Like most households now we have a TV, a DVD player, a VHS player (yes, we still have a rather large selection of videos!) and a Freeview box, each coming with their own remote controls. This amounted to far too many remotes to both find homes for and keep track of.


~*~ Appearance ~*~

This remote is silver and tapered so that it's wider and thicker at the bottom and thinner and smaller at the top.

There are a wide selection of buttons including, channel, volume, individual numbers and the colour options for teletext. There are also buttons to switch between TV, VCR and DVD.

There is a single LED light at the top that lights up every time a button is pressed. It's also used when programming it during set up.


~*~ Ease of Set Up ~*~

Set up is surprisingly complicated, even after having gone through it several times. Each device has a specific code which you need to search through several pages of the instruction booklet for. When you find this code you press the corresponding button (TV, DVD or VCR), then press and hold down the button marked "MAGIC" until the red LED light blinks twice, enter the four digit code you found and the red light will blink twice again, finally press the power button. Then repeat each of these steps for each device you want to control with the remote.


~*~ Using The Remote ~*~

Using the remote is relatively simple, you press the button relating to the device you want to use, point and then use it as any other controller. The one very useful thing I have found with this remote is that the volume button works whether or not the remote is currently set to control the TV saving you from having to change it from DVD, to TV and back again just to change the volume.

The play, fast forward, rewind etc. are all printed with very small print and so may be difficult for those with poor vision to read.

Whilst I haven't tested the distance that the remote will work from it will work the TV in the living room when I am in the kitchen so the range is more then long enough for most uses.

The remote takes 2AA batteries, since someone is home all day every day the TV is almost always on and therefore the remote is being used a lot. The batteries still last between 6 months and a year. The only problem with this is once removing the batteries you have 5 minutes in which to insert new ones else the remote loses all it's programming and you need to go through the hassle of reprogramming it with your TV, DVD and VCR.

The one main complaint I have with it is it's odd shape, because it's thicker and wider at the bottom then it is at the top it feels very uncomfortable in your hand and doesn't seem to fit as well as regular, rectangle remotes.


~*~ Would I Recommend It? ~*~

Yes. It's been a lifesaver in our house and it's a lot easier to work with one remote then 3 or even 4. It's not without it's faults and so only scores four out of five stars but despite this it's worth the money and once set up very simple to use.