» Streamzap PC Remote Control

Streamzap PC Remote Control Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Workes great with mythtv
Comment: Bought it to use with my mythtv setup. Works great. The IR receiver is wonderful. I could control it with my regular TV (Sony SXRD) remote. The included remote is pretty good too. Nice feel to the buttons and feels comfortable to hold.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Unreliable driver, no customer service
Comment: OK hardware with a limited & unreliable driver. No customer service. I strongly recommend AGAINST the purchase of this remote.

Full review:

I am a professional software developer. I purchased this product to control a media PC running Beyond TV (on a dedicated Windows XP system). Key selling points were that the product advertised specific support for Beyond TV and also Girder (promixis.com) advertises support of the remote.

Initial impression was moderately favorable. The remote is packaged with a driver CD. A quick web-site check showed the CD to be current. The remote installed ok and immediately worked with Beyond TV.

Then I started checking the supported functionality and found that several Beyond TV functions were not supported. No problem I thought... I'd assign these functions to one of the 4 colored buttons at the bottom. Unfortunately, you can't even assign a keystroke to one of these. The driver supports only a limited, fixed, set of actions - and doesn't include the most obvious one - typing a keystroke.

Then came the driver problems. After everything looked OK, I left the PC and came back later. The remote no longer functioned. The red indicator on the receiver flashed (nice feature) but no action was taken on the PC. I tried to restart the supporting software with no success. Reboot of the PC clears the problem.

It seems that after a period of inactivity, the driver will go into a processing loop. On my dual-core machine, it maintains a steady 27% while in this state. Others postings on the net have confirmed this problem.

I've contacted their support - no phone number - only email. Other than an automated confirmation email, no response after 3 days. (Other users have reported the same.)

Bottom line - the hardware seems OK, but the driver is unacceptable. Even if the driver didn't get stuck, the limited, hard-coded functionality provided is weak (at best).

I strongly recommend AGAINST this remote.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Probably the best remote for Linux on the market.
Comment: This is simply the best supported remote on Linux, pretty much any software project that allows the use of a remote will have at least the streamzap supported out of the box.

Apart from that it's also incredible value for money, just consider that building your own IR receiver would probably set you back 30$ just in parts. And that's without the remote.

Also note that you can use any IR remote you want with the included receiver, in case you've got your eye on a regular universal remote.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Needs to Mature
Comment: I found several issues with the remote/software combination. I tried to solve them with the Girder add-on and found issues there as well. The first and most serious issue is that the software is designed to be compatable with specific versions of applications. This means that when a new version of an application is released, it will take several months for the next release of the StreamZap software to become compatable. Althougth Girder can be used to create new commands, it takes a long time and expert level knowledge to complete. In addition, the Girder software is a driver between the StreamZap and the application intended for control. This adds unacceptable delays between the time the button is pressed on the StreamZap and the resulting control of the application. This becomes a significant issue using the pause function.

The second issue is the driver (.sys) that is used with XP Pro. Every once in a while, it will hang (Blue Screen of Death) the computer during a restart. I found that disconnecting the USB IR device during restarts will eliminate the issue. This is very bad for anyone that is thinking of remotely restarting XP Pro. One hung start and you are stuck without support until you get home.

The third issue is with a lack of programmable keys. The four pretty color keys at the bottom can only start executables, batch files, etc. or place the remote in "mouse" mode. If the "mouse" mode were more advanced, it might be of use. The mouse mode does not include "scroll wheel" simulation or mouse special function button compatability or the ability to simulate keyboard keys. In many cases a new Loghtech RF mouse with lots of special function buttons will out perform the StreamZap and can simulate keyboard keys. The only thing missing from the Logitech advanced mice is the nice "TiVo" like shape of the StreaZap.

---

Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Item; Limited Software Development
Comment: If you want to control over 100 different PC audio players (i.e. Winamp, Window Media Player, JetAudio, Foobar, etc) without sitting right in front of your monitor, the StreamZap does this very well. Installation is a snap, the infrared receiver that plugs into an available USB port is small, and the device is easy to configure with the included software. Four function buttons along the bottom of the remote can be setup to automatically launch programs. You get the basic controls of Play, stop, FF, REW, volume, etc. Navigating the pointer on screen with the StreamZap is possible, but rather clunky. My suggestion is to setup playlists. Trying to navigate files and folders with the cursor via the remote can be frustrating.

My only concern is that StreamZap is not actively updating its software as audio applications evolve to newer versions. My one instance with tech support was less than stellar with a suggestion that I look into downloading an application called LM Remote ([...]) to add functionality beyond StreamZap device drivers. Not a big confidence builder.

Overall, the StreamZap is a very good value. Once you figure out how to best utilize the remote, it is a real pleasure to use. When I am in the leather recliner with my headphones on, the StreamZap allows me to navigate through a playlist without ever having to get up.

---

More Reviews for Streamzap PC Remote Control