Version: 2008
  • On The Insider: Britney's Bikini-Clad Top 10
advertisement

Philips Prestigo SRU8010
Reviewed by
John P. Falcone
on 08/17/2007
OVR FT SD ALT

See all Philips products

  • Quick specs
  • Remote control technology: Infrared
  • Supported devices: TV Amplifier CD player MD player DVD player DVD/DVR/VCR Satellite or Cable
  • Max operating distance: 23 ft
  • See full specifications

Add to my list Product summary

The good: Controls 10 devices; easy, wizard-based programming plus ability to learn from other remotes; large, superbright screen with 10 contextual hard buttons; as many as 10 customized channel guides with familiar network logos; plenty of buttons, including DVR specific keys.

The bad: Placement of video transport keys should be higher; advanced users will lament the absence of task-based control macros; may be too heavy or bulky for some tastes.

The bottom line: Philips' superb Prestigo SRU8010 will appeal to TV-centric users looking for a universal remote that's both affordable and easy to set up.

Read full review

Compare this remote control to:

CNET editors' review

  • Reviewed by:
    John P. Falcone
  • Reviewed on: 08/17/2007
  • Released on: 06/15/2007

Philips' Pronto line of universal remotes was once the pinnacle of home theater cool--supercustomizable touch-screen models with a dedicated community of users who shared icons, macros, codes, and tricks on many an online message board. In the face of stiff competition from Logitech's PC-programmable Harmony line, the Pronto line has since been rebranded as a boutique option, only available via custom installers. In its place, however, Philips has since rolled out the Prestigo line of consumer-friendly remotes. One such model is the SRU8010, which retails for about $80. It's not designed for high-end home theater use (those who want to program elaborate multidevice macros), but for everyone else--the other 80 percent of the population who are just looking for a quick and easy way to consolidate all those remotes on the coffee table--the easy-to-program SRU8010 deserves serious consideration.

The SRU8010 has received some winking notoriety for its separate "His" and "Hers" channel lineups, but those are 2 of 10 possible distinct customized channel slates, which can be personalized for individual family members or groups (kids, grandma) or for specific channel groupings or genres (movies, news, HD channels--whatever you'd like). The channel choices are shown on the brilliantly bright 1.5x2-inch color screen that dominates the top quarter of the remote. It's got 10 contextual hard buttons--five on each side--that correspond to the customized channel offerings. Even better, the channels can be set to show their familiar logos, so they're easily distinguished from one another. Personalizing channel or button names is easy--just type on the numeric keypad as you would when sending a text message on your cell phone.


The His and Hers channel lineups are just 2 of 10 possible options--a kid-friendly channel slate is shown here.

Beyond the screen, the Prestigo SRU8010 has a pretty standard button layout. A big five-way directional pad is flanked by large channel and volume up/down buttons, below which is the 12-key numeric pad. On the very bottom are the transport controls--fast-forward, rewind, play, pause, stop, and record--and interspersed throughout are some other critical keys, including ones that will match up perfectly for cable and satellite electronic programming guides (guide, info, menu, quit) and TiVo and other DVRs (replay, thumbs up/down, and advance). All of the buttons are rubberized, but unlike the mushy type found on many remotes, these are as close to hard plastic as we've seen. The only real miscue from an ergonomic standpoint is the location of those all-too-critical video transport keys. Because they'll likely be among the most used--for DVRs, DVD player/recorders, VCRs, and CD/audio players--they would've been much better placed toward the middle of the controller, directly below the D-pad. The numeric keypad should be on the bottom--with this remote's ample channel shortcuts, punching in channel numbers will probably be among the least used functions.


Button layout is generally good, but we would've moved the transport buttons from the bottom to the middle.

Programming the SRU8010 is a snap. In fact, it may be one of the most easily programmed remotes we've come across. Classically, programming remotes involved either typing in codes from an instruction manual or (as with the Logitech Harmony line) attaching the remote to a computer to upload device profiles and preferences. The Prestigo SRU8010 instead uses a wizard--on the built-in screen--that takes you through the process step by step. Just choose the device type you want to set up (it can control as many as 10). A wizard takes you through programming each device, step by step, with the color screen explaining each step. Just choose the manufacturer (it lists all the top names), then cycle through the available codes until you get a response.

Continue reading

Most helpful user reviews

Submit your review

Log in or create an account to submit your review for:

Philips Prestigo SRU8010

 ORLog in with your Facebook account
1. Rate this product:
(Mouse over the stars to rate this product and click to set your rating.)
2. One-line summary:(Summarize your review in one line. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 55 characters
3. Pros:(Tell us what you like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
4. Cons:(Tell us what you don't like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
Bottom-line summary:(Explain to us in detail why you like or dislike the product, focusing your comments on the product's features and functionality, and your experience using the product. This field is optional.)
0 of 5000 characters

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks are prohibited.
Click here to review our site terms of use.

Submit
advertisement
Click Here

Compare prices for Philips Prestigo SRU8010

This product is currently not in stock at any of our online merchants.

Email me when this product is available

advertisement

Recent user reviews

Submit your review

Log in or create an account to submit your review for:

Philips Prestigo SRU8010

 ORLog in with your Facebook account
1. Rate this product:
(Mouse over the stars to rate this product and click to set your rating.)
2. One-line summary:(Summarize your review in one line. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 55 characters
3. Pros:(Tell us what you like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
4. Cons:(Tell us what you don't like about this product. 10 characters minimum; required.)
0 of 250 characters
Bottom-line summary:(Explain to us in detail why you like or dislike the product, focusing your comments on the product's features and functionality, and your experience using the product. This field is optional.)
0 of 5000 characters

The posting of advertisements, profanity, or personal attacks are prohibited.
Click here to review our site terms of use.

Submit
advertisement
advertisement

Philips Prestigo SRU8010

Reviews & advice
Site map
Editorial policies
Meet the editors
How we test
Forums
Internet speed test
Popular topics
Apple iPhone
Apple iPod
Cell phones
Dell
GPS
LCD TV
CNET sites
CNET Site map
CNET TV
Downloads
News
Reviews
Shopper.com
More information
Newsletters
CNET Mobile
Customer Help Center
RSS
CNET Widgets
About CNET
sponsored