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User reviews for the TheaterTouch T2 from Remote Technologies Inc.
Ratings
Reviews
MSRP (USD)
Average: 4.40/5.00 Median: 4.50/5.00
10
$649
RTI's TheaterTouch T2 is an advanced PC-programmable learning remote control that features a backlit keypad and LCD screen, complex macro functionality, standard rechargable battery, optional RF control module with up to 60 zones, status sensing modules and a lot more.
The reviewer has used this remote control for more than two years.
Review 10 made on Saturday August 21, 2004 at 4:09 PM.
Strengths:
Solid build, nice hard-key layout
Weaknesses:
Limited screen programmability, screen size
Review:
I have installed two RTI T2 remotes which have both developed bad screens with a small section of the screen no longer responding to touch. RTI replaced both remotes for $120 each. Other than those glitches, no other problems to report. Nice remotes, more difficult to program than the Pronto family.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 9 made on Saturday April 3, 2004 at 9:23 AM.
Strengths:
Solid feel, well designed, and easy to use. Particular strengths include the tilt switch function and the fact that you can use hard buttons without the screen turning on.
Weaknesses:
Lack of hard transport buttons. No ability to assign buttons globally (like volume.)
Review:
I received my Theatertouch T2 about a week ago from AVSmarts.com as a grand prize in a remotecentral.com contest. First off I'd like to say thanks to AVSmarts for the generous prize, and thanks to remotecentral.com for sponsorinig the contest and this fantastic website!
Upon opening the box and checking out the remote, I was struck by how solid this remote is. It has a nice weight to it and it is very sturdy. The batteries weren't charged up, so I had to wait at least 12 hours to begin programming. Dang! In the meantime, I went to RTI's website and downloaded the latest version of Theatertouch Designer. After the first battery was charged, I was off!
I'm not an installer, but I'm not a complete newbie either. I have some experience with programmable remotes and found Theatertouch Designer to be very easy to use and quite intuitive. No worries there at all. I decided to start by learning all of my existing remotes. I started with the easiest of these which is the TV. After going through the learning process, I went to try it out. Nothing. Hmmm. Tried a couple more times with the same result. So I hit the forums here and did some research and found that there have been remotes (at least early on) that had some quality control issues. Did I have one of those? Well, it was a Saturday, so I'd have to wait until Monday to call tech support. So I kept playing.
One feature of the learning function is to test the last code learned. I tried that function and the remote worked. Okay, so the LEDs likely aren't dead. Try again. Still not working. After a while, I decided to start poking around the software a bit more, and ultimately discovered that the remote is defaulted to RF mode and not IR mode. Hey, that might have something to do with my problem...
I was able to program the remote in no time. I decided to organize my program around my components and not around "functions" (like Watch a DVD) except for favorite channels. I used a few macros for power functions and favorites, and it was all extremely easy to do. I didn't have the problems that others had with learning codes--all of my remotes were learned error free on the first try. I kept the remotes out of direct sunlight and kept them as close together as the strength meter allowed. Just like butter.
All in all, I am very satisfied with this remote and generally agree with the reviews that others have posted with one exception--I haven't had any problems with the remote at all and am very happy with the quality. I also have a Sony Marantz RC9200 and so far, I like the T2 much better. The strengths and weaknesses I've noted aren't new, but meant to bolster what others have already said. Next up--RF...
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-2 years.
Review 7 made on Saturday July 13, 2002 at 7:59 PM.
Strengths:
excellent combination of hard and soft buttons- very easy to program, very versatile-
Weaknesses:
the RF remote interface needs some simple mods (add bulkhead BNC connector for remote antenna)
Review:
I have tried numerous remotes and still rely on the RTI-T2- the best yet- I like to tweak my system and the T2 software is very user friendly and quick
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 6 made on Sunday March 10, 2002 at 2:37 PM.
Strengths:
Hard Buttons combined with touchscreen. Computer software is very easy to use. Macros, Marcos and more macros. 2 count em 2 not 1 rechargable batteries included. Very easy to use. Even my wife can use it.
