I’ve been on the lookout for a keyboard for my Media Centre 2005 computer for a while; during my deliberations I came to the decision that I needed a wireless RF keyboard with an integrated mouse. I’m fairly picky with the components for the MCE2005 computer because I’m always thinking about what’s acceptable for the lounge room. It’s great having all this technology in the main viewing areas of the house, but you really don’t want cables, blinking lights, loud fans and all the associated bling bling that some computers can give you as it detracts from your viewing experience.
HyperReality (
www.hyperreality.com.au) in South Australia have been kind enough to supply a BTC 9019URF Wireless Multimedia USB Keyboard with Dual Mode Joystick Mouse for review. We were very keen to put it through its paces especially to see how it worked with Windows XP Media Centre Edition 2005.
So let’s get down to it!
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
I liked the feel of the keyboard; it sits nicely on my lap while sitting on the recliner. There are two large handles on the left and right sides of the keyboard, I must admit a bit strange looking at first glance, but after picking the keyboard up the two handles are well placed and serve a great purpose, as my hands sit in them just nicely while using the mouse on the right and mouse buttons with my left hand. Another great feature of the handles is the ability to pickup the BTC with one hand and type in a password with the other, nice quick and easy which is what you need in a HTPC environment.
The BTC 9019URF is an all plastic construction; there is a slight texture to its surface to allow for a better grip, this is more pronounced on the handles on each side, which makes for even better handling. The colour of the BTC is black which should appeal to most of the home theatre crew. On the top right corner there is a little protruding joystick which is used to control your mouse.
The keyboard seems quite sturdy and resisted my attempts in twisting it. The keys remind me of those on a laptop with their short height, but they do travel further than laptop keys normally would. During setup I placed the receiver as high as I could (which was recommended by HyperReality) which equated to about 50cm’s above my MCE2005 computer next to the TV. The USB cable is about 1.5 metres in length.
SPECIFICATIONS
When you put your hard earned cash down for one of these babies this is what you get:
• Keyboard
• USB RF Receiver
• 2 x Duracell LR6 ‘AA’ Batteries
• Driver CD
• Quick Installation guide
• User Manual
The keyboard was well packed; all components were contained within either bubble wrap bags or plastic bags to protect during transit. For extra protection during transit the BTC 9019URF box was inside a heavy plain cardboard box, a nice touch from HyperReality.
KEYBOARD
Cordless technology: Radio frequency Dual channel (255 ID)
Frequency: 27 MHz
Key numbers: 87 (US Layout)
Switch activation mechanism: Membrane
Travel distance: 3.5 /- 0.5 mm
Effective distance: 3m
Dimension: 461(L) x 186(W) x 42(H) mm
Weight (batteries): 0.9 kg
Input power: 3 Vdc (2 x AA)
RECEIVER
Dimension: 85(L) x 64(W) x 34.5(H) mm
Weight: 0.1kg
Input power (via USB): 5 Vdc, 100 mA
INSTALLATION
Installation was straight forward, simply a matter of plugging the RF receiver into an empty USB port. Installing the batteries into the keyboard, this was accessed by a standard battery cover you’d see on any kid’s toy.
Then it was simply a matter of pressing the connect button on the receiver and then pressing the connect button on the top left corner of the keyboard.
Once this was done the keyboard sprang to life and I was off and away!
DAY TO DAY USAGE
I’ve been using the BTC 9019URF for over a week now and I’ve been really impressed with it. The range is good. In my experience I’ve got great results with constant use from 4.5 meters away from the receiver. I tried it from around 6 meters away through glass to simulate the receiver sitting behind a glass cabinet door and had no problems in 10 minutes of testing; however once I put a solid surface such as a wall or door between the receiver and keyboard my typing would become erratic.
The inbuilt thumb mouse took a little getting used too and it is slower to move across the screen than a normal mouse. So I tried playing with sensitivity settings but ended up putting them back to default as I kept missing where I should be clicking because I’m not used to this style of mouse. This point aside the mouse movement, while taking a little getting used to, didn’t detract from the whole concept of having a keyboard and mouse in one. The design is infinitely better than struggling with separate wireless keyboard and mouse balanced on your knees. My IT challenged wife has been using the keyboard and found the thumb mouse easy to use so it definitely has WAF. One point I must add, there can be a slight delay when using the mouse before it springs to life, nothing major but something worth mentioning.
