Mercuttio
Key Conspirator in the Quest to Murder Music
- Joined
- Apr 22, 2005
- Posts
- 5,803
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- 158
So, Harvey electronics in NYC is having a massive demo sale right now. Massive.
www.harveyonline.com if you haven't checked it out yet...
I happened to pop on the Harvey page on the 7th when the sale started, and found something kind of interesting. In their ABC store, they had a demo unit of a Marantz RC5200 remote for $100. Checking around online, they seem to sell between $300 and $500 new, so I figured why not?
Well, I've been messing around with it for a day or so. It's really quite the interesting little device.
Essentially it feels like a sort of "chunky" palm pilot... but quite a bit more sturdy. The remote is large in your hand but feels like an item of quality, I guess you could say. It features a large touch screen that looks identical to that of an early generation Palm Pilot as well. It lights up when you touch it, and the sensitivity is spot on. For a demo unit, it's in flawless condition. I suspect it sat at a manager's desk and was used only by him to control the various setups at Harvey's store; no scratches, only one little ding just under the "Marantz" Logo. A cover for a port on the side is missing, but I should be able to get a replacement from Marantz pretty easily for a buck or two if I decide to.
And what does it do? Well, it's every remote control you have ever owned, completely customizable down to each detail of each menu. Mine's missing the computer cable (I'll also probably order this from Marantz), but with it you can set the remote up in any way you like... even changing the appearance of the menus if you have some artistic skill. The manual contained an example of one custom menu set that looked like the Star Trek TNG computer menus. Pretty slick.
For now, I have it set up by allowing it to "learn" the IR signals from the various remotes in my apartment. Every soft (screen) and hard button on the unit (volume and channel included, if you're so inclined) can be set to any IR signal you want for any device. Rename them if you want, put on new buttons, etc. Flip to a different device with your thumb on the touch screen, and every button (hard and soft) will change to whatever you have it set for on that menu. It's incredibly intuitive.
The whole thing rests in a big charging base when not in action. It too has a nice heft, and won't skid on any surface. Neat.
As for downsides: it works with every remote except the Xbox 360 remote. There's something about that remote that is "odd" for some reason. It's doing more than just a standard IR signal... I can use the "open / close" button on the Xbox remote I have to open and close the tray, but the same IR signal in the Marantz only opens the tray and will not close it. All other devices worked without a hitch, and I plan to give old MS a call on Monday to see if there's some reason for this. It might be fixable... or Marantz's website may have a code for that remote as well. Apparently they keep a large database of remotes online. The only other downside is the slight noise that it makes when the screen light is on. You can hear a very small electronic "buzz" when you place your ear up against the screen... the buzz is related to the backlight and dissapears once you stop touching the screen for more than 5 seconds.
So... what am I gonna do with this thing? It's pretty damned slick. Once I figure out the Xbox bit, it will control every device in my house. However, it's definitely made for serious Home Theatre buffs. People who have a great many more remotes than me... it's overkill for what I've got here. For its resale value, I could get a pair of 325i or MS2i, so I dunno.
Interesting stuff though?
www.harveyonline.com if you haven't checked it out yet...
I happened to pop on the Harvey page on the 7th when the sale started, and found something kind of interesting. In their ABC store, they had a demo unit of a Marantz RC5200 remote for $100. Checking around online, they seem to sell between $300 and $500 new, so I figured why not?
Well, I've been messing around with it for a day or so. It's really quite the interesting little device.
Essentially it feels like a sort of "chunky" palm pilot... but quite a bit more sturdy. The remote is large in your hand but feels like an item of quality, I guess you could say. It features a large touch screen that looks identical to that of an early generation Palm Pilot as well. It lights up when you touch it, and the sensitivity is spot on. For a demo unit, it's in flawless condition. I suspect it sat at a manager's desk and was used only by him to control the various setups at Harvey's store; no scratches, only one little ding just under the "Marantz" Logo. A cover for a port on the side is missing, but I should be able to get a replacement from Marantz pretty easily for a buck or two if I decide to.
And what does it do? Well, it's every remote control you have ever owned, completely customizable down to each detail of each menu. Mine's missing the computer cable (I'll also probably order this from Marantz), but with it you can set the remote up in any way you like... even changing the appearance of the menus if you have some artistic skill. The manual contained an example of one custom menu set that looked like the Star Trek TNG computer menus. Pretty slick.
For now, I have it set up by allowing it to "learn" the IR signals from the various remotes in my apartment. Every soft (screen) and hard button on the unit (volume and channel included, if you're so inclined) can be set to any IR signal you want for any device. Rename them if you want, put on new buttons, etc. Flip to a different device with your thumb on the touch screen, and every button (hard and soft) will change to whatever you have it set for on that menu. It's incredibly intuitive.
The whole thing rests in a big charging base when not in action. It too has a nice heft, and won't skid on any surface. Neat.
As for downsides: it works with every remote except the Xbox 360 remote. There's something about that remote that is "odd" for some reason. It's doing more than just a standard IR signal... I can use the "open / close" button on the Xbox remote I have to open and close the tray, but the same IR signal in the Marantz only opens the tray and will not close it. All other devices worked without a hitch, and I plan to give old MS a call on Monday to see if there's some reason for this. It might be fixable... or Marantz's website may have a code for that remote as well. Apparently they keep a large database of remotes online. The only other downside is the slight noise that it makes when the screen light is on. You can hear a very small electronic "buzz" when you place your ear up against the screen... the buzz is related to the backlight and dissapears once you stop touching the screen for more than 5 seconds.
So... what am I gonna do with this thing? It's pretty damned slick. Once I figure out the Xbox bit, it will control every device in my house. However, it's definitely made for serious Home Theatre buffs. People who have a great many more remotes than me... it's overkill for what I've got here. For its resale value, I could get a pair of 325i or MS2i, so I dunno.
Interesting stuff though?
