Category: Streaming Players

Wireless Technology

The Science behind Wireless Technology

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Wireless technology has been around for over a hundred years. The invention of this technology was the combination of efforts by several famous scientists, each contributing toward specific areas of electromagnetism and electromagnetic fields. From their contributions came about the inventions of the radio and television. The main concept of wireless is to transmit a signal, data, or other information through the air using electromagnetic waves.

One of the biggest steps toward developing wireless technologies is attributed to James Maxwell, a Scottish physicist, who first theorized the relation between magnetism, electricity, and electromagnetic fields. In fact, these theories are still used today with modern wireless technologies, while they do work slightly differently.

Infrared Technology

Infrared was one of the first wireless technologies developed. It uses infrared beams to transmit information short distances and is very limited. This technology works well in remotes used for TVs, DVD players, stereo systems, garage door openers, and more.

Wi-Fi Technology

This type of wireless technology is able to transmit data at fast speeds in homes and businesses, and even in public areas. As such, it has become the preferred method for accessing the Internet by many people.

Bluetooth Technology

Bluetooth is a wireless technology that works over short distances and allows people the ability to control what types of devices are connected with each other. It does transmit data at fast speeds as found in smartphone, computers, TVs, universal remote controls, video gaming consoles, and other such devices.

4G Technology

4G is the latest wireless technology used with cellular enabled devices. This wireless technology works similarly to how radio and TV signals are transmitted. While the technology has improved, and is reliable for texting and talking, it can still be slower than other wireless technologies when accessing the Internet.

As you can see, our lives have gotten easier, thanks to wireless technologies and remote controls. For universal and remote controls for your electronic devices, call Replacement Remotes now at 1-855-5-REMOTE (1-855-573-6683).

Source:

http://www.itworld.com/article/2802953/mobile/a-brief-history-of-wireless-technology.html

The Vizio E480i-B2 — Smaller Price Tag with Great Quality

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If your new TV budget isn’t quite as large as you hoped, 2014 still offered some great TVs for less than $500, including the Vizio E480i-B2. This 48-inch TV and its corresponding TV remote control offer plenty of bang for the buck, even with its lower price tag. No, you won’t find all of the features of the pricier televisions, but you will find a great picture display and plenty of the most essential features to make this TV fit your needs.

  • This is an LED television that features local dimming. The improved LED technology allows this TV to give you a vibrant picture with distinct blacks, whites, and colors, and clear definition. Yet, you don’t have to pay an outrageous price to enjoy picture quality that rivals many higher-priced models.
  • While this television doesn’t boast the prettiest design, its remote features a useful layout and smaller design, making it easier to grip.
  • This TV also has some of the most essential features, including HDMI and USB ports, as well as a good assortment of applications, such as Hulu Plus, YouTube, EBay, and Twitter.
  • Advanced picture settings allow you the freedom to adjust the already-great display even further, creating a magnificent picture that will give you viewing pleasure for years.

With the great picture and the lower price tag, this Vizio television is a must-have for anyone looking for an affordable TV without having to sacrifice quality.

Contact us at Replacement Remotes to learn more about different TV models and their included remotes.

The Sony XBR-65X950B

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Sony is known for fine things, and this HDTV is one of the brand’s finest. Because this 4K TV is recently released, it retails for $7,000. That is a lot of dough to just hand over, but if you want a top of the line TV and the latest technology, this is what you have to be willing to pay. This TV features full array LED backlighting and multi-zone local dimming, which gives it the deepest possible black levels for a non-plasma HDTV. Along with the deep black levels, the TV features excellent contrast and screen uniformity.

This XBR-line TV is massive; so much so, that you need a very large stand for it. Instead of a stand, like smaller HDTVs, it comes with triangular legs that go on the very ends of the bezel. Even with the funky legs, it looks great perched on the stand. The bezel is thicker than other models, but this set is all screen, regardless of the bezel. The included high quality remote gives the user full access to all the features this TV has to offer.

Pros:

  • Excellent contrast
  • Deep black levels
  • 4K upscaling
  • Fully featured Smart TV suite

Cons:

  • Webcam does not function well
  • Extremely large and cumbersome
  • Color requires initial adjustment

Bottom line:

If you have the money, this is an excellent TV set. You get a full set of features and 4K resolution for about the average price for this size of TV.

For more information about the best and worst TVs and remotes, contact us at Replacement Remotes.

Introducing the JVC DM85UXR

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JVC’s new offering for 2015 is the DM85UXR. This HDTV is massive, at 85 inches, and it has an equally massive price tag at an estimated $7999.00. There’s no word of what its TV remote control is like, yet, but it’s likely pretty decent, considering the price tag alone of this TV. This TV offers 4K resolution and more dimming zones than its previous models. The dimming zones total 64, with the 65-inch option having a mere 32. In theory, this means this JVC model should offer much more contrast.

