Hi All

I'm looking for your advice on which remote to get.

I have a relatively simple home theatre and audio center: plasma, DVD player, AV Receiver, tuner, CD jukebox. (Perhaps I will later use a HTPC to replace many of these devices, but let's leave that out of the equation for now).

I work for an AV integrator and we work with Crestron and AMX so I know the high-end pretty well. But I don’t have a need for such a complex system at home.

And I have three small kids, so I want to make it easy for them to use the system and maybe even have a different interface for each of them with their favorite channels. (And without having to call a Crestron programmer each time I need to update the list of channels and icons).

I had a Harmony 880 before and it basically did what I wanted. But I need to replace it because we moved and our new location for the equipment is closed so I need RF->IR control. And since it is time for a change, I was thinking about a tablet instead of the more traditional style remote.

Does such a thing exist? Some options I see:

1. Logitech Harmony 900 with RF. This would be the cheap simple and easy answer, but it won’t give me the tablet I want.

2. Logitech Harmony 1100. Closer to what I want, but I worry that I might need the macros which I understand are not supported. And the screen is still a bit smaller than what I hoped to have.

3. A PC running some control software and using a tablet to control it (remote control of the PC, effectively). I could stick a PC together with the equipment and put some IR emitters on it. But I have hunted around for the best software which could support this and I'm very unsure about what to use. Can somebody recommend such software that would be less than $200?

Any other ideas?

Thanks for your advice,
Ron

Less than $200 wont even come close to giving you what you want. One thing you may want to consider is purchasing your own equpment and implementing a system that is ipad controllable - again, the budget is not even close to $200 but would be your cheapest option. But at least the ipad would be more than a remote.

We use Bitwise Controls as a control option for people who want a sophisticated control system without having all the risk and cost of the hardware. However, it is not inexpensive and it is pretty amazing.

There are cheaper versions of ipad control out there with third party equipment, but I think they lack in features and forward mobility.

yes, now I realize that $200 is probably too low. However, I'm not really willing to spend more than $400. So it seems like a Harmony 1100 is in my future unless anybody has a better suggestion...

Hi Ron, whenever you go with a last resort it's a tough thing. I am surprised someone who works with AMX and Crestron would even pick up a Harmony remote, but I realize budget and family considerations can do that.

One thing you could consider is picking up an itouch or a first edition ipad with limited memory/specifications. You could use one of these companies that are available to the DIYer such as iRule or one of the other companies. Even though your investment would be at budget, at least you could use the ipad for other things and have a tablet that can control your situation with a third party device/software.

Vincent