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TV B Gone
by Seven17
This is a useful tool and at the same time a complete menace. It essentially scans all TV frequencies and acts as a universal remote control whereby you can take it out in public and start switching off TV's. If you take this into a PC World and hit the button, some angry store managers will be over immediately.
I would like ... to point out now that I don't just go for a walk down the high street turning off TV sets, I instead use it productively to turn off my own TV when I've lost the Sky+ remote for the 50 billionth time.
This is just a universal remote control with one button, universal that is, to all to TV's. It's easy to use since it only has one button, and takes around 10 seconds for most TV's. It does continue to scan for up to 60 seconds and sometimes it will need a second pressing to find a TV frequency that it can use. I can safely say this does work, but speed is everything, and it's not 100% there for me. I will knock a star off for this.
The build quality is not good. The plastic is not completely opaque and as such, you can see the circuits. To add to the problems it scratches easily, cracks easily, and despite being on a key ring is completely and utterly useless on a set of keys, as it will get damaged very quickly and look like a scuffed up blob of brownish mush. Good news though, the little red LED still works for me after 4 months of use. Most remote controls loose their LED to bad build quality but mine has survived well.
It comes on a keyring which is very handy and I did attach it to my keys when it first arrived but have since taken it off due to the questionable build quality and the impracticality of lugging this plastic black blob around with me in my pockets, and having people stare at it and question what it is. I tell them its a a GPS tracking device and I'm really a secret agent from MI6...
The box is brightly coloured and completely recyclable. On it there's lots of black and white faces with 50's hairstyles. This really was designed as a gimmick and the packaging reflects this. It's called an "environment control device" whereby you control the environment by turning off TV's for peace and quiet when out and about, but lets be honest back here on planet Earth for a second: This is bought by idiots like me who think they're big and clever because they can turn off TV's.
Overall then it's a gimmick, bought by people who want to use it for fun. It's not a complete waste of money but you shouldn't take it seriously either, it's a toy more than anything. Still... useful for when I've lost/broken/thrown the sky+ remote.
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Sky Plus + HD Remote control
by Lakerfanster
**Introduction**
I moved into a new flat back in February and I'd planned to get Sky installed but with setting up various direct debits for all the various things you need to I wanted to leave it a few months until I knew just how much a month I was paying for all the bills before I added anything. I'd been looking for deals ... for Sky and found an excellent half price package when someone I went to School with asked on Facebook if anyone wanted the codes for a Sky package deal. I jumped at the chance and had the box installed within a couple of weeks of ordering the Package. Now moving onto the Remote control and it's a pretty iconic look. Most people know what one of these looks like even if they don't have Sky. Read on where I go into detail about the remote.
**The Remote**
The remote is a little larger than most freeview remotes and has a nice feel in your hand. It has a wide range of features which give you the tool to get the most from your Sky Box. Starting from the top of the remote you first have the on/off button, a TV button and of course the Sky Button. The TV button allows you to use your sky remote as your TV remote too which saves having to use two remotes at once when you are watching TV, The Sky button allows you to access the sky menus and you can then use the other buttons on the remote to choose the options you want. You can switch between the two modes by pressing the relevant button.
Next up you have the most important buttons when it comes to moving around your Sky Box. There are four blue buttons. TV Guide, Box Office, Services and Interactive. These allow you to easily move through various options and check what is on TV and what is available in the way of other options. You'll find plenty of movies and exclusive content that these options allow you to move through easily to choose your preferred option. The menus are easy to understand and you can easily navigate the options using the remote to take you around the box. You can go online to order content and update and check your account and change things as long is connected to the Internet.
We then have the standard mute and info buttons which are self explanatory really. The info button gives you a guide to the programme you are seeing on the TV Guide. The channel and volume buttons are easy to use and in between these buttons are the scrolling buttons which allow you to move through different options in the menus and scroll through various things. You also have the back up button which takes you back to the previous menu or screen. There is a help button which gives you sound and subtitle options. On the other side of the remote you have the text button which gives you access to the text on the relevant channels, allowing you to view news, weather, sport etc.
