Microsoft Wireless All-in-One Media Keyboard
Simple, but gets the job done.
At less than fifty dollars, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more affordable solution for controlling your HTPC from the couch. Obviously there are sacrifices to be made when it comes to such a cheap product, but they’re more than bearable if you just need something to control your movies.
This wireless keyboard is full sized, and off to the right hand is a small trackpad. Accuracy of this isn’t amazing, but you’ll eventually get your mouse cursor where it needs to be. Obviously this isn’t a mechanical keyboard, using a slightly jankyfeeling rubber dome keyboard mechanism, with very minimal button travel. There’s no wired option, instead using a small USB dongle, but the beauty is that this is also compatible with the smart TV models that are USB HID compliant, should you happen to own one.
There’s even a couple of dedicated media controls, so you don’t need to drag the wonky mouse around to fiddle with the volume of your media player.
There’s no backlighting though, which is a real drag if your HTPC den is darker than your local zoo’s nocturnal house, like mine is (always paint your walls black when using a projector!).
Microsoft even claims that this keyboard is spill-resistant, though they don’t specify what IP level it is.
Really though, for just fifty dollars this is a fantastic product for those who want the cheapest option to watch movies on their HTPC and provides all the control you need.