Prestigo

Author's Rating:

Pros: extensive code library, flexibility, basic set up, price.

Cons: menu based operation, size, layout, advanced set up, range.

The Bottom Line: 
Like all menu-based remote controls, this Prestigo makes control more complicated rather than easier.

Author's Review
I've been on a hung for a good remote for a while now since my old Universal R5 has taken some serious beating. I loved it and still do, but it is showing its age and lack of buttons. Unfortunately it seems impossible to find a good, easy to use remote, even if that means spending a fortune. And before anyone even mentions the word "Harmony"... don't bother, been there, tried that - hated it.

Well let's get to it. The Philips Prestigo SRU8008 is a really big remote. It looks pretty, but not as slick the everyone's beloved Harmonies. It comes in one of those dreadful plastic wraps, which require a chainsaw to open. The required three AA batteries are not included. The only thing in the box, other than the remote, is the substantial owner's manual, which while looking impressive is not quite as helpful. The bulk comes mostly from the various different languages.

Setting up of the remote is a mixed experience, it has its strengths, but at the end is just as time consuming, if not more than any other advanced remote. I like that it does not require a computer to be set up, nor looking up codes in tables. It has a very extensive built in library of codes, organized by device and then by brand. The brands, however, are not divided further by specific model, that would've been too much and I think unnecessary. Just a side note - I hate to bring them up again, but the Harmony remote I tried (the Xbox model) made me select specific brands and models, which I was very impressed with initially, only to find that the end result was a disaster, with not one of my components responding.

So here is how this works on the Philips:

1. Select the device - easy enough
2. Select the brand - also easy, but sort of tedious as you have to scroll through the list of brands, which is really long. I wish it was possible to go directly to a specific letter by pushing one of the number buttons.
3. Point the remot at the devie - it needs to be on - press and hold OK until it turns off.

This is the basic procedure for setting up devices. All of my devices worked much better than any other remote I have tried right after this initial set up, though of course it needed a lot of individual button adjustments, but over all very impressive. Even my Xbox 360 and my projector worked right away.

The more detailed programming is very user friendly with step by step guides shown on the display. This is great, but it gets annoying as the guide is shown over and over for each and every button you want to fix. This makes the process insanely long. Not to ruine the surprise ending, but I gave up long before setting up all of my components.

There are two ways to fix individual buttons - first the remote searches through its built in database for individual buttons: you hold down the button until the desired function is performed. It that doesn't happen you can teach the desired function from the original remote.

If there a no more buttons left and the original component still has more functions, those could be saved as "more" commands performed by selecting them from an on screen menu. This way it is possible to completely replace an existing remote, something I was unable to do with my old one since it only had a limited number of buttons. The additional commands can be selected from a list or even named manually. I didn't have to do the latter as the list of available commands was comprehensive enough that I didn't need to.

Once all of the devices are set up, the other option is setting up "activities". This works similar to the device set up, an on screen guide leads you through the process, and again it takes a really long time to do. I personally am not a fan of activities and I will tell you why... It sounds great in theory to press something that says "watch DVD" and everything to happen like magic, and it is probably possible to accomplish, I just never had the patience to set up the necessary delays to make it possible. One of the big problems for me comes from the input selection process, this is where most devices behave very differently. Everyone with an LCD or plasma TV knows that they take about 10 seconds or so to start once powered up. My TV for instance can't change inputs during this time, so to make an activity which includes changing the input on my TV means setting up a delay long enough to accommodate the initial power up, and of course after that I have to hold the remote and wait. This is just one possible problem, the other is when a TV has no direct input buttons, but uses a menu with scrolling, or my receiver for instance, where the inputs are changed by pressing and holding down for several seconds the desired component button. All these various timings are simply too difficult to program to a remote for a successful activity. This is why I have never been a fan of this type of remotes, ie Logitech Harmony.

So after playing with the process just to see if Philips might have come up with some magical way of making things easier, I simply ignored the feature.

The other "special features" are the standard punch-through for volume and DVD control. There is nothing special about them on here, except they are easier to set up and don't require referencing the manual, the on screen guide makes things simpler. I have to through something out there though, which I think is a big time missed opportunity, since it would have been easy to implement on this Prestigo. One of my big problems with universal remotes is that while they usually offer the punch through volume control, they all fail to realize that it is possible to want to control the volume of two devices at the same time. Here is my situation, and I am sure I am not alone: I love surround sound and of course a lot of times I am using my receiver.... but often I prefer watching TV with just its own built in speakers. A remote with just one volume control doesn't allow to adjust the volume on both without switching devices.

The opportunity Philips missed here is to utilize the unused rotary dial, which is only designed to scroll through the system menus of the remote itself. I would have loved if it were possible to make the rotary dial act as the volume control for my receiver in all devices, while leaving the volume buttons for the TV control in all devices. Bummer!

There are also four color buttons on the top of the remote, which have no functions at all. They are not even mentioned in the manual. The only way to used them is to manually learn functions to them. It's nice they are there, it's just puzzling they are not mentioned in the manual. Not a big deal though.

Even though I am fairly impressed by the code database and overall flexibility of this remote I am still returning it and here is why:

The big problem with this, and any other menu-based remote is usability. Simple tasks require far too many steps. Remotes were invented for convenience, not complication. Here is an example:

To turn on the TV - press "devices", scroll with the wheel, press "OK", press "power".

and then you might want to turn something else on. Some things are just better done with buttons instead of screens and menus.

Which leads me to my next point - the layout. This remote is enormous it has plenty of space for tonnes of buttons. Yet it only has the most basic ones and they are all really, really small. There is a lot of wasted space for no good reason.

The range a strength of the signal are also disappointing, especially for a device requiring 3 batteries.

Finally the price - I paid $80, simply because I wanted the option to return it easily. I have seen it on Amazon for as little as $20 though. Even at the price would not recommend it.