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Television Media Technology

Recommendations for a Universal Remote? 62

Posted by Cliff from the pruning-the-remote-farm dept.
cpritchett asks: "I'm starting to work on my home theater system, but am wondering what to do in the way of a universal remote. Yes, touchscreen remotes and ones that give you TV listings may be nice, but they are also pricey and the touchscreen doesn't offer the nice, familiar, tactile feel of a remote we've all grown to love. So, what's your recommendation for a good universal learning remote for under $50?"
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Recommendations for a Universal Remote? More

Recommendations for a Universal Remote?

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  • The MX-500 (Score:3, Informative)

    by xanderwilson ( 662093 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @02:57PM (#7861798) Homepage
    http://www.hometheatermaster.com/htm/products/mx-5 00.html

    I've seen this one touted for years on AV and home theatre fora. It's $189 retail but it's been around long enough that you might find it under $50 used.

    Alex.
    • Fixed your link. MX-500 [hometheatermaster.com].

      And the MX-600 [hometheatermaster.com] appears to have more range.

      • Re:The MX-500 (Score:3, Informative)

        by elmegil ( 12001 )
        Personally I like the SL-9000 [surprise.com] I bought a few years back. When I bought it, it cost me an appreciable fraction of $100 (maybe even $120, but it looks like you can get them around $80 now. It has both pre-programmed codes (for common devices) and all the buttons are fully programmable. It's everything I wanted for a universal remote, and no expensive, wasted on me huge LCD screens...
        • I second the SL-9000. it came with my receiver, and it is *beautiful*. It took me a bit to use, but once set up, it is a thing to behold. It has single button macros, so you can change the TV input, the receiver, and the DVD player all with one click. Not bad.

          I was also surprised at the battery life. It has a backlight button, as well as a small LCD display [to show you what mode you are in], and yet the batteries last for well over a year with "normal" use. Not bad at all.

          And yes, you want a remote with
        • I didn't like mine. The main reason was that with the DVD player, you typically want seperate "navigation" (up/down/left/right/enter) and "play" (play, pause, stop, rewind, ff, etc) buttons. With my SL-9000, I had to reprogram the number pad to do the navigation, which was a royal pain.

          My new receiver (Denon) came with a very nice remote that is very similar to the SL-9000, but has a seperate navigation circle and play control keys. Highly programmable as well. So that's my current universal remove.

    • Re:The MX-500 (Score:4, Informative)

      by matt.fotter ( 28412 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @03:20PM (#7862012) Homepage
      Fscking awesome remote. Get it around 100 bucks US at BlueDo [bluedo.com] and then even double the warranty. My kid broke a button on mine (smashed remote on tile floor repeatedly) and HTM fixed it w/o question. Hard button remotes smoke the touch screens simply b/c you don't need to look at the thing to use it. A huge plus.

      I _love_ this remote. You won't be disappointed.

      Might I also suggest you check out Remote Central [remotecentral.com]? Very good reviews and user forums...

  • a used palm? (Score:3, Informative)

    by dunkelfalke ( 91624 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @02:58PM (#7861812)
    http://hp.vector.co.jp/authors/VA005810/remocon/pr emocce.htm

  • JP1 (Score:5, Informative)

    by crow ( 16139 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @02:58PM (#7861818) Homepage Journal
    Get a remote with a JP1 connector. Then you can upload and download codes to it with a cheaply-built connector to your computer's parallel port. Many of the Radio Shack remotes include the JP1 connector.

    You can start your research into JP1 at the Yahoo JP1 Forum [yahoo.com].

  • Not under $50 but... (Score:5, Informative)

    by PrinceBytor ( 548044 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @03:00PM (#7861828)
    The Home Theater Master MX-500 is the best universal remote I have EVER used. I never thought I would spend $100 on a remote control, but believe me... it is the only universal about which I have been able to say that I no longer use ANY of my other remotes - TiVo included.

    Amazing battery life, great IR output, excellent display, nice combination of hard-buttons and programmable soft-buttons.

    I also have a number of friends who have all learned the same thing about the MX-500. Buy it and never worry about remotes again.
    • Froogle says the minimum price for the Home Theater Master MX-500 is $97.52 + shipping [google.com].
    • I'll second that. Works great with my Sony, Yamaha, Toshiba, Mitsubishi and Turtle Beach A/V equipment. Easily programmable and customizable. Pass through commands, so you can setup control of two different components without having to switch between the master pages for each. Macros for multi-command sequences. Backlit buttons for easy operation in the dark.

      I love mine.

