So I have a PS3, and Bluray movies look and sound great.

I also have an Xbox 360, an Onkyo Receiver and a Samsung Plasma television, and long ago gained the benefit of utilising a Logitech Harmony remote control so I only have one remote to deal with.

But Sony… oh Sony! In their infinite wisdom (and goal to make the PS3 affordable) removed a $2 component from the PS3 called an Infra Red receiver (IR for short) that EVERY other home theatre style device (DVD, CD, Amplifier, TV, Radio, VCR etc) has.

This means I’m back to having to use another remote. Just as my kids and wife got used to hitting a button to choose what they wanted to do, Sony steals the peace and quiet away and makes things hard again.

Then I found IR2BT

This is a group of people that have developed a clever little box that receives IR commands, and converts them into a Bluetooth signal that the PS3 understands. It’s not out yet, but it looks really promising, being the only way to take all 51 buttons from the PS3 remote and let you program them into your programmable remote control.

Here’s a link to a video of it in action.

I personally can’t wait to get my hands on one. Peace and quiet may return to my house for the bargain price of $58. I’ll post back when I get one to play with.

Update: The product is now available to order and mine is on it’s way!

Update 2: My IR2BT has arrived (Production Run 1, Unit 24), and after a quick update of my Logitech Harmony Remote 525 (the IR2BT is in the database already under Gaming Console with DVD), I have paired my IR2BT with my PS3 (PS3-Add Accessory/Add Remote, plug in IR2BT power, hold “2″ button on remote down).

I had to modify my Activity buttons in my Logitech Harmony config as some didn’t map although this is probably my fault. I also suggest some config changes: OK = X, Prev = Circle, Exit = PowerToggle, Info = Triangle, Guide = TopMenu.

This device has now made my PS3 part of my Home Theatre family, and the team behind it has done an excellent job.

Thanks,
Shane.