The BTC 9019URF works well with my system which is a
• Athlon XP 1700, MSI K7T266 Pro2 Mobo
• 640MB RAM, Gigabyte Radeon 9550
• LG 16X DVD-ROM, Seagate 80GB Barracuda IV HDD
• Antec TruePower 380 watt Power Supply
• AverMedia A16A Digital Tuner Card
• Thermaltake Silent Boost K7 Cooler
The BTC 9019URF has the standard keys you’d expect of a modern keyboard minus the keypad. There are 13 buttons across the top which shortcut to a number of functions including volume controls, play/pause, rewind, fast forward and stop all of which work within MCE2005 rather well if your remote isn’t within reach. The mouse function includes five buttons which equates to the standard left, middle and right buttons as well as scroll up and scroll down which mimics the scroll wheel of a MS mouse. You’re also able to push down on the mouse stick which registers as a left mouse click if you are using the keyboard one handed.
The BTC 9019URF fits in really well with my MCE2005 computer because it’s tucked away in a low lying TV cabinet which did result in me having to either lie down or kneel in front of the TV to use my current keyboard and mouse which was tedious to say the least. Using the BTC has allowed me to remain seated and because it uses RF technology instead of Infrared I don’t have to worry about pointing it in the right direction so I can sit anywhere in the room with my feet up!
The BTC 9019URF has been designed with a focus in mind and that’s Home Theatre and that is where it excels with its portability, integrated mouse and shortcut buttons. I wouldn’t be attempting to write a 1000 word essay with it as I try to avoid long sessions on a laptop keyboard as it is. One feature that would make the BTC even better is a on/off switch to conserve battery life when it is not in use.
With all the extra buttons it was suggested I try HIP (
www.byremote.com.au) which allows you to remap buttons on the MCE2005 remote to keys on the BTC. I had a quick play around with it and it did exactly that. I personally couldn’t see myself using this application because I prefer the remote, but I’m sure others would.
On a side note I really like the fact that once I’ve finished using the BTC 9019URF I can simply put it away under the coffee table in a drawer away from prying little fingers. So far they haven’t worked out it is there….. yet.
There were two included manuals
• One quick installation guide, I followed this to install the keyboard and receiver without a single hitch.
• The manual contains detailed instructions on loading the included KeyMaestro driver CD which loads a system tray application which shows battery power and key states such as Num lock, Caps Lock etc. Because I spend 95% of my time in the MCE2005 user interface I decided not to load the KeyMaestro software as I’d rarely see alerts from it, plus I dislike running copious amounts of applications in the system tray area.
The manual states you should get around 3-4 months use out of the batteries, this seems to run true as one of my fellow moderators (Impact) who uses the BTC 9019URF has just changed batteries after 3 months.
CONCLUSION
So what do I think of the BTC 9019URF?
I want one!
I like the feel of it, the fact that it’s RF and has an integrated mouse. It works well with MCE2005 out the box without loading any drivers or extra software, but the option is there to further extend the functionality if you desire. It also has good range, is well constructed and is really simple to use!
GOOD POINTS
• RF Wireless technology
• Integrated thumb mouse
• Sits comfortable in my hands while sitting on the couch
• Good range
• Keyboard has a nice feel
BAD POINTS
• Mouse takes a little getting used too and can stall when first used for a fraction of a second.
The BTC 9019URF earns itself 4 out of 5 MCE remotes
The BTC can be purchased directly from HyperReality at
www.hyperreality.com.au for the sum of $99 plus delivery.
Re: BTC 9019URF Wireless Multimedia USB Keyboard with Dual Mode Joystick Mouse
, but the good news is I have found an alternative product. Has anyone looked at the Shintaro keybard? It's quite similar in shape to the BTC, however it doesn't have the handles 