  • Jensen (Score:2, Informative)

    by Txiasaeia ( 581598 )
    I've got a Jensen Universal 5 which has been incredibly useful over the past year or so. You can switch between five peripherals, it supports a ton of different devices/manufacturers, and you can auto-scan if your device isn't officially supported... maybe it is! The buttons are nice and firm and the shape is ergonomically pleasing... the only drawback is that the peripheral-switching buttons have a tendency to fade, but after a year of using the remote you've already memorised which button belongs to the

  • Sony RM-VL900 (Score:3, Informative)

    by Bradee-oh! ( 459922 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @03:02PM (#7861855)
    Following the reviews of Remote Central [remotecentral.com], I picked up a Sony RM-VL900 [remotecentral.com] a few months ago. Admittedly it may be more than $50 (I got mine for $59.99 at Best Buy [bestbuy.com]) but you should be able to hunt around a get it for close to that price point.

    It is truly universal - the codes in the manual covered all of my equipment except for a few buttons on the DVD changer and the Receiver. They were absolute cake to learn with the original remotes, though.

    The range is solid for a remote in this price bracket, and it's taken more abuse over the last 4 months than many of my previous original and universal remotes. Dropping, sitting on, stepping on, etc.

    I've had a few touch screens in the past and even allowing for their superior flexibility in programming and button labeling, etc etc, this is my favorite of all the universal remotes I've tried. Just can't beat the tactility of the hard buttons, anyway. ;)

    Check it out!
    • Froogle says the minimum price for the Sony RM-VL900 Universal Remote is 37.08 + shipping [google.com]. Be careful about companies that try to make a profit on the shipping.
      • Do you get a comission for pimping Froogle. We get the idea that you can find prices there. You don't have to post links for every remote there.

    • This is a great remote! I've had one for a few years. It helps if some/all of your gear is Sony since it works out of the box. However the lack of soft keys can be daunting when programming devices with "unusual" commands such as a Tivo. (Where the *&^* did I put "Thumbs Up!" key?). When it croaks I'll proabably spring for the $80 MSRP RM-VL1000 that has a few soft keys.

      Balam
    • The Sony 900 is nice; it has some pretty good flexibility. Programming it was a pain, but that's a one-time thing. But my wife isn't very fond of it , because she has to remember complicated modal sequences (press AMP, then press zero to choose the DVD input, then press DVD, then press play). The macros help, because I can put the common sequences in macro (hold down DVD for two seconds to turn everything on and get ready to put in a disc). But I'd really rather have one with the modality built into a p
    • I second that, I have an RM-VL900 as well and I like it a lot. I almost bought one of those Radio Shack ones somebody mentioned below but when I went to the store to look at it it was this big hideous two-handed monstrosity. I can easily work the Sony with one hand (I have big hands though).

      For even less money you can pick up the RM-VL700. I had one of those before I got the 900 and it was able to learn my TV, DVD, and stereo (a weirdo Yamaha with no preset) no problem. The only thing it couldn't do wa
  • Grab any WinCE device that has Nevo installed on it. This has to be the easiest thing I have ever used. It's programmable not only for all devices but can be programed for certain people profiles and to work in certain rooms. IE: Wreck room and Living room are two switchable profiles. Not to mention hotkey macros.
    • Plus the IPaqs come with Consumer IR (much further range than IRDA ports on most PDA's), can be programmed by taking IR input from an existing remote (truely universal, unlike the Clie mentioned in other comments!)

      I have been programming my 2215 with codes from my DV camera's remote ('course, Canon had to put some functions on the remote that can't be accessed elsewhere. Grr!)

      Disadvantages: Costs a fair bit (2215's on the order of $400), limited "tactile" buttons, shorter battery life, other uses (you're
  • You need to think about what you want to be able to accomplish with your universal remote with the equipment you have. Devices like a Tivo have remote features that do not factor into a lot of universal remotes control designs; like a '30 second skip' button in addition to the Fast Forward button. With most universals you would have to make a choice as to which function you will assign to the 'FF' button.

    I only have to juggle three components; RCA TV, Panasonic Receiver/DVD/CD/Tuner, and a ReplayTV with my
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion

  • one4all (Score:2, Informative)

    by Chouser ( 1115 )

    I got a one4all non-learning remote from Wal-Mart for about $10 and have been completely satisfied. It comes with a booklet that allows you to easily program it to control a wide variety of common TVs, VCRs, DVDs, etc. It also allows for custom programming of individual buttons, so if you want to build your own keymap if basically allows that. Even better, their email tech support will send you undocumented codes for even more units than are described in the booklet. It includes a couple "macro" buttons

  • I have an "anti" recommendation (Score:3, Insightful)

    by unperson ( 223869 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @03:23PM (#7862052)
    I ended up buying a cheapo Philips learning remote. It was one of the cheapest learning remotes I could find...right around the $20-$30 pricepoint I was looking for. My advice for anyone thinking about spending at that level is to pony up the cash for something better.

