SLOW MOTION and SKIP TO TICK issues

[looter]

I am using an MX-500 instead of the HR21-700 DIRECTV remote.

I have a very difficult time getting SLOW MOTION and SKIP TO TICK/JUMP AHEAD to work.

On the rare occasion that I can get either to work I have to press the FF button first, THEN press and hold it. But what usually happens is, I get 1x then 2x then 3x then 4x and I can't get it to actually skip and start over.

Same for SLOW MOTION. If I press and hold PLAY I just get the time bar. I have to press PLAY then press and hold PLAY to get slow motion to work. But usually I've missed what I wanted to view in slow motion then have to skip back and do this over and over to try to get to the right point press PLAY quickly then press and hold PLAY. This method doesn't work very well.

Does anyone else has these issues or have a good resolution to this?

Thanks

[Stuart Sweet]

Unfortunately the press-and-hold items like slow and skip-to-tick really only work as advertised with the DIRECTV remote. For other remotes, try press-and-hold for three seconds followed by a quick press. It's not great but you get used to it.

[looter]

Unfortunately the press-and-hold items like slow and skip-to-tick really only work as advertised with the DIRECTV remote. For other remotes, try press-and-hold for three seconds followed by a quick press. It's not great but you get used to it.

Thanks. I'll give that a try.

I guess the thought of HR2X users having a universal remote didn't cross the minds of the programmers...

My remote is a learning remote but I guess you can't control for the length of time the universal remote sends the signal.

[litzdog911]

On my MX500 I was able to "learn" the SLOW and SKIP TO TICK commands. Try this ....

1. Prepare the MX500 to learn a command, but don't press the desired button until after the next step.

2. Press and hold the desired DirecTV Remote key for >3sec so that it's sending the "press and hold" command.

3. Now press the desired key on the MX500 to learn that "press & hold" command.

Timing can be a bit tricky, but it works well on mine.

[tonyd79]

On my MX500 I was able to "learn" the SLOW and SKIP TO TICK commands. Try this ....


Pleased to report that this worked on both my Home Theater Master remotes...the SL9000 and the RF10. I still have to press and hold to get it to work but I don't have to press and hold and press again.

I will see if I can work this into my button layouts.

Edit: Better. This works as the stock remote does. Finally got slow working properly now.

Next to play with skip to tick and skip to end!

[looter]

On my MX500 I was able to "learn" the SLOW and SKIP TO TICK commands. Try this ....

1. Prepare the MX500 to learn a command, but don't press the desired button until after the next step.

2. Press and hold the desired DirecTV Remote key for >3sec so that it's sending the "press and hold" command.

3. Now press the desired key on the MX500 to learn that "press & hold" command.

Timing can be a bit tricky, but it works well on mine.

I hadn't thought about that... I will give it a try. What button did you use on the MX500? Soft key?

Thanks for the tip!

[Mike Bertelson]

I have the MX-810 and have working Slo-Mo & Skip to tick.

Do a search at Remote Central and you will find MX editor files that have what you're looking for.

Use the universal browser and copy the commands to your MX-500.

I press the button for about a second and it works perfectly every time.

Mike

Here's Page 2 on my MX-810

13255

[mrpull]

On my MX500 I was able to "learn" the SLOW and SKIP TO TICK commands. Try this ....

1. Prepare the MX500 to learn a command, but don't press the desired button until after the next step.

2. Press and hold the desired DirecTV Remote key for >3sec so that it's sending the "press and hold" command.

3. Now press the desired key on the MX500 to learn that "press & hold" command.

Timing can be a bit tricky, but it works well on mine.

This could be good news. I didn't realize it sent a different code after being held. Has anybody tried this with the Harmony remotes? I can test with an 880 this weekend.

My fingers still crave the skip to tick they used for the Tivo's for the last several years, but a soft button on the 880 would be fine too.

[MartyS]

This could be good news. I didn't realize it sent a different code after being held. Has anybody tried this with the Harmony remotes? I can test with an 880 this weekend.

My fingers still crave the skip to tick they used for the Tivo's for the last several years, but a soft button on the 880 would be fine too.

PLease let us know if it works on the 880... and for sure, post what you did to get it to work. It will help a TON of people out here!

