Tag Archive: channel


The Jade Pointer Works Wonders

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December 28, 2011

SMK-Link RemotePoint Jade Green Laser Pointer and Presentation Remote (VP4910) review by Steve Taylor

My Overall Review: 4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5


SMK-Link RemotePoint Jade Green Laser Pointer and Presentation Remote (VP4910)
SMK-Link RemotePoint Jade Green Laser Pointer and Presentation Remote (VP4910)

The pointer works at ranges up to 150 feet away, so this gives me the freedom to walk up and down the lecture hall, even to the back of the room if I want to. This is nice because I had to be careful with my old pointer and I don’t want to be worrying about the connection when I’m teaching. The controller use an auto RF function, so it will automatically find an unused channel, so you don’t have to worry about it interfering with the science presentation in the room next door…

This Jade remote is way better than my old remote. The green laser is really bright and it shows up nicely, even in a brightly lit room. The pointer has four buttons that can be programmed to send different key combinations to the computer. It is a nice size, it is larger than most presentation remote controls and this makes it easy to operate and it’s comfortable to hold. The 360 degree mouse is a nice feature, it works very well.

I’d advice you to buy a case to hold your remote and the USB link together, to add some protection the connector and so that you won’t lose the connecter. Other than that, this is a great product and way better than the competition.

Key Features

  • 150 Foot wireless range.
  • Bright Green Laser.
  • FUll 360 degree mouse.
  • PowerPoint Slide Control
  • 4 Programmable Buttons
  • Auto RF Port

Pastor Jason,
“We use this presenter remote for Sunday morning worship service. It facilitates the use of EasyWorship.  Things I like about Jade are that it has a good weight to it and it feels great to hold. It is very easy to use and has easy to reach buttons. The software for programming the buttons is very straightforward and simple. The buttons are responsive – you know when you click as there is a subtle but distinct feel.”

If you want to buy one of these universal remotes they are currently on sale at Amazon through this link.

Here is what current buyers think of the SMK-Link RemotePoint Jade Green Laser Pointer and Presentation Remote (VP4910):

IQ Man,
This is a fantastic laser pointer at a great price. It does everything I would want it to do for teaching and presenting research seminars. Yes, it is a little bulky – but I can live with it. The green laser is excellent for students and audience that are color blind and cannot easily see the red laser.
Two thumbs way up! Two changes requested from the maker: provide a pouch for carrying it and perhaps give more than 4 buttons; I have already programmed all 4 buttons. Read Original Review

J Bayudan,
A great remote. I especially like the four programmable buttons. I use two different presentation programs that use two different keystrokes to advance slides. Now I can use the same remote to run both programs. The remote is a little big, but I like that it runs on AA batteries instead of the other smaller ones that I can never seem to find when I need them. The 360 mouse did take a little getting used to before I got the right amount of touch down, but I learned that within a few minutes.
If you’re looking for something small this isn’t for you. But if you want something with a little more power than just the standard next and previous this is great product. Read Original Review

Steve Taylor Steve Taylor

Steve is a professional technology reviewer and writer. He has been reviewing console accessories since 2004 and has reviewed over 100 products.

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URC Mastercontrol remote – 10 remotes in 1

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October 16, 2011

URC MasterControl RF20 Universal Learning Remote w/ RF Capability review by Steve Taylor

My Overall Review: 4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5


URC MasterControl RF20 Universal Learning Remote w/ RF Capability
URC MasterControl RF20 Universal Learning Remote w/ RF Capability

The URC Mastercontrol RF20 is a universal remote control that operates up to 10 different audio-visual components. I bought this remote because I had some many different remotes for various components, such as my television, digital television box, dvd player, ipod dock, Xbox and stereo and I was always losing different remotes – I could never find the remote I wanted at the time, and they really cluttered up the place. I’ve replaced all of those remotes with this one controller! I wish I’d done it sooner, because it’s so so much better.

This URC Mastercontrol remote uses amazing technology, you don’t have to point it at the component for it to work, and it works through doors, walls and ceilings and from the backyard too – so you can control components that are in different rooms. The remote will also turn all of your components on or off at the same time, by pressing just one button. You can set up the remote so that it controls the volume over all your components, so you don’t need to switch back and forth between TV and DVD on the remote.

The remote control is backlit, so it’s easy to use in the dark – ideal if you’re like me and turn the lights out to watch a movie in the dark, you can easily see where the buttons are if you need to pause the movie. The light isn’t on the whole time – so it doesn’t distract from the television or drain the battery. The button is on the side of the remote and is easy to find by touch in the dark – press the button and the backlight turns on – it then turns off after 10 seconds (or you can press it again to turn it off sooner).

If you want to buy one of these universal remotes they are currently on sale at Amazon through this link.

