Universal Remote Options

[zmurphy]

Hey guys, i am fairly new to the board. i had Directv installed in December. i have 1- DVR SD , 1- HD box. i want to pick up a couple new universal remotes. in both locations i have :
Yamaha a/v receiver
tv
dvd
Directv box


1 location is a my main home theater room and the 2nd location is our living room that is secondary home theater. i would love to buy one of the Harmony remotes but since i need 2..........:(

are there any remotes out there that will fully control the dvr features and all or most of the satelite receiver functions?

before Directv came into the house i was using the Time Warner cable universal remotes that came with the cable boxes. they worked great!

thanks!

[curt8403]

Hey guys, i am fairly new to the board. i had Directv installed in December. i have 1- DVR SD , 1- HD box. i want to pick up a couple new universal remotes. in both locations i have :
Yamaha a/v receiver
tv
dvd
Directv box


1 location is a my main home theater room and the 2nd location is our living room that is secondary home theater. i would love to buy one of the Harmony remotes but since i need 2..........:(

are there any remotes out there that will fully control the dvr features and all or most of the satelite receiver functions?

before Directv came into the house i was using the Time Warner cable universal remotes that came with the cable boxes. they worked great!

thanks!

Directv remotes are universal remotes that will control directv, tv, dvd and receiver. start with the directv remote

[zmurphy]

i know they are universal remotes, they are horrible remotes. and it i can't get it to control my Yamaha recievers like they should.

[JeffBowser]

A lot of people up here are in love with the Harmony remotes. Personally, I like my TheatreMaster MX500.

[pacjag]

Try this thread. Many folks seem happy with that remote.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=117355&highlight=perfect+remote

[samberger]

Try this thread. Many folks seem happy with that remote.

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=117355&highlight=perfect+remote


This looks interesting.

I have both the HR20 and HR21 DVR's in my system. Is there a way to program on remote to work with both DVR's? When I tried to program both, I was given just one code to use, and it didn't work.

Any thoughts, and would the above remote allow me to do this if the DVR remotes can't?

Thanks.

UPDATE: Found the answer. Thanks.

[mdavej]

zmurphy, check ebay for an "atlas remote". You'll see that it's probably just like your old cable remote. Then get a JP1.3 cable, and you can program it to do whatever you want.

[ctaranto]

A lot of people up here are in love with the Harmony remotes. Personally, I like my TheatreMaster MX500.

+1

I've had mine for about 6 years. The kids (who are now 7 and 6) have dropped it countless times. It still looks new and functions perfectly.

I programmed it for the HR21 in about 10 minutes (it learned all the commands from the HR21 remote).

Here's the link to Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/yoysc5

The pictures on Amazon make it look flimsy. But it's very solid and buttons feel great.

-Craig

[JeffBowser]

That price is interesting - when I bought mine it was $300 or so. I like it because it is endlessly device programmable, and can seemingly learn any IR signal on any button. I have yet to hit a limitation, aside from the fact that it is not computer programmable.

+1

I've had mine for about 6 years. The kids (who are now 7 and 6) have dropped it countless times. It still looks new and functions perfectly.

I programmed it for the HR21 in about 10 minutes (it learned all the commands from the HR21 remote).

Here's the link to Amazon:
http://tinyurl.com/yoysc5

The pictures on Amazon make it look flimsy. But it's very solid and buttons feel great.

-Craig

[Mike Bertelson]

You might find this useful...or not...:grin:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1053206&postcount=15

Mike

[JeffBowser]

I read that when you posted, I found it quite interesting. I personally would not utilize a remote that doesn't have extensive macro capability. I use the hell out of it simplifying my home theater system so house guests have a remote chance of understanding it. I can't tell you how many times my "directv" macro has gotten the system out of a hopelessly lost state back to watching satellite for one of my guests.

You might find this useful...or not...:grin:

http://www.dbstalk.com/showpost.php?p=1053206&postcount=15

Mike

[captain_video]

I have both a Home Theater Master MX-700 and the Harmony 880. I used the MX-700 for many years after lugging the Marantz RC2000 MKII remote around prior to that (formerly known as "the remote of the Gods") and countless others before that in search of the perfect universal remote. I actually owned the Harmony for about a year before I ever got around to programming it for use in my home theater setup with a HTPC.

Both the HTM remotes and the Harmonys are programmable via your PC using a USB cable. The HTM can download codes from an online library of devices and can also be programmed by learning the codes from your existing remotes. The Harmony has a similar type setup and use a specific software application for interfacing with the remotes and programming the various functions. Both remotes can be programmed with macros to perform multiple functions with a single button press. Aside from the general programming functions, this is where the similarity ends.

The HTM remote is programmed for individual devices but you can set it up so that certain commands for other devices "punch thru" to the one you're controlling (i.e., while operating your DVR you can control the volume on the A/V receiver while also controlling the inputs to the TV). The Harmony essentially does the same thing but uses a different philosophy when setting up the various devices. You initially set up the individual devices just like you do with the HTM. The main difference is that you program the Harmony to perform specific functions and then indicate which devices you need to control to perform that function (i.e., the "Watch DVR" function will turn on all devices required to support the task such as the TV, DVR, A/V switcher, amplifier, etc., switch the devices to the specific inputs, and provide the controls you need for adjusting the volume, changing channels, operating the DVR transport controls, etc.) You can do the same thing with the HTM but you have to program custom macros to do it. The Harmony keeps track of which devices have been turned on and whether or not any devices require specific turn-on or turn-off signals or toggle them using the same command.

