Uglyduck
06-16-2004, 12:30 PM
Just got it yesterday and replaced my ATI Remote Wonder right away. Although I have used it only one evening, I already like the remote. I thought I should put in my $0.02 :D
I like the "feel" of the device. FireFly isn't obtuse like ATI RW. The grip feels so much better. Often times, when I try to pick-up ATI RW in the dark, it takes me a while to figure out which end is which. No such problem with FireFly.
I like the info displayed in top right corner of my display. Again, I watch TV or video in a near dark room. The OSD provides me clues as to whether I'm pressing the right button or not.
The Wife-Acceptence-factor is a biggie for me. Although she is a techie herself, but when it comes to home appliance or audio-video equipment, she is totally agianst reading manuals. If she can't figure it out within first few minutes, she never bothers with it anymore. The grin on her face told me she liked FireFly.
For the most part, I like the position and color of buttons. I would have preferred if some of the buttons that I frequently use were a little bigger (e.g. the enter button). But that is just my personal preferrence. Besides, I'm sure SnapStream had to make trade-offs while deciding which button goes where. With the ATI RW, I had to bend my fingers awkwardly to reach some of the butons. So far, that hasn't happened with FireFly ( I'm not too sure about the last statement since I have used it only for a few hours).
When it comes to Beyond Media Basic, I was a little dissappointed becuase I had expected a lot more. But, in all fairness, the software is just a bundled freebie and I shouldn't complain at all.
What I did like about beyond Media Basic was the File Browser, and the settings section. The settings section behaves much like they do in BTV 3.
My biggest complain is that I had to go to the Beyond Media Basic settings page even if I wanted to configure ONLY the remote ( and not Beyond Media Basic itself). While using myHTPC, every time I needed to do something to FireFly settings, I had to bring up Beyond Media Basic. That was a little disorienting. I would have preferred to have all the settings for FireFly in its own GUI.
Still, beyond Media Basic looked polished. And definitely "good enough" for a bundled freebie.
One last thing - this applies to any PC based remote control - they always recommend you to keep the receiveer as far away as possible from any electronic device. But, the cable is barely enough to keep it in a safe distance.
These are just my thoughts. Your mileage may vary.
Overall, I think FireFly is a great product and I'm glad I bought it. Thanks SnapStream. Keep up the good work!
I like the "feel" of the device. FireFly isn't obtuse like ATI RW. The grip feels so much better. Often times, when I try to pick-up ATI RW in the dark, it takes me a while to figure out which end is which. No such problem with FireFly.
I like the info displayed in top right corner of my display. Again, I watch TV or video in a near dark room. The OSD provides me clues as to whether I'm pressing the right button or not.
The Wife-Acceptence-factor is a biggie for me. Although she is a techie herself, but when it comes to home appliance or audio-video equipment, she is totally agianst reading manuals. If she can't figure it out within first few minutes, she never bothers with it anymore. The grin on her face told me she liked FireFly.
For the most part, I like the position and color of buttons. I would have preferred if some of the buttons that I frequently use were a little bigger (e.g. the enter button). But that is just my personal preferrence. Besides, I'm sure SnapStream had to make trade-offs while deciding which button goes where. With the ATI RW, I had to bend my fingers awkwardly to reach some of the butons. So far, that hasn't happened with FireFly ( I'm not too sure about the last statement since I have used it only for a few hours).
When it comes to Beyond Media Basic, I was a little dissappointed becuase I had expected a lot more. But, in all fairness, the software is just a bundled freebie and I shouldn't complain at all.
What I did like about beyond Media Basic was the File Browser, and the settings section. The settings section behaves much like they do in BTV 3.
My biggest complain is that I had to go to the Beyond Media Basic settings page even if I wanted to configure ONLY the remote ( and not Beyond Media Basic itself). While using myHTPC, every time I needed to do something to FireFly settings, I had to bring up Beyond Media Basic. That was a little disorienting. I would have preferred to have all the settings for FireFly in its own GUI.
Still, beyond Media Basic looked polished. And definitely "good enough" for a bundled freebie.
One last thing - this applies to any PC based remote control - they always recommend you to keep the receiveer as far away as possible from any electronic device. But, the cable is barely enough to keep it in a safe distance.
These are just my thoughts. Your mileage may vary.
Overall, I think FireFly is a great product and I'm glad I bought it. Thanks SnapStream. Keep up the good work!