The following page was printed from RemoteCentral.com:
User reviews for the Xsight Touch ARRX18G from Acoustic Research.
Ratings
Reviews
MSRP (USD)
Average: 3.69/5.00 Median: 3.83/5.00
14
$249.99
The Xsight Touch is an 18-device, wizard-based computer programmable remote control featuring a color touchscreen display, large number of hard buttons, rechargeable lithium ion battery and optional RF extender.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 6-12 months.
Review 14 made on September 4, 2017.
Also owned:
Various
Strengths:
Looks great Works great
Weaknesses:
Programming IE only compatibility
Review:
Our gym uses this remote as we have 10 tv's throughout the studio. The hardest part is keeping clients from trying to take it. Although it can be difficult to setup, once it's configured it works like a champ! If it can handle all of the wear and tear at the gym than it must be pretty good. I'd definitely recommend.
The reviewer has used this remote control for more than two years.
Review 13 made on March 20, 2016.
Weaknesses:
I could not connect to EZ-RC website with Windows 10. Here was the fix: with usb for xsight plugged in run Regedit on windows start bar HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Enum\USB\VID_06E7&PID_8005\XSIGHT.
look for enhancedpowermanagementenabled
edit it from a 1 to a 0
unplug usb
exit registry editor.
plug in usb.
see if this works for you. of course you need to run IE 7 only via compatibility mode and have the ez-rc icon in your tray
Review:
figured this was an easy place for people to find this
The reviewer has used this remote control for under 1 month.
Review 12 made on November 28, 2015.
Also owned:
Various Early Prontos Pronto TSU 9200
Strengths:
My preferred mix of hard/soft buttons
Weaknesses:
n/a
Review:
This is not really a review of the AR RX18G yet, its a supplement to the Main review. Looking at the product and manual this Remote looks astonishingly like the Pronto TSU 9200 updated: battery and battery compartment, Wizard and all. I wondered what happened to that technology when Philips dropped the line.
I love my TSU 9200s mostly hard buttons. I initially missed some of the low level programming options on earlier Prontos, but I can program most of my current devices. I still have to run the Wizard under Xp but I'm happy.
I was initially excited about the AR unit. But they lost me at "online Wizard". The TSU 9200 is all local - I dont want to depend on a Web site that can disappear at the next financial crises. If the AR can use TSU 9200 files I might be tempted. Will update if purchased. Average ratings by default
The reviewer has used this remote control for more than two years.
Review 11 made on June 20, 2014.
Also owned:
Harmony, UEI, URC
Strengths:
Macro capabilities, RF, Battery life
Weaknesses:
Button longevity
Review:
I wrote a review for this remote years ago and am still happily using them years later. This is mainly to update my original review. Two very positive developments have occurred since this model was discontinued:
1) You can now program it with the free JP1 software Remote Master. This opens up many new capabilities, like pronto hex import, the ability to load/save/create JP1 device upgrades and protocols, learned signal analysis, unlimited offline file backups, no internet connection required for programming, no more dependence on EZ-RC. This applies to the entire Xsight family (Touch, Color, Plus, etc.) as well as Nevo C2 and C3.
2) They are now cheap and plentiful on eBay, often around $40. This makes it the best RF universal remote value on the planet, IMO.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-2 years.
Review 10 made on December 4, 2013.
Also owned:
MX-500, MX-800
Strengths:
Attractive appearance Ease of use (once configured, see below) Good low-light visibility Programmable activities Recharges via docking station
Weaknesses:
Complex configurations can become a nightmare. Many older or more esoteric systems missing, must be learned. Must be attached to an online computer for most configuring. Software requires IE, tweaked to emulate an obsolete version. Learning function does not always work when it says it has. Soft buttons: Can't see or move between multiple pages.
Review:
Bought this when my MX-800 gave up the ghost. My bottom line is that I have a love-hate relationship with this remote. It absolutely does everything I want, and looks great while doing so! Once configured it's a great remote and everyone who has used it loves it, but programming it and re-programming it until I finally got it the way I wanted was an exercise in major frustration.
The good: It looks very stylish and is easy to clean the glossy surface with a monitor/eyeglass cloth. When properly programmed, the activity-based macros flatten the learning curve to the point that any visitor can operate my entire setup* without instruction.
The bad: Daniel covered it all. For a remote that's suppose to control up to 18 devices, the database of available codes is limited, and the interface to program the remote is "not good." My biggest gripe is the difficulty in arranging the soft buttons.
Many of the functions on my factory remotes were unavailable in their database and had to be learned. Moreover, many of the functions did not correspond to the available hard buttons and had to be tied to soft buttons. Why was this a problem for me? The soft buttons learning backwards from the bottom right and no ability to move between pages, combined with the fact that the activities end up on a device page for "run time" control after the setup macro is done.
Example: Decide that you need to turn down the TV volume because you're using the AV receiver for your audio when watching a Blu-Ray? You want soft TV volume controls on your Blu Ray Player device screen (assume you mapped the hard volume caontrols are to the AV receiver at the end of the "watch Blu-Ray" activity). As Daniel described, the only way to move buttons between pages is to delete all the buttons ahead of the one you want until it moves forward to where you would like it, then re-learn every button you deleted at the end of the last page. After some use, you determine that you always need to use a button from a later page or another device? Heave a deep sigh, and start learning, deleting and relearning until it's moved forward on the desired device. Plan to spend quite a bit of time planning out what buttons to copy from other devices and what order to learn any commands that will not be on the hard buttons.
My second biggest gripe was that the learning process is not only complex, but it lied fairly frequently about having successfully learned codes. Once unplugged from the PC, codes "learned," plugged back into the computer, configuration saved, unplugged again and finally ready to test, codes often didn't work and I had to redo the entire learning process.
So, love/hate. Configuration was extremely difficult, but operation afterwards was next to perfect. If you have a simple setup using more common components, your configuration experience will probably be much happier!
*My setup: A/V receiver, HDTV, 3D/BR player, Satellite receiver, IPTV receiver, Karaoke system, VCR. Some US, some European, some multi-system/format, some (obviously) old. Lots of complex controls due to all the uncommon options.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 3-6 months.
Review 9 made on January 7, 2012.
Also owned:
URC RFS200, Harmony 550
Strengths:
Data base, fkexibility
Weaknesses:
Software
Review:
I picked up this remote for less than fifty bucks,. I do not believe that you can find a better more flexible remote for that price. There definitely is a learning curve with the software but once you get the hang of it there is not much you can't control with it. Is it as easy to program as a Harmony? No. Is it better and far more flexible? For me a big yes.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 6-12 months.
Review 8 made on August 19, 2011.
Also owned:
none
Strengths:
Works with RF extender Easy to set up Easy to use Easy to explain to others
Weaknesses:
Can't use two of these remotes in the same house. Tech support
Review:
I bought this remote over a year ago and love it. In fact, I found it on sale recently and bought another to use upstairs. Problem! We have ATT Uverse and the cable boxes are identical. I was testing the remote upstairs and my husband yelled from downstairs that his TV channels were switching without assistance. I found no documentation for this problem and called the 1-800 number. Automated message informed me that the office is not open on weekends - click. Finally got time to call during the workday. Wow. Technical support is low, low, low tech. I wish I had gotten someone in India or Siberia. After listening to a very brief description of my problem, he told me 'no, that won't work. those boxes are the same. can't do that.'
Shouldn't that be somewhere in the product literature? Would have been nice to know.
Return to the user reviews index...
