Recommended Programmable Remote Controls? 59
Slashdot Junky asks: "I am fed up with having several different remote controls for my living room A/V gear and have decided to buy a high-end programmable remote to replace them. I have a TWC SciAtl Explorer 8000 DVR box, DVD player, Onkyo HT receiver, TV, and a home brew PC media server connected. I am looking for one that is comfortable to hold and more importantly, capable of DOING EVERYTHING that each of my existing remotes do. So, what remotes are you all using? Why did you select the one you have? What should I look for in my search? What don't you like about it? What do you like? What else should I be asking?"
"Once the new remote is programmed, I want to be able to leave the factory remotes in the cabinet for good. I want the new remote to be able to handle even the non-day-to-day tasks like using the TV OSD menu. It should also be easy enough for my non-techie wife to use, too. Although the Logictech Harmony line seems nice, I don't really know much about it. Of course, there are others as well."
Philips Pronto (Score:3, Informative)
Lots of information on programmable remotes is available at Remote Central http://www.remotecentral.com/ [remotecentral.com]
Re:Philips Pronto (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:Philips Pronto (Score:1)
The screen is a little small and it is B&W (a problem solved by purchasing newer, more expensive models), and the included software is a little quirky, but it definitely fills the need I had, es
Sony RM-VL900 (Score:3, Interesting)
JP1 (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:JP1 (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.hifi-remote.com/jp1/index.shtml
JP1 is the One True Path (Score:2)
There's a good One For All remote available at Wally World for $18 that's almost equivalent to the 2116 minus the LCD display. (The 2116 is $30.)
The 2116's feel is great in your hand, plus it's an amazingly flexible remote when combined with JP1.
Re:JP1 (Score:2)
I'm using the "fancy" RadioShack control 15-2116 (8-in-1 control) that was super cheap.
I use it to control MythTV, the TV, VCR, stereo, and cable box. All from one control.
The great thing about JP1 is that you have complete control over the thing. So much that you can even add new IR protocols and assign any button to perform pretty much anything. Good stuff.
Re:JP1 (Score:2)
screw programmable (Score:1)
I'd settle for a universal that will run my ExpressVu (Dish Network) receiver and JVC receiver and DVD player. It seems to be an impossible combination, and programmable units are WAY too much fluff for me. Universal remotes look like ass most of the time, too.
Pronto! (Score:3, Insightful)
I use a Pronto NEO and found that with a lot of work, it really works well. It's a lot cheaper than the other Pronto's but still very capable if you are willing to put a lot of work into setting it up. I think that I'd probably spring for a real pronto remote if I were going to buy another, though.
MX-500 (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.bluedo.com/bluedocgi/product.cgi
Also, tip for your HTPC... pick up one of these:
http://www.notestation.com/ack571_2.htm
It's a USB infrared keyboard w/ mouse built in, both of which work perfectly w/ just about any OS, since the computer sees it as a regular USB keyboard and mouse. But the really nice thing is, since the keyboard is IR, you can use it to train your remote to "press keys", and then not have to deal with lirc (assuming your HTPC is running Linux, although you'd have similar issues with Windows). Then you can stick the keyboard in the closet w/ your older remotes and still have a full keyboard available when you need one. It's a nifty solution.
Re:MX-500 (Score:2)
-Macros, so you can program multiple actions to a single button.
-Backlighting! Wonderful for darkened room use.
-"Punch through" - allows you to (for instance) control the master volume on the receiver while navigating the dvd player.
-Reliable, well thought through layout allows easy use by feel.
A truly great remote.
iPaq 5400 series with "Nevo" software (Score:2)
Re:iPaq 5400 series with "Nevo" software (Score:2)
Marantz RC2000 (Score:2)
I have a Marantz RC2000 that I use with a Sony WEGA TV, Tivo, DirecTV receiver, Kenwood surround sound receiver, Sony 5 disc changer, Panasonic DVD player, and a Sony laser disc player.
At the time, it was one of the better remotes available, and more importantly, I could afford it without refinancing my house. It's usable, but it's not ideal. It's pretty easy to select the device to control, but each device can have 4 pages of 10 buttons. This can lead to confusion with the less technically inclined in
But do any of those support X10? (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:But do any of those support X10? (Score:3, Insightful)
Old palm m10x and remote control software (Score:2)
Exercise (Score:4, Funny)
Get off your butt and change the settings by twirling that clicky, rotating knob on the front of the moving picture device.