Aside from the 4K resolution, this TV offers a lot of extras. JVC claims that it offers a topped-out 240HZ refresh rate, all thanks to their CrystalMotion Pro motion compensation engine. In addition to the excellent refresh rate, JVC includes a 4K upscaling engine with this build. As far as other features go, the DM85UXR comes with 5 HDMI ports. Four of the ports are compatible with the next advance in HDMI technology, HDMI 2.0 and HDCP 2.2. This means this HDTV will work with the new 4K Blu-rays and players that should eventually enter the market in the coming years.

Packaged with the DM85UXR is the Roku Streaming Stick, which offers 1,500 plus channels. The other two extras are a QWERTY remote and Wi-Fi, both of which are generally common in higher-end TVs. The available images of this TV show it with a barely-there bezel and a two-piece chrome stand. Once the TV is released, we’ll be able to provide more details on whether or not you should take the plunge.

For more information on the latest and greatest HDTVs and remotes, contact us at Replacement Remotes.

4K TV Spotlight: Panasonic AX802

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The Panasonic AX802 is a 4K TV that offers impressive features and a handy touchpad Bluetooth TV remote control. You’ve probably seen how little of a difference the 4K resolution makes on most TVs; however, this is not the case here. The 50 inch model offers up an impressive picture with deep blacks and a very wide color range. It even offers an info bar that stays on standby until someone enters the room and triggers its sensor. It should be noted that this TV is very heavy.

The TV sits atop a counterweight stand that is slightly behind the massive screen. It makes the screen appear to float above the stand, which is a nice touch. The metallic edge on the frame is also a nice element to the design of this attractive TV. The Smart TV suite is one of the best available and offers many streaming services. Unfortunately, the Netflix 4K service is not yet compatible with this TV. The remote is a small touchpad, which users will either love or hate.

Pros:

  • Excellent Smart TV suite
  • Great picture quality
  • Good looking design
  • Deep black levels
  • Excellent color range

Cons:

  • Netflix 4K is not compatible
  • Some users found remote awkward
  • Edge lighting is uneven

Bottom Line:

This TV is an excellent example of a 4K set that delivers. This is one of the better Panasonic TVs they have produced since they stopped making plasma TVs. It is an upgrade, and a much better 4K TV overall, compared to the previous year’s WT600 model.

For more TV and remote reviews and advice, contact us at Replacement Remotes.

4K TV Spotlight: The Toshiba L9363

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The Toshiba L9363 is a good budget 4K TV, but the TV remote is a real let down. The TV does offer a bright picture with good color performance. It does have some issues with motion blur and sluggish menus. The TV costs less than $5,000, which is attractive, since many 4K TVs are going for prices way above what the average person would pay for them. In fact, some TVs were selling for as much as $40,000. So, if you can deal with a less than perfect picture, and you have to have a 4K TV, this might be the one for you.

The design of the Smart TV menu leaves a lot to be desired, but it is a good start for Toshiba. Unfortunately, the overall design of this TV is plastic and cheap. It does not look or feel like a TV that costs as much as it does. However, the thin bezel along the front of the screen is a nice touch. The remote looks and feels cheap, too. It is sluggish and feels spongy when you press down the keys.

Pros:

  • Low price
  • Good bright display
  • Color performance is good

Cons:

  • 4K resolution does not help picture quality
  • Poor 3D support
  • Low black levels
  • Sluggish menus and not so good Smart TV suite

Bottom Line:

The picture performance of this TV is not so good considering the price tag. It is not a good value compared to some of the 1080p TVs available on the market.

For more TV and remote reviews and advice, contact us at Replacement Remotes.

The Sony Bravia KD65X9005B Reviewed

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The Sony Bravia KD65X9005B is bulky, but offers a good picture. Instead of just one TV remote, it comes with two. The TV does have top of the line picture quality, but the overall design is questionable. It comes with a Smart TV suite, but it lacks a lot of apps. Aside from the missing apps, the Smart TV menu offers an easy to use interface. It also has 3D, but the performance of this system is iffy at best. It does offer 4K or UltraHD video and has very good sound quality, but, for this, Sony sacrificed design.

Let’s face it: this TV has some design flaws. Most people either love it or hate it. The TV is extremely wide for a 65-inch model. So wide, in fact, that it will not fit on most stands suited for 65-inch TVs. However, it does offer additional slots to place the stand to accommodate it. It has several speakers on the sides, which have shiny black housing that is very distracting. The wedge design makes the TV look odd and, again, some people will either love it or hate it. The remotes are excellent, and they are almost as good as Samsung’s similar models. The TV offers a basic wand remote and a smart clicker that has a touchpad and motion control.

