One For All Kameleon URC-9960 LCD Touchscreen Remote Control
- Type: Universal Learning
- Universal Remote Control Type: Learning
- Broadcasting Type: IR
- Devices Controlled: 8
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299
Great All-In-One Remote, But Not For Me
Pros
Controls up to 8 devices. Easy to program. Upgradeable. Very cool looking.
Cons
Major battery hog. Not quite at configurable as I was hoping.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Really cool remote, but has some limitations. Eats batteries.
I'll admit it -- I purchased the One For All Kameleon Remote Control with ulterior motives. We have a unique home theater set-up that includes a DVD recorder, region-free DVD player, VCR, receiver (for our surround-sound system), and the television (of course). We control all of the above with 4 separate remotes, and words cannot adequately express how much I would love to control everything with a single remote. Unfortunately, I wasn't sure whether or not the Kameleon would allow for 2 DVD players, or if it could even handle a DVD recorder. So I purchased the Kameleon as a Christmas present for my gadget loving father, who is married to my mechanically-declined mother. Whenever I visit my parents I am endlessly amused by my mother's fumbling attempts to control their own set-up (which only includes a TV, DVD player, and VCR -- controlled via 3 remotes). I figured I could get my Dad a really cool gadget gift that would be perfect for them, however as they enjoyed it I could also determine whether or not it would work in my own home.
Product Description:
The One For All Kameleon is a universal remote that can control up to 8 different devices! It has a smooth, flat-panel face that lights up to display touch-screen buttons in a variety of configurations depending upon which device you are trying to control. Overall, it is a pretty slick idea.
There are 8 "Device" keys that can be programmed to control various components. The 8 keys and the devices they can control are:
TV - Television
DVD - DVD Player, TV/DVD Player Combo, or DVD/VCR Player Combo
VCR - VCR or TV/VCR combo
CD - CD Player or home automation
Audio - Audio amplifier, audio receiver, or "home theater in a box" device
CBL - Cable box (Converter), satellite receiver, or satellite/PVR combo
PVR - PVR/DVR (Tivo, DVD Recorders, etc)
AUX - The "aux" key controls a video accessory or second device (such as a second DVD player, satellite receiver, etc).
When you press a "device" key, the remote's screen will change to display that device's menu-buttons. Some devices have more than one screen, so you can press the "scroll" button to move between the various menus. For example, pressing "TV" brings up the TV-Main Menu, where you can control general things such as volume and channels. Pressing "TV" again takes you to the "TV Menu" screen, where you can control your television's menu features via navigation buttons. A third "TV" menu control's TV PIP (picture-in-a-picture) features. The "audio" functionality consists of 4 screens, "aux" has 2 screens, "VCR" has 2 screens, etc.
Another mode, called "Home Theater Mode", is a customizable mode that groups your most-often-used keys together (like how we do channel-changing via our DVD recorder and volume control via our receiver) on a single menu for easy day-to-day use. Another handy-dandy ease-of-use feature is the "volume lock" -- which allows you to lock the volume controls to a single device (such as our receiver) regardless of which menu is currently displayed (so if we are playing a DVD or watching television, the volume controls will always control the volume of our receiver instead of the television or DVD player, which is exactly what we would want).
The remote also has 4 programmable macro buttons that allow you to program frequently used sequences of keystrokes together so you can activate them with the touch of a single button. In "Home Theater" mode, you can also set the "power" button to turn on or off up to seven devices with a single push of the button (so we could turn on the TV, DVD player, and receiver all at once).
The "nice to have" buttons are there too -- including "previous channel" (something mysteriously lacking on our upstairs television), picture-in-picture controls, and a "favorites" button where you can program in up to 10 favorite channels for quick-scanning. DVD nice-to-have buttons include subtitles and audio formats, and Audio buttons include testing of surround-sound channels.
Another great feature -- the Kameleon remote can learn functions directly from your old remotes. Simply place the Kameleon head-to-head with the old remote, select the key you want to be programmed, and press the key with the functionality you want learned on your old remote. The Kameleon will intercept the code from the old remote and record it. Anywhere from 16 to 25 keys can be learned (depending upon the code being learned). Another cool feature is "key mover" -- which allows you to copy keys from one mode to another (for example, if your DVD player doesn't have volume keys, you can map the volume controls over from TV or Audio onto the DVD menu). That process is a bit time-consuming (you must do the map once for each key you want copied), but could be quite useful.
One of our main concerns about the Kameleon was that we were afraid it wouldn't allow us to control our 2 DVD players. We were very relieved to discover the "AUX" key, which basically is there to allow for duplication of device control. To use the "AUX" menus to control a second device (such as a 2nd DVD player), you must "reassign" the default keys to control the desired device (which is pretty simple to do).
Setup is pretty quick and easy. You can look up and input device "codes" (from the instruction manual) for each of your components, or you can hit the "search" button and have the remote search for the correct code itself.
When the remote is "off" the entire face of the remote is empty. When the remote senses movement (such as someone picking up the remote) the screen lights up to display a menu. There are 5 levels of brightness you can choose from. Because it lights up, using the Kameleon is a breeze even when the lights are off.
The Kameleon has a memory backup, so even when the batteries go dead the codes, macros, and learned functions are stored in "permanent" memory and will still be there even after the batteries are removed and replaced.
Another concern we had was how to keep up with advances in technology -- in other words, if this remote must rely on "codes" from the user's manual, what happens if I upgrade my television in a year or two -- how can the remote control something that wasn't even available at the time it was manufactured? Of course, there is a solution. The Kameleon has a unique feature that allows new codes to be added to its memory over the telephone (land-lines only -- no mobile phones). It can download these new codes without needing plugs, adapters, or attachments of any kind!
For best results, the remote should be within 12 feet of the equipment you are trying to control.
The Kameleon requires 4 "AAA" batteries (not included).
Our Experiences:
My father was thrilled to receive his ultra-cool-looking Kameleon on Christmas day. He had it programmed in no time, and my mother was able to grasp the concepts very quickly. They loved it and used the heck out of it for approximately 3 weeks -- because that's when the battery went dead. Because the entire face lights up whenever it is used, the batteries drain much faster than a those in a normal remote. Also, they were using the remote downstairs in a high-traffic area, and on hardwood floors with no carpet to muffle the vibrations, the remote would light-up whenever someone walked by (admittedly, my Dad isn't skinny, but he isn't excessively overweight either). My father didn't want to find himself replacing the batteries every 3 weeks, so the Kameleon was banished to their upstairs TV-viewing room where it is a bit less useful (it replaced 2 remotes rather than 3, and they don't watch TV up there as often). If there was some way of setting the sensitivity, or even turning motion detection off and allowing the remote to be turned on via a separate power button, I'd bet the batteries would have lasted much longer and it would be much more useful to them.
Another thing that I wasn't completely happy about -- the controls are not quite as programmable as the smooth, blank screen might imply. Upon first seeing the remote, I had visions of starting with a blank slate for a given device, adding my own "buttons" in whatever location on the screen I desired. That isn't how it really works, however. There actually is just a base keyset that is the same on every device's screen -- it's just sometimes the "key" lights up for a given device, with one "label" or another, and sometimes it doesn't. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this, of course -- with the keys all preset setup takes a much shorter amount of time, however the overall scheme makes it a bit less programmable than what I was really hoping for.
After much playing around with the cool little Kameleon, my husband and I ultimately decided that it was not the remote for us. Although we were pleased that it would indeed accommodate 2 of a given device (using the "AUX" menu), and that it could handle our DVD Recorder, we were ultimately not-as-happy with the features provided on those menus, and decided that it would not quite give us all the functionality we would need (thus we would still need to keep our DVD Recorder's remote handy). Of course, some of this functionality could be "learned" by the Kameleon, however we would then need to remember which of the keys we had re-programmed for these alternate functions. Other (much more expensive, unfortunately) remotes do allow for one to make new keys and label them appropriately, something the Kameleon doesn't allow.
We purchased my Dad's Kameleon new off of eBay for $50, but they retail (at electronics stores like RadioShack) for $79.99.
