Works with most 1 DIN installations L 9.5 W 2.25 H 4.5
Product Description
A joint development of Microsoft Corporation and Harman Kardon, Take Control is a breakthrough system handheld, touchscreen controller that unifies, organizes, and simplifies the control of virtually all IR-controlled electronics. Take Control includes a serial- connection cable and a Windows-based editor program that enables you to program the unit directly from your PC.
Amazon.com Review
How many infrared (IR) remote-control units are kicking around your house? Harman Kardon's TC-1000 Take Control System Controller can replace them all with a single easy-to-use unit, allowing you to archive the rest of your remote-control units in the closet.
The Take Control System Controller emulates the control signals used by IR remote-control devices. With its huge library of built-in control codes, this remote-control unit covers almost any home entertainment device you'll encounter. Take Control's simple user interface includes a touchscreen, a scroll wheel, and five simple buttons, making operation easy to understand; backlighting makes the unit easy to use in a darkened room. The setup Wizard groups controls around common activities, such as watching a movie, rather than around the devices that make the activity possible. This means that you can turn on and control your TV, VCR, DVD, AV receiver, or additional devices from a single interface rather than having to manage each one separately. Yet it is still easy to get to the controls of a particular device if you want to control it explicitly. We found this feature to be both intuitive and easy to learn.
The TC worked flawlessly with all the IR-controlled devices we tried it with. We got an entire home entertainment center up and running perfectly within 15 minutes, and we also set up an unsupported device, an old Photodisc player, by using the TC's ability to "learn" the codes of an existing remote.
If your home entertainment device is supported by the Setup Wizard (most will be), the TC emulates the controls on the unit's native remote, including any annoying eccentricities it may have. This is where the bundled Windows customization software can help. With the TC connected to your PC's serial port (cable supplied), you can customize the control screens or extend the unit's built-in repetoire of activities. Admittedly, this kind of tweaking is for gearheads, and most users probably won't bother. But if you enjoy this kind of fine-tuning, the TC's software is flexible and easy to use.
Pros:
- A single control unit that groups controls by natural use patterns
- Simple, intuitive controls
- Quick setup, with most home entertainment devices supported out of the box
- Robust, well-constructed unit
Cons:
- Unit is heavier than most conventional remotes
Customer Reviews:
Easy programming and configuration with software.......2002-02-23
I saw this offered ... which seemed like a good deal after reading a few reviews and seeing it sold elsewhere. Now that I've used it, I'm pretty impressed with the ability to progam and synchronize it with my PC, as well as find codes for download from the internet from other people who have the remote.
I have two problems with this remote though, one is the dim LCD and the second is that Harman Kardon and Microsoft have discontinued manufacturing it and ceased developing software updates for it.
Idea Needs Work.......2001-11-27
I bought this remote in the hope that my wife would actually learn how to turn on the home theater system. It hasn't fulfilled that purpose for a vaiety of reasons, some having to do with flaws in the product itself and some having to do with the design of the components that it is supposed to operate.
In a nutshell, the product flaws are (1) dim, almost unreadable display; (2) poor control design, (3) voracious appetite for batteries and (4) unpredictability of operation.
Item one is self-explanatory. You just can't see the display in many light environments. Item two has to do with the scroll wheel. The product design requires you to scroll to your selection then depress the scroll wheel to select. Well, about half the time when you depress the wheel, it turns slightly causing you to accidentally select the next menu item up or down. This is really frustrating. Item three: self-explantory.
Item 4 refers to the fact that no matter how much you fine tune the programming, its impossible to get the thing to go through a set of macros (e.g., turn on TV, turn on amplifier, set amplifier to DVD, set TV input to amplifier... etc.) successfully with any reliability. Sometimes it works, sometimes you end up setting some of the components manually.
Also relevant to this category are the difficult to use touch screens. With no feedback you don't know whether you've activated the button or not.
On the plus side, the PC programming is very easy to use.
In short, I regret paying so much for a product that has not lived up to its promise.
Nice idea, so-so execution.......2001-11-03
The PC software used for programming the remote is very easy to use and a nice surprise coming from the kings of bad user interface design--Microsoft. You will have no trouble setting it up nor will it be difficult to modify the setup at a later date. Unfortunately, the remote itself eats batteries (I use NiMH rechargeables, but they still only last a month or so) and the touch screen is balky (it has trouble accurately sensing pressure at the edges in particular.) You can do anything with this remote, but its just not the panacea I had hoped for. I would not recommend it, nor would I condemn anyone for buying it. If you have very, very complicated home theater needs, it will certainly be able to meet them.
Terrible Ergonomics, Clumsy, Slow, Frustrating.......2001-10-28
I purchased three of these remotes as part of a whole-house audio/video install when our home was being constructed. At first I thought they were pretty nifty, being that I'm a techno-geek and generally love anything with batteries. I thought the programmability would be great.
And it would be, if it weren't for the fact that this remote is heavy and very difficult to use. With an LCD touch screen remote you get zero tactile response to tell you whether you successfully pressed a button or not and you spend half your time re-pressing buttons or accidentally pressing them twice. Further, since you have to look at the screen to see the button to press (you can't feel for it like a normal remote) you end up trying to gently place your finger over the desired button while looking at it before you reposition the remote to aim at your television. If you want to enter a three digit channel number this means you (1) Tilt the LCD screen toward you to line up over the first digit, (2) Tilt the remote to aim at TV, (3) Press button, then repeat these three steps for the other two digits - 9 motions to enter three numbers! Remotes with physical buttons allow you to develop a "feel" for button locations so you can operate the remote without looking at it - great for dark home theater settings.
So, after trying to adjust to these clunky remotes I've finally replaced them with the Home Theater Master MX-500. This one is a great combination of programmability, including physical keys that can be renamed through LCD labels, and the kind of tactile response and solid construction that demanding techies appreciate.
Check it out at ...
If your home theater has 8 or fewer devices, I also recommend the Home Theater Master SL9000. I used that one before adding some components to my system which prompted moving up to the MX-500.
Heavy, clumsy, hard to use, hard to configure........2001-06-09
"More expensive" does not mean "better." Definitely not the case with the TC-1000.
Things I do not like about this remote:
- Pressing a button on the lcd screen doesn't always result in the desired action. Actions seem to bleed from one area to the next, even when a narrow object is used as a stylus.
- Some buttons do not work, period. Example, the number 8 does not work at all to change channels on the ReplayTV setup.
- The display time-out resets itself to a default of 10 seconds, like every hour or so. Not enough, and I still haven't figured out how to permanently set it.
- The brightness frequently sets it self to the least bright setting for no apparent reason. Like a sullen teenager, it must get tired of being told what to do, so it rebels by showing you a blackened screen.
- Buttons on the remote are not labeled consistently with the original remote. A problem with most universal remotes, this one seems to have been translated from another language.
There's more, but I'll spare the excess whining.
Product Description
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