Pros:

  • Excellent picture quality
  • Deep black levels
  • Great sound quality due to massive speakers
  • Excellent remotes

Cons:

  • Design is too bulky
  • Smart TV system lacks apps
  • 3D performance could be much better

Bottom Line:

This is a decent TV, but some of its features could stand to be better. For the money, you’re better off with a HDTV that offers better features and a less-bulky design.

For more information about the latest in televisions and their remotes, contact us at Replacement Remotes.

The High-End Samsung UNHU8550 Series

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As with only high-end Samsung TVs, the UNHU8550 series comes with two remotes for better viewing pleasure. This 4K TV model is of the high-end price range, from $6,000 to $9,000. For the price, this HDTV has an excellent picture. Surprisingly, the price for this TV is much less than some other brands’ offerings on the 4K market. It has a flat screen, versus the strange, curved screens that several other brands have introduced. This Samsung TV also features the OneConnect upgrade path, which means that it is somewhat future-proof.

The HU8550 is very minimalistic in nature. It has a low-profile stand that makes it look like it is hovering over the entertainment console. The base is brushed metal, and the TV features a barely-there thin black bezel. With the bezel being so thin, the TV appears to be all screen, which is a very good feature. It comes with Samsung’s standard wand-style remote, but it also includes the updated motion control pod remote. This little clicker fits in the palm of the hand and allows fluid use of the motion control.

Pros:

  • Excellent picture quality
  • Deep black levels
  • Accurate color
  • Offers the best connectivity yet for 2014 TVs
  • Excellent remote
  • Many extras, including Smart TV

Cons:

  • Very expensive TV
  • Advantages of 4K resolution is unknown

Bottom Line:

If you have to have a 4K TV and cannot wait until next year, this is a solid model, and it offers a lower price than some. It has a great picture quality, but, with little 4K content on the market, whether or not it is worth the money is questionable.

For more information about newer TVs and their remotes, contact us at Replacement Remotes.

The Samsung F5500 Series

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Those who appreciate a good clicker will love the TV remote that comes with this Samsung plasma. The best quality of this HDTV involves the features that come with it. It offers a Smart TV suite, Web browser, upgraded remote, and more to consumers. However, for the $2,800 MSRP, you could get a lot more TV. It does offer active 3D, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi. Another excellent feature of this TV is that it is energy efficient.

The bezel of this plasma set is black with a clear plastic trim around the edges. The stand is something to see. It has a four-pronged appearance and looks rather cheap. You can grab the feet and turn them in your hands. This seems like it would pose a problem, but gravity holds it down on the stand quite well. However, the TV does swivel. The standard remote is the Smart Touch Remote Control. It features a touchpad that is responsive. It also offers a microphone, so you can do a voice search through the menu.

Pros:

  • Excellent features for the price
  • Excellent performance
  • Very good black levels
  • Smart TV
  • Web browser
  • Active 3D
  • Energy efficient

Cons:

  • Horrible bright room picture
  • Inaccurate color
  • Poor sound

Bottom Line:

This is a decent plasma TV, but it has a lot of issues. The horrible bright room performance is enough for many consumers to not use the TV. Since most people would rather not watch TV in the dark, this TV is not a good value with the features.

For more great information about TVs and their remotes, contact us at Replacement Remotes.

The Panasonic TC-L65WT600: Ultra HDTV

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This ultra HDTV comes with 4K resolution, two remotes (a standard remote and a magic remote with touch control and voice control), and a large price tag of $5,000. This is a lot of money to spend on just one TV. It is one of the few 4K TVs that is compliant with the new HDMI 2.0. The input it accepts is 60 frames a second, which is super-fast. Its picture quality is pretty decent, as well as other attributes of the picture and color. The TV does come with many extras, too.

The TV’s design is a mishmash of glass on metal. The sides of the TV are brushed silver and plastic, which is supposed to mimic glass. The stand is a barely-there silver band that looks like it can barely hold the weight of the TV. However, it does so gracefully, but still leaves more to be desired — such as the ability to swivel. The remotes that come with this TV are similar to others that come in only high-end designs. One is a touchpad that has Bluetooth and a microphone for voice searches. The second remote is a standard remote with backlighting and all the buttons you could ever ask for.

Pros:

  • HDMI 2.0 compliant
  • Good picture quality
  • Accurate color and deep black levels
  • Great bright room image
  • Interesting design and stand
  • Excellent remotes
  • 3D and 3D glasses (2 pairs)
  • Voice interaction and camera
  • Smart TV suite

Cons:

  • Poor value for price
  • Local dimming causes washout

Bottom Line:

This is a great TV, but, for the price, it is not worth it. For $5,000, you can find a much better TV at 1080p resolution that works much better and which has a great picture.

For more great information about this TV and other similar models, contact us at Replacement Remotes.