If you have invested in a top of the line home theater system, you are most likely looking to replace the 4-7 different remote controls that came with the components. And, if you happened to have bought Denon A/V product, you might want to take a look at Denon RC-7000CI. Denon is known for their high end receivers and DVD/Blu-ray players. Back in 2007, Denon released their version of the universal remote to compete with the offerings from Logitech, Sony, URC, and Phillips. Does it live up to the Denon’s quality?

Features

Denon RC-7000CI comes equipped with monochrome LCD screen and can operate up to 16 different devices. The remote control can operate in IR or RF with the optional RF base station. On top of the usual programmability, the owners of Denon products will be able to see various information through the LCD screen. The programming itself can be done through PC via USB cable. Each hard button can be programmed as well.

Design

The design doesn’t deviate too much from any other universal remote control. The layout is excellent with each hard button differentiated from others by size and shape. The directional button, volume/channel buttons, and number buttons are all separated for easy location. It did not take too long to get accustomed to the location of the buttons. There are LCD buttons on both sides of the LCD that corresponds to function on the LCD. These functions can be changed or programmed for different functions. The remote itself has solid built feeling as it didn’t feel light or cheap.

Ease of Programming

The programming is not the easiest for this remote. The included software is not very intuitive like Logitech’s software. The included code database is not as large as they like you to believe. Some of the components had to be manually coded into the remote control. I did encounter some bugs in the software and had to restart the software several times. I’m not sure if it was an isolated incident or poor software engineering. The documentation for manually programming the unit was fairly poor. Denon needs to hire better technical writers to write the manual. It was one of the poorest written instructions for any universal remote tested. As with any other high end universal remote controls, you might need to call customer service to get it up and running.

Ease of Use

Once you actually program the remote control, it is very easy to use. I did not have chance to use the RF function as I did purchase the base station that goes with this unit. Regardless, the IR signal strength was plenty strong to operate all of the home theater components. The good layout of the keys makes it very easy to operate the remote control. I especially liked the ability to label different function for the LCD keys. It makes it easy to identify exactly what those buttons do. The ability to hard program keys to function only with certain components is very nice addition. Most people will want to hard code their volume and channel buttons to the television.

Priced around $300.00, this remote is not for everyone. Add in another $150 or so for the base station and the total can easily reach $400.00 plus for the entire setup. If you happen to own Denon receiver, this might be worth getting for the added feature integrated in LCD display. For casual users, there are easier remotes to program and use such as Harmony from Logitech. Overall, this is solid remote aimed at more advanced home theater crowd.

Pros

• RF with base station
• Good button layout
• Denon component integration
• Control up to 16 units

Cons

• No rechargeable system
• Almost none existent manual
• Hard to program
• Monochrome LCD

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