If you decide to switch to another function (i.e., "Watch DVD"), the Harmony remote will send out additional turn-on commands if the device was not previously powered up. There is a single Power button at the top of the remote that will shut down all devices when you want to turn things off. This is necessary to keep things synched up so when you go to perform the next function the remote knows to power up the devices from scratch again. If you somehow get things out of synch, such as when you turn on a device manually instead of using the remote, there is a Help function that allows you to get things synched back up again.

I was extremely hesitant about using the Harmony at first, mainly because I was extremely happy with the HTM remote and was a bit intimidated with the Harmony setup. Programming one of these high-end universal remotes can be very time consuming so be prepared to spend the better part of a day getting it done, depending on howcomplex your setup is. I was a bit leary about the way devices were being controlled with the Harmony and skeptical that they would not work the way I wanted them to. However, once I got the hang of it I fell in love (actually, more of a very strong "like") with it and have since retired the HTM.

The features I like the best about the Harmony is it's amazing flexibility, the ergonomic shape (it's like a large, sleek, Tivo peanut remote that fits nicely in your hand), the weight (it's rechargeable and doesn't require a huge arsenal of batteries that only last a few weeks as many top-of-the-line remotes do), and the customizable color LCD display that comes on automatically when you pick it up (the HTM had to be turned on manually with a switch awkwardly placed on the side of the remote). The Harmony resides in a charging cradle when not in use. I used to keep a set of four AAA NiMH batteries in a charger so I'd always have a fresh set to install in the HTM. It typically when through a set of batteries every 4-6 weeks, depending on the amopunt of use. The Marantz lasted half that long if I was lucky and used four AA batteries, making it quite heavy.

Both Home Theater Master and Logitech (Harmony) have a wide variety of remote models to choose from that are very similar in design, features, and ergonomics so my comments above should apply to most of them in general. For details on just about any remote in existence I highly recommend that you check out remotecentral.com.

[jrd4849]

Lots of info and reviews on remotes here:
Remote Central (http://www.remotecentral.com/)

[captain_video]

For details on just about any remote in existence I highly recommend that you check out remotecentral.com.
I guess you missed the last sentence in my post above.:D

[zmurphy]

WOW, thanks for the all the responses! i will do some reading. right now i am kinda leaning toward just buying one remote at a time and upgrade the other one later. that way maybe i can talk myself into the Harmony!

[bemenaker]

Harmony's are simple to setup. It takes about 10 mins. I have an 880, so do my parents. My Grandma uses a Harmony 670. They are incredibly easy to setup and very intuituve to use.

I have a Yamaha receiver as well. (Love the sound of it, way better than my old HK)

[transfan]

I use the sony rm-vl600 which is only $25 but it is the best universal remote I've had.

It doesn't have an lcd screen or anything fancy but it is able to control my hr21 & r16, receiver, tv, dvd, and even the original xbox with learning.

Furthermore it's the cheapest remote with macro functions. It has four ABCD macros plus eight device button macros. A turns on the HR21, turns off the R16 and dvd player. B turns on the R16, C the dvd, and D shuts everything off.

Also, it can send a command to your receiver to switch to the appropriate input when you press the device button.

The directv remote also sends out discrete ON and OFF commands to the receivers and your TV so you can learn these for macros!

The only drawback is there aren't enough buttons for all the functions. So I had to do away with BACK, BLUE, ACTIVE, DASH, and ENTER. It has an enter and dash (.) button but I'd rather use those for skip fwd, skip back. But I was able to learn both OK and ENTER to the remote's OK button so it functions as enter out-of-the-guide, but functions as OK in the guide. But if you absolutely had to have access to those functions, you could learn those to another button on a different device (say AUX or CBL).

[aus]

Harmony's are really easy to set-up and shouldn't take more than 20 minutes to get the basics. It can take a couple hours to get the details you want, but the best part of the Harmony is the buttons are all pre-programmed and if you can't get it right, they can do it for you with an e-mail or phone call.

Now a Pronto, can take a whole day to get programmed, but it can do a LOT more than the harmony's.

[mdavej]

I use the sony rm-vl600 which is only $25 but it is the best universal remote I've had.

transfan,

I think tightwads like us need our own remote forum. From reading these boards, I see that most D* subs could spends hundreds on a remote without a second thought, and won't even consider anything less than a Harmony. I could certainly afford it, but I get physically ill if I spend over $30 on a remote. Hence, I've been able to squeeze nearly all the functionality of a Harmony out of a cheap remote. My latest is a radio shack 15-135. For $10 (on sale thru 3/15) it's got tons of devices, buttons, learning memory, key moves, macros, the works. And with a JP1.3 cable, I've programmed it from my computer to do just about everything a Harmony could do (minus the lcd display), even control my lights. And I have total control over every detail, not just some canned activities logitech thinks I want. Harmony's are fantastic, no doubt, but you can get pretty darn close without spending a mint. Please, just give cheap a chance :)