Weaknesses:
None so far
Review:
I have tried several remotes including marantz rc5000i, rc2000mkII, Mx-1000, and a slew of others. The cost of the Rti is a bit higher then the rest however I wish I would have just bought it 2 years ago when I wanted it and saved myself tons of cash. :) This remote is the best I have ever owned and even after being on the market 2 years it's still kicks butt over all the other remotes I have owned. Marcos on every button, RF capable. Very very fast. WOW is all I can say. The 900 Canadain I spent is the best I have spent on my Home theater. Way to go RTI
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 5 made on Monday October 16, 2000 at 5:03 PM.
Strengths:
Great software, powerful macros, combo of touch screen and phsyical buttons, and expandability to add the IRF-6 for RF support.
Weaknesses:
Expensive, Learning IR codes is tough, lack of phsycial buttons for transport controls (play, pause, stop, ect)is kind of a bummer.
Review:
I am very impressed by the RTI remote, it has surpassed all my expectations.
I love the combonation of hard buttons and an LCD screen. This is perfect for managing those device specific buttons so common with most equipment.
I switched from the Pronto for a few reasons, the biggest being TiVo. Navigating TiVo's menus is a common task in my every day TiVo use. This is very difficult to do without hard buttons. The RTI remote handles this will ease and makes using my TiVo a joy.
This is a sturdy remote, I have dropped it a few times now and it survived with flying colors. It is well balanced and seems to fit in my hand well.
I like the layout of the remote too, though I would change a few things. I would add transport controls and potentially loose the number pad. I understand why the number pad is included but I find that I very rarely have use for one would have prefered the space to use generic buttons instead.
I was worried that the LCD screen would be way to small and that it would not satisfy me. I was pleasantly surprized when I started programming the remote. I discovered that because there are plenty of hard buttons, I need far fewwer LCD buttons. I generally put six buttons per LCD screen and fit all the common buttons on a single screen. The nagiation between LCD screens is pretty painless, that is great for accessing the less often used functions. I do wish that there was one more colum of buttons bringing the total to nine, but I am happy with what we have.
The software for the Theater Touch is phenominal. I did not have any trouble picking it up and am already happy with my configuration. I love the support for macros included in the software. I am particularly pshyched about the ability to detect double click's, toggles, and when you press and hold a button. These features can lead to some great macro's.
I use the double click detection to control how the "pwr" button behaves. One click turns on my equipment, and a double click turns everything off.
I also use it for my TiVo. If you press the fast forward button three times you will end up at 60x fast forward. I worked things so that a single click of my fast forward button will send a single fast forward key press. I made a double click send out three fast forward key presses to get to the maximum speed.
This was helpful for a number of reasons. It saves a key press on a common function, and it feels faster than manually hitting the button three times and waiting for the TiVo to respond. It is hard to describe, but I am very happy that it was possible with the software.
I did have a difficult time getting my remotes learned. I decided not to bother learning the IR codes and used the undocumented feature that lets you import Pronto IR codes. If you press F12 in the IR manager the option to convert a Pronto IR code becomes available.
I am very glad I picked up the RTI Theater Touch remote, and would easily recomend it to anyone looking for hard buttons and the flexibility that a touch screen can provide.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 4 made on Friday October 13, 2000 at 4:19 PM.
Strengths:
Graceful conbination of hard buttons and touchscreen; ease of programming.
Weaknesses:
Finicky IR learning; no timers; high price
Review:
I own several remotes: Marantz PC2000MkII, HK Take Control, Phillips Pronto; Sony RM-AV2100; Sony RM-TP503 (which came with my DA777ES receiver); One for All URC-9800; and the RTI TheaterTouch T2. (Must be a Daniel Tonks wannabe.) I'm not sure I can add much to Daniel's reviews on the individual units, but perhaps the collective experience would be of some interest. I'm putting this in the T2 section because that's the "winner" - the remote that I use every day. I'll discuss them in the order in which I acquired them.
I started with the Marantz. It didn't do anything right out of the box since I didn't have any Marantz components, but it was very easy to feed it all of the commands from by original remotes. This unit has zillions of buttons with symbols on them and a small LCD that labels some other buttons--it's not a touchscreen. It worked right away for me, but it feels unwieldy, and the soft button lables are hard to read. Had I been less finicky (or poorer) I would have been able to use it happily for a long time.
I next got the HM Take Control. The TC is at the opposite end of the spectrum in its design - it has a very few hard buttons and a touchscreen where you can create your own buttons. Out of the box it's surprisingly quick to get a minimal level of control over your system, but that's hardly worth doing - you end up with a lot of commands scattered almost randomly over many screens. To do anything useful, you need to fire up your computer and do some programming.