[cartrivision]

On my MX500 I was able to "learn" the SLOW and SKIP TO TICK commands. Try this ....

1. Prepare the MX500 to learn a command, but don't press the desired button until after the next step.

2. Press and hold the desired DirecTV Remote key for >3sec so that it's sending the "press and hold" command.

3. Now press the desired key on the MX500 to learn that "press & hold" command.

Timing can be a bit tricky, but it works well on mine.

Ahhh, so it's the remote that actually detects the hold action and then sends a different IR code. That gives me an idea. There may be a workaround for the current useless slow-mo that is impossible to engage at a precise spot due to it being a press and hold function of the play button. I’ll test my idea tonight and post the workaround if it works.

In the meantime, while that information is good to know for people with learning remotes, it doesn't change the fact that the current press and hold functions are shining examples of some very poorly thought out and implemented UI elements. What makes it even worse is that there were already many pre-existing examples of ways to implement such functions in a better and more usable way, and yet the design team decided to instead try to reinvent the wheel, and they came up with the atrocious press and hold idea, and ended up giving us something much worse (and in some cases almost unusable).

OK, that’s the end (for now) of my periodically reprised rant against the less than brilliant people responsible for giving us the press and hold functions.

[looter]

I have the MX-810 and have working Slo-Mo & Skip to tick.

Do a search at Remote Central and you will find MX editor files that have what you're looking for.

Use the universal browser and copy the commands to your MX-500.

I press the button for about a second and it works perfectly every time.

Mike

Thanks for the idea but I don't have an IRCLONE-MX. How would you install files on an MX-500? Is there another way to install files on an MX-500 other than by IR via IRCLONE?

[Mike Bertelson]

Thanks for the idea but I don't have an IRCLONE-MX. How would you install files on an MX-500? Is there another way to install files on an MX-500 other than by IR via IRCLONE?

In the MX editor you click on the Universal Browser button(just to the left of the live update button, pg 60 in the manual) and open the .mx file you want to copy commands from.

Mike

[looter]

In the MX editor you click on the Universal Browser button(just to the left of the live update button, pg 60 in the manual) and open the .mx file you want to copy commands from.

Mike

I don't follow. There is no interface for the MX-500 that I am aware, except for a discontinued product called IRCLONE-MX.

Physically, how would the codes get from a computer to the MX-500?

http://www.universalremote.com/product_detail.php?model=55

http://www.universalremote.com/resources/pdfs/MX500.pdf

[Mike Bertelson]

I don't follow. There is no interface for the MX-500 that I am aware, except for a discontinued product called IRCLONE-MX.

Physically, how would the codes get from a computer to the MX-500?

http://www.universalremote.com/product_detail.php?model=55

http://www.universalremote.com/resources/pdfs/MX500.pdf
Sorry, I have the 700 and thought the MXEditor included the 500.

Mike

[looter]

Sorry, I have the 700 and thought the MXEditor included the 500.

Mike

Unfortunately not :(

[TomCat]

Unfortunately the press-and-hold items like slow and skip-to-tick really only work as advertised with the DIRECTV remote...Even more unfortunately, they rarely work worth a crap on the DTV remotes either. PAH is a colossally-stupid approach, and sucks about as bad as anything DTV ever thought of. They don't need to fix this, they need to ABANDON it for a better method. Disgraciade!

[cartrivision]

On my MX500 I was able to "learn" the SLOW and SKIP TO TICK commands. Try this ....

1. Prepare the MX500 to learn a command, but don't press the desired button until after the next step.

2. Press and hold the desired DirecTV Remote key for >3sec so that it's sending the "press and hold" command.

3. Now press the desired key on the MX500 to learn that "press & hold" command.

Timing can be a bit tricky, but it works well on mine.

As I said earlier, this gave me an idea for a workaround for the fact that press and hold makes it impossible to go into slow-mo mode at a precise playback point.

Unfortunately, step #2 above makes an erroneous assumption. Holding the button on the remote does not cause it to start sending a different “press and hold” command. The holding action is detected by the DVR after receiving the regular button code for longer than 3 seconds. This can be easily demonstrated by covering the emitter on the remote, pressing and holding a key for more than 3 seconds, and then uncovering the emitter to send what now supposed to be the press and hold IR code to the DVR….. but it doesn’t work…. the pres and hold function is activated 3 seconds after you uncover the IR emitter of the remote, not immediately, which means that the 3 second rule is a function of the receiver software, not the sending device.