Here is what current buyers think of the URC MasterControl RF20 Universal Learning Remote w/ RF Capability:

Endre B Gastony,
It is solidly built and fits the hand well. The buttons are easy to press because there is plenty of space around them. Once I got going, it was not too difficult to program, though the DVD instructions did not play on my computer, but the printed brochure did the trick.
Using the macro feature of one button ON/OFF is very helpful and the macro CHANNEL selection also works okay for my setup. In contrast to my $10 universal remote, it is a major step up, both in ease and speed of operation. I can’t see how the expensive fancy-*** remotes would be more desirable for the average person, especially for the $50 I paid for it with free shipping. :) HIGHLY RECOMMENDED for the average TV, cable box, VCR, DVD setup.
Read Original Review

Jermone A Ambrose,
My wife complained about all the remotes on her end tables. I bought this for her. I just finished programming it for her and she loves it. Considering how old some of my equipment is I really got a charge out of the learning ability of this remote. I kept my wife in the room so she could pick out which button on the remote did what she wanted. I took me about an hour but it was time well spent. I truly recommend this for the husband who is techno savvy with a wife that isn’t. Read Original Review

Steve Taylor Steve Taylor

Steve is a professional technology reviewer and writer. He has been reviewing console accessories since 2004 and has reviewed over 100 products.

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Yamaha Surround Sound Receiver – Home Movie Heaven

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October 4, 2011

Yamaha RX-V367BL 5.1 Channel 500 Watt AV Receiver (Each, Black) review by Steve Taylor

My Overall Review: 4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5


Yamaha RX-V367BL 5.1 Channel 500 Watt AV Receiver (Each, Black)
Yamaha RX-V367BL 5.1 Channel 500 Watt AV Receiver (Each, Black)

The Yamaha RX-V367BL 5.1-Channel AV Receiver is a great home cinema, surround sound product. It has HDMI inputs and outputs, it works with iPods, and is 3D ready (it just needs a firmware upgrade) – so it’s future-proof.

The receiver looks good – I opted for the black design (it also comes in silver and titanium). Its sleek and the small silver feet look good – it fits nicely on my black glass and silver television stand.

The layout of the front panel works well – although there are a lot of buttons, they’re in a logical order and the display panel is easy to read. I plug my laptop into the receiver and play my iTunes library and also stream television programs and films from the Internet. On the back panel there are four HDMI inputs and one output. There’s also a subwoofer connection.

There’s a huge number of sound modes on this receiver. There are different sound settings for all types of film and telly including Sports, Drama and Sci-Fi. There’s also a good choice for playing music through the surround sound speakers.

This receiver is easy to set up – it does most of the work for you. It comes with a microphone that picks up test noises and adjusts the sound depending on the acoustics of the room the receiver is in. Pretty clever! Using the receiver is also fairly straight forward and the remote is a snap.

I’m more than impressed with the sound that this receiver projects – it’s a great home cinema experience. The surround sound really submerges you in the film – you feel like you’re a part of it. The sound is clear, there’s lots of deep bass and voices have a realistic tone. It really sounds like the person is right behind you at times… spooky!

If you want to buy one of these universal remotes they are currently on sale at Amazon through this link.

Here is what current buyers think of the Yamaha RX-V367BL 5.1 Channel 500 Watt AV Receiver (Each, Black):

Eric S,
The Yamaha RX-V367 AV receiver is a true performer. For a long time I owned a JVC 884VBK, an old AV Dolby Digital receiver. It sounded good when VHS was leaving the scene and DVD’s took over. Though JVC really never got it right when it came to true cinema sound production as well as its expensive price tag. It lasted 13 yrs and still counting but as digital sound got more sophisticated and HDMI now being the new sound king, it sounded more and more boring as time moved on. Especially since it was made back in the day when there was optical and coaxial but no HDMI sound. That’s when I decided to replace it with the Yamaha.
Wow what a difference $179 dollars make. The sound was crisp and accurate on my JBL 181 ‘s, Bose center channel and surround sound speakers all while playing my Roku, Comcast box, DVD’s or ipod. It even makes my old Hsu Research TN 1225 subwoofer boom like its never done before.
The only draw back is that it doesn’t have pass through technology. You have to listen to what you are watching or not watch TV because you have the amp on a music input. I wanted both, watch TV while listening to music. I did get around this by buying a quality J-Tech Digital HDMI splitter. I simply split the HDMI signal coming out from my Comcast cable box. One going straight to the HDMI input on the TV and the other going to the amp then to the second input on the TV. That way I can, for instance watch a sporting event and listen to music at the same time while all on the same system. I can also watch TV without turning the amp on. I also have an old 900mhz Recoton wireless speaker system with 25 watt speakers and 50 watt subs all through out the house and the new amp makes these speakers sound incredible. Undoubtedly, this is simply the best deal for an AV receiver out there. Thanks Yamaha for making a great product! Read Original Review

Evan,
Simply put, you will get a whole lot for relatively not much when you purchase the Yamaha RX-V367 AV Receiver. Setup was easy; I connected my LG television, MacBook Pro, and Klipsch 5.1 surround sound system with absolutely no hassle. Audio and video quality are top notch. Enjoy! Read Original Review

Steve Taylor Steve Taylor

Steve is a professional technology reviewer and writer. He has been reviewing console accessories since 2004 and has reviewed over 100 products.

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