Home > Consumer Reviews > Harman Kardon TC-1000 Take Control System Controller

I really wanted to like the Take Control. The key innovation that this remote brought to the (coffee) table is task-based operation. Instead of dealing with lots of individual home theater components, it can be set up to work the way you do - "watch a movie," or "watch TV." This makes a complicated system accessible by anyone who wants to use it (read: wife, kids, friends), not just the resident equipment geek (read: me). The setup process is also greatly simplified - a wizard walks you through choices, you select what you have, and you're done! Great, right?

Yes. But. While the concept works, the software is not flexible enough to make it work the way you want it to work once you're finished with the initial set up. And, as many other reviewers have noted, the ergonomics leave something to be desired. This would be forgivable if it were less expensive, but at this price point, there is an alternative - the Philips Pronto.

The Pronto has two things going for it, and one major strike against it. The pros: it's infinitely flexible, and allows you to set up a task-oriented interface (the major plus of the Take Control) customized EXACTLY the way you want it to look and operate, even down to the graphic for the "home" icon. To help you make the most of the remote's power, there's a whole Internet community ready to give you completed set-ups and control codes (www.remotecentral.com) you can download into your remote, including Star Trek themes, codes and icons for French sattelite TV stations, and tabbed interfaces. The con: unlike the Take Control, initial Pronto setup requires this customization - you can't start with a wizard.

Note: It only took me 20 minutes to get an ugly but functional Pronto configuration set up, but you can spend months tweaking away - I'm still playing with the thing months later (it's fun!). For "set it and forget it" types, the Pronto is a bit too open ended for it's own good. Rumor has it Philips is working on an improved setup routine for a late 2000 update.

For some people, this product is expensive but perfect (hence my 3 star rating), but if you're willing to invest a little time playing with the thing, the Pronto is a much better product.

While Harmon/Microsoft claims that the TC1000 is the"one remote" answer for systems, the fine print notes that it may not control all remote features on specific products and that certainly is the case. Even with updated software, some codes for specific brands of electronics were incorrect and some remotes codes were unlearnable (leading to 2 add'l remotes along with the TC1000). Yes it looks cool, feels cool and has that neat touch pad, but when it all comes down to ergonomics, how many screens do you have to navigate between just to do what might have been 2 pushes on a standard remote? The TC1000 made a short stay in my home when it became apparent that sometimes elaborate technology can't always replace simple actions. It might be perfect for a highly sophisticated A/V system, but for the average consumer who is looking to replace 3 or 4 remotes with one and keep the button pushing to a minimum to make it all work, there are far better choices at significantly less of an expense.

I almost bought this remote. I am a strong follower of Microsoft products and I still have to speak poorly of this one. For the money, the Philips Pronto is a far better value. The Pronto will control any number of devices where the Take Control can handle only 15. Also, the Take Control is all text based that you scroll through, but the Pronto will let you design your own remote with any number of screens. You can even import better looking buttons. I highly recommend the Pronto.

What you gain in "cool" features like LCD touchscreen and computer interfacing, you lose in basic usability and functionality. Think about the features you most commonly use on your remote control; they should be instantly accessible. With this remote, you need to navigate through screens before you can control the right device.

If you're really considering a decent programmable, universal remote for the money, I recommend the Sony AV2000. This remote has 12 dedicated buttons to quickly jump from one device to another. It also has dedicated Channel +/- and Volume +/- control buttons; the Channel conveniently changes to the track/chapter skip +/- function when you choose DVD or CD.

The most serious shortcoming of the Sony remote, however, is that the display is hardly viewable without first activating the backlight. Nevertheless, give the Sony a try before you spend twice as much money on this remote.

The general idea behind the TC-1000 is a good one, but the product itself is much more trouble than it's worth. The unit is exceptionally annoying unless you invest a good deal of time in custom programming, and the software would try the patience of a saint. My TC-1000 was gathering dust for many months before I finally found the Philips Pronto, which is all that the TC-1000 ought to be (and a little more).