Final Thoughts:
This is definitely an extremely cool universal remote, but it isn't without problems. If you have a fairly straightforward home theater set-up, then I highly recommend the Kameleon with the one reservation that it is an extreme battery hog. The ease of programming, ease of getting updated codes, and ultra-cool-looking-yet-compact design make it a really great little device. Unfortunately, if you have a slightly wacky home theater set-up and are willing to spend a bit more set-up time and a lot more money, there are more complex universal remotes out there that may serve your needs a bit better. At any rate, the Kameleon is a really nifty remote that will probably solve the multiple-remote conundrum for most home-users.
Manufacturer's Website:
http://www.mykameleon.com/
Product Description:
The One For All Kameleon is a universal remote that can control up to 8 different devices! It has a smooth, flat-panel face that lights up to display touch-screen buttons in a variety of configurations depending upon which device you are trying to control. Overall, it is a pretty slick idea.
There are 8 "Device" keys that can be programmed to control various components. The 8 keys and the devices they can control are:
TV - Television
DVD - DVD Player, TV/DVD Player Combo, or DVD/VCR Player Combo
VCR - VCR or TV/VCR combo
CD - CD Player or home automation
Audio - Audio amplifier, audio receiver, or "home theater in a box" device
CBL - Cable box (Converter), satellite receiver, or satellite/PVR combo
PVR - PVR/DVR (Tivo, DVD Recorders, etc)
AUX - The "aux" key controls a video accessory or second device (such as a second DVD player, satellite receiver, etc).
When you press a "device" key, the remote's screen will change to display that device's menu-buttons. Some devices have more than one screen, so you can press the "scroll" button to move between the various menus. For example, pressing "TV" brings up the TV-Main Menu, where you can control general things such as volume and channels. Pressing "TV" again takes you to the "TV Menu" screen, where you can control your television's menu features via navigation buttons. A third "TV" menu control's TV PIP (picture-in-a-picture) features. The "audio" functionality consists of 4 screens, "aux" has 2 screens, "VCR" has 2 screens, etc.
Another mode, called "Home Theater Mode", is a customizable mode that groups your most-often-used keys together (like how we do channel-changing via our DVD recorder and volume control via our receiver) on a single menu for easy day-to-day use. Another handy-dandy ease-of-use feature is the "volume lock" -- which allows you to lock the volume controls to a single device (such as our receiver) regardless of which menu is currently displayed (so if we are playing a DVD or watching television, the volume controls will always control the volume of our receiver instead of the television or DVD player, which is exactly what we would want).
The remote also has 4 programmable macro buttons that allow you to program frequently used sequences of keystrokes together so you can activate them with the touch of a single button. In "Home Theater" mode, you can also set the "power" button to turn on or off up to seven devices with a single push of the button (so we could turn on the TV, DVD player, and receiver all at once).
The "nice to have" buttons are there too -- including "previous channel" (something mysteriously lacking on our upstairs television), picture-in-picture controls, and a "favorites" button where you can program in up to 10 favorite channels for quick-scanning. DVD nice-to-have buttons include subtitles and audio formats, and Audio buttons include testing of surround-sound channels.
Another great feature -- the Kameleon remote can learn functions directly from your old remotes. Simply place the Kameleon head-to-head with the old remote, select the key you want to be programmed, and press the key with the functionality you want learned on your old remote. The Kameleon will intercept the code from the old remote and record it. Anywhere from 16 to 25 keys can be learned (depending upon the code being learned). Another cool feature is "key mover" -- which allows you to copy keys from one mode to another (for example, if your DVD player doesn't have volume keys, you can map the volume controls over from TV or Audio onto the DVD menu). That process is a bit time-consuming (you must do the map once for each key you want copied), but could be quite useful.
One of our main concerns about the Kameleon was that we were afraid it wouldn't allow us to control our 2 DVD players. We were very relieved to discover the "AUX" key, which basically is there to allow for duplication of device control. To use the "AUX" menus to control a second device (such as a 2nd DVD player), you must "reassign" the default keys to control the desired device (which is pretty simple to do).
