The Apple TV by default is controlled through the Siri Remote, a remote with a very minimalist design, with hardly any buttons and with a touch surface that helps to move around the interface by simply sliding the finger up or down as well as the buttons. sides. However, there are other ways to use Apple’s set top box and one with a much more agile approach, the Apple TV remote from Universal Electronics.
Options to control Apple TV
Normally, users who bet on an Apple TV use the remote that includes the device, the Siri Remote. And it is the best option for a great majority, although it requires a little practice at the beginning to control well the navigation through menus and other elements of the interface using the touch surface.
However, it is also true that many users seek other avenues of control. Either because the Siri Remote stopped working, because it was lost, broke or simply because they did not quite adapt well to it. For all those users there are different options:
- The first is to use an iOS device . If you have an iPhone, you probably already know that you can activate the application that turns the phone’s screen into an Apple TV Remote. The good thing about this is that you will also be able to access the virtual keyboard, so entering text is much faster. To have even faster access to this control option, it is best to go to the control center settings and add the quick access to the Apple TV Remote function.
- The second option is to use an MFi game controller . It is not the most interesting of all as it is very bulky, but it is an interesting solution in the face of a moment of trouble
- Universal control knobs compatible with Apple TV . Here you can find different options that basically emulate each of the functions of the original control, but without some elements such as the touch panel
UEI and its universal control for Apple TV
Among these last options you can find the new Apple TV compatible remote that UEI (Universal Electronics) is going to launch. It is a command that at first you might think is an official Apple, because the aesthetic is almost nailed. Logically it is not identical and that is obvious as soon as you see that here there are a greater number of buttons, but in part it is the attractiveness.
To begin with, no touch control, but a wheel that is really a crosshead like the one you can find on many controls. With it, you can move up, down, left and right. In addition there are several buttons for quick access to Siri, Guide and the function to mute the audio .
For the rest, next to the buttons for volume control and up or down the channel number. Yes, Apple TV does not offer that, but this remote can also be used with other systems such as any television that supports Bluetooth controls. And finally, control for video playback (reverse, play / pause, forward).
Of course there is also another striking element: the keys are reotriluminado . Using light sensors and accelerometer, the remote detects that it is being used and turns them on so that in the darkness of the room you can quickly see the key you want to press.
This remote will be available early next year, so watch out if you are not happy with the Siri Remote and are looking for an alternative that does not break the aesthetics of Apple’s set top box too much.
