Most inexpensive universal remote controls (URCs to be lazy) that I’ve come accross have a couple options for programming your devices.
One of them is to punch in a code from the manual. I have a Sony TV that is about 28 years old, and the codes in the books never work. So I go to the other option.
Typically that is to press TV and another button at the same time until the LED blinks. Then I hit (we’ll say) channel up until the TV turns off, and I’m set. Now I can turn the TV on and off, change the channels, change the volume, mute, all that fun stuff.
My question is, how does the URC know anything other than “Off”? I always thought that remotes send a series of infared light “pulses” to the TV which tells the TV what action to preform.
The only command the TV received from the remote was “Off”. How does the remote then know the commands for “Channel Up”, “Channel Down”, “9”, etc?
Because there are a finite number of control combinations used by manufacturers. When you find the correct command for “off” then the remote knows that your set uses code set 4197 (or whatever) and programs the rest of the buttons.
I imagine that based on the "off’ command, the remote matches that to an internal table which indicates which other codes to use for other functions. So in effect, even though you can’t find a valid code in your manual, the remote is looking up a code based on the “off” sequence.
I’ll just add for completeness that there are expensive learning remotes available, too – those other types have never been satisfactory for my personal use.
What’s a learning remote? Well, you point the old remote at the new one, and it (the new one) learns the command it needs from the old one.
And a most excellent one of that variety is the Home Theater Master MX-500.
The problem with a lot of URCs, even the learning type is that more often than not, the function you “learned” to a given button never matches the LABELED function of that button. So you’re always going, “Now what button did I program for…?”
The MX-500 has a nice combination of “hard buttons” and a LCD screen with programable lables and functions, so you can label your own custom functions. PLUS it does MACROS! ONE button press, and you can power up ALL your AV gear.
The best part? ONE remote on the coffee table, AND the wife can use it with ease!
SOrry folks if I’m soap-boxing. And I don’t sell these things, so I’m not trying to get free advertising. I’m just SO HAPPY with this URC, I HAD to tell you guys. I’ve seen them sell for as much as $160, but you can get it on-line for $120. Expensive? Not when you considder that you get no more bitching from the wife when she “just wants to watch TV!” and you don’t have to fumble amongst a half-dozen remotes cluttering the coffee table. Money WELL spent!
I had an One4All 6 for many years of flawless remoting. Just one remote and it had the Macro’s. Then I got a stupid Apex DVD player and the remote didn’t have Apex codes in it. The scroll and punch method didn’t work either. So I went out and bought an One4All8 (urc-8910B00). At first I didn’t like it, the buttons were in weird and new places. It had an odd “Home Theatre” button that “combined” the several components into one button (that’s not explained very well and I don’t use the function). It lit up and had an LCD screen. Overall, it annoyed me. So I used my old remote for everything but DVD remoteing. Then the old one finally got dropped one to many times and the batteries didn’t keep their contacts together very well. So now I’m using the new one and loving it. It’s got 3 macros, so I got one that turns everything on. One to set everything up for DVD watching and one to change back to TV watching. You can force the remote to use only the receiver for volume (the old one did this to, excellent feature) and you can “move” buttons around (I haven’t played with that yet either). All in all, its been a well worth it 50$. Oh, and in theory you can upload new codes. The batteries go bad VERY quickly if you use the illumination though.
dead0man, are you my evil twin or something? I have the very same remote, and the very same macro setup (one power, one switches everything for optimal DVD viewing, one switches everything back). Eerie!
I’ve become very comfortable with this remote. I really like the IR Learn function; I’ve been able to replicate just about every function I use regularly on the One4All with it.
Unlike dead0man, I do use the home theater button. The idea is that there are several groups of buttons (channel numbers, picture-in-picture buttons, directional menu keys, so on), and in theater mode, you assign each group to one device. Granted, I give most of them to my cable box, but it’s handy to be able to control my TV’s picture-in-picture without having to switch modes.
Bad things about the remote: my old One4All let you put a macro on the power button in theater mode, which would save me a macro key on the new one. No idea why they discontinued that. Also, the light sucks, and the FAV key is useless. But apart from that, it’s grand.
Rob V, I have a Sony learning remote – looks less traditional, kind of boxy. I don’t know the name. It’s got some hard keys plus an LCD screen that has most of the functions labelled properly. I have the One remote to rule them all.
Actually, I’d love a Philips Pronto, but that’s in line behind my Apple Cinema display, a newer PowerBook, oh, yeah, and a new house.
A new house? I paid like two bills for my Pronto TS1000 almost three years ago.
I think they now run like $85-90 on ebay.
The programmable touch screen is the remote control wave of the future. I touch “watch somthing” and it turns my TV on. I then touch “DVD”, and it turns on the DVD, turns on the VHS, switches the VHS to listen on the the DVD “port”, switches the TV to s-video input #2, turns on the receiver, switches the receiver to play the DVD through the speakers, and, of course switches the Pronto touch screen to DVD control. Gob-o-macros.
Make a 2 bit (black and white) gif and upload it to the Pronto, and now you have logos, custom buttons, etc etc etc …
Now they (Philips) have the ultra-geek models in full color and higher resolution than my old 486-25 PC.
For less than a bill, I thnk you can afford it before the powerbook and new house
Question : How do these three-digit retailing jobbies differ from the ones you see for sale for $8.95 at the drugstore? They’re labeled “Universal Remotes”, and claim to do what the hundred+ buck ones do–is it just that they less reliable, or less powerful, or do they perform fewer functions?
Eleusis, I was exaggerating a little bit. But all the new Prontos I see at $400. The Sony was less than $200 at the time, so I got it. I’ll check out eBay and see if the same less than $100 ones are the same as the $400 ones.
Mangetout, I guess I didn’t consider that. I just assumed that most people bought universal remotes for the express purpose of consolidating multiple remotes. I broke a remote once, called RCA, and got an official replacement, because universal remotes (the non-learning kind) just kind of generally suck.
For consolidation purposes (I’ll qualify), learning remotes are just super. The Sony gives me control of the X10 goodies, receiver, TV, TiVo, DirecTV, and DVD. Simpliest system in the world compared to everyone I know struggling with multiple remotes.
