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User reviews for the One For All URC-9900 Director (Mosaic) from One For All.
Ratings
Reviews
MSRP (USD)
Average: 3.74/5.00 Median: 4.00/5.00
18
$199
The One For All Director is a 15 device touchscreen LCD remote control with learning, 21 macros, custom button labels and more. Also known as the UEI Mosaic.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 3 made on Friday June 29, 2001 at 3:39 PM.
Strengths:
The unit seems ok out of the box. It is a little large. THe screen is ok, but not great. The biggest bonus is that I got it for $135.00 on ubid.com! I am not sure if it is worth all that.
Weaknesses:
Memory! The thing ran out of learning functions after programming three remotes! NO TIVO SUPPORT. You cannot remove buttons from the preprogrammed screens! No support for my bedroom stereo (panasonic bookshelf), with limited support for my top o the line kenwood (that has it's own LCD remote). Keys are generic after programming. I lost all the data twice (once when locking, once when programming it). Takes a LONG time to get it up and running. BIG HEAVY body. Theater option is worthless. Screen times out too fast. No bitmap support. No PC support. To much at list price.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 2 made on Saturday January 13, 2001 at 4:49 PM.
Strengths:
Nice feel and overall design. Large touchscreen, enough for my fat fingers. Lots of room for buttons on a single screen. Intuitive interface. Free upgrades (for now)
Weaknesses:
Memory doesn't appear to support much upgrading. Upgrading the database for just one brand takes over 10% of the memory. I never really liked the typical LCD displays. They haven't changed much on this model since the first digital watch came out, except for the contrast adjustment wheel. I would prefer the blue over this sea green color. Backlight and display doesn't stay on long enough resulting in extra screen taps to keep the display up. This should really be user definable but it's not. This unit is way too pricy for a market that has high end PDA's for less money.
Review:
I write this review two days after I first opened the box to give you a new users perspective.
My initial impression was 'this is way too complicated', however once I jumped into it, it was actually quite user friendly. I made a few missteps like programming my devices in the wrong order (you can't reorder the device buttons once you have them set) but I just deleted and started over. This actually helped because the second time around I was a little more savvy and self assured. I deftly ran my fingers over the glowing console to the sound of chirps and blinking of lights. Before I knew it 2 hours had passed and viola! All my 8 remotes had been programmed to perfection. Each device in the proper order and each function waiting it's turn to serve me.
I will have to leave durability and longevity for another user to define. In my humble opinion, they should issue one of these to every man on his 18th birthday.
Ken
p.s. I purchased this unit on the 'marketplace' forum right here at remotecentral.com at a significant savings over current retail offerings. Thanks to all the folks at remotecentral for this wonderful website.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 1 made on Tuesday October 31, 2000 at 5:18 AM.
Strengths:
The URC-9900 is fully loaded. The dot matrix screen allows for labeling up to six characters per key and device name. The remote has a huge database of devices listed and you can have up to 15 devices. The device names are listed, instead of having to enter a code like before. However, the remote still gives you the option to enter a code if you like. The backlight is just perfect for low lighting conditions. The display is large and easy to read. The contrast control is something that is hard to find on many LCD screens nowadays. I find that the length of IR emission is longer than in my older OFA remotes as well as wider. The remote is very user friendly with many help screens. I like that the remote's keys change depending on which device and brand that you are on. For example if you have a certain TV that uses the 'enter' key, the 'enter' key will pop up, if you have a another TV that doesn't use the 'enter' key, it won't show up. The remote is very ergonomical with a housing for the stylus and the Channel and Volume keys placed as hard keys. The case and touchscreen are very tough and do not scratch very easily. The remote seems to have a large memory so that you can add many keys to each device through learning or key magic(which uses those confusing advanced codes from OFA). The learning function is easy, quick, and allows for labeling any new keys learned. The Director's labeling option gives you the option to choose from a database of about a hundred different symbols and allows you to use either uppercase or lowercase letters. The LCD touchscreen is sensitive so I don't have to press hard on the screen. It also gives you a utility to align the touchscreen if it gets out of whack after awhile of use. I use the macro functions to put shortcuts to TV stations on my remote. I can assign 3-4 to a key labeled with the name of whatever cable station goes there.
Weaknesses:
I paid $399 for the Director! A little steeper than I expected to pay. I honestly don't think it is worth more than $200 for the features that are offered. The remote's processor is kind of hesitant and slow when entering the remote's menus-especially the more stuff you add on to it(it isn't slow when you do the normal remote functions, though). The remote has frozen up on me once. After the remote's memory got below 50%, the remote said that the memory was compacting and would take a few seconds. Well, that ended up being several minutes and one long screeching noise coming from the remote later, until I decided to take the batteries out and lost all of the learned information that I had previously stored, like the macros and the learned keys. The remote's instruction manual leaves off important details about the remote such as...the memory indicator, what does it do? Can the software in addition to the codes be upgraded, because it gives a software version number on the about screen? And what password do I need for support that was supplied to me by the distributor? I wasn't given any password at all at the time of purchase! The remote could also use a clock and a timer function like on the OFA Producer remotes.
Review:
The One for All Director Remote Control has many admirable features such as keys that change for your specific device. You may have up to 15 devices in any combination on the remote. The remote allows for you to look up your device by brand name, code, or by search method. The home theater function lets you combine all of the remote's functions into one. Learning and Macro functions, as well as labeling of these functions keep you from having to push more keys and having to find your original remote for tracking. I find these features wonderful, but I still can't believe how much I paid for it. If OFA lowers the price to around $200, I believe the remote will sell more. With the remote being well over $300, it is going to be a hard seller. OFA makes some of the best remotes around. I have been using their remotes since they debuted around ten years ago. Their remotes last long and their device library is the largest I have ever seen. OFA is the only remote control brand that has all of the functions of your original remote stored in their remotes through their "advanced function codes." This is the best remote I have seen come from OFA this decade so far. If you don't mind paying over $300 for this remote and you are in the market for a good remote control, I seriously suggest you purchase one of these.
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