Sheesh. You kids today don't even remember when TVs didn't have remote controls - no wonder you're all so fat.
Re:Exercise (Score:2)
When friends/significant other are over it is not polite to get up, go to the media cabinet and block people's view of the screen.
During a party it may be easier to skip to the next song or alter the volume from the other side of the room, especially if it is crowded.
Using remote controls isn't making people that fat... it's spending hours every day immobile on the couch that does it, w
Re:Exercise (Score:2)
Back when this knob was rich he bought one of the first JVC S-VHS recorders. It came with a really nifty 5"x5" black remote control that had a flip-up panel and some kind of display thingamajig. It also had more buttons than I had pencils. In other words, a lot more than 50.
I'm still confused by remote controls and have about 7 of them. Let's see now...TV, VCR, DVD, Cable, Walkman, soundcard and RealDoll. Yup, 7.
Re:Exercise (Score:2)
Re:Exercise (Score:2)
Get off your butt and change the settings by twirling that clicky, rotating knob on the front of the moving picture device.
That's what younger siblings are good for - getting up and changing channels for you.
Especially when our channel changer came off and you had to grab some chewed-up looking plastic tongue with the needle nosed pliers to actually change the channel.
Neat looking newcomer... (Score:2)
Some suggestions (Score:2)
1) Duct tape all the factory remotes together into one franken-remote.
2) Same as #1, but add a gratuitous LCD screen. [slashdot.org]
3) Same as #2, but running Windows CE. [slashdot.org]
4) Same as #2, but running Linux [slashdot.org]
5) Create a robot that pushes the buttons on the TV. Completely universal! Even works on TVs with no IR receiver!
6) Hack an iPod [slashdot.org]
7) Hack a Nintendo DS [slashdot.org]
8) Create a Brainwave [slashdot.org] remote
The only remote you will ever need... (Score:2, Funny)
Home Theater Master MX-700 (Score:3, Informative)
I really like this one - the programmability from PC is huge advantage, not just an incremental feature.
The Prontos are nice, and well supported, but a lot of people like me like to have physical buttons.
I haven't owned a Harmony unit, but they have a large following so take a look at these.
Sony makes a $60 RM-VL900 unit that is very functional - I used one of these for a couple of years and found it works great for the money. However it's programmability is limited compared to the above, and it probably won't completely replace your existing controls.
Harmony Remote -- Highly recommended (Score:2)
I like my Harmony Remote [harmonyremote.com]. It's easy to configure but also versatile. And it has real buttons, not like the fingerprint-smudged touch-screen that lacks tactile feedback (such as the Philips Pronto.)
Re:Harmony Remote -- Highly recommended (Score:2)
When I turn on my tv, it turns on the tv and surround, selects the correct inputs (if they are not already in the correct possition) and select the correct Aspect mode. Thats a lot of keypressing saved.
Also the customer support is the best I've ever seen . They actually send you a mail and ask to help you if they detect that you are having trouble setting up the remote...
Re:Harmony Remote -- Highly recommended (Score:1)
Neato stuff is that I also have it programmed to control my ceiling fans.
Something that is nice is that it is activity based so I press the Watch Tv button to turn the TV, Stereo, HDTV receiver on and set the Tv input to DVI. For a movie, press the Watch Movi
Corrected Link & Tivo User Thoughts (Score:2)
Anyway, this remote resembles the Tivo remote quite a bit. That's nice; I like the shape of the Tivo remote. In fact, the Harmony 688 is listed as being able to control a Tivo. I may have to look into getting one of these; I'd seen pictures but didn't know who made the remote. Now I do. I have set up my Tivo's remote to control my television set, and it works great for that, but I'd also like it to b
Re:Corrected Link & Tivo User Thoughts (Score:1)
Re:Harmony Remote -- Highly recommended (Score:2)
Home Theater Master is where its at (Score:4, Informative)
I sound like a fanboy, but I really cant say enough about it. Its easy enough for my family to use, and very versatile. http://www.remotecentral.com is an excellent site for remote reviews, and you can see that it is rated very highly.
links:
MX-500: http://www.remotecentral.com/mx500/index.html
Mx
http://www.remotecentral.com/mx700/index.h
Geek Route (Score:2)
Got a laptop with irda or, even better, a Palm?
Then you already have the most powerful remote in the world.
For the Palm, look at OmniRemote. Does lots of neat stuff including allowing you to program your own UI.
The best part is macroing. One button turns on and opens my DVD drive, turns on my TV, turns on my receiver and turns it to DVD input, sets the volume to low, and turns off my VCR. You can't be
It depends what you like (Score:2)
Touch-screen
If you (and your wife) like touch-screens (and don't mind the lack of tactile feedback), the Pronto [remotecentral.com] is the only way to go. These have been the most flexibly programmable for a very long time (so the tools are very mature, including Tonto [giantlaser.com], a free, third-party java-based editor). The older models (TS-1000) are available on eBay for fairly cheap (under $100). The newer ones have a few more buttons and color screens.
Pros: You can see what you're doing, incredibly flexible.
Cons: You can't us
The Home Theater Master MX series.... (Score:3, Informative)
These are fantastic remotes. Every button is learnable, programmable, and macroable. There are 10 special buttons up on top, with LCD labels next to them which you can change.
The default model is to have each of the 10 main buttons correspond to a 'device'; when you press that device's button, the remote changes context. The 10 buttons up on top now become entirely programmable to do whatever you want, and the rest of the hard buttons can take on any function you wish. The remote offers either 16 or 20 'devices', which gives you, in essence, 16 or 20 separate controllers.
The easy/normal method is to specify all the devices you own; there's a large database of devices built into the programming software. You can also import learned codes from files that other users have created (www.remotecentral.com has many many files available), or even import Pronto
Once you have specified your devices and learned the codes you need, you can then shortcut buttons to any of the other codes, even on other devices. The software lets you "punch-through" some buttons, like volume, channel controls, and play/stop buttons, so that pressing them will always send codes to a specific device. This built-in punch through is a nice timesaver, but I found that it didn't cover everything... I myself ended up manually linking a number of codes around. It's very easy to do. Punch-through is a convenience feature, but if it doesn't do things exactly how you like, you can just ignore it and set every button up in every context to do anything you want.
The main difference between the 700 and the 800 is that the 800 offers an RF link to a slave RF/IR transcoder. You plug in the slave near your AV gear. It has connections for up to six little IR blasters on fairly long wires, which you attach to the IR sensors of your gear. The MX800 will then send RF commands to the slave unit, which will then echo them to the correct target device. You can have multiple slave units and set up routing of commands so that you can control multiple rooms/zones from one controller, anywhere in your house. The MX700 is IR-only, but is otherwise identical.
Both units offer very, VERY powerful IR transmitters... they're so powerful that precise aim seems to be totally unnecessary. As long as you're in the same room, it doesn't even seem to be necessary to actually point the remote at your equipment.
I do have a few quibbles with them, but nothing huge. The biggest thing is that I wish the LCD labels had one more letter; the LCD labels for your upper 10 buttons are only 7 characters. 8 would be easier, and 10 would be about ideal. it's hard to abbreviate properly in only 7 characters.
You MUST program these units with a computer. If you have a laptop, that's easiest, as you can sit in the front room with your other remotes and program it, but you can walk back and forth from a PC in the other room if you need to. (you have to have the remotes on hand while connected to the computer to do memorization, as far as I can see.) They come with the serial cable you need... you will need a standard 9-pin serial port. If you're on a Mac, I think you're SOL... the cable is PC-standard, and the software is Windows-only. You might be able to get it running with a USB->serial interface and emulation software, but it'd be a PITA.
Also note that you really want to go
Re:The Home Theater Master MX series.... (Score:2)
There's also a special FAV button, which goes to a pseudo-context... you have four pages of LCD buttons, but t
Re:The Home Theater Master MX series.... (Score:2)
We had an All-In-One remote that handled multiple devices, but it was hard to program. The computer programming method of the MX-700 makes it much easier. As parent noted, you can assign every button to punch-through or activate a macro. What he didn't mention was exactly how eas
Avoid the Home Theater Master (Score:2)
1st word on a/v gear talk...avsforum (Score:2)
There is even a sub-forum specifically for remotes...
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/forumdisplay.php?s= &forumid=93 [avsforum.com]
I have the MX-500. Worth every penny.
http://www.remotecentral.com/mx500/ [remotecentral.com]
Peace
One For All Kameleon (Score:2)
Pros:
Cons:
Good Luck! (Score:2)
I, too, have about 6 different things plugged into my home theatre. The most difficult one I have is my newly configured HTPC.
