One For All Xsight Touch 5* review from What HiFi

[admin_exported]

To be honest I should've known better. I applied to the 6 month subscription to What HiFi as they were offering an Xsight Touch for free on application to replace my Harmony One that my twins have chewed to destruction. I flicked to the back of the magazine to find that since the firmware update, it was now deserving of a 5* review. Looking back to the previous issue before the subscription offer it had only garnered a 2* review saying basically it was a pile of dogs doodoo. Has the firmware update really changed the thing that much I thought? Surely What Hifi wouldn't change a review score purely to suck in a few more subscribers I thought?

Its touchscreen is unresponsive, it doesn't remember what power state anything is in, there is no easy way to turn everything off, the options for each device you have displayed on the touchscreen are laughably limited. I can only imagine how awful this thing was before the firmware update (if it really ever did get one....). On the plus side the coloured keys are physical keys unlike on the Harmony One. And thats it. It doesn't get close to a Harmony One in terms of just working how you would expect it too, its all about workarounds and limitations.

Sadly What Hifi reviews will be taken with a very large pinch of salt in the future.

Shame

M

 

[Anonymous]

I agree, I spent 2 hours trying to set this up. The software is terrible.

If it was not free I would send it back!

I think im going to stick with my Logitech Harmony 525.

 

[Andy Clough]

I'm sorry you're disappointed with the Xsight Touch, but no, there's no way we'd alter a review just to get more subscribers. Yes, our original 2009 sample was buggy as hell (hence two stars), but as we said last year the updated software made a massive difference to the remote's performance.

 

[Anonymous]

Hi MaseyBoy,

Sorry to hear you're not getting on with the Xsight Touch as well as we did. I can assure you that the firmware/software changes since that first review have been absolutely massive, particularly in terms of the PC-based setup software, which was limited and deeply user-unfriendly at launch. Obviously we don't raise the star-rating of a product at random, and in the case of the Xsight the decision was based on massive performance upgrades, and was taken long before any subscription offer was even mentioned.

The power status/off problem you mention isn't something we experienced, but I'll check into it. I'll also point your comments out to the guys at One-For-All and see if they've got anything to add.

Cheers,

Tom

 

[Anonymous]

Oh, and as a (possibly) interesting aside, I've spoken to a number of people who simply can't get on with Logitech's remotes, despite our feeling (which you guys clearly share) that they're extremely easy to use. Just goes to show that we don't all get on with the same devices in the same way.

 

[professorhat]

Just an obvious question maybe, but, you have checked the remote you've received is running the latest firmware haven't you?

 

[Anonymous]

Just an obvious question maybe, but, you have checked the remote you've received is running the latest firmware haven't you?

Its all web based so the latest firmware is downloaded automatically once you connect the remote to your computer.

I think I will give it another go the weekend, I will not be defeated by a remote!

 

[professorhat]

Fair enough - thought it was worth checking!

 

[Pistol Pete1]

Someone beat me to it!!!!

Was going to start a thread about this free gift with subscription, as it was to replace my Harmony 525. After setting it up once, and lengthy downloads of the new firmware, I found the remote didn't work the way I was expecting it to. If I change the 'activity' it didn't switch off all the devices not needed for that 'activity'. After looking into the PC set up, I see you have to click on each device in the list to say if they are switched on or off for that 'activity'. Harmony remotes do this with one click of the mouse......

Then I had to set up a 'Good Night' mode for it to switch all devices off at the end of the evening. The Power Off button at the top of the remote will only switch off ONE device per 'activity'. I contacted the company about this, and they have been very quick to send me a generic email that only a 'geek' would understand......(I'm not a geek, so don't really understand most of it!!!) But from what I can tell, I have to set up a 'macro' for the Power Off button to switch off all the devices....it looks like it's hard work!

Then I set up the 'Favourites' part of the remote. So, if I am 'watching tv', I can go to the favourites section, where I have added channel logo's that I use regularly. What a great feature, I thought.....but when I go back to the 'Watch TV' page, I can't.....it goes back to the starting 'activities list', so you have to switch back to 'Watch tv' again, which can foul up the set up, as it's already set up for that activity.....

Anyway, as you can probably tell, it's been hard work setting this remote up, and I still don't have the big Power Off button at the top switching all devices off, like my harmony 525 does so easily..... Don't get me wrong, this remote looks the part, but harmony set up is so much easier, and the remote does what you want it to after minimum set up time.

Harmony 525.....all is forgiven!! Please come back to the lounge!!!

 

[Anonymous]

My friend recently purchased this deal, he is incredibly picky about electronics so I will report back what he thinks of the remote. On another point it took them 2 months to bother to send the remote to him. He had to write to them to remind them that he had actualy paid for something and so should actually getthe product.

He was worried about wether he had been swizzled. Well the jury is out, if the remote doesnt work, then yes he has.

 

[Andrew Everard]

On another point it took them 2 months to bother to send the remote to him.

Not a question of being bothered to send it: as mentioned several times both on these forums and in response to email enquiries, our subscriptions team was overwhelmed by the demand for this offer, and it took some time to acquire further supplies of the remote beyond those originally planned.