    Most learning remotes include a "database" of IR codes for popular a/v systems. I had mixed luck here. For instance, my VCR was recognized perfectly. My TV was recognized partially, meaning that I can change channels, but not use the setup menus. Fine, I programmed a few additional buttons using the learning feature, and was good to go.

    My stereo reciever was not recognized at all. ARG! That got me a little peeved, but I spent a few minutes and started programming individual buttons again. However, I ran into a problem where certain buttons could not be programmed in! After troubleshooting this problem, I realized what the real problem was: The remote can indeed learn individual keys, but it's got to store that info somewhere, and the "640k-should-be-enough-for-anyone" stick of flash they put in there apparently wasn't enough to program in an entire remote! So while my remote was sold as a 5-function remote (replaces 5 remotes) it couldn't handle even two remotes worth of individually programmed keys.

    My final frustration was that my DVD remote could not be programmed at all. Even if I removed some of my pre-existing codes to free up needed storage space, It was a no go. The learning feature flat-out wouldn't work!

    I don't believe my dissapointments are tied to my particular remote. Its a common trap I (and other electronics consumers) fall into. Moral of the story; unless 100% of your components are between 1 and 3 years old and all from the exact same company making the universal remote, treat a universal remote as a vital component of the system and spend accordingly.
  • Or, for that matter, any learning remote. Basically, it works like this: you push the "learning" button sequence, and then you aim your other remote at the learning one, and push whatever button you want to mimic. Then you push whatever button on the learning remote that you want to do that function, and, wa-lah, there you go.

    It's a bit of a pain to setup, but it can assign whatever you want to whichever buttons you want. So, for instance, I've assigned the volume buttons to always go to the receiver, n
  • RCA universal [bigbangelectronics.com] remote. Small, works with DirectTV, my DVD player, my TV, and my VCR.

    BigBangElectronics has a ton of remotes. Check em out. [bigbangelectronics.com]

  • Sony Clie (Score:3, Informative)

    by Hes Nikke ( 237581 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @03:38PM (#7862192) Journal
    i'm happy with my Sony Clie PEG-T665. it's not a universal Remote but rather a PDA that comes with a pretty good set of Universal Remote codes for the included ClieRemote program (creative name i know) driven a really awesome IR port. (for a PDA)

    sadly i'm starting to find some newer devices that it doesn't work with - notably all-in-one DVD/Radio/Speaker systems.

    there are some good 3rd party Remote programs that work with the Clie (and other Palm OS PDA's but the IR Port on most PDAs suck for long range remote functions) such as OmniRemote [palmgear.com] (a good program, but you have to teach it everything - it comes with no codes!) or NoviiRemote [palmgear.com] (a good looking program that i have not used yet - i'm happy with the Clie software)
  • Try the Radioshack 8-in-1 15-2116 for $29.99. Programmable and learning. Best cheap universal remote ever! See Here. [radioshack.com]
    • Second this motion. It's a damn good remote for my situation: Nice heavy feel, buttons that light up, all buttons (almost) learnable or macroable [my beef: you can't learn the "exit" button because the "exit" button exits the learning process!]. There's a strange "My system" feature that sort of makes a composite device, where (say) the channel buttons control the cable box, the volume buttons control the TV, the play/pause/ff/rew buttons control the DVD ... or whatever. Nice idea, but too many of my dev
    • The Radio Shack 15-2107 touchscreen remote is also something to consider. It origianally retailed at $100 but was clearanced last year for 29.99. It's a little large, lacks the button feel, and sometimes you have to "double-click" the button, but I have yet to encounter the memory filling after programming in 5 remotes with many learned buttons.

  • RemoteCentral (Score:2, Informative)

    by Figaro ( 20471 )
    In case you haven't come across it in all of the time you've spent on Google...you might check out http://www.remotecentral.com.

    I bought the Sony VL900 a year or two ago and I've been really happy with it. http://www.remotecentral.com/vl700/index.html

  • From my experience (Score:5, Informative)

    by .@. ( 21735 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @03:55PM (#7862332) Homepage
    I used to own a Pronto TSU-2000. I sold it, and bought a Pronto TSU-3000. I've had it for about a year, and it's still not fully configured.

    My wife hates touchscreens. So, as a holiday present to the both of us, I bought the Harmony 659. It's got tons of real buttons. In under 30 minutes, I had it controlling EVERYTHING, including some fairly obscure (for remote manufacturers) equipment: My plasma TV, my SliMP3, my Zektor component switcher, etc.