I'm presently using a POS Radio Shack Universal Programmable Learning Remote with an RF->IR repeater. I pretty much bought it because it directly supported the TiVo and had the RF->IR ca
Marantz RC2000 (MkII) - the perfect remote. (Score:2)
Behold the Marantz RC2000. It is a learning remote (it comes prepped for Marantz and Philips equipmen
Any JP1 remote (Score:1)
I just picked u
Re:Any JP1 remote (Score:1)
(One PITA with macros is not all devices have discrete on/off codes, so the remote can't tell whether it's turning something on or off. Not good with a projector).
Take a look at NoviiRemote Deluxe (Score:1)
Get a Palm (Score:2)
As an extra bonus, you can backup your remote control when you hotsync. Have you ever lost the programming in your programmable remote control (dropped on the floor, batteries pop out)?
Harmony 676 - good experience (Score:3, Informative)
Ten years later, I ended up playing with JP1-based remotes [hifi-remote.com]. If you've got patience, it's not a terrible option if you're on a budget. Ultimately, the complicated setup procedure involving a complex Excel spreadsheet made me reluctant to play with it. I've got nothing but respect for the folks who've created and sustain this project -- it's a GREAT hack.
I received a Sony remote for the holidays last year. Though I was excited to get a "real" universal remote, the form factor (square? what are they thinking?) and my system's lack of discrete codes made the decision to return it necessary.
I gave up for a while and ended up using the uni remote which came with my Yamaha receiver. It wasn't horrible, but it was completely confusing to use for anyone but myself. It meant that watching a DVD was all but impossible unless I was there to set it up.
I came across the Harmony 676 [logitech.com] at TECHXNY, where Logitech was selling them at a decent discount. I was skeptical, but so far it's the only remote which my wife has been able to use sucessfully. The bigger test: the father-in-law. Whenever he'd come over, he could barely figure out how to change the channel. Once when he was staying over, he left the whole thing on all night because he couldn't figure out how to turn it off! The Harmony remote solved that problem beautifully.
The biggest feature of this remote is it's "intelligence". I press the DVD button, it turns on the dvd player, sets my TV for component in, and the receiver for digial input #2. Why is this unique? Because my TV doesn't have discrete codes, yet the Harmony remembers the system's last state. If the TV was on composite in, it knows to send the 'change input' code two times to get to the component in. And when I press the "TV" button, it knows to turn the dvd player off, send the TV input code three times to get to S-Video, and the receiver to VCR-in. But what happens if the remote gets out of sync with the state of the TV? There's a HELP button on the remote, which will resend the codes and ask you "is everything ok now?". If you press "no", it'll go step-by-step: Is the TV on? Is the DVD player on? Is the TV on the component input? and will send codes depending on your answers. This is *HUGE* - and something a macro just can't do.
Other things I like about it: Programmable via your PC through USB. If your batteries die and it loses its program, just hook it back up and it'll redownload its config. It knows about every device I own, from the Tivo (including different tivo remote addresses) to the Audiotron to the LG air conditioner, and everything inbetween (and if it doesn't list your specific device, you can feed it a few IR commands from your exiting remote, and it'll auto-recognize the device). It feels good in the hand. Similar to my tivo 'peanut' remote.
What I don't like: No true "macros" as far as I can tell. The web interface to program the remote is a little clunky. I'm having a problem with one of the remote's buttons.
Ultimately, it was a good purchase. I'd buy it again.
Harmony 676 (Score:2)
Had 6 programmable buttons that display their current function on a small LCD...
Has lots of "generic" keys that match up w/ current buttons on other remotes, so you're not always pressing random keys to get the functions you want
Harmony (Score:1)
good cheap option (Score:1)
Why use a remote? (Score:2)
The only things that need to be far away in the modern livingroom are speakers and televisions. In a typical home theater, televisions don't do very much but get turned on and off, and maybe have an input switched. Speakers don't have any adjustments to make, regularly.
The rest of the gear, invariably, has a dizzying array of functional buttons and knobs and lights, and would have been markedly cheape
Ummm... Tivo? (Score:2)
There are no buttons on it.
The DVD player in my XBox? Hmmm... you have to use a remote there too.
Just because a solution works in your particular situation, doesn't mean that it applies to everyone.
There are MANY valid reasons to use remote controls. You just don't seem to need one.
Congratulations.
Kameleon (Score:1)
I went cheap-o (Score:1)