 

[Anonymous]

On another point it took them 2 months to bother to send the remote to him.

Not a question of being bothered to send it: as mentioned several times both on these forums and in response to email enquiries, our subscriptions team was overwhelmed by the demand for this offer, and it took some time to acquire further supplies of the remote beyond those originally planned.

Ok fair enough, but it doesnt take much foresight to realise that an offer involving a £100 remote control is going to be very popular. May be in the future a touch of prior planning might be a good idea.

Many thanks for the reply.

 

[Andrew Everard]

Ok fair enough, but it doesnt take much foresight to realise that an offer involving a £100 remote control is going to be very popular. May be in the future a touch of prior planning might be a good idea.

Prior planning is exactly what was done, based on past experience of subscription offers based on gifts of a similar value.

However, our subscriptions team was taken by surprise at just how popular this promotion became, and rather than just telling applicants that stocks were exhausted, went to considerable lengths to ensure further stocks were secured.

 

[Andrew Everard]

YVW, happy to help.

 

[Anonymous]

Many thanks for the explantion Andrew.

 

[Clare Newsome]

I can provide some extra info.

The subs team regularly come to us to ask for suggestions of possible gifts. Having been so impressed by the turnaround on the Xsight remote - and thinking it'd make a really good gift - we suggested they tried to source some as an offer. Which they then did - basing their ordering level on the most popular up-take we'd had for cables, headphones etc in the past.

However, once the offer went live, it got picked up by a number of 'deal' websites - the subs offer was being seen by a far wider group of people than would normally see the offer in the magazine. That led to a deluge of orders way above expectations.

Of course at this point - as Andrew points out - the subs team could have simply said 'no more stock', but instead sourced a lot more stock (as much as One For All could offer, actually) to meet demand. Even then we had to withdraw the offer within a week of publishing it - we couldn't have fulfilled it within a reasonable time.

I'm sorry to hear that some people are experieincing difficultites with their product. Our subs team can, of course, arrange replacements for any faulty products. But I suspect that usubility issues - common, as Tom notes above, with many universal remotes - may be behind this, so i'm going to ask the team to write a little 'How to' guide to help users through the product's set-up.

Hopefully that should be online by the weekend, to give people the chance to have a good, relaxted introduction to what we think - post upgrade - is a really neat little remote.

 

[Pistol Pete1]

That sounds great Clare......

If the Power Off button could be dealt with, I'd be very grateful...If it could be set up to switch off all devices when pressed, rather than only one, it would make this remote so much better!!!

 

[Anonymous]

Hello Maseyboy, I understand that you are having some issues with the Xsight Touch. We are constantly updating our software to include new features. We see you are having 3 main issues. The unresponsiveness of the Touch screen should not happen, an exchange might be in place. Secondly the power state issue can be solved by using discrete on and off commands for your devices. Could you please send me an e-mail with; the make and model numbers of your devices so we can try to solve the power state issue as well as the main power off issue. I will get in touch with you and try to help. Alternatively you can contact me on our call center number 0808-1000306 (between 1pm and 7pm) My e-mail: webcare@uebv.com. Best regards, Justin, One-For-All webcare. www.oneforall.com

 

[Anonymous]

Hello Maseyboy, I understand that you are having some issues with the Xsight Touch. We are constantly updating our software to include new features. We see you are having 3 main issues. The unresponsiveness of the Touch screen should not happen, an exchange might be in place. Secondly the power state issue can be solved by using discrete on and off commands for your devices. Could you please send me an e-mail with; the make and model numbers of your devices so we can try to solve the power state issue as well as the main power off issue. I will get in touch with you and try to help. Alternatively you can contact me on our call center number 0808-1000306 (between 1pm and 7pm) My e-mail: webcare@uebv.com. Best regards, Justin, One-For-All webcare. www.oneforall.com

 

[Anonymous]

Hello Pilot Pete1, I understand that you are having some issues with the Xsight Touch. We are constantly updating our software to include new features. To help you setup the power off command could you please contact me personally. Please send me an e-mail with; the make and model numbers of your devices so we can try to solve the main power off issue. I will get in touch with you and try to help. Alternatively you can contact me on our call center number 0808-1000306 (between 1pm and 7pm) My e-mail: webcare@uebv.com. Best regards, Justin, One-For-All webcare. www.oneforall.com

 

[Clare Newsome]

That sounds great Clare...... If the Power Off button could be dealt with, I'd be very grateful...If it could be set up to switch off all devices when pressed, rather than only one, it would make this remote so much better!!!

I've just been told by One for All that a new firmware update's been released that allows - among other upgrades - for the master Power Off function (via the creation of an 'All Off'' macro).

The firmware release is EZ-RC v1.8.

A reminder that, as promised, we posted a set-up blog on the Touch remote; the One for All Webcare details are also clearly available on this thread.

Finally, an update on outstanding subscription orders for the remote: i've been told the final 100 orders will arrive from One for All next week. Thanks for the patience of those who've had to wait for this final fulfillment - you'll all be getting a bonus gift (DVD/Blu-ray lens cleaner) in recognition of your wait.