However, if your vehicle doesn't have a factory-fitted USB port, connecting your MP3 player can often result in a maze of wires, inferior sound quality, and no remote control function.

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Just press and hold a button on the remote control and the My Beam function will instantly "beam" the sound in your direction -- useful for the hard-of-hearing or late-night movie fests while the rest of the household slumbers.

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This Windows Media Center 2005-powered machine delivers that crystal clear HD video via the ATI X1600 graphics card, and AMEX even throws in a "multi-function" remote to control the action from your oh-so-comfy loveseat.

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This make life easier, with that HD-out feature a no-brainer to access, Sony's created a TV launcher that springs to life when connected to HDMI and is navigable via mapped function buttons on your remote control or the phone's own display.

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Perhaps the most novel non-gaming function of the tablet-esque controller is its IR-based universal remote control ability -- the GamePad can be used to control your HDTV (well, "most" HDTVs) in some basic, but very important, ways.

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