RedEye bridges Wi-Fi to IR in home theaters

ThinkFlood today formally unveiled RedEye, a unique adapter that turns an iPhone or iPod touch into a remote for a home theater. It bridges Wi-Fi to infrared and uses a custom iPhone app (free, App Store) to steer the device using premade infrared codes. Much like a Logitech Harmony remote, the app not only has an onscreen remote interface but can be programmed to automatically perform multiple tasks for a particular activity, such as turning on the TV, switching inputs and ejecting the tray on a Blu-ray player to load a new movie.

Given its choice of networking, the RedEye can take controls from more than one iPhone or iPod. By the same token, multiple RedEyes are accessible from a single device at the same time as long as they're on the same network. A dock built into the transceiver exists to let users charge their Apple hardware while keeping it near the TV or home stereo.

Owners of Macs with IR ports can also use the remote as a substitute for certain functions, such as steering Front Row or a Keynote presentation.

RedEye units are available to order today for $188.

Electronista has had an opportunity to try the RedEye and so far has a mixed impression of the experience. Basic setup is simple and only requires connecting to the device's network (initially ad hoc) and creating a room, though how well a device works depends on your experience. We could get basic controls working on our Samsung HDTV, for example, but changing inputs and some other commands didn't take. Also, game console owners should take note: without an IR adapter, modern consoles like the PS3 or Xbox 360 won't take commands at all as they lack infrared ports of their own. This is primarily intended for traditional home entertainment first.

We additional saw a bug RedEye is aware of that sometimes kicks the iPhone off of the original ad hoc network to 3G, though changing the RedEye to connect to an existing Wi-Fi network can fix this. There were also frequent crashes in the latest version of the iPhone app when adding a device to the network, though we have yet to see if this is specific to our iPhone 3GS or a more universal issue.

by MacNN Staff