Dear Remote Central members,


First we would like to thank Daniel for creating a dedicated forum for the RC9800i. We feel this is an exciting new product that takes a new look at controlling your Audio and Video devices and combining the new area of multi-media control.

The RC9800i will be available in the US mid May and will be launched later this year at the IFA show in Berlin for Europe.

To get a general understanding of the RC9800i and its capabilities please visit
www.homecontrol.philips.com

As several questions have come up already in the forum regarding the capabilities of the RC9800i, we will try to give a brief explanation here.

When we set out to create the Philips RC9800i we had two goals in mind. First create a remote that a general user is able to set up without having to use a PC and secondly incorporate control of multimedia content that resides on a PC in a home network. This means the RC9800i is not a Pronto. The Pronto range can be customized and is more targeted at the custom installation and the PC savvy consumer that has the knowledge to create their own interface, macros and overall system logic. The RC9800i creates its own interface that is not customizable.

To make it simple to set up, the RC9800i incorporates a wizard in the device that helps configure what A/V devices you want to control. After that the remote goes one step further and by asking questions becomes intelligent about the devices in the system. It figures out how devices are interconnected, delay times for the different products, the most efficient way to tune channels, etc. The RC9800i then uses this information and generates an activity based user interface, which includes macros to automatically correctly switch all devices for that specific activity. It also keeps track of the status of equipment. Again all this on the device without the need for a PC and in front of the equipment you are trying to control.

As mentioned the second part of the RC9800i is the control of multimedia content on the PC. WiFi capability is incorporated in the remote so it can attach to a wireless network in the home. By doing so the RC9800i is able to do three things. First you are able to browse multimedia content residing on a PC in the network. The PC will need to be running a UPnP server which we provide with the RC9800i both for PC and Mac. You can even view your digital pictures and listen to your MP3 files on the remote. Secondly if you have an UPnP compliant media adapter connected to your TV or Audio system you can browse your PC content on the remote and then send it to the adapter via WiFi and UPnP. Thirdly the WiFi connection is used to pull in program guide data from the internet. This data can be displayed on the remote so you do not need to bring up guide information on the large TV screen.

As an added bonus you can stream MP3 directly to your audio system. When you are listening to MP3 files on the remote and you dock the unit in the charger station the audio signal can be routed through the line out to a stereo system.

Hardware
–3.5” QVGA touch screen
–802.11b WiFi
- Speaker
–USB
–Dedicated hard buttons for Channel up/down, Volume up/down, Mute
–5- way cursor
–CPU with 32 MB Flash
–Li-polymer battery
–High end finish and design
–Charging cradle included

Features
–Unified and intuitive interface
–Control of legacy and networked devices (IR and UPnP)
–Control of PC multimedia content
–Setup wizard
–Electronic Program Guide
–Software upgrade service
–Picture / Audio previewing

Specifics:
IR: over 1100 ir codes in the database, Learning frequency 20kHz to 70 kHz and 455kHz

We hope this has answered some of your questions and explained some of the capabilities of the RC9800i. As mentioned if you have more questions please take a look at the RC9800i website at www.homecontrol.philips.com.

Regards
The Philips RC9800i Team