The Genius 300 Universal Remote is a clone of the original Microsoft Media Center remote. The Genius 300 comes with 2 x AAA batteries, User Manual, and a USB Infrared Receiver. It has 44 programmable buttons and 4 different device modes: PC, TV, AV, AUX.
Each of the 44 buttons can be programed for any of these modes with the exception of PC. PC Mode is pre-programmed for Media Center control and cannot be changed.
This allows the user to control up to four devices with the most typical setup 
being Media Center, TV, and Amplifier.
Installation is quite easy. Simply plug in the USB Receiver and it will install itself. The remote will function immediately in PC Mode but any additional commands need to be learned by following the instructions in the manual.
The Remote is very light weight and the build quality is average. The buttons are soft and rubbery but the user should not have any difficulty registering button presses.
We found the remote to be very responsive, responding to button presses immediately and not having any lag. This is in contrast to our previously reviewed Logitech Harmony 890 which was very slow at responding to button presses.
The USB Receiver also has quite a good angle of reception. We found it is able to pick up signals from about 50 degrees which saves you from having to move in front of the machine.
We do have one major disappointment with the Genius 300 however, and that is the inability to make and changes to the pre-programmed PC Mode. Specifically the volume controls. By default the PC Mode volume buttons will adjust the Media Center or PC Volume. This means that for any user who has a separate amplifier to their PC or Television speakers you will have to change modes each time you want to adjust the volume. Simply using the PC volume is also not adequate as the PC volume has no effect on 5.1 audio. That has to be controlled the amplifier.
Despite this problem we have found the Genius 300 Universal Remote to be a very good unit for the price. Retailing for somewhere in the region of $35 this remote will allow you to control up to four devices, is very easy to set up, and performs to a very good standard.
