I will post a few thoughts on the RC9800i after having a couple days to play around with a demo unit. I will touch on a few areas and then will be happy to answer questions about the remote.

First the overall look and feel to me is excellent. I was pleasantly surprised at the size since it was smaller than I expected. Looking at pictures it seemed as though it would be larger and bulkier than what it is. It also feels very sturdy and solid enough to withstand falls. In addition it fits comfortably in my hands and was easy hold. The screen is very crisp, sharp and easy to read. The touch screen is also very responsive and accurate even when touching some small buttons during programming.

Setting up the remote was easy to figure out. You go through a series of questions. First you tell the 9800i the rooms you would like to control. Then you choose your equipment for each room. Finally you program the codes for each piece of equipment. When programming the codes for your equipment you can either have it auto scan or learn the codes from your previous remotes. I used auto scan for setting up my equipment. The 9800i will run through a series of codes and when you equipment responds you tell the 9800i by tapping a button that says �my equipment responded�. You then test the codes for different commends to make sure you selected the right one. It may take several tries on some equipment that have several possible codes to make sure all commands work properly.

I have played around a little with the network abilities of the 9800i so far. It located my wireless network and connected to it with no problems. You can download and personalize a TV schedule directly onto you 9800i. To set this up you need a wireless network and a free registration at Phillips website. During registration you enter you zip code and answer a few questions like do you have over the air, cable or satellite service. You will then see all the channels available in your area and can easily uncheck ones you do not want downloaded TV listing from. This is very easy to setup and not only cool to use but also convenient.

If I can answer any questions feel free to ask. I hope this brief review helps and gives you some idea of the abilities of the RC9800i.

You might have seen the other thread where I've determined that Linux and BusyBox are running on the remote. These pieces of software are licensed under the GPL and as such you as an owner of a remote are entitled to an offer to get the source (by mail order, download, or whatever).

Have you seen any mention of the GPL in the documentation or an offer to order or download the GPL software that is running on the remote? Is there a CD distributed with the remote that includes the source code?

Dear Magick,

The RC9800i ships with a CD-rom which contains the source code of the GPL software.

regards
RC9800i Team

in the web site sign up does it allow for other countries?

The link to register for the electronic program guide is below. The EPG is available for other countries. If you go through the registration you can find out if your country is supported.

[Link: homecontrol.philips.com]

You register along the right side column.

Magick,

There is a source code folder included on the CD that ships with the RC9800i.

HIDEF Lifestyle,

Could you zip that folder up and email it to me rc9800i@magick.org? Or make it available to download somewhere?

So HiDef, I guess the program guide is by Room on the remote? If I'm in the den I have a different program guide than when I'm in the bedroom? Or does it just so an intersection of all channels?

The components are seperated room by room (nice feature which makes it simple to switch which room the components are in too). The program guide is setup by what service you have (cable,satelite,etc) then is universal throughout the home.

I've got a ton of pictures of my unit at:

[Link: cgi.ebay.com]


if you want to see one in person....

Hi HIDEF Lifestyle
any chance to buy and for post one to the UK ? (my birthday end of the month...) ;-P

Jerome,

We do not usually ship outside the U.S. but send an email with your city and zip and I will get you a shipping quote. Mention this post in your email.

Jerome, HIDEF,

The RC9800i is built with logic onboard to keep the status of the equipment. The US model does not contain the necessary logic to deal with products connected through a SCART cable in europe as it triggers input switching. Secondly the US model contains the code database for the US and not for Europe.

We are writting the software as we speak and the European RC9800i will be available in September.

Regards
The RC9800 Team

I've spoken with an owner of one of the remotes. His CD-rom directory structure looks like:

\Acrobat reader
\Bin
\Bin\demo32.exe
\Bin\Rc9800i.dbd
\manuals
\PMM
\PMM\setup.exe
\quick_start_quides
autorun.inf
intro2.avi
Setup.exe
Setup.ini

Where on this CD would I find the GPL software?

Edit: My bad... it appears this is the CD from a demo unit used by a beta tester. I guess demo units did not ship with GPL software?

This message was edited by Magick on 06/16/05 08:22 ET.

Ha ok, thanks to Hideflifestyle (Mike M) & the rc9800i team(now get back to work ;-P)
my old pronto needs to retire... :-)