A short while ago, I took an in-depth look at the REALmagic Hollywood Plus DVD Decoder Card (you can read that review here). Some recent driver development to improve the NTSC to PAL frame rate conversion, and added support for Digital Theatre Sound (DTS), has taken the Hollywood Plus to a new level in PC DVD. How do you go about further improving a product that is now so good? Well, Sigma Designs took a look at what was missing from the package when compared to a stand-alone player, and came up with the REALmagic infrared Remote Control.
Of course, when I heard about the remote, I just had to have one! Since I first got the Hollywood Plus, I have been working on building my DVD system into a dedicated A/V PC that lives with the TV and Stereo gear, and an infrared remote control would top it off nicely. The remote would allow me to control DVD Station (the Hollywood Plus DVD player application) from the comfort of my armchair - just like a stand-alone player.
Initially, I was going to source one directly from Sigma Designs in the USA, but then I found a retailer in Australia that stocked them, saving all that waiting around with international mail. So, without losing any more time, I ordered my remote from EYO Technologies in Sydney.
EYO were also the supplier of my REALmagic Hollywood Plus card (sold under the name DVD Magic Pro), and I am pleased to say that EYO's service was once again very prompt - I had the remote delivered by courier the very next day. The REALmagic Remote Control sells for AUD$50 plus postage - not too bad at all.
