Philips Prestigo SRM7500

For home-theater fanatics, something as simple as a remote control can become an object of true obsession. Philips hopes to cater to compulsive clickers with its new Prestigo SRM7500, a programmable device that controls not only your home-theater gear, but your PC, too. The $199 remote control offers some fairly sophisticated features, but is also easy to use.

VIEW ALL PHOTOS IN GALLERY

Unlike most of the company's universal remotes, the SRM7500 is designed primarily to control your PC—as evidenced by the giant green Windows button you'll find dead center. In Microsoft's Media Center (which was a standalone operating system until the company built it into Vista) the green button serves as an anchor, returning you to the main screen from wherever you are in the file structure. Lost a folder somewhere among your many music files? Push the button. Ending a video and want to start a new task? Push the button.

The layout of other keys around the green button is nice, though fairly conventional. To earn the right to use that Windows logo, Philips had to abide by certain Microsoft stipulations about layout and number of buttons. And so beneath the main transport controls you'll find four buttons to guide you to common Media Center features: one brings up the guid

Philips Prestigo SRM7500 : Remote with USB Receiver

A rather sizable USB dongle connects the stylish SRM7500 to your PC. It links via RF, and therefore doesn’t require a line-of-sight connection, so feel free to hide the dongle in back of your PC.

Philips Prestigo SRM7500 : Size Comparison

It may seem large, but the remote’s shape is perfect; the buttons you’ll want to use most—features like play, fast forward and the green Windows button—fall right under your thumb.

Philips Prestigo SRM7500 : The Full Remote

The SRM7500’s screen is black and white, not color, meaning it’s limited to text content and little pictures. Either way, it doesn’t do too much…yet. When Philips eventually writes SideShow software, the screen will become far more useful.

Philips Prestigo SRM7500 : Initial Setup Screens

The remote contains integrated set up software which walks you through connecting to your PC. Once that link is established, it walks you through adding up to six other devices, such as a TV or stereo.

Philips Prestigo SRM7500 : Macro mode

The setup menu lets you combine several remote signals into an "action," such as watching a DVD. Then a single button press can switch channels on the receiver, turn on the PC or DVD player, and press the play button.

Philips Prestigo SRM7500 : PC Mode

At present, the SRM7500 uses giant icons to inform you of which device you’re controlling. In theory, SideShow support will transform this interface.

Philips Prestigo SRM7500 : TV Mode

I added a Sony television to the remote. You cycle through devices by pressing the Mode button at top right.

Philips Prestigo SRM7500 : The Music Feature

Press the Music button (at the top left corner) and you can browse and control your PC’s music files. I’m fond of the totemic Artists icon.

Philips Prestigo SRM7500 : Now Playing

Once you’ve started a file, such as this Yo La Tengo song, you’ll see the media info briefly on screen. You can control playback with the remote’s standard transport controls.

About Our Expert

Jeremy Kaplan

jeremy_kaplan@ziffdavis.com

Jeremy Kaplan is a former executive editor for PC Magazine and co-host of the Fastest Geek competition. He also served as Editor of GoodCleanTech.com. Kaplan helped to determine overall editorial direction, managed staff, and shaped the editorial calendar. Prior to this, Kaplan succumbed to his inner geek, launching the spin-off publication ExtremeTech Magazine. During this time, he helped popularize the Fastest Geek competition, where contestants compete to assemble a computer from parts as quickly as possible. Kaplan graduated from Vassar College in 1996, majoring in both English and Psychology. He lives in Bedford Stuyvesant, a brownstone neighborhood in Brooklyn, with his wife, his Vespa, and two cats.

Read the latest from Jeremy Kaplan

Read full bio