Harman Kardon TC 30 Activity-Based Universal Remote

At CES 2006, Harman Kardon announced it is now shipping its TC 30 activity-based remote control, a highly advanced yet easy to use all-in-one universal remote that provides complete control of every component in a home entertainment system from a single remote. The TC 30 takes the place of multiple remote controls, and makes operation of even the most complex home entertainment systems as simple as pressing a single button.

Tom McLoughlin, Harman Kardon president, pointed out: “At Harman Kardon, we are dedicated to making the benefits of today’s most advanced audio and video technologies as easy as possible for consumers to enjoy — and the TC 30 exemplifies this commitment. It makes operating even the most complex audio/video systems effortless, and offers consumers ready access to their favorite movies, music and home entertainment.”

Unmatched Control Capabilities and Ease of Use
The sleek, ergonomically designed Harman Kardon TC 30 features a color LCD screen, logically grouped buttons and a five-way control pad. The TC 30 is activity-based and designed to operate the way people think. The TC 30 remote groups all the needed commands, such as “Watch TV,” “Listen to CD” and “Watch a DVD,” into unified activities. For example, to watch a DVD, the TC 30 can automatically turn on the user’s TV, receiver and DVD player, and configure the desired settings of all necessary components — all with a single touch of an Activity button.

The TC 30 can operate any component that responds to IR control, including TVs, DVD players, audio/video receivers, personal video recorders (PVRs), cable boxes and more — up to 255 home entertainment components and IR-controlled devices, including lighting, and systems for remote-controlled blinds.

The Harman Kardon TC 30 is simple to program and configure to the requirements of any home entertainment system. It connects to a PC or Macintosh computer via the computer’s USB port using the supplied cable, and the included Microsoft Windows XP/Me/2000/98SE and Mac OS X or later CD-ROM software establishes a link to a registration and setup area on the Harman Kardon Web site. Users are then guided through a step-by-step setup process, in which they are asked a series of questions about the components in their home entertainment system and how they are used. Control codes and operating information are then downloaded directly into the TC 30, automatically organizing the operation of the various home entertainment system components into a series of Activities. Control sequences for up to 15 Activities can be programmed, and no time-consuming manual entry of control codes or macro programming is ever required. The TC 30 also offers full IR-learning capability, in the event that the control codes for a particular audio/video component are not available on the TC 30 Web site.

Once programmed, a user simply presses one of the dedicated Activity buttons, such as “Watch A DVD” or “Listen to Music,” and the TC 30 automatically sends the necessary commands to the home entertainment components.

Users can also create personalized backgrounds, icons and text for the LCD screen, and the TC 30’s slim, ergonomic design, intuitive control layout, and backlit display screen and buttons make it truly user-friendly.

The TC 30 can also be updated and reconfigured to accommodate component changes in the user’s home entertainment system, or future software upgrades as they may become available. In addition, the Harman Kardon TC 30 Web site features an area where users can upload control codes from new audio/video components as they are introduced. Reflecting Harman Kardon’s commitment to offering the highest level of customer service, after a number of users submit the codes for a newly available component, the codes are then verified for accuracy and added to the database of downloadable control codes, ensuring that the database is kept up to date.

The Harman Kardon TC 30 activity-based remote control is currently available at a suggested retail price of $299.99. The TC 30 is supplied with a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, horizontal docking/charging station, software CD and USB connecting cable.