The HK practically insists that you set up the remote by "activity" rather than by device. The makes a good deal of sense - if you're watching a DVD, for example, you're likely to want to send some commands to your receiver, some to the TV, and some to the DVD player. But it also calls for a lot of thought and imagination to get it right. If you're like me, you learn what commands you need over time, and need to do a lot of fine-tuning in order to get things right.
That puts you in the grip of the worst feature of the TC, which is its horrible software. It's not that it's exactly hard to use - it's annoying to use. To keep things simple, the designers have decided to assume that you're a moron, and that your can't process much information. Everything in the software is menu driven, and you often need to mavigate several different menus for each step. I might have been willing to put up with this once, but as I tried to use the TC and thought of tweaks I should make to my configuration, I'd usually pass on them because I didn't want to fuss with the software.
The TC hardware also leaves something to be desired. The touchscreen is unresponsive, and the whole unit feels awkward to me.
In sum, while I felt that I should like the TC (if I was a better and more diligent person), I never got it working well enough to help me forget the frustration of wrestling with the software, and after a month or two the TC got put in a drawer and I went back to the Marantz.
Next I got the Pronto, and was almost in love. Out of the box it doesn't do much, but it's possible to make it do pretty nifty things without hooking it up to a computer.
That would be a mistake, however. The Pronto comes with software that is worlds better than the TC, both in power and usability. You can also download scads of useful stuff from other users from the files section.
I still use the Pronto to do some things that the T2 won't do. For example, I have programs that supervise the process of moving books on tape from tape to Mini-disc. The programming on the Pronto badly needs a few things - some simple looping would be nice, and I have many uses for pauses that are measured in minutes rather than seconds, but none of my other remotes allow me to set the system to wake up in the middle of the night, capture something to Mini-disc, make a tape copy, and then go back to sleep.
I worked for a while with the Sony TP503, but I never quite saw the point. It's a two-way remote, and it seemed that it might be possible to do some clever things with my mostly-Sony system, but nothing in it tempted me away from the Pronto.
I got the Home Producer 8, which is supposed to have some RF capability, with the idea that I'd keep it in the study to control the components in the living room, but I had a hard time getting it to do anything very useful, and I quickly gave up.
By the time I got the Sony AV2100 I was just interested in remote controls, and thought I'd like to play with it, but I didn't really expect it to supplant, or even supplement, the Pronto. I was pleasantly surprised. The AV2100 is easy to set up (especially with my Sony stuff), and I found that what seemed to be its greatest weakness is really something of a strength. When there's only one way to do something, you don't worry about doing it better. I was beginning to be a little less satisfied with the Pronto - it was powerful, but it wasn't simple, and every time I used it I was reminded of the clever things that I knew that I could make it do but hadn't figured out yet. I kept the AV2100 around because, while it didn't do as much, it did a perfectly competent job, and it didn't mock me.
With the T2, I think I've found remote happiness, at least for now.
The T2 takes some time to set up. It doesn't do anything without a computer, and you have to fuss with the software a good deal before you can even start learning for your other remotes.
The learning process is a weak point. The T2 is the most finicky remote I have for learning. I finally gave up on learning some buttons from the remote for my Toshiba TV, and used the undocumented method described in the T2 forum for transfering learned codes from the Pronto to the T2.
The T2 strikes a nice balance between hard buttons a touchscreen. Most of the functions you need can be logically assigned to hard buttons, but you can also program things on a small touchscreen. There is much less flexibility on the T2 - there are only 12 user-definable buttons on each screen, and it's better to use only six larger buttons so that they'll be easy to press.
In spite of these annoyances, in about three hours of fussing with the T2 over two days I managed to create a remote that actually does what I want it to in a reasonably elegant way. None of my other remotes ever got to that point, and some of them consumed much larger amounts of my free time.
The T2 is large and a little heavy, but it's well-balanced, and it's a pleasure to use. I can think of some things that I'd like to have: a timer function, long pauses for programs, and especially better IR learning are high on the list. But as compared to the Pronto, the T2 really shows that less is more. It does less, but it does enough. It also does it much more gracefully, and with much much less effort.
Get the Pronto if you enjoy programming your remote more than you do using it on your AV system, but for everyone else, get the T2 if you can afford it, and the Sony RM-AV2100 if you can't
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