Product: RC2000 Programmable Learning Remote Control	Company: Marantz
Web: www.marantz.com	Phone: 800-270-4533
Platform: Your couch	SRP: n/a Street Price: $100
Cred Rating:	Special Award:

In the mid-'70s, a friend of mine had the first TV remote I'd ever seen, the Zenith Space Commander. It was a bit larger than a cigarette pack and had three buttons for power, volume and the channel. We took it apart -- we were about twelve -- and found out how it worked: the buttons struck metal rods and the high-frequency sounds it made controlled the TV. We put it back together (perfectly!) and eventually found a number of other things that made sounds that would affect the TV as well. We got a kick out of making his older sister crazy by changing the channel on the TV from another room. She never found out why the TV never malfunctioned for anyone but her.

Since those early days, the proliferation of remotes has gotten so out of hand (with one for every A/V component, air conditioners, lights, ceiling fans) that there are now several companies that sell *universal* remotes. A universal remote is a programmable remote that's meant to replace all your other remotes, cutting down on the clutter and the confusion of trying to remember which remote to use for what functions.

Some of the simplest and least expensive can control most major components, and the remote is customized by punching in a code that identifies each brand of component. The simplicity of these is offset by the fact that such remotes are invariably missing some of the buttons on your old remotes, so you have to live with the compromise of limited functionality.

The more complicated (and more costly) learning remotes can actually *record* the signals of your existing remotes, effectively duplicating their functions. Learning remotes have their drawbacks as well; they take a long time to program and it can be difficult to remember which buttons on the learning remote correspond to the buttons on the original remote.

The Marantz RC2000 is a programmable learning remote. It's larger and heavier than most, but the shape of the remote and the placement of the buttons make it relatively easy to use and hold. It also puts out a powerful infrared beam that works at distances of over 30 feet and can even go around corners if there's a white wall to reflect the beam. It's impressive to casually aim the remote over your shoulder, away from the television, and STILL change the channel with aplomb.

The RC2000 can replace up to ten other remotes. It gets around the problem of remembering the functions assigned to its buttons by using an LCD screen to display user-defined labels next to the top set of buttons. The eight buttons identified this way can change functions by moving through four different "pages," so you can have up to 32 customized, labeled buttons assigned to each of the 10 remotes. That's enough to control pretty much *anything*. You can place all of the transport controls for your DVD player on one page, all the menu and navigation functions on another, and the custom disc setup controls on yet another. Or you could have separate pages for ceiling fan, window shades, lights, A/C, and so on.

Programming the RC2000 is fairly straightforward. You put the remote in learn mode, press the button you want to program, then press the button you want to record from your original remote. The original remote has to be a couple of inches from the receiver in the back of the RC2000, but it's pretty simple if they're both lying on a table. It's easy to change the labels on the 1" x 2" LCD too, but if you change your mind you have to erase each label one character at a time.

The feature list gets even more impressive. If you have a second RC2000, you can clone ALL the settings from one remote to another by pushing a couple of buttons. That's important because it can take quite a while to fully program the thing. It has a macro feature too, so you can string together several operations that will run at the push of a button. If you've got more than a couple of A/V components, you WILL eventually use the macros. In low-light situations, pressing any button will illuminate the LCD screen and all the keys for a few seconds. There's also a button on the side of the remote that you can use to keep the unit lit if you want.

I was entirely happy with the remote until I tried to program in a simple macro to run on a daily basis. That's when I realized there's no timer function, so you can't program things that will happen at a specific time. This one little thing would've made a world of difference and I couldn't believe Marantz left it out. A few months ago, Marantz came out with the revised RC2000 Mk. II. They've added channel up/down buttons, changed the placement of a few controls, and added an audible beep sound when buttons are pressed. Did they add a timer? If they did, they haven't seen fit to mention it anywhere.

The RC2000 beats the pants off of the touch-screen learning remotes, because you can easily identify its buttons by size, placement and feel. It's really too bad about the timer, because the RC2000 was *this* close to being my ideal universal remote. It has a well-designed layout, a fairly comfortable shape, and some excellent features. Without the timer, the RC2000 is just the best I've found so far, so my quest goes on. Just call me Diogenes.

- Andrew Sasaki [2/17/99]

Other universal remotes reviewed on Street Tech:

• RR990 Universal Remote [1/5/98, Rated: 4.0]
• Theater Master SL-8000 (Universal Remote) [9/27/97, Rated: 3.0]
• Hot Link (Remote Control Range-Extender) [12/17/98, Rated: 4.0]

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