    It's activity-based, and configured via a java applet loaded from their website. You tell it the make and model of all your equipment. Then, you tell it what you need set to what to do things like watch tv, listen to music, watch a DVD, and so on (these are all customizeable). When you're done, it downloads everything via this java applet to your remote, using a USB connection.

    30 minutes, and I've done with a $150 remote what I've yet to be able to do with a $500 remote.

    And my wife LOVES the hard buttons.

  • The answer to all home theater questions... (Score:5, Informative)

    by Zathrus ( 232140 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @04:06PM (#7862442) Homepage
    ... is found at AVS Forums [avsforum.com]. Although, to be fair, you may want to try Remote Central [remotecentral.com] for this as well. AVS Forum posters would refer you to there pretty quickly anyway.

    All of that said, probably the best remote control is out of your price range -- the MX-500 (or the MX-700, which I have and prefer) is about $100 (the 700 is about $170). It's a button remote w/ a small LCD screen that can be programmed with text entries of what the related LCD buttons do. Most of the remote control buttons are marked though. I've had several universal remotes (Marantz RC-1000, Pronto TSU-1000, and MX-700) and the MX series is by far the best. The MX-700's center joystick is a bit wonky (which my wife dislikes), but it's not bad. I've heard that the MX-500 and MX-800 joystick is better.

    For your price range, your best bet is a JP1 compatible remote. I'm not familiar with the range of remotes available, so look at either of the above sites, or the JP1 Home Page [hifi-remote.com].
  • Radio Shack has the RadioShack 6-in-1 Kameleon? Touch-Screen Remote [radioshack.com]. It looks very nice. It's flat but the buttons do have a tactile response. There is a good review on it here [remotecentral.com]
  • I use an X10 8 in 1 Learning remote. Yeah Yeah I know people hate X10, but this remote handles whatever device I throw at it. It also controls my two X10 modules.
  • I had a learning remote for a while, but it could never fully replace at least one of my remotes (my Sony VCR remote with shuttle wheel). Ultimately it just became Yet Another Remote in the pile. Now I just have a pile of remotes, plus ones stored near any device that has to be turned on manually.

    What I'd prefer is a fixed broadcast point somewhere in the room that can be controlled from, say, my Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. Even then, it has to cope with a weird range of remotes, including ones for a

  • And has useful functions [priesty.net].

  • Tactile Design (Score:3, Informative)

    by pipingguy ( 566974 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @09:33PM (#7864715)

    Sony has always been good in this regard, with the sloped up/down buttons for volume and channel and "sticky feel" (don't know what rubber compound they use, but it's good) buttons.

    One thing that might be nice would be remotes that light up the buttons when touched. Some of my remotes have glow-in-the-dark buttons, but that doesn't always help at 3AM after the glow fairies have been asleep for a couple of hours.

  • Harmony (Score:3, Informative)

    by Coppit ( 2441 ) on Friday January 02, 2004 @09:35PM (#7864729) Homepage
    Check out Harmony Remotes [harmonyremote.com]. I like them because (1) they look like a remote (2) I can use them by touch (unlike touchscreen remotes) (3) they are activity-based and (4) they know the state of your system. Activity-based remotes with state information know how your system is currently configured, and what it should do to do something else. For example, if you are watching a DVD and want to watch a VHS, it knows that the TV is already on and won't send an on/off IR signal.

    Folks setting up a home theater should get these instead of the traditional all-in-one remotes just for the WAF (wife acceptance factor).

  • Cheap, jp1 connector if you need it, controls everything I've thrown at it, and has a bunch of buttons for just about everything you need, things that most cheap remotes don't have. Also has M1-M4 buttons as well as L1-L4, which gives you a good spot to put functions you use but there aren't buttons for, things like zoom, audio source, subtitles etc for your dvd, tape speed, reset counter for vcr, etc.

    Cost me $20 US, replaced six remotes from six completely different manufacturers (sony tv, toshiba dvd, y

  • The best universal remote? That's easy! An intelligent and energetic young person who's highly motivated by realizing that a failure to respond to commands will result in a forfiture of allowance!
  • You can get the MX-500 Here [google.com] for $97.52

    You can get the Sony RM-VL900 Here [google.com] for $37.08
  • Can anyone suggest a good RF PC remote control? I seem to be moving more and more of my audio setup into my pc, and so Im chasing some sort of RF remote control that will do playback etc of MP3's and other PC multimedia file formats, or have a base-station/receiver that performs playback functionality reading media from a PC, like the Creative Soundblaster Wireless Music (http://www.creative.com/products/welcome.asp?cat = 119). Having onscreen playlist management on the remote control, and the ability to

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