The iWAND is called a 3-in-1, because it allows you to have remote control over PowerDVD, WinDVD, and Windows Media Player. The software players are not included with the iWAND. You would normally get them with Windows or your DVD drive. In the case of PowerDVD and WinDVD, they can also be purchased online or from your local software retailer.

The iWAND is lightweight and easy to use. The controls are mostly self-explanatory. Press PDVD to use the remote with PowerDVD. WDVD lets you use the remote with WinDVD and WMP is for Windows Media Player. All the other buttons are the same as your other DVD remotes. The only two that you will not find on your home DVD system are Full Screen and DVD Screen Capture. Full screen will toggle the DVD Player from windowed to full screen mode and back. The DVD Screen Capture button is a great feature. When using PowerDVD and WinDVD, you can capture and save the screen image from you DVD to a folder selected in the PowerDVD and WinDVD setup. This feature does not work with Windows Media Player. So now you can save an image from you favorite DVD with just a press of this button.

The available buttons are PDVD, WDVD, WMP, EJECT, MUTE, TITLE, SUBTITLE, FULL SCREEN, VOLUME UP / DOWN, CHAPTER UP / DOWN, DVD SCREEN CAPTURE, LEFT, RIGHT, UP, DOWN, ENTER, REWIND, FORWARD, PLAY, PAUSE, STEP-FORWARD, STEP-BACKWARD, STOP, AUDIO, REPEAT, BOOKMARK, ANGLE, A-B REPEAT, JUMP.

The iWAND claims to have a range of 30 feet. This is consistent with my experience, although I usually had to be closer than 30 feet. This should not be a problem since I doubt you would be watching a DVD on your computer screen from more than 10 feet away. The controller is 6.3”x2.5”x0.9” in size and weights 79g without batteries. Smaller than most remotes, it is easy to hold and lightweight. The remote uses 2 AAA batteries.

The USB IR Receiver is connected to your computer through a USB 1.1 or 2.0 interface. The receiver is a small 2.0”x2.1”x0.9” box with a 3 feet USB Cable. It weights only 45g and can receive the IR signal over a 45 degree angle.

The iWAND is easy to use and there is almost no configuration or setup to be done. Just plug the IR Receiver into your USB port and you are basically ready to go for most functions. The DVD Screen Capture button works very well with the software. Unfortunately, only certain commands are usable with each DVD Player depending on the player. This is more of an issue of the software player than the iWAND. With PowerDVD, 29 of the buttons are supported. With WinDVD, it is 28 buttons and 20 buttons with Windows Media Player. I noticed that the response to multiple button presses is slow and you will normally have to pause in between each press, such as when you want to jump ahead 3 chapters. You need to press the chapter forward and pause before pressing it again. I am not sure if this is an iWAND or a DVD software player issue.

The iWAND is easy to use and finally makes watching a DVD on your computer a comfortable, relaxing experience.

Product: iWAND 3-in-1 PC DVD Media Remote Control
Manufacturer: Mythix, Inc.
Web Site: www.mythix-inc.com
Category: PC Hardware
Price: $49.99
Requirements: Windows Me / 2000 / XP
USB 1.1 or USB 2.0 interface

Pros
Easy to use
DVD Screen Capture Button

Cons
Limited control of each player
Slow Response to multiple button presses

Rating: 8 out of 10 Stars

Harvey Lee
--Technology Editor