light up, when you pick up the remote it automatically lights up ready to use. You can disable if you like though.
- Easy set up, this is by far the easiest remote I have used.
- Learn your old remotes specific buttons, sometimes this is the best way to get exact control.
- Light and size, this remote is just a normal remote size.
- Full button labels, you can name the on screen buttons whatever you want and its easy to type in from the pc.
- Feel, the X-sight feels like a quality product.
- PC connectability, at the same time not required.
- Ability to program the remote for individual family members preferences.
A few misses in my opinion:
Touch buttons, this is just something that doesn't seem to work 100% of the time on the first try.
Some functions take a few pages to get to, the original remote would be quicker. With a little more time spent this could be minimized though.
Not a whole lot to say about this little guy. What you see is what you get, a RF Receiver, Power Supply, and six IR repeaters. This RF extender is easy to use all you do is plug the small receiver in and plug each IR repeater in the back that you need. One IR per device. Each repeater has an adhesive back to place anywhere you need to get the line of sight to your devices sensor. I just stuck them on the device to the side of the sensor. If you had a larger cabinet you could stick then in front of or on the side or your device.
I love how small the receiver is, you can hide it just about anywhere. The best thing about this is now I can put my components anywhere I like. Mine are in a cabinet I built into the wall so I had limited remote service area due to the angle. With this I can control my devices from anywhere in the room, in fact I can control them from other rooms too. There is plenty of IR repeaters for expansion too. A very simple device but it works like a charm. With 100' range the
IR Extender will work in any situation. If you wanted you could put your AV gear on a different floor of your house.
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Giveaway ends on May 28, 2010. Giveaway is open for the US only. Winner will have 48 hours to respond to notification with shipping info – if no response, another winner will be chosen. No purchase necessary – void where prohibited by law. Review product was provided to me at no cost. I received no monetary gain. All opinions expressed are based on my own use and experience with the item.