[christo76]

I just have to say that I don't care if you are using the original remote or any other universal..... this press-n-hold method SUCKS.... especially for slow. You have to go back and extra 10 seconds to make sure you can get slow to kick in before it kicks past the point you wanted. Personally I use a Harmony 880 and none of these work good enough that I really try them unless its something I realllllllly want, and even then it tends to boil my blood and drives me to drink...

[JAYPB]

I just have to say that I don't care if you are using the original remote or any other universal..... this press-n-hold method SUCKS.... especially for slow. You have to go back and extra 10 seconds to make sure you can get slow to kick in before it kicks past the point you wanted. Personally I use a Harmony 880 and none of these work good enough that I really try them unless its something I realllllllly want, and even then it tends to boil my blood and drives me to drink...

I'm using 3 of the white DirecTV remotes with my 3 HR2x's (2 in RF and 1 in IR mode) and on ALL 3 I can't get the skip to tick to work properly all the time...and as far as the slow mo on all 3 it's a maddening 3-4 seconds of pushing and holding play before slow mo kicks in...and as you said, you have to go BACK a full 2 jump backs and then hit play for the damn thing to work properly...and even then sometimes I can't get it to "stick" and slow mo properly.

:mad:

[Thaedron]

Press and Hold has got to go!

[Steve]

Here's are the "cruise control" suggestions currently on our Wish List. If you like any of them and haven't already voted, please do so here (http://www.sizethis.com/index.php?module=survey&survey=28). TIA. /steve


During FF or RW, LEFT/RIGHT arrows should SKIP-TO-TICKS, and UP/DOWN arrows should SKIP TO START/END.
During PAUSE, press & hold FF or REW to continuously move one frame at a time.
Ability to vary SLOW MOTION speed using the FF/REW buttons.
User-selectable REPLAY button time. (E.g., "Default, or 10, 15, 20, 25, 30 seconds).
OPTION to jump ahead or back in a recording by pressing "3-FF", e.g., to jump ahead 3 minutes, or "1-5-RW" to jump back 15 minutes.
OPTION to use the PLAY key as PLAY/PAUSE, and use the PAUSE key for SLOW MOTION.

[mrpull]

This could be good news. I didn't realize it sent a different code after being held. Has anybody tried this with the Harmony remotes? I can test with an 880 this weekend.

My fingers still crave the skip to tick they used for the Tivo's for the last several years, but a soft button on the 880 would be fine too.

My first attempt was a failure. I was (and probably still am) thinking that the IR code didn't change with the duration, but that receiver just behaves differently when it detects the same code for an extended duration.

Maybe someday we can get a discrete code.

mr.

[cartrivision]

My first attempt was a failure. I was (and probably still am) thinking that the IR code didn't change with the duration, but that receiver just behaves differently when it detects the same code for an extended duration.

That is correct. Contrary to suggestions otherwise, the remote doesn't change to send out a different code after a prolonged button push. See post #17 in this thread for more details.

[jdspencer]

My Harmony 880 does the press and hold functions just as they should as if I used the DirecTV remote.

[mrpull]

My Harmony 880 does the press and hold functions just as they should as if I used the DirecTV remote.

I've gotta do the hold-release-quick push dance to get press and holds to work with my 880. A discrete code to associate with a soft button would still be my preference.

mr.

[looter]

Hey, Hey! Ho, Ho! Press and Hold has got to go!

[TomCat]

I just have to say that I don't care if you are using the original remote or any other universal..... this press-n-hold method SUCKS.... especially for slow. You have to go back and extra 10 seconds to make sure you can get slow to kick in before it kicks past the point you wanted...none of these work good enough that I really try them unless its something I realllllllly want, and even then it tends to boil my blood and drives me to drink...Truer words were never spoken.

I find that if the batteries in the remote are not spanking-fresh, that PAH doesn't work at all, unless you place the remote within about 1 inch of the DVR. And even then it works poorly at best. Of course that sort of defeats the purpose of having a remote at all, and the term "remote" tends to stop having any meaning.:mad: