SHRINKING ACT
Deluxe (and complex) home theater installations invariably include touchscreen
remote control systems from companies like AMX and Crestron that make using the
system simple. However, the touchscreen systems require significant dealer
effort in terms of programming and overall system design and interface, which in
turn makes them expensive. Occasionally, you’ll see more modest systems
controlled by affordable handhelds such as Philips’ Pronto and its variants.
These products offer system remote control, but their look and feel don’t come
close to the snazzy graphics and functional versatility of the posh touchscreen
systems. RTI hopes to change that with its T3 system controller.
RTI, a
remote control system vendor whose name you might not immediately recognize, has
been providing installers, consumers, and even equipment manufacturers with
handheld remote control solutions for years. The T3 represents a concerted
effort to fill the gap between affordable handheld remotes and their high-end
(and comparably expensive) full-sized touchscreen brethren. Not yet a retail
product, the T3 is sold by dealer/installers who do the programming for the
customer using companion software developed by RTI, and who can select from a
range of dedicated wired and wireless (infrared and RF) accessories to satisfy
all but the most demanding and esoteric audiovisual system installations.
No
larger, but perhaps just a smidgen wider than most system remotes, the T3
follows the tried-and-true half-and-half configuration—that is, the upper half
is a color LCD touchscreen, while the lower portion includes hard buttons used
for routine control functions such as volume, channel selection, menu/cursors
control, on-screen guide, and mute. Simply touching the screen or lifting the
remote instantly wakes it up and backlights the hard keys’ function labels and
icons in a pleasant amber color, perfect for low light or darkened room usage.
The supplied charger base can be tabletop or wall mounted.
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