Are universal remotes ripe for disruption? Or irrelevance?

Commentary: Harmony still rules the roost, but that can't last forever. Will the category change drastically or just go away?

Sarah Tew/CNET

I use a $130 Harmony universal remote at home and I tell everyone who has a complex-enough system to do the same. And I've been a happy Harmony camper for more than a decade.

But after spending the last week reviewing Caavo, a $400 universal remote, I've come to view the category in a different way. Yes, Caavo is fatally flawed since it doesn't work with the highest-quality video format available today (HDR), but what it succeeds at is really interesting.

Watch this:Is Caavo the ultimate high-end universal remote?

Caavo basically makes a new TV home page for all your entertainment gear, one that's simpler to understand and use than a bunch of different menu systems spread across myriad devices.

When I described the Caavo universal remote to Jeremy Toeman, my CNET colleague and former VP of product at Sling Media, he nodded sagely and said "Yeah, that whole category is ripe for disruption." I agree. Harmony has been doing basically the same thing for years, and while challengers like Caavo and the Ray Super Remote have tried to challenge the king, they've largely failed. So far.

I still recommend Harmony to everyone, but in the next few years, I wouldn't be surprised to see that changing. Here's how.

Caavo wood like to be your universal remote

Disruption

In this scenario a product like Caavo, or its presumed successor -- one that actually supports HDR and costs less, say $200 -- becomes popular among AV enthusiasts sick of the complexity of the various apps, devices and services needed to watch TV and movies today. If you have a bunch of devices and a surround system and a nice TV, that's a small price to pay for a single, simple set of on-screen menus, along with Alexa voice control, to command it all.

Take it a step further and Caavo partners with a real AV receiver maker, say Sony or Denon, and basically takes over their user interface. I also agree with Dan Jacobsen, who replied to a Twitter thread on my review: Caavo would be better off built into a receiver. That single hub/box would handle all the switching, interface and audio goodness required of a big system.

No TV apps is an issue too as that is the only way to get Dolby vision for many. Can't help but thinking this would be better off as a $1000 receiver

— Dan Jacobsen (@DanJacobsen) 14 Şubat 2018

In the near future Caavo could sell itself to the receiver makers of the world in the same way Roku appeals to TV makers: We'll handle the software, updates and interface, you stick with the hardware. Roku has been very successful in reclaiming the appeal of Smart TV, providing as much disruption as that category has ever seen. It's no wonder the company is getting into audio.

Roku will soon license audio gear too. The goal? "Simplify."
Roku

Irrelevance

If you think about it, a universal remote is just a solution to the problem of home theater gear devices not being "Smart" enough in the first place. And by smart, I also mean working together in a way that makes sense. But it's getting smarter, and more to the point, you need less gear these days to enjoy awesome audio and video.

The less gear you have, the less you need a universal remote, which is why I can see the whole category fading into niche high-end-dom, a.k.a. irrelevance, soon enough.

Samsung TVs can replace a universal remote and control your gear directly.
Sarah Tew/CNET

Samsung's Smart TVs basically mimic a universal remote, allowing control of game consoles and cable boxes for example, and also include a solid selection of streaming apps built-in. Add a nice sound bar, maybe one with surround sound speakers and/or Dolby Atmos, and you've got a complete system, easily commanded by a single clicker, that sounds as good as some receiver-based systems.

For more modest systems, Roku's newest streamers, starting with the $50 streaming stick, come with remotes that can control volume and power on a connected TV. If you've cut the cord and don't need a cable box and its requisite remote, you're set. And both Samsung and Roku's systems are cake to set up because, like Caavo, they automatically recognize connected devices and program the remote keys accordingly.

With a power button at the top and volume on the side, Roku's remote is ready to control your TV too.
Sarah Tew / CNET

With the increasing popularity of alternatives to cable, including live streaming services like YouTube TV, Sling TV, Hulu with Live TV, PlayStation Vue, DirecTV Now, that cable box remote is becoming less and less necessary for people. You'll still need the TV remote, but with many devices you can turn it on and control volume and mute (and really, what more do you need) with protocols like HDMI-CEC.

Watch out, Harmony

Look, the Harmony Companion remote / hub system is still great, and easily worth the money if you have a lot of stuff to control. The alternatives I mentioned above are all more limited, and flawed in their own ways, in comparison.

Harmony hasn't changed much in five years.
Sarah Tew

But recent trends -- a renewed focus on ease-of-use, particularly voice control; a move away from cable boxes and toward streaming; and the increasing popularity of systems like Roku that focus on affordability and function -- could spell the beginning of the end for Logitech's remotes.

The first Harmony hub / remote system came out in 2013, and is pretty much the same today. I'd say it's ripe for at least a new model.

source:CNet