Button balancing actĪs usual Samsung sacrificed a bunch of direct-access keys available on its traditional clicker to make the Smart Remote smaller and more ergonomic. Like many new remotes the Smart Control uses Bluetooth to communicate with the TV, so you don't need line-of-sight or even to aim it at the television for it to work. The touch-to-activate-motion system is a boon here too, because menus that don't support touch become instantly recognizable: if the little motion cursor doesn't appear at your touch, it's time to resort to the four-way keys. Every key lives within easy thumb-reach, and for those apps and menus that don't support motion control, you drive between selections with a standard four-way cursor placed around the edges of the pad. I loved the vibe of the small-but-not-too-small Smart Remote, especially its subtly curved shape and ribbed backside. Its only other major functions are to enable scrolling, particularly on the Web browser, and to serve as the main "OK" or "Select" command with a downward click, which feels sort of like a mouse button. Unlike the kind found on a laptop or some other remotes, that little touchpad isn't used to move the cursor at all. ![]() It's a remarkably simple arrangement that takes about 10 seconds to assimilate and works beautifully in practice. ![]() Conversely, removing it from the pad deactivates the functionality. On Samsung's new remote, simply resting your thumb on the little concave touchpad wakes up motion control and summons the cursor. Like LG's system, Samsung's motion remote is remarkably precise and makes navigation of most menus and selections - especially the browser, and the onscreen, virtual remote and keyboard - swift and even kinda fun.īut one flaw in LG's design is the need to occasionally shake the wand to activate the cursor. ![]() This year Samsung copied LG's idea and then improved upon it. The little white ball serves as cursor in Samsung's system. Much like touchscreens seem the ideal interface for phones and tablets, and a touchpad or mouse rules the PC screen, a motion controller provides (in my experience) the best control over a lean-back Smart TV interface. You control a cursor by waving the remote at the screen, and once you get the hang of it, navigation can happen more easily and efficiently than with the standard method of clicking from one selection to the next, especially on a large screen with a lot of icons. Motion control for the winįor the last few years I've been very impressed by LG's motion remotes, which behaved a lot like a Nintendo Wii controller. The Australian version, for example, has a dedicated Soccer button. Button configurations and capabilities will also vary for non-US markets. My comments also apply to other Samsung TVs that have the remote, although higher-end TVs get the silver (as opposed to all-black) version, as well as a dedicated key for the Multi-Link (fancier picture-in-picture) function. Step-down models from the UNH6350 on down have a standard multibutton clicker. and maybe a sound bar and Blu-ray player - it works better than any included clicker at controlling it all, and can even make the process kinda fun.īefore I get into the nitty gritty, know that most of the following is excerpted from my recent review of the Samsung UNH6400 series, the cheapest of the company's TVs to include the new remote. But if you have a simple system - the TV, cable box/DVR. That doesn't mean I recommend it over a good universal remote, especially for power users with lots of extra gear they want to command from one clicker. Samsung's 2014 Smart Remote is all of those things and more, making it the best remote I've ever used on a TV. It sees constant use, especially if you do a lot of DVRing or perform other interactions beyond watching passively, and ideally it should be as simple as possible, intuitive and ergonomic. That said, the remote you use to control your TV and other gear is important. The remote included with that TV should be placed pretty far down the list of priorities. I'm the first to argue that a buying a TV should be about the combination of picture quality and value first, and everything else second.
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