The Ray Super Remote is the universal remote that looks like it belongs in 2015

[Shawn Knight]

Finding the perfect universal remote for your home theater is no easy task. Logitech’s Harmony line is the natural choice although admittedly, it’s not for everyone. If you’re looking for something that feels a bit more modern, then have a look at the Ray Super Remote.

With only a few physical buttons, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the Ray for a smartphone. It features a 4.8-inch touchscreen display that handles most tasks. For example, the remote can display a channel guide with DVR style controls. It’s also possible to search for shows by name or filter results by genre.

While it’s true that some cable providers offer apps that turn your phone into a remote, keep in mind that this is a dedicated solution that’ll always be on hand (assuming you don’t misplace it). Best yet, just like other universal remotes, it can control a myriad of home theater gear as well as streaming boxes like Roku and even an Xbox.

Traditional universal remotes have been around for years but often times, they can be difficult to program – especially if they don’t have a display. The Ray remote utilizes a form factor and UI that feels comfortable and familiar to most.

The Ray Super Remote shares something else with other high-end remote: a high price tag. Expect to shell out $199 for the experience. It’s available for pre-order as of writing.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/59795-ray-super-remote-universal-remote-looks-like-belongs.html

 

[gcarter]

In my humble opinion, the best solution is the original Microsoft MCE Remote

http://www.mythtv.org/wiki/MCE_Remote

Couple that with Kodi (xbmc for us old skool) and you have the only remote you ever need
... well apart from the remote to switch the tv on!

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

What's with the obsession with touchscreens? People sometimes like to adjust the volume or something else without looking away from the screen. For this you need buttons you can feel. Not to mention older users (like 55 and up) often need glasses to read small print and knowing button locations can really help.

They do this in cars too... hard to use touchscreens when a button would serve just fine. I'll bet if touchscreens were the old technology we'd all be excited about how well the 'New' Button remotes worked.

 

[9Nails]

What's with the obsession with touchscreens? People sometimes like to adjust the volume or something else without looking away from the screen. For this you need buttons you can feel. Not to mention older users (like 55 and up) often need glasses to read small print and knowing button locations can really help.

They do this in cars too... hard to use touchscreens when a button would serve just fine. I'll bet if touchscreens were the old technology we'd all be excited about how well the 'New' Button remotes worked.

Volume is on the side as a hard button. So is power. I totally expect those to be physical buttons. So I'm glad to find that they are. But for TV stations and shows, I find large icon's of what I'm looking for to be easier to find, over some row and columns of numbers. Honestly, I tend to forget which channel shows are on. And it's nice just to press Sheldon's face and not have to remember that Big Bang Theory is on channel 8 or 9, or was it 6?

For this remote I like the design, the size, and the price. But it looks easy to lose. I hope that it has battery life and a pager button that you can attach to the TV for when you lose this little thing.

 

[Guest]

Whoever comes up with a downloadable software like this (to be used with smart devices w/ built in IR) will kill both this brand and the logitech harmony lineup.

 

[cliffordcooley]

It would be nice to scroll options, without disturbing everyone else in the room.

 

[yRaz]

I can see a merging of smartphones and universal remotes in the near future