The Remote

I have three Pioneer Elite receivers, two Elite Blu-Ray players and an Elite plasma display spread through my home so the X-SMC4-K remove felt right at home in my hand. Pioneer uses the same basic layout for most of their modern products. For the asking price of nearly $480, the remote should have shipped with a function display like the SC-37 receivers did.

The remote gives you full access to the unit so you don't want to lose it or getting to menu items like Set Up will be tricky.

The 2.5" Display

There are actually two displays on the unit that provide information. The first is a red LCD system that greats you when the system is first powered on. This also becomes a time display.

The 2.5" LED display provides a nice experience with its full color output.

The menu system works well on this limited sized display and is typical Pioneer. If you have a Pioneer AVIC system in your car you are already familiar with the basic layout and how to navigate.

Your docked iPod or iPhone acts as a third screen. The remote moves the highlighted areas on the display, which is a feature I thought was nice.