Setup is pretty quick and easy. You can look up and input device "codes" (from the instruction manual) for each of your components, or you can hit the "search" button and have the remote search for the correct code itself.
When the remote is "off" the entire face of the remote is empty. When the remote senses movement (such as someone picking up the remote) the screen lights up to display a menu. There are 5 levels of brightness you can choose from. Because it lights up, using the Kameleon is a breeze even when the lights are off.
The Kameleon has a memory backup, so even when the batteries go dead the codes, macros, and learned functions are stored in "permanent" memory and will still be there even after the batteries are removed and replaced.
Another concern we had was how to keep up with advances in technology -- in other words, if this remote must rely on "codes" from the user's manual, what happens if I upgrade my television in a year or two -- how can the remote control something that wasn't even available at the time it was manufactured? Of course, there is a solution. The Kameleon has a unique feature that allows new codes to be added to its memory over the telephone (land-lines only -- no mobile phones). It can download these new codes without needing plugs, adapters, or attachments of any kind!
For best results, the remote should be within 12 feet of the equipment you are trying to control.
The Kameleon requires 4 "AAA" batteries (not included).
Our Experiences:
My father was thrilled to receive his ultra-cool-looking Kameleon on Christmas day. He had it programmed in no time, and my mother was able to grasp the concepts very quickly. They loved it and used the heck out of it for approximately 3 weeks -- because that's when the battery went dead. Because the entire face lights up whenever it is used, the batteries drain much faster than a those in a normal remote. Also, they were using the remote downstairs in a high-traffic area, and on hardwood floors with no carpet to muffle the vibrations, the remote would light-up whenever someone walked by (admittedly, my Dad isn't skinny, but he isn't excessively overweight either). My father didn't want to find himself replacing the batteries every 3 weeks, so the Kameleon was banished to their upstairs TV-viewing room where it is a bit less useful (it replaced 2 remotes rather than 3, and they don't watch TV up there as often). If there was some way of setting the sensitivity, or even turning motion detection off and allowing the remote to be turned on via a separate power button, I'd bet the batteries would have lasted much longer and it would be much more useful to them.
Another thing that I wasn't completely happy about -- the controls are not quite as programmable as the smooth, blank screen might imply. Upon first seeing the remote, I had visions of starting with a blank slate for a given device, adding my own "buttons" in whatever location on the screen I desired. That isn't how it really works, however. There actually is just a base keyset that is the same on every device's screen -- it's just sometimes the "key" lights up for a given device, with one "label" or another, and sometimes it doesn't. There are both advantages and disadvantages to this, of course -- with the keys all preset setup takes a much shorter amount of time, however the overall scheme makes it a bit less programmable than what I was really hoping for.
After much playing around with the cool little Kameleon, my husband and I ultimately decided that it was not the remote for us. Although we were pleased that it would indeed accommodate 2 of a given device (using the "AUX" menu), and that it could handle our DVD Recorder, we were ultimately not-as-happy with the features provided on those menus, and decided that it would not quite give us all the functionality we would need (thus we would still need to keep our DVD Recorder's remote handy). Of course, some of this functionality could be "learned" by the Kameleon, however we would then need to remember which of the keys we had re-programmed for these alternate functions. Other (much more expensive, unfortunately) remotes do allow for one to make new keys and label them appropriately, something the Kameleon doesn't allow.
We purchased my Dad's Kameleon new off of eBay for $50, but they retail (at electronics stores like RadioShack) for $79.99.
Final Thoughts:
This is definitely an extremely cool universal remote, but it isn't without problems. If you have a fairly straightforward home theater set-up, then I highly recommend the Kameleon with the one reservation that it is an extreme battery hog. The ease of programming, ease of getting updated codes, and ultra-cool-looking-yet-compact design make it a really great little device. Unfortunately, if you have a slightly wacky home theater set-up and are willing to spend a bit more set-up time and a lot more money, there are more complex universal remotes out there that may serve your needs a bit better. At any rate, the Kameleon is a really nifty remote that will probably solve the multiple-remote conundrum for most home-users.
Manufacturer's Website:
http://www.mykameleon.com/