Next we have the recording buttons which are really key to the Sky+ experience. You can pause rewind and fast forward through your recorded content and can pause and rewind through live content. Great for those was it over the line moments when they don't always show the replay straight after. You can also choose programmes to record with a button below and there is also the stop button. These buttons are ones which will be used a lot if you record content on your box. Just below you have the red, green, yellow and blue buttons which allow you to choose the corresponding colour for the on screen option.
Finally we have the numbers buttons which are self explanatory. You need to press the relevant buttons fairly quickly in sequence otherwise the channel might now switch over but that is not an issue with the remote. There are the letters featured like a phone keypad which are used for when you are searching for on demand content like a Movie. This is a pretty easy to use part of the experience and gets the most from your sky box compared to a normal freeview box.
**Overall**
This is an excellent remote all round which allows you to use your Sky+ box the way you want. It's easy to scroll through the on screen menus using the remote and the options are clear when using the remote. If you find the remote in an Argos or Electronics store then don't buy it, Get it online where you can save a lot of money for this kind of item. A quick check of the Argos website shows a price of £24.99 for this remote which is far too high, especially when you can find the remote online for under a tenner. This just goes to show the benefit of looking around online. The remote works automatically with most TVs but may need a code for some. Mine worked fine without needing a code. This is an excellent remote which allows you to get the best out of your Sky package with relative ease. It comes with the box of course so you might not need to get another unless you feel you need a replacement.
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Nikon ML L3
by Huomenna
What is it?
The ML-L3 is a Nikon original wireless (infrared) remote, designed to trigger the shutter on various Nikon DSLR cameras. This is not to be confused with the similarly named ML3 which is a wired remote and the two do not always work with the same cameras ie. the D300s will not work with a wireless remote, but does work ... with a wireless one.
What do you get?
The remote comes inside a small nikon branded box with the remote (complete with battery already inside) and a small 'case' which attaches to your neck strap. There aren't any instructions, but as the remote is only one button, there isn't much you should need instucting on from this perspective!
How easy is it to use?
As said above there is only the one button so it's not difficult to figure out what you have to do from the point of view of the remote itself. Depending on how proficient you are, you may find it a little more difficult putting your camera on the appropriate remote setting - I have noticed that while the Nikon manuals tend to tell you about compatibility, they don't delve into how to set the camera to remote trigger.
The infrared does mean that you have to be in the right position for it to actually trigger the shutter, so if you try to do it from the normal position of standing behind the camera you may find you're out of luck (the sensor is located on the front of the camera).
You can set your camera to remote+timer which is useful particularly when you want to make sure you've eradicated all possible camera movement which may have been introducted when you programmed your settings, zoomed and or set the focus. If you set your shutter to bulb then you will need to hold the remote button down for the duration you want the shutter to remain open as there is no lock on it - as I mentioned it's a simple bit of kit.
How well is it made?
This is made of plastic and is very lightweight - that said you wouldn't expect something of this size to be at all heavy. Mine have never broken or suffered from obvious wear and tear so I'd say the build quality is fairly good.
Price:
On the highstreet you can expect to pay around the £20 mark for this little gadget - a bit less if you buy online, but it's always nice to support your local shops. Ok so there isn't much to this remote, but for £20 it's a nice cheap accessory to buy and could make an excellent present for certain Nikon users in your family.
My experience:
I've been using these remotes for about 5 years now and for the most part have been very happy - I first bought one for use with my D80, and was both suprised and happy when I upgraded to the D700 to find I could use the same remote.
It's not something I use all that often as I'm primarily a wedding and event photographer where a remote isn't something that tends to get pressed into use. I do however use this on the odd occassion where I might be out and about attempting long exposure landscapes (usually snowy nights once a year!)
So far I've had two of these remotes - not because they break (far from it and so far I've not so much as had to replace a battery), but because they're so small and I'm so forgetful I tend to lose them! If I'm entirely honest I'm not sure of the current whereabouts of said second remote either right now. It really is essential to put the remote back into the little case on your strap after each use of you will find yourself cursing after you can't work out where on earth you've put the thing.
Overall I would definately reccomend this remote - for an SLR accessory it's nice and cheap and it does the job well, just make sure you don't lose it.
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