Customer Rating:  
Summary: Spend some money
Comment: This is serviceable but a very dumb remote. You are better off getting a logictech harmony if you have the money. I don't know why with four wireless controllers the remote couldn't rely on that tech rather than having a clear line of sight and IR.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Awesome Controller!
Comment: This controller makes watching DVD's on the XBOX a whole lot easier than using the game controller.
Customer Rating:
Summary: It's great
Comment: Got this mainly to watch netflix. It's awesome. Much better than using the regular gaming control.
Customer Rating:
Summary: My Netflix Controller!
Comment: I purchased this remote purely for controlling Netflix on my Xbox 360. After dealing with the frustrations that come with using the standard game controllers for video control, I decided the Microsoft IR remote would be worth a try at such a cheap price.
Fast forward, rewind, pause, stop, etc. all work as they should without having to hit a green button and then arrow over and select as you do with the game controllers.
The remote never has to be powered on and you do not have to wait for it to come on as with the game controller. This is why it is an IR device and not a Radio device, folks. If it wasn't made to work this way it would be a major battery hog.
It works fine for me 15 feet away from my forward facing Xbox which is on a shelf at shin height at a 45 degree angle from where I lounge on my couch. I'm not sure why others have had issues with it.
Auto Programming it to work with My Samsung Plasma TV was no issue. Power, Volume work fine. Channel changing is not a concern as the Xbox is hooked to HDMI I have set to GAME MODE on the TV so it doesn't change channels in this mode regardless of the remote. I change input with the TV Remote to go to the Cable Input.
One thing I wish Microsoft had designed into the Software of the Xbox and the Remote's hardware is a single button to switch between the screen settings in video mode: Standard, Full Screen, Stretch, etc. This is one thing I still have to do via the green button and arrowing over if the video doesn't fill the screen when playing.
I don't use the Xbox for DVD viewing, as frankly that just wears on the box needlessly, so I cannot speak of the DVD control use of the remote.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Makes your 360 a much more functional multimedia player
Comment: This is a very functional remote for the Xbox 360. I got it because I often use my 360 as a media player, watching .avi's off of a USB hard drive (a must have for anyone that watches downloaded television and movies). I also sometimes stream videos to my 360 from Netflix (highly recommended), which has a very annoying interface to navigate with a controller. If there is a hiccup in the internet connection while watching something on Netflix, you lose a second or two of video and you have to back up. This was particularly annoying as you had to rewind by gently pressing down on the left trigger. Push too hard and you go to 160X speed rewind and have to wait twenty seconds to rebuffer when you resume. This remote gives you a much higher degree of control when rewinding and navigating menus. It can also controls your television, which is useful. The inclusion of the A, B, X, Y, and XBOX menu buttons make this thing fully capable of browsing any menu Xbox live can throw at you, be it Netflix, Next FM, the Marketplace, or any of the other random and mostly pointless content Microsoft puts on there to sell ad space.
The backlit keys are a useful addition as well. The buttons are fairly responsive, and it has the advantage of always being "on", so you don't have to wait five seconds for your wireless controller to power up before you can pause. One thing to be aware of however is that this remote uses an inferred sensor to communicate with the 360, unlike the wireless controller which uses radio waves. Because radio waves don't have directivity, the wireless controller will function anywhere within a 20 foot (or more) radius. This isn't the case with the remote. This remote has a particularly focused beam, meaning it must be pointed right at the inferred sensor on the 360 console (the black oval next to the two memory unit slots). If there isn't a direct line of sight between you and that sensor, then it won't work. Pointing the remote takes some getting used to if you (like me) have gotten spoiled on the controller, which works from any position or angle. I like to watch stuff on my 360 while I exercise and shoot pool. I was irritated to find that I had to move my console up higher and rotate it so that I had a clear shot at the sensor from across the room. Keep this limitation in mind before you buy.
All in all this is a very decent remote for the ten bucks I shelled out for it on Amazon. If you use your 360 to watch anything more than the occasional DVD then you should really consider this remote. Don't let controller keep you from enjoying all the great multimedia features the 360 has to offer. 4.5 / 5 stars.
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