Have you ever wanted to know how the universal remote got started? Well, despite popular opinion, the very first remote that could be classified as a universal is General Electric's Control Central (hmm) RRC600. This innovative remote was released way back when in 1985 and could operate up to 4 components with full code learning capabilities. I recently acquired one of these in brand-new condition and thought it would be great to take a retrospective look back at the universal remote's roots.

So, today I'm pleased to present a complete review of the GE RRC600. Knowing what we know now, it's amazing how advanced the RRC600 really was: plenty of memory, an LCD screen with text labels that changed the function of several hard keys, automatic punchthroughs and more. Interested in a quick look? You'll find the link below, but don't ask me where to buy one... they haven't been made in well over a decade!

Read all about it!

Easy Zapper adds some Intrigue
Easy Zapper, makers of the Harmony remote control, have recently changed their name to Intrigue Technologies Inc. The Harmony is still (of course) sold as the Harmony, but last week Intrigue sent out a press release indicating that they've added additional private funding for marketing and development of the Harmony and their SST (Smart State Technology), which keeps system devices in sync. This, in itself, may not be particularly interesting to the average reader. But it does indicate that the Harmony may soon be appearing in a mass merchant near you, with further new Harmony models down the road. We can only wait...

To talk about the Harmony, visit the chat forum.

MX Editor Update
Owners (or custom installers) of the Home Theater Master MX-700 will find a new version of MX Editor released via Live Update a short time ago. Changes include:

• TAB and DELETE keys can be used to move quickly through the LCD button editor from pages.
• Dialogue boxes no longer close by pressing ENTER.
• After learning signals, the pull-down IR code window will show the old code's name in brackets. This can help locate new codes, mostly on hard buttons.
• Some minor IR database upgrades.

For more information, visit the chat forum.

Control your PC from any remote.
Home Electronics has announced a new product called Ira. This compact infrared adaptor plugs into any PC's infrared port and will receive infrared commands from almost any remote. Those commands can be translated into any command that can be executed by a keyboard or mouse via software such as Girder (included with the Ira), IRAssistant and LIRC. The compact device receives infrared in the 36 to 40kHz range. For more information, visit www.home-electro.com.