Home :: Audio :: Accessories :: Remote Controls  

Audio & Video Furniture
Batteries
Blank Media
Cables & Interconnects
Cleaning & Repair Kits
Plugs & Adapters
Remote Controls

Speaker Accessories
Harman Kardon TC-1000 Take Control System Controller

Harman Kardon TC-1000 Take Control System Controller

List Price: $379.99
Your Price:
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 >>

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Heavy, clumsy, hard to use, hard to configure.
Review: "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.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Heavy, clumsy, hard to use, hard to configure.
Review: "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.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Very Disappointed!!!
Review: Bought it thru a store in Tyson Corner, Northern VA. Tried to have repaired, mfg will not support, must return thru retailer. Its been gone over 30 days, Pd $250 for it & Sony version looks easier to use & is less $. Do not recommend.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Better than any other remote available today
Review: For this kind of price I wish it could control more than 15 devices. Otherwise it does everything better than any remote I have ever seen except the price of course.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Check out the Philips Pronto
Review: I almost bought this remote. I am a strong follower of Microsoft products and I still have to speak poorly of this one. For the money, the Philips Pronto is a far better value. The Pronto will control any number of devices where the Take Control can handle only 15. Also, the Take Control is all text based that you scroll through, but the Pronto will let you design your own remote with any number of screens. You can even import better looking buttons. I highly recommend the Pronto.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Idea Needs Work
Review: 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.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The TC1000 works as promised but its not perfect!
Review: I purchased a TC1000 about a month ago and have found it very simple to use. It has replaced most of the remote controls for our home theater. Some of the commands a device uses are difficult to program into the unit in a way that is simple to use. I believe that with some work I can make it truly replace every remote in the house. I was able to program it to run a remote control fan and the lights. The biggest problem I've had with the unit is it forgets a buttons function sometimes and has to be taught that command again. Overall its works great and is fun to use!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Terrible Ergonomics, Clumsy, Slow, Frustrating
Review: 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.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Terrible Ergonomics, Clumsy, Slow, Frustrating
Review: 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.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Happy with my TC1000
Review: I read the not so flattering reviews on the 'net, but decided to buy the TC1000 anyway. It is a GREAT remote. I was able to retire 10 remotes to the "junk shelf." It even operated my X-10 light/appliance modules! Organizing ALL of ones remotes by "Activities" is intuitive and better than searching multiple screens/devices to press one button. Use the provided software to take full advantage of the TC1000.


<< 1 2 3 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates