# Perfect HR2x Universal Remote?



## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

I've been a happy Universal R7 remote user for the past year. I just noticed that there's a new "R6" model available that has the four COLOR buttons located right in the center of the remote, between the ARROW/SELECT pad and the CRUISE CONTROLS.

The remote is backlit, completely "learnable", and supports up to six 20-step Macros. Best of all, it sells for a whopping $18 at BestBuy.com!

http://universalremote.com/product_detail.php?model=127

Every key except the POWER and DEVICE buttons is "teachable", so I think I would assign "LIST" to the INPUT button, and move INPUT down to one of the four buttons on the bottom row. I also think I'd learn BACK into the INFO button, and move INFO down to the bottom row as well.

/steve


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## shedberg (Jan 20, 2007)

Looks interesting. I have a harmony remote at the moment (670) and am happy with it. I have it programmed for the color buttons. For the price though, I could use this remote in my office since I cannot control the TV with the D* remote. It isn't a DVR but I might just try this remote and have it as a back up.


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## houskamp (Sep 14, 2006)

Just can't live without the programing capability on my MX700


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

houskamp said:


> Just can't live without the programing capability on my MX700


I'll admit it's nice to have the HTM PC setup program, but for $18, being able to program six 20-step Macros via the remote ain't too shabby. And you get backlighting and the COLOR buttons to boot! :lol: /steve


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## LI-SVT (May 18, 2006)

Nice remote, thanks for the tip.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

LI-SVT said:


> Nice remote, thanks for the tip.


Welcome. I just edited the first post. After studying the layout, I think since every key (except the POWER and DEVICE buttons) is "teachable", I would assign "LIST" to the INPUT button, and move INPUT down to one of the four buttons on the bottom row.

I also think I'd learn BACK into the INFO button, and move INFO down to the bottom row as well. /steve


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

The learning memory is only 40 commands, thats terrible. Steve how was the URC Gamer remote compared to R7?


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Edmund said:


> The learning memory is only 40 commands, thats terrible. Steve how was the URC Gamer remote compared to R7?


That's 40 commands for each DEVICE, so 240 in total. And you don't have to "learn" every key on a device. URC is the OEM that makes the DirecTV remote, so most of the HR20 keys are already properly mapped and don't have to be learned.

The Gamer and the R7 are vitually identical, except for the keycaps. /steve


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

Steve said:


> That's 40 commands for each DEVICE, so 240 in total. And you don't have to "learn" every key on a device. URC is the OEM that makes the DirecTV remote, so most of the HR20 keys are already properly mapped and don't have to be learned.
> 
> The Gamer and the R7 are vitually identical, except for the keycaps. /steve


No, they give you total commands for the whole remote, like they do under R7 & R5. which able to learn 160 commands, and come with higher MSRP. For $25 you get 40 total.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Edmund said:


> No, they give you total commands for the whole remote, like they do under R7 & R5. which able to learn 160 commands, and come with higher MSRP. For $25 you get 40 total.


Gotcha. I misread this spec as being per device:


Learning Capabilities: 40 Buttons for any device at standard frequencies (15kHz to 100kHz)
At any rate, thanks to URC's built-in code base, I only needed to learn about 10 buttons total for 5 different devices using my R7, so 40 is more than enough for me. I suspect it will be OK for most users as well.

Hey, what do you want for $18 (at Bestbuy.com)?  /steve


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

Its the code database that is senting me out to bestbuy right now.


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## ATARI (May 10, 2007)

Looks good.

The only thing that I don't like is that the Play, FF, REW, etc buttons are letters instead of symbols.

Still, for <$20, I may have to pick one up to play with.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Edmund said:


> Its the code database that is senting me out to bestbuy right now.


Please report back on it! I'll be away for a couple of weeks, so wasn't planning to play with one until I got back and had the time. And if it turns out to be a dud for some reason, Bestbuy has a great return policy.  /steve


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## Dignan (Jan 20, 2008)

Not that it's in the same price range with the Universal, but my next remote to replace my MX-500 will be the Harmony One, coming in February.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Dignan said:


> Not that it's in the same price range with the Universal, but my next remote to replace my MX-500 will be the Harmony One, coming in February.


Curious why you think the H-1 will be worth $225 more (MSRP) than the R6? I'm not trying to be a wise-guy, just want to know if I'm missing something.

Seems to me there are still no dedicated COLOR buttons, which have become increasingly more important with the new UI updates. As opposed to the R6, it looks like you'll have to move your hand way up to the top screen to access the H1 color buttons via menus, which doesn't seem very ergonomic to me. /steve


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

Steve said:


> Please report back on it! I'll be away for a couple of weeks, so wasn't planning to play with one until I got back and had the time. And if it turns out to be a dud for some reason, Bestbuy has a great return policy.  /steve


The remote is smaller than the R7 & Gamer. The only keys that are backlit are the device keys. After programming the directv code, 173, the color keys do not have anything mapped to them, so you will need to use the learning memory to add the color commands.  There is a code for the current Olevia tv's. It takes two AAA batteries, so its a very light remote.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Edmund said:


> The remote is smaller than the R7 & Gamer. The only keys that are backlit are the device keys. After programming the directv code, 173, the color keys do not have anything mapped to them, so you will need to use the learning memory to add the color commands.  There is a code for the current Olevia tv's. It takes two AAA batteries, so its a very light remote.


I am surprised the color keys aren't mapped, since URC is the OEM for the DirecTV remote.

It's not so bad about learning the color keys, tho, because I switch between two remotes sometimes and I'd like the RGYB sequence to be the same on both. Too bad the whole remote isn't backlit. Probably not enough power to do so, since it uses AAA instead of AA.

How does it feel in your hand? /steve


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## bonscott87 (Jan 21, 2003)

I'm planning to replace my many years old MX-700 (still going strong!) with an MX-810. I was leaning toward the Harmony One but I love the MX remotes too much.  But neither has colored buttons.


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

Steve said:


> I am surprised the color keys aren't mapped, since URC is the OEM for the DirecTV remote.
> 
> It's not so bad about learning the color keys, tho, because I switch between two remotes sometimes and I'd like the RGYB sequence to be the same on both. Too bad the whole remote isn't backlit. Probably not enough power to do so, since it uses AAA instead of AA.
> 
> How does it feel in your hand? /steve


Its not URC that makes the white remotes, its UEI the maker of the OFA brand of universal remotes, that makes the white remotes.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Edmund said:


> Its not URC that makes the white remotes, its UEI the maker of the OFA brand of universal remotes, that makes the white remotes.


Oops. My RC34 has a sticker inside the battery compartment that reads: "URC2483RG0-0", so I assumed it was made by URC. Do you think they have more than one OEM? Or is the URCxxxxxx designation just a coincidence? /steve


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

Steve said:


> Oops. My RC34 has a sticker inside the battery compartment that reads: "URC2483RG0-0", so I assumed it was made by URC. Do you think they have more than one OEM? Or is the URCxxxxxx designation just a coincidence? /steve


UEI has been using prefix "urc-" since the 1980's. Who used it first I have no idea. But all the white remotes come from UEI. Just like the blue directv remotes before that.


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## louiss3000 (Jan 26, 2008)

Can someone tell me if this remote has a JP1 connector?

Thanks, LS


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

louiss3000 said:


> Can someone tell me if this remote has a JP1 connector?
> 
> Thanks, LS


No, only remotes made by UEI are jp1-able, this is made by URC.


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## bemenaker (Jan 6, 2008)

I have the Harmony 880. Absolutely love it. Having no problems controlling my HR21 with it. Haven't touched my Direct remote since about 30 mins after turning on my hr21 for the first time Saturday.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Couldn't wait. I was near a BB yesterday, so I picked-up an R6. Works like a charm. Hand feel is very nice, as is the button layout and tactile feedback. I had to learn the "COLOR" buttons. I put "BACK" on the INPUT button. I made the remote PLAY button "PLAY/PAUSE", and put "LIST" on the remote's PAUSE button. I also had to learn the "-" onto the +10 button and the HR20 discrete "OFF", which took me a few tries because the D* remote sends two IR commands out (one for the TV as well).

Edmund is correct, it's limited to 40 learned buttons total, but that's enough for my set-up. Macros work great. Macros go on either the two power keys or the four color buttons, so I programmed a PAUSE at the start of the COLOR button macros so they have to be held down for MACROS, but single-click allows them to function normally.

My only gripe is that at the end of a macro, you can't specify the DEVICE key that should be active. It defaults back to whatever DEVICE key you were in at the time you launched the Macro. I called URC and they said that's normal behavior... only the more expensive HTM "pro" models allow macro device key selection. So what does it mean? My macro to play a DVD turns on the DVD player, changes the TV input and the Audio receiver input, but when it completes, I have to press the DVD device button to stay in DVD mode. Or, I could press DVD first and then invoke the Macro. Either way, no big deal, but would have been nice if I could have stayed in DVD automatically.

For $18, this thing is a steal, IMO. /steve


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## dsm (Jul 11, 2004)

Steve said:


> Edmund is correct, it's limited to 40 learned buttons total, but that's enough for my set-up. Macros work great. Macros go on either the two power keys or the four color buttons, so I programmed a PAUSE at the start of the COLOR button macros so they have to be held down for MACROS, but single-click allows them to function normally.


I picked one up too since it was so cheap. I assumed it was 40 per device and it sure seems like I've already programmed more than that, but maybe not. Either way 40 is better than zero (ie if the HR20 remote control could just learn a couple of keys I'd have no problem sticking with that one).

Does work pretty well with a couple of nits:

I programed the "system on/off" macros but I don't always turn one of my devices on (HD-DVD player) so I left it out. For that device I'll have to use different keys to turn it on/off from what I can tell. It would be nice if I could tell it that when the device type is "dvd" to use only the device codes for on and off.

You can cause various keys to punch through and be the same for all devices. I inadvertantly did this for CH+/- and the number keys (to the HR20) and then realized I needed number keys elsewhere. There doesn't seem to be a global way to cancel this. I need to go to each device and cancel the override or reset the whole thing and start over.

I had a devilish time getting the colored keys to learn. They have an added function that they can be used to record a channel # and somehow that seemed to make it not take. Then all of a sudden the values I had learned worked. Very strange.

I wish all the keys were backlit. In the dark the keys don't seem to have a lot of differentiation.

BTW it was on sale at best buy and I had a coupon so for $16, it's hard to complain.

steve


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## Stuart Sweet (Jun 19, 2006)

Mrs. Shadow and I have an understanding, no new remotes in the house and no new plants. It's not the $18 I'm worried about, it's the blowback.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

dsm said:


> I picked one up too since it was so cheap. I assumed it was 40 per device and it sure seems like I've already programmed more than that, but maybe not. Either way 40 is better than zero (ie if the HR20 remote control could just learn a couple of keys I'd have no problem sticking with that one).
> 
> Does work pretty well with a couple of nits:
> 
> ...


I didn't enable any "Punch throughs" except for my receiver's volume and mute. For devices I want to power on and off separately, I just "learned" those codes onto the two bottom right keys on the bottom row, and call them up separately in my macros. I had no problems learning the COLOR keys, but as I mentioned, it took me a few tries to get the HR20 discrete "off" to learn properly.

I also like that it''s packaged so you can open it without destroying the plastic, so easy to return to BB if you don't like it.  /steve


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## mjbueche (Jan 14, 2008)

Ok I am guessing that it only uses IR no RF?


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## dsm (Jul 11, 2004)

mjbueche said:


> Ok I am guessing that it only uses IR no RF?


Yes, IR only.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Ya. AFAIK, no non-DirecTV replacement remote will work RF with an HR-2x. /steve


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

Steve said:


> I didn't enable any "Punch throughs" except for my receiver's volume and mute. For devices I want to power on and off separately, I just "learned" those codes onto the two bottom right keys on the bottom row, and call them up separately in my macros. I had no problems learning the COLOR keys, but as I mentioned, it took me a few tries to get the HR20 discrete "off" to learn properly.
> 
> I also like that it''s packaged so you can open it without destroying the plastic, so easy to return to BB if you don't like it.  /steve


I took it back, I still have 5 Gamer remotes and R7 here.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Edmund said:


> I took it back, I still have 5 Gamer remotes and R7 here.


I'm sticking with mine. I like the COLOR BUTTON placement a lot. I have two R7's and a GAMER, and about 5 others that will probably wind up on eBay as a "bundle" when I get back from vacation. :lol: /steve


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

So no one uses Philips Pronto remotes? I have a TSU6000 for me and a TSU7000 for my wife. I just drew my own colored buttons.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

rudeney said:


> So no one uses Philips Pronto remotes? I have a TSU6000 for me and a TSU7000 for my wife. I just drew my own colored buttons.


This one only costs $18 at BB, so not quite in the same league as the Pronto's. Much better price/performance ratio, tho! :lol: /steve


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

Steve said:


> This one only costs $18 at BB, so not quite in the same league as the Pronto's. Much better price/performance ratio, tho! :lol: /steve


Yeah, I guess there's a big difference an $18 and $800, but then again, when I sit in my living room and look at nearly $10K of entertainment equipment, a few hundred more for a good remote doesn't seem so bad. Especially since I can program the thing with really big easy-to-understand buttons so that even my wife can switch from DVD to HR20 and use the DVR functions.

I bought both of my Prontos on ebay (gently used) a few years back. IIRC, the TSU6000 was around $200 and the TSU7000 was around $400. I added an RF receiver for about $100 since all but the TV is in a closed cabinet. If you don't need a color screen, a gently used TSU3000 can be had for just over $100. I gave my parents one a few years back and even my mother is able to use their HT.

Another alternative is the TSU500 (a.k.a Neo) which can be had for $50-$75. It doesn't have native ability to talk to an RF extender, but there are aftermarket devices available that work with it (check part #8045i at Smarthome). I have those in the rest of the house and have them programmed similarly to the 6000/7000 in the living room. The wife loves it because everything pretty much works the same way on every TV in the house.


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## ATARI (May 10, 2007)

I finally got around to picking one of these up at BB yesterday.

Paid $19, but on a gift card, so FREE to me  

I like it. Has a nice balanced weight, has two different finger rests in back (one for when you are holding it to change channels/volume, the other for the cursor/enter buttons.).

At first I was disappointed the whole thing wasn't backlit -- but having a red light flash on the component it is sending a code to is nice feedback. The keys also have a nice solid feel to them with good tactile response.

Easy to program, easy to use, very responsive. It's my new living room remote.


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## somekevinguy (Jan 7, 2008)

rudeney said:


> So no one uses Philips Pronto remotes? I have a TSU6000 for me and a TSU7000 for my wife. I just drew my own colored buttons.


I have a TSU7000 but I hate the touch screen. I like real buttons way better. If they ever come out with something like the Harmony 1 with the four color buttons I would switch to that in a heartbeat. Also setting up the Pronto is a serious commitment. I got a whole new system about a month ago and I still haven't gotten my Pronto setup yet.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

somekevinguy said:


> I have a TSU7000 but I hate the touch screen. I like real buttons way better. If they ever come out with something like the Harmony 1 with the four color buttons I would switch to that in a heartbeat. Also setting up the Pronto is a serious commitment. I got a whole new system about a month ago and I still haven't gotten my Pronto setup yet.


Hmm, the touch screen really doesn't bother me. As for the programming, I actually find it a bit fun, although it drives my wife nuts when I "tweak" things. Anyhow, here's my TSU7000 screen for the HR20:










The wood grain background lets my wife know which room she's in (she can also use this to control the TV outside on the back porch). I color-coded the buttons so when she ask, "Now how do I get to my favorites?" I can tell her to press the big blue button and she doesn't have to reach for her glasses to read the labels.


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## falz (Aug 15, 2007)

I'm always on the quest for the perfect remote. I only like physical buttons, so I've never been fond of even looking at the Pronto stuff. URC's remotes always seem decent, but seem to be several buttons short. The Sony RM-VL900 still has the best feel of a remote, the downfall is that you cant really find it anywhere anymore, and it really needs at LEAST two more buttons. Ive switched to the RM-VL600, which has a few more buttons and is only $25. The two great things about these remotes:

* It has enough memory to learn on EVERY button on EVERY device. I've never actually used a preset code, I just learn everything so I know it works the way I want it to.

* The way the "device" buttons (tv/sat/cd/etc) work. Pressing once quickly does what you expect- it changes the remote to that "mode". However, you can also program a macro into them. So, holding it down for 2 seconds will launch the macro. In my case, if I want to watch a "DVD", I programmed in the macro to discrete on the tv, AVR, dvd player, and change each to the appropriate inputs. This way, you can use that to power everything up, or just use it to switch to that input.

I use the A/B/C/D buttons at the bottom as "power" buttons for components to save from pressing dvd->power, amp-> power, etc. I suppose one could use them as the color buttons, as these are the only things missing from these remotes. Hopefully Sony will add them in the next revision, since it seems to be quite commonplace to have them. I use "tools" as "list". Unfortunately I have nothing mapped to the skip forward/skip backwards commands. I'm not used to using those (came from several TiVos) so I guess don't know if I'm missing anything.

For its price, it really cannot be beat. The remote in the original post here looks great, except for the pause/play/rw layout, and 40 learned commands is simply nowhere near enough.

Here's the RM-VL600:









And the RM-VL900, which is no longer produced:


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## somekevinguy (Jan 7, 2008)

rudeney said:


> Hmm, the touch screen really doesn't bother me. As for the programming, I actually find it a bit fun, although it drives my wife nuts when I "tweak" things. Anyhow, here's my TSU7000 screen for the HR20:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I thought it was fun the first time I did it but this is going to be my third time reprogramming it after major system upgrade and it isn't fun anymore. In the past I always downloaded fancy schemes off the internet that looked really cool but a lot of the buttons were on the small side. I think this time I might just go with a straight forward design with big buttons. Setting up the macros is awesome though. My wife can just press watch TV or watch DVD and it turns everything on and selects all the right inputs. I have a one and two year old though so I don't know if I am ever going to have time to reprogram this thing now.


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## The Merg (Jun 24, 2007)

You ever notice that along with the colored buttons the one main button that is always lacking from these remotes is the List button? Considering the number of people with DVRs nowadays, you would think that the List button would be hardcoded onto the universal remotes.

- Merg


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## ATARI (May 10, 2007)

The Merg said:


> You ever notice that along with the colored buttons the one main button that is always lacking from these remotes is the List button? Considering the number of people with DVRs nowadays, you would think that the List button would be hardcoded onto the universal remotes.
> 
> - Merg


Since neither my TV nor the HR20 have PIP, I programmed the PIP button to be LIST.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

ATARI said:


> Since neither my TV nor the HR20 have PIP, I programmed the PIP button to be LIST.


I actually made PLAY = Pause/Play and re-assigned PAUSE to LIST. It's working out well for me. /steve


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## ATARI (May 10, 2007)

Steve said:


> I actually made PLAY = Pause/Play and re-assigned PAUSE to LIST. It's working out well for me. /steve


UPDATE: Upon the wife's insistance, I also programmed LIST to the LAST button. She convinced me it was in a better place on the remote and, afterall, is only one letter off. LAST (Previous) has now been moved to SWAP. It doesn't get used anyway much because no DLB.


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## azjerry (Jan 13, 2008)

I have a Yamaha receiver that requires separate power on/off codes. Can I set the R6 so that one button press turns on the Yamaha, my Toshiba TV and the HR21-200 and another press turns them all off? Doesn't matter if it's the same button.


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## rudeney (May 28, 2007)

somekevinguy said:


> I thought it was fun the first time I did it but this is going to be my third time reprogramming it after major system upgrade and it isn't fun anymore. In the past I always downloaded fancy schemes off the internet that looked really cool but a lot of the buttons were on the small side. I think this time I might just go with a straight forward design with big buttons. Setting up the macros is awesome though. My wife can just press watch TV or watch DVD and it turns everything on and selects all the right inputs. I have a one and two year old though so I don't know if I am ever going to have time to reprogram this thing now.


You may know this, but one of the secrets to Pronto programming is to not learn or assign IR codes directly to the buttons you see on the screen. Instead, create "hidden" devices with pages and buttons to mimic the layout of the original device remotes and learn everything there. You can even create a hidden "Macros" device that contains all you multi-step commands. Then, link the buttons on your "visible" panels to these buttons. When you swap equipment, all you may need to do is re-learn the new IR to those hidden buttons. I've been using the same basic layout on my remotes for years. I think the last time I had to change the anything on the visible screens was to ad the R/G/Y/B buttons.

Another "secret" is that PhotoShop is your friend! Find or design a button style that you like and then use PhotoShop (or a similar program) to change its colors and sizes. I have a whole set of folders on my PC full of "buttons".

You are more than welcome to take a look at my TSU7000 setup and use whatever you want.

*DOWNLOAD: TSU7000.ZIP*


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

azjerry said:


> I have a Yamaha receiver that requires separate power on/off codes. Can I set the R6 so that one button press turns on the Yamaha, my Toshiba TV and the HR21-200 and another press turns them all off? Doesn't matter if it's the same button.


Yes. You can power them all up with the R6's "on" button and shut them all down with the "off" button, pictured in post #1.

The manual is available the here. /steve


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## somekevinguy (Jan 7, 2008)

rudeney said:


> You may know this, but one of the secrets to Pronto programming is to not learn or assign IR codes directly to the buttons you see on the screen. Instead, create "hidden" devices with pages and buttons to mimic the layout of the original device remotes and learn everything there. You can even create a hidden "Macros" device that contains all you multi-step commands. Then, link the buttons on your "visible" panels to these buttons. When you swap equipment, all you may need to do is re-learn the new IR to those hidden buttons. I've been using the same basic layout on my remotes for years. I think the last time I had to change the anything on the visible screens was to ad the R/G/Y/B buttons.
> 
> Another "secret" is that PhotoShop is your friend! Find or design a button style that you like and then use PhotoShop (or a similar program) to change its colors and sizes. I have a whole set of folders on my PC full of "buttons".
> 
> ...


Yeah I knew all that. It seems like every time I have changed my system I ended up having lots of new specialized buttons that were different than what my last system had. Thanks for files. Like I said I am thinking I am going to go with a more basic design this time with bigger buttons and it looks like that is what you have. There are a lot of files on www.remotecentral.com


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## danor (Aug 22, 2007)

An absolute must for my A/V system is the ability to control volume without any visual showing up on the screen.
When I use my DVD player or TV I can change the volume with only the volume changing: I don't 'see' anything on the screen ( it was virtually an out of body experience when I first got my Yamaha receiver and was able to do this ).
I currently use my HR20-x remote to control volume on both TV and DVD and no visual occurs.
When I programed my Universal R-6 to TV on, off, volume etc. I noticed that a visual bar comes up on the screen (*choking back tears*). Any way to 'turn it off'?
.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

danor said:


> An absolute must for my A/V system is the ability to control volume without any visual showing up on the screen.
> When I use my DVD player or TV I can change the volume with only the volume changing: I don't 'see' anything on the screen ( it was virtually an out of body experience when I first got my Yamaha receiver and was able to do this ).
> I currently use my HR20-x remote to control volume on both TV and DVD and no visual occurs.
> When I programed my Universal R-6 to TV on, off, volume etc. I noticed that a visual bar comes up on the screen (*choking back tears*). Any way to 'turn it off'?
> .


The R6 is very flexible in this regard, You can program which device's volume should be assigned to the VOL keys, no matter which device is otherwise being controlled. You might want to read through the "Volume Punchthrough" section of the R6 manual.

/steve


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## danor (Aug 22, 2007)

Steve said:


> The R6 is very flexible in this regard, You can program which device's volume should be assigned to the VOL keys, no matter which device is otherwise being controlled. You might want to read through the "Volume Punchthrough" section of the R6 manual.
> 
> /steve


Thanks Steve.
Yea, I feel a bit foolish after waking up at 3:00a this morning and realizing the same thing. It was like, 'Hello, danor, how obvious is that . 
Have to blame it on back pain and the Advil 
.


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## Deli (Aug 7, 2007)

Steve: Thanks for the tip on this (R6) remote. I picked one up at BB for $18. With a $15 gift card, it was nearly free!  I've programmed it similar to you, but with a few changes.

Atari: I too like the placement of the finger rests on the back. It allows me to find the buttons in the dark.

All in all, this is a great remote for the price.


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## danor (Aug 22, 2007)

So I have programmed most buttons I want to control the TV vis a vie the HR remote. Just did a head to head with my HR remote and the R-6. 
I am using the Cable/Sat as the function button.
All works fine (including Channel up and down) except the Vol up and down and mute. When I press any of those I get the pop-up menu saying "TV keys aren't programmed", "Program remote"?

My HR remote works fine; it's already programmed.

Yesterday I programmed most of the same keys to work but used the TV function button instead of the Cable/Sat. If I change to that button all works fine including the Vol up and down and mute but then the Channel up and down don't work.


.


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

danor said:


> So I have programmed most buttons I want to control the TV vis a vie the HR remote. Just did a head to head with my HR remote and the R-6.
> I am using the Cable/Sat as the function button.
> All works fine (including Channel up and down) except the Vol up and down and mute. When I press any of those I get the pop-up menu saying "TV keys aren't programmed", "Program remote"?
> 
> ...


What initiates that message at the botton of the screen, is the preset commands mapped to the volume keys on the white remote when not 
programmed for tv code. When both URC & UEI made up there D10 codeset, way back when, they included those preset commands on the volume keys in the SAT device. So if you don't have the punch-through enabled in the sat device on the R6 universal, you will keep getting those messages.

If you want the tv volume in the sat device:

1. press and hold SAT device key & select on the R6, until the device key lights
2. press VOL UP
3. press TV device key, or the Aud device key if you want the stereo volume in the sat device.


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## danor (Aug 22, 2007)

Thanks Edmund 

I think it was Steve who said he programmed the r-6 'swap' button to be the equivalent of the hr20's 'prev' button. When I put the two remotes head to head tell it to learn, it won't.
It just blinks 5 times etc. All the other buttons I've had it 'learn' worked fine. 
Any thoughts?


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## DMG (Feb 7, 2008)

I'm so close but not quite there with the R6.

1) I'm also having problems getting the remote to learn the "Prev" button.

2) I'd like to have the Cable/Sat ON button be the HR21 ON button and the Cable/Sat OFF button be the HR21 OFF. I can't get the remote to learn that since On/Off on the HR21 also send the TV On/Off. But I figure I'll be OK if I can get the remote ON to be the HR21 Power and the remote OFF to be the HR21 Power. It acts like it is learning it but the buttons don't work once they have been taught. I've got another old Marantz remote that can learn the HR21 Power button just fine but not the R6. :-(

3) IF I can get the On/Off programmed then I was going to do a macro PowerOn to turn on the TV plus HR21 and similarly with the PowerOff. Obviously until I can get 2) above to work I can't power both devices at the same time. But for kicks I tried to do the macro even though I don't yet have the Cable/Sat ON working yet. And the macro does nothing, even though it shows the TV device button lighting. And yes, the TV On/Off by itself work just fine. Bummer.

If I could get these 3 things working properly I believe I would be quite happy with this remote. As it is I can turn on and off the TV but the HR21 stays on all the time and I really don't want to do that.

Any ideas/suggestions are welcome.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

danor said:


> Thanks Edmund
> 
> I think it was Steve who said he programmed the r-6 'swap' button to be the equivalent of the hr20's 'prev' button. When I put the two remotes head to head tell it to learn, it won't.
> It just blinks 5 times etc. All the other buttons I've had it 'learn' worked fine.
> Any thoughts?


It's possible you hit the 40 limit of learning keys. If you need more than 40, you might consider the R7 for a few dollars more, though there are no dedicated color keys. For the R7, I mapped the four bottom keys to be the color keys. ON the R7, you can assign macros to each one of the DEVICE keys, in add'n to Power on/off.

The R7 is also completely backlit and has a nicer Cruise Control cluster, IMO. /steve


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

DMG said:


> I'm so close but not quite there with the R6.
> 
> 1) I'm also having problems getting the remote to learn the "Prev" button.
> 
> 2) I'd like to have the Cable/Sat ON button be the HR21 ON button and the Cable/Sat OFF button be the HR21 OFF. I can't get the remote to learn that since On/Off on the HR21 also send the TV On/Off. But I figure I'll be OK if I can get the remote ON to be the HR21 Power and the remote OFF to be the HR21 Power. It acts like it is learning it but the buttons don't work once they have been taught. I've got another old Marantz remote that can learn the HR21 Power button just fine but not the R6. :-(


I "learned" the TV powe-off into one of the bottom buttons under the TV device, and then made pressing that button part of the "Power OFF" button macro, along with my HR2x "off"' and Yamaha receiver "off". You don't have to learn the HR2x off, as it is already in the remote's memory from the factory for the DirecTV device. I'm not home to try it, but I'm pretty sure that's how I did it.

/steve


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## danor (Aug 22, 2007)

Steve said:


> It's possible you hit the 40 limit of learning keys. If you need more than 40, you might consider the R7 for a few dollars more, though there are no dedicated color keys. For the R7, I mapped the four bottom keys to be the color keys. ON the R7, you can assign macros to each one of the DEVICE keys, in add'n to Power on/off.
> 
> The R7 is also completely backlit and has a nicer Cruise Control cluster, IMO. /steve


I think I should probably reset the remote to it's default settings and start from scratch. 
I can't imagine I've hit the 40 limit unless I've been redundant etc.
Given that I've never programmed a remote before I suspect I've made any number of mistakes that may be problematic.
Hey, I learned a lot so I'll give it a shot and bottom line is I like the R-6 so it's worth another go at it.
Thanks Steve...


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## jba115 (Oct 6, 2006)

This looks promising. Is the "-" programmable to lower left button.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

jba115 said:


> This looks promising. Is the "-" programmable to lower left button.


Yes. All keys are learnable, except the DEVICE and POWER keys, IIRC. There's a 40 key learning limit. For a few dollars more, the R7 has a 160 key learning limit with a different key layout. /steve


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## DMG (Feb 7, 2008)

Steve said:


> It's possible you hit the 40 limit of learning keys. ...


I had thought of that as well and couldn't tell how you know when you've hit the limit.

But you did suggest something I had foolishly overlooked. The On/Off buttons were already programmed properly for the DirecTV on/off so my overriding them wasn't necessary and may have been the cause of the problem. Once I deleted my custom assignments to those keys I was able to address all 3 problems I described above. Fantastic!

i've got it set up now the way I want, modulo where to put the "Back" key; I haven't decided about that.

Thanks Steve for the help and the suggestion of the R6. I may end up looking at the R7 at some point since from your description it may have a couple of features I want. My top priority was to replace the DirecTV remote with something much more user friendly and the R6 has gone a long way toward that goal.

I am much less concerned about the price and much more interested in something that is usable. The TiVo remote was one of the best remotes I've ever used for the specific purpose it was built for and I'm looking for the best replacement for the HR21 use, even if it doesn't work partticularly well as a general universal remote.

David


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

DMG said:


> I had thought of that as well and couldn't tell how you know when you've hit the limit.
> 
> But you did suggest something I had foolishly overlooked. The On/Off buttons were already programmed properly for the DirecTV on/off so my overriding them wasn't necessary and may have been the cause of the problem. Once I deleted my custom assignments to those keys I was able to address all 3 problems I described above. Fantastic!
> 
> ...


See my post #25 to see how I did the keys. PLAY works great as PLAY/PAUSE, just like on the TiVo remote. That frees-up PAUSE for LIST, which I use a lot. I think I made the "INPUT" button on the SAT device the BACK key. /steve


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

Radio shack has a new remote its the Universal Gamer Remote model 15-133:

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3031611&cp

Its 5 in-1 learning remote, it has the color keys, in which the commands are preset via directv code 01377. Code 01377 is factory default code on the SAT/CBL device.

In addition to the 5 device keys there are 3 Gamer devices, 360, PC & PSX, these devices aren't programmable,

The remote has a Backlight, its amber. when lit the yellow key disappears.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

I'm amazed that a $20 remote can include dedicated color keys and "higher-end" remotes like Harmony and Universal still don't offer these ... :nono:


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Drew2k said:


> I'm amazed that a $20 remote can include dedicated color keys and "higher-end" remotes like Harmony and Universal still don't offer these ... :nono:


Not to mention 20-step macros, at least in the case of the Universal RC series of remotes. /steve


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## dbronstein (Oct 21, 2002)

I got this and it's working great for the most part. According to the manual, you can only program macros on the power buttons and the colored buttons. If you program macros on the colored buttons, then you lose their functionality as the colored buttons. Or am I missing something?

Dennis


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

dbronstein said:


> I got this and it's working great for the most part. According to the manual, you can only program macros on the power buttons and the colored buttons. If you program macros on the colored buttons, then you lose their functionality as the colored buttons. Or am I missing something?
> 
> Dennis


If you program a PAUSE as the first click of each MACRO, the color button will not execute the MACRO unless you press and hold it, as opposed to clicking it normally. This will allow you to use each COLOR button for both purposes.

/steve


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## dbronstein (Oct 21, 2002)

Ah, got it. Thanks.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

My 2¢'s worth...

I just got a MX-810.

I used to use a MX-700. What I missed is the Record, Skip, Replay buttons. I have these with the MX-810.

It fits better in my hand. It feels a little lighter but still has a quality feel.

It was a bear to program. It will do macros but I haven't yet figured out how. I'm the guy everyone comes to when they want to figure out a new program and I'm having a really hard time with the "Wizard" interface for the MX-810.

It works perfectly with my HR21-100. My HTIB is in the database but my TV isn't.

I love the remote and the more I play with the wizard the easier it becomes.

Mike


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## dbronstein (Oct 21, 2002)

Another question about the R6. Is it possible to speed up the sending of the power on/off signals? I have it set to turn on the tv, HR20 and receiver, but you have to keep it pointed at the cabinet for a couple of seconds. If you move it away too quickly (like my wife always does) the receiver doesn't turn on. (I know, I can change the order but then whatever is last won't get turned on.)

Dennis


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

dbronstein said:


> Another question about the R6. Is it possible to speed up the sending of the power on/off signals? I have it set to turn on the tv, HR20 and receiver, but you have to keep it pointed at the cabinet for a couple of seconds. If you move it away too quickly (like my wife always does) the receiver doesn't turn on. (I know, I can change the order but then whatever is last won't get turned on.)
> 
> Dennis


No. You can delay the signals by inserting PAUSES in between steps, but you can't speed them up, AFAIK. Sorry.  /steve


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## DMG (Feb 7, 2008)

Steve said:


> ... you might consider the R7 for a few dollars more, though there are no dedicated color keys. For the R7, I mapped the four bottom keys to be the color keys. ON the R7, you can assign macros to each one of the DEVICE keys, in add'n to Power on-off./QUOTE]
> 
> I got the R7 and it is _almost_ exactly what I need. The only fly in the ointment is that I'd like the On/Off for the Sat/Cable to do exactly what the On/Off of the DTV remote do, i.e. have ON turn on the TV+HR21 and have OFF turn off the TV+HR21. At first I thought that I could teach the On/Off to remember those codes but instead it only remembered either the TV or the DVR code but not both. The "macropower" feature doesn't really do what I want. On the R6 it changed the ON/OFF buttons so that they do the same thing regardless of which component was currently selected. If it only reprogrammed those buttons for the current component, I could use it exactly the way I want. I don't want to turn on EVERYTHING with On/Off and I want On/Off to do something different when I have the Audio component selected.
> 
> ...


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Steve said:


> It was sooooo close to doing exactly what I wanted. If you know of a way I can use the power keys the way I describe earlier, I'd really appreciate knowing how.


The POWER keys can be programmed as macros as well, so you can turn on/off any number of devices at one time. You can't make the power-on key act differently depending on what device is active, however. (Of course, power-off can just turn everything off all the time, so doesn't make any difference which device is active.)

If you only want the TV and HR20 to power-on under certain circumstances, then I would program a macro that does that into the SAT device button.

The R7 documentation leaves a lot to be desired. I believe if you download the URC-100 instructions from the Universal site, the macro programming is the same for both and there are a lot more detailed instructions. /steve


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## DMG (Feb 7, 2008)

Steve said:


> ... snip...
> The R7 documentation leaves a lot to be desired. I believe if you download the URC-100 instructions from the Universal site, the macro programming is the same for both and there are a lot more detailed instructions. /steve


I agree the docs leave a lot to be desired. I looked for the URC-100 instructions and couldn't find them on their website. If you find them and could post a link, that would be great. Otherwise, if you think there is a different model that shares the same programmability features and that *does* have a manual online, please let me know what that model is.

Thanks,
David


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

DMG said:


> I agree the docs leave a lot to be desired. I looked for the URC-100 instructions and couldn't find them on their website. If you find them and could post a link, that would be great. Otherwise, if you think there is a different model that shares the same programmability features and that *does* have a manual online, please let me know what that model is.
> 
> Thanks,
> David


Ya. Didn't realize the URC-100 was replaced by the R-10. The manual is here.

That being said, you really won't learn anything more from the other manual than the fact that you can also apply the R7 macro programming instructions (on p.21) to any of the 7 DEVICE keys, as well as the 2 POWER keys. I don't know why they keep it a secret in the manual, because they clearly state in the specs that the R7 has 9 macro buttons! 

/steve


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## mdavej (Jan 31, 2007)

A new UEI made (same manufacturer as One-For-All) Radio Shack remote just came out which should make a nice HR2x universal remote. It's the 15-134. I have it's brother, the 15-135, which has learning, macros, tons of codes, and is JP1 (if you're into that sort of thing). A couple of drawbacks are no backlight and the price ($30). Otherwise, not bad.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

mdavej said:


> A new UEI made (same manufacturer as One-For-All) Radio Shack remote just came out which should make a nice HR2x universal remote. It's the 15-134. I have it's brother, the 15-135, which has learning, macros, tons of codes, and is JP1 (if you're into that sort of thing). A couple of drawbacks are no backlight and the price ($30). Otherwise, not bad.


Very cool ... If only Harmony would pay attention to all these other lower-priced remotes adding dedicated color buttons!!!!

I may look into this remote for my mother - it looks simple enough and with macro ability, I could hopefully leave simple instructions for how to run three activities:

(1) Watch TV (uses HR20, AV Receiver on "TV" input, TV on HDMI1)
(2) Watch DVD (uses DVD player, AV Receiver on "TV" input, TV on HDMI2)
(3) Watch VCR (uses VCR, AV Receiver on "TV" input, TV on "Rear" input)

Just looking closer at the picture, I would have made a change to the transport keys:

Row 1: Replay / Play / Skip
Row 2: Rewind / Pause / FFW
Row 3: Record / ? / Stop (Not sure what the middle button is)

But that's just me!!!


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## mdavej (Jan 31, 2007)

The actual row 3 middle button is DVR, equivalent to LIST. Macros should be no problem. In fact, as with any UEI remote, you can put macros on shifted keys as well, i.e., press P, then some other key. So P-1 could be macro 1, P-2 macro 2 and so on. When you program the macro, just press P before the target key, and viola, you've made a shifted key macro, leaving the key's primary function unchanged.

You can also program key moves, reassigning the functions as you like. So you could at least swap Replay/Skip with Rewind/FFwd.

The advanced codes for more directv functions, including discrete on and off, were posted HERE a while back.


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## Chuck W (Mar 26, 2002)

bonscott87 said:


> I'm planning to replace my many years old MX-700 (still going strong!) with an MX-810. I was leaning toward the Harmony One but I love the MX remotes too much.  But neither has colored buttons.


I know this post is a bit old, but I was in the same "predicament" too. I have a Harmony 890 and while both my wife and I love the RF, we HATE just about everything else about the remote(I won't get into that here, but suffice to say, we've fat fingered the wrong channel number more than we get it right). Anyway, I really like the layout and feel of the new Harmony ONE remote, but it's not RF.

However, yesterday, I decided to try the ONE with an IR extender. Well, the ONE is really nice and I love the layout(although I don't like the shiny piano finish as it looks like crappola, after some fingerprints get on it). However, having to "aim" the remote again, for every button press, to use IR, just doesn't cut it for us, at this point(TV is at one end of the room, rest of components are at the other end of the room). It's too bad Logitech hasn't come out with an RF version yet(from what I hear, no plans either, till at least, the fall).

So, with all that said, I decided to order the MX-810, with the RF base(MRF-350). It's due in, later this week and, from the pics I have seen, the layout really looks nice and spread out. As for the color buttons, while they are nice to have hard buttons, I have no problems having them on the LCD, as soft buttons(I had them this way on my 890, specifically the blue button was bottom right on the LCD, for easy access to the mini guide).

I really wish these Remote manfacturers would take RF or Bluetooth more seriously and start making more remotes with these capabilities. Once you have a good RF/Bluetooth remote, it's next to impossible to go back to IR.


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## mikek (May 18, 2007)

The R7 sounded great, but I checked it out and it doesn't have the colored buttons like the R6. Why???

-mk


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

mikek said:


> The R7 sounded great, but I checked it out and it doesn't have the colored buttons like the R6. Why???
> 
> -mk


R6 is a newer model. When I used the R7, I just "learned" the color buttons onto the bottom row, because I didn't need the PIP, SWAP etc functions. Worked great, tho not as convenient as having them in the middle, like the R6. I wish the R6 had the R7 "cruise control" pad. It was great, but I see why it wouldn't fit on the R6, since the color buttons are add'l in this design.

If you don't need to "learn" more then 40 buttons total for all your devices, go with the R6. Chances are you won't need to learn many buttons because the built-in library of codes is pretty big. If you do need more than 40 learnable keys, or you need more than six 20-step macros, then I would go with the R7 for $10 more. /steve


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## mikek (May 18, 2007)

Programming macros on the device buttons is key. I can use the DVR device button to turn on the DVR, TV, Stereo and go to the proper input on the TV. Same with all the other device buttons.
I guess I want a remote with the color buttons and the ability to program macros on the device buttons.

I currently use JP1 programming on a RCU810 which works pretty well, but it doesn't have colored buttons and I use other buttons instead.

-mk


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## mikek (May 18, 2007)

Steve said:


> R6 is a newer model. /steve


I guess I'll wait for the R5. 

-mk


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## bpratt (Nov 24, 2005)

Steve said:


> R6 is a newer model. When I used the R7, I just "learned" the color buttons onto the bottom row, because I didn't need the PIP, SWAP etc functions. Worked great, tho not as convenient as having them in the middle, like the R6. I wish the R6 had the R7 "cruise control" pad. It was great, but I see why it wouldn't fit on the R6, since the color buttons are add'l in this design.
> 
> If you don't need to "learn" more then 40 buttons total for all your devices, go with the R6. Chances are you won't need to learn many buttons because the built-in library of codes is pretty big. If you do need more than 40 learnable keys, or you need more than six 20-step macros, then I would go with the R7 for $10 more. /steve


Is there a code number that works on the R6 for the HR21-700 so I don't have to define each key?


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## techleet (Feb 4, 2008)

I was absolutely addicted to the HR10-250 Tivo remote. Please tell me someone makes a universal remote ripoff?


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

bpratt said:


> Is there a code number that works on the R6 for the HR21-700 so I don't have to define each key?


Yes, its SAT code 173.


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## dbronstein (Oct 21, 2002)

mikek said:


> I guess I'll wait for the R5.
> 
> -mk


There already is an R5


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

dbronstein said:


> There already is an R5


Ya. It's a very nice remote on paper. 7 macros and up to 160 learning keys. Problem for me is it doesn't have enough physical keys to program the color buttons. /steve


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

bonscott87 said:


> I'm planning to replace my many years old MX-700 (still going strong!) with an MX-810. I was leaning toward the Harmony One but I love the MX remotes too much.  But neither has colored buttons.


I switched from the MX-700 to the MX-810.

It's true, the 810 does not have the color buttons. The 810 does have Record, Replay, and 30sec Skip/Slip buttons. Something the 700 doesn't have.

Page one on the 810 LCD I have all four color buttons, the List button, and the Format button.

I now have everything I use on a daily basis at hand without changing pages on the LCD.

I do have macros on page two for the To-Do list and CE downloads (02468). If it weren't for the To-Do macro I wouldn't have to change pages at all (not so subtle hint to bring back easy access to the To-Do list).

Mike


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## bpratt (Nov 24, 2005)

Edmund said:


> Yes, its SAT code 173.


Thanks, I was looking under DVRs for a code.


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## Herdfan (Mar 18, 2006)

Steve said:


> Every key except the POWER and DEVICE buttons is "teachable",


Can you assign Macro's to the power buttons and the device buttons?


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

bpratt said:


> Thanks, I was looking under DVRs for a code.


That code gets you about 95% of the buttons. I think you still need to learn the color buttons, tho. Maybe the '-' also. It's been a while, so I don't remember exactly. /steve


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## mikek (May 18, 2007)

I guess I want one with an R6 layout and with R7 features. Is that one out or coming out?

-mk


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

mikek said:


> I guess I want one with an R6 layout and with R7 features. Is that one out or coming out?
> 
> -mk


Yes, thats called the UR7 Gamer. it has the color keys at the bottom of remote.


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## bpratt (Nov 24, 2005)

Edmund said:


> Yes, thats called the UR7 Gamer. it has the color keys at the bottom of remote.


I purchased the R6 and very much like the key layout. However, I want a universal remote that will control my TV, a ReplayTV, two HR20-700s and a HR10-250. It would also be nice if it would control a DVD player.

I tried to program the audio key to control one of my HR20s and found the 173 code only works on the sat key. So if I train all the keys on audio, there ends up being 39, so I can't define any more for the other devices.

I have been looking for a clear picture of the UR7 Gamer but cannot find one. Would this remote solve my problems or do I need something more? Anyone have any suggestions of a remote with keys like the R6 that would work in my situation?


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

bpratt said:


> I purchased the R6 and very much like the key layout. However, I want a universal remote that will control my TV, a ReplayTV, two HR20-700s and a HR10-250. It would also be nice if it would control a DVD player.
> 
> I tried to program the audio key to control one of my HR20s and found the 173 code only works on the sat key. So if I train all the keys on audio, there ends up being 39, so I can't define any more for the other devices.
> 
> I have been looking for a clear picture of the UR7 Gamer but cannot find one. Would this remote solve my problems or do I need something more? Anyone have any suggestions of a remote with keys like the R6 that would work in my situation?


Sat code 173 can be programmed to any device like so:

1. Aud & select
2. tap SAT 
3. enter 1 7 3
4. press Aud

Of course code 173 is only for directv receivers set to native code 00001. To get a second HR20 you would have to teach.

If you want I will trade you a UR7 gamer for the R6, having 4 gamers and no r6, I returned the only one I had.


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## bpratt (Nov 24, 2005)

Edmund said:


> Sat code 173 can be programmed to any device like so:
> 
> 1. Aud & select
> 2. tap SAT
> ...


Thanks, I missed step 2. I'll give it a try.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

bpratt said:


> I purchased the R6 and very much like the key layout. However, I want a universal remote that will control my TV, a ReplayTV, two HR20-700s and a HR10-250. It would also be nice if it would control a DVD player.
> 
> I tried to program the audio key to control one of my HR20s and found the 173 code only works on the sat key. So if I train all the keys on audio, there ends up being 39, so I can't define any more for the other devices.
> 
> I have been looking for a clear picture of the UR7 Gamer but cannot find one. Would this remote solve my problems or do I need something more? Anyone have any suggestions of a remote with keys like the R6 that would work in my situation?


I have no idea if this will work, but try programming the R6 DEVICE keys using the AUX key programming instructions, to see if you can effectively re-assign which DEVICES they actually control This might allow you to control your REPLAYTV box via the AUDIO button, e.g. If this doesn't work, it probably won't work on the R7 or the Gamer either. They're all basically the same inside, except for memory and button layouts. /steve


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

Steve said:


> I have no idea if this will work, but try programming the R6 DEVICE keys using the AUX key programming instructions, to see if you can effectively re-assign which DEVICES they actually control This might allow you to control your REPLAYTV box via the AUDIO button, e.g. If this doesn't work, it probably won't work on the R7 or the Gamer either. They're all basically the same inside, except for memory and button layouts.
> 
> BTW, there's no way that you're going to be able to separately control two HR20's in the same room with one IR remote. You'll be able to control one HR20 with IR, if the other one is set to RF and controlled by a DirecTV RF remote. /steve


Sure you can control two Hr20's with a IR remote. It being the white directv remote or a universal remote. The universal won't have a preset code for the second address, with learning remote it can be taught commands. The only preprogrammed universal remote with codes for the 3 addresses directv uses is the ONE-FOR-ALL urc-6960 6-in-1 kameleon.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Edmund said:


> Sure you can control two Hr20's with a IR remote. It being the white directv remote or a universal remote. The universal won't have a preset code for the second address, with learning remote it can be taught commands. The only preprogrammed universal remote with codes for the 3 addresses directv uses is the ONE-FOR-ALL urc-6960 6-in-1 kameleon.


Ya. I had a brain-lock and forgot the HR20 had limited extra address capability.  I fixed my original post. /steve


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

Steve said:


> That code gets you about 95% of the buttons. I think you still need to learn the color buttons, tho. Maybe the '-' also. It's been a while, so I don't remember exactly. /steve


When I used 173 on my MX-700, it didn't have the color buttons and I had to teach them (early last year).

When I used it on my MX-810, it did have the color buttons (this month).

In this case they are on the LCD.

Each of these remotes have different software to program but use the same database.

Mike


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## bpratt (Nov 24, 2005)

Thanks to Steve, I got my new R6 to control the following:
Sony TV on TV
ReplayTV on CBL
HR10-250 on VCR
HR21-700 on Audio
DVD on DVD
HR21-700 on AUX

I had to learn all the keys for the second HR21 on AUX which was 28 keys, but I had to leave out the number keys because I exceeded the limit of learns. I had to learn 2 keys on the ReplayTV, 4 on the HR10-250, and 8 on the first HR21.

I don't know why it let me learn 42 keys because I thought the total number was 40. After 42 when I tried to learn the next one I got an error.

This is a great remote. It has a nice layout, the 4 color keys and great range.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

bpratt said:


> Thanks to Steve, I got my new R6 to control the following:
> Sony TV on TV
> ReplayTV on CBL
> HR10-250 on VCR
> ...


That's great news. Guess we discovered an "undocumented" R6 capability. 

I am curious, tho, why you couldn't assign the HR21 sat device code to AUX as well. I guess you're not allowed repeat device codes? /steve


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## bpratt (Nov 24, 2005)

Steve said:


> That's great news. Guess we discovered an "undocumented" R6 capability.
> 
> I am curious, tho, why you couldn't assign the HR21 sat device code to AUX as well. I guess you're not allowed repeat device codes? /steve


All these devices are installed in a single closet and controlled by an IR extender. The first HR21 uses the standard device code. The second HR21 is controlled by setting the D* remote to AV1, so they use different codes. I wish the R6 had both codes in the code base but it doesn't.


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## Vader14 (Sep 5, 2006)

Thanks for the info Steve. Picked one up yesterday and working good!


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Vader14 said:


> Thanks for the info Steve. Picked one up yesterday and working good!


Glad you like it! It's not as elegant as a $600 Pronto TSU-7000, but for $18 bucks it powers up and controls my AV system just as well! :lol: /steve


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

bonscott87 said:


> I'm planning to replace my many years old MX-700 (still going strong!) with an MX-810. I was leaning toward the Harmony One but I love the MX remotes too much.  *But neither has colored buttons.*


Here's how I did the color buttons on the first page of the MX-810 LCD...

View attachment 8883


Here is the second page...

View attachment 8884


I don't really use the second page much. The hard buttons have everything except List & Format.

The soft buttons on page 2 labled CE & To-Do are macros.

Mike


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

MicroBeta said:


> Here is the second page...
> 
> View attachment 13099
> 
> ...


So it's true... someone actually uses the ACTIVE button? :lol: /steve


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## itzme (Jan 17, 2008)

Steve said:


> So it's true... someone actually uses the ACTIVE button? :lol: /steve


The name for that button is VERY ironic.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

mdavej said:


> A new UEI made (same manufacturer as One-For-All) Radio Shack remote just came out which should make a nice HR2x universal remote. It's the 15-134. I have it's brother, the 15-135, which has learning, macros, tons of codes, and is JP1 (if you're into that sort of thing). A couple of drawbacks are no backlight and the price ($30). Otherwise, not bad.


I boutght this remote last Sunday to try it out, and immediately returned it. The remote has sharp ridges on the sides, making it very uncomfortable to hold. In addition, the Guide, Info, Menu, "Clear" keys are way too small, and on top of that, there was a production problem and the "-" Dash key was labeled INPUT. An addendum to the manual stated it could still be used as DASH. Overall - nice concept, but IMHO, very poor quality and execution.


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

Steve said:


> So it's true... someone actually uses the ACTIVE button? :lol: /steve


Actually after I created that shot that picture I have removed that button from the second page. 

I don't know what I was thinking.

The background is canned though. It's the one I dislike the least....:lol:

I create my own.

BTW, thoses buttons with the lables I created. The text the software uses is very small.

I used Gimp as an .png editor.

Mike


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Drew2k said:


> I boutght this remote last Sunday to try it out, and immediately returned it. The remote has sharp ridges on the sides, making it very uncomfortable to hold. In addition, the Guide, Info, Menu, "Clear" keys are way too small, and on top of that, there was a production problem and the "-" Dash key was labeled INPUT. An addendum to the manual stated it could still be used as DASH. Overall - nice concept, but IMHO, very poor quality and execution.


The R6 is very comfortable in the hands. Worth a try at $18. If you don't mind the buttons on the bottom row, for $10 more the R7 is completely backlit. /steve


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## Mike Bertelson (Jan 24, 2007)

Steve said:


> If you program a PAUSE as the first click of each MACRO, the color button will not execute the MACRO unless you press and hold it, as opposed to clicking it normally. This will allow you to use each COLOR button for both purposes.
> 
> /steve


Do I understand correctly that the button can have two different functions?

Press it once and it performs the normal function of the color button but if I press and hold through the pause it will skip the original function and perfrom a macro?

Do I have that right?:scratchin

Mike


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

MicroBeta said:


> Do I understand correctly that the button can have two different functions?
> 
> Press it once and it performs the normal function of the color button but if I press and hold through the pause it will skip the original function and perfrom a macro?
> 
> ...


Yes. And it's a much more reliable press-hold than we're used to, since only the REMOTE needs to respond to it.  /steve


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## itzme (Jan 17, 2008)

MicroBeta said:


> Do I understand correctly that the button can have two different functions?
> 
> Press it once and it performs the normal function of the color button but if I press and hold through the pause it will skip the original function and perfrom a macro?
> 
> ...


I have (and love) the ur7-g2, the gamer. All my device keys double as press-and-hold macros. Are you saying that my color keys can also be programmed with macros?


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

itzme said:


> I have (and love) the ur7-g2, the gamer. All my device keys double as press-and-hold macros. Are you saying that my color keys can also be programmed with macros?


No. Unlike the R7 and the Gamer, which use the 9 device keys for macros, the R6 only offers six 20-step macros, and they use the color keys instead of the device keys as a result, probably because there are only four of those (+ 2 power keys) as opposed to six device keys (+2 power keys).

Also, the r6 can only "learn" 40 keys, as opposed to 160 on the R7.

To summarize, with the R7, for $10 more, vs. the R6 you get full backlighting, 3 more macro keys, 120 more learning keys, and a cooler, IMO, "Cruise Control" pad. What you don't get with the R7 is the four color buttons in the middle. But the R7 has an extra row of four buttons below the number pad you can use instead. You'll just have to re-label them.

In spite of the pictures below, the R6 is actually a little smaller than the R7.

/steve


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## itzme (Jan 17, 2008)

Steve said:


> No. Unlike the R7 and the Gamer, which use the 9 device keys for macros, the R6 only offers six 20-step macros, and they use the color keys instead of the device keys as a result, probably because there are only four of those (+ 2 power keys) as opposed to six device keys (+2 power keys).
> 
> Also, the r6 can only "learn" 40 keys, as opposed to 160 on the R7.
> 
> ...


Good summary! I'll add that the ur7-g2 (vs ur7) offers color labelled keys as the bottom 4 shown in your picture. The device keys are also labelled a bit different.


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## bpratt (Nov 24, 2005)

Steve said:


> No. Unlike the R7 and the Gamer, which use the 9 device keys for macros, the R6 only offers six 20-step macros, and they use the color keys instead of the device keys as a result, probably because there are only four of those (+ 2 power keys) as opposed to six device keys (+2 power keys).
> 
> Also, the r6 can only "learn" 40 keys, as opposed to 160 on the R7.
> 
> ...


I currently have two R6 remotes and like them, but the limit of 40 learns is a problem so I purchased an R7 to try it. With 160 learns, it allows me to program everything, but the IR lamp does not seem to be as strong and will not control my HR10s unless I move within about 10 to 12 feet. The R6 will easily work at 15 to 20 feet. Did I get a bad R7 or are they just not as good as the R6?


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## Edmund (Apr 17, 2003)

bpratt said:


> I currently have two R6 remotes and like them, but the limit of 40 learns is a problem so I purchased an R7 to try it. With 160 learns, it allows me to program everything, but the IR lamp does not seem to be as strong and will not control my HR10s unless I move within about 10 to 12 feet. The R6 will easily work at 15 to 20 feet. Did I get a bad R7 or are they just not as good as the R6?


No, you didn't, thats how all R7's perform.


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## itzme (Jan 17, 2008)

bpratt said:


> I currently have two R6 remotes and like them, but the limit of 40 learns is a problem so I purchased an R7 to try it. With 160 learns, it allows me to program everything, but the IR lamp does not seem to be as strong and will not control my HR10s unless I move within about 10 to 12 feet. The R6 will easily work at 15 to 20 feet. Did I get a bad R7 or are they just not as good as the R6?


I guess I haven't noticed that issue, since im about 10-15 away from the devices. I wonder if there's anyway to mod the remote to increase that?


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Edmund said:


> No, you didn't, thats how all R7's perform.


My R7 routinely controlled my HR20 from 15 feet away with no issues, even with bright daylight flooding into the room. And the HR20 is in a cabinet behind a screen door. Never tried it with the HR10, which I no longer own. Using the R6 the same way now, and it uses AAA batteries. IIRC, the R7 uses AA.

FWIW, the R7 is spec'd at 30-50 ft. range, same as the R6. Maybe *bpratt's* HR10 needs glasses? :lol: Or maybe he's got a bad R7? /steve


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## bpratt (Nov 24, 2005)

> FWIW, the R7 is spec'd at 30-50 ft. range, same as the R6. Maybe bpratt's HR10 needs glasses?


I have two HR10s and they both act the same way. The HR21s work fine from 20 - 25 feet.


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## mightythor88 (Sep 22, 2007)

Steve said:


> I've been a happy Universal R7 remote user for the past year. I just noticed that there's a new "R6" model available that has the four COLOR buttons located right in the center of the remote, between the ARROW/SELECT pad and the CRUISE CONTROLS.
> 
> /steve


thanks steve, based on your rec. I picked up a pair of these last week and love them. good lookin' out!


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## Steveknj (Nov 14, 2006)

MicroBeta said:


> Do I understand correctly that the button can have two different functions?
> 
> Press it once and it performs the normal function of the color button but if I press and hold through the pause it will skip the original function and perfrom a macro?
> 
> ...


To be even clearer...

I have the four macro buttons programed to be the color buttons from my HR20. So I can STILL program those to do macros as well?


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## dbronstein (Oct 21, 2002)

Steveknj said:


> To be even clearer...
> 
> I have the four macro buttons programed to be the color buttons from my HR20. So I can STILL program those to do macros as well?


Yes, you just need to put a pause as the first command of the macros. Then when you want to execute the macros, you hold down the button for a second or two and the macro starts. If you just hit the button and release it, it does it's normal function. This is what I have done and it works great.


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## mdavej (Jan 31, 2007)

The Radio Shack 15-134 mentioned HERE is on sale for $20 thru 5-31-08. Reviews are mixed. But I like it. You can really make it sing with a JP1 cable.


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## Drew2k (Aug 16, 2006)

mdavej said:


> The Radio Shack 15-134 mentioned HERE is on sale for $20 the next few days. Reviews are mixed. But I like it. You can really make it sing with a JP1 cable.


This is the one I piced up and returned, so my advice is to open the package in the store (it's not sealed, very easy to open and close) and see if you're OK with it. I didnt care for the sides of the remote, which had very sharp grooves that bit inti my palm. YMMV.


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## mdavej (Jan 31, 2007)

mdavej said:


> The Radio Shack 15-134 mentioned HERE is on sale for $20 thru 5-31-08. Reviews are mixed. But I like it. You can really make it sing with a JP1 cable.


Since this remote is only $10 at the moment, I thought it was worth resurrecting this old thread. For that price, it's a nice universal which makes a great backup or even replacement, since it does learning, macros (a.k.a. activities), advanced codes, the whole nine yards. Pretty powerful stuff on the cheap. Some don't like the feel or the small buttons, but I prefer a smaller remote. It's cousin the 15-133 is also $10 and adds backlighting and 3 more devices, at the expense of a few buttons. The setup code for DirecTV is 01377. BTW, the same company that makes this remote (UEI) makes the DirecTV remotes.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

mdavej said:


> Since this remote is only $10 at the moment, I thought it was worth resurrecting this old thread. For that price, it's a nice universal which makes a great backup or even replacement, since it does learning, macros (a.k.a. activities), advanced codes, the whole nine yards. Pretty powerful stuff on the cheap. Some don't like the feel or the small buttons, but I prefer a smaller remote. It's cousin the 15-133 is also $10 and adds backlighting and 3 more devices, at the expense of a few buttons. The setup code for DirecTV is 01377. BTW, the same company that makes this remote (UEI) makes the DirecTV remotes.


Can't beat the price. Are there any undocumented features for this remote? Specifically, are you limited to just the POWER and FAV macros? Or can you program macros to other keys? And if so, any limit on # of keystrokes? TIA. /steve


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## mdavej (Jan 31, 2007)

They have several undocumented features. Among them, macros on any key except the device keys at the top or the setup key itself. You can also put macros on shifted keys, all documented in the How To link in my signature. I like to put macros on shifted keys so they don't interfere with those key's primary functions. Each macro can have up to 15 steps. There's enough memory for about 30 of them if each is 15 steps, more if they're fewer steps. The fav button is special in that it can store five 15 step macros, with the next macro executed on each press of fav. This was designed for 5 channels but could be used for any purpose. You can also program advanced codes for additional functions like discrete on/off or discrete input selection, which are very useful in macros. If you get a programming cable for it, the above limitations are removed.


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## nd bronco fan (Jul 15, 2005)

Does someone know of a remote like this..........I just bought a Samsung LCD and the remote it sent with the tv was awesome.......any movement of the remote lit up the back lights, I loved it until I got directv and that remote does not have the same features so I am forced into using the standard directv remote but boy did I like the backlight motion activated of that Samsung remote.


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## bpratt (Nov 24, 2005)

nd bronco fan said:


> Does someone know of a remote like this..........I just bought a Samsung LCD and the remote it sent with the tv was awesome.......any movement of the remote lit up the back lights, I loved it until I got directv and that remote does not have the same features so I am forced into using the standard directv remote but boy did I like the backlight motion activated of that Samsung remote.


I have been using a new universal remote I purchased at Walmart. It is called the WR7. It is an upgrade of the R7 and it has red, green, blue, yellow buttons at the bottom. All the buttons are backlit but they only turn on if you hit the light button on the bottom of the remote. This remote works great with both the HR2x and the HR10s.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=10104730


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

bpratt said:


> I have been using a new universal remote I purchased at Walmart. It is called the WR7. It is an upgrade of the R7 and it has red, green, blue, yellow buttons at the bottom. All the buttons are backlit but they only turn on if you hit the light button on the bottom of the remote. This remote works great with both the HR2x and the HR10s.


Yes. I've been using both the R7 and the R6 for almost 2 years and they work flawlessly. You can "learn" on just about every key, and you can program up to nine 20-step macros. It's also very lightweight and comfortably sculptured in the back, so it balances very well in your hand. I bought the standard R7 at Best Buy for $20.

The R7 also has a very nice "cruise control" key layout, as you can see from the photo. Pictured below is the "Walmart" version. /steve


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## mdavej (Jan 31, 2007)

The Radio Shack 15-134 is back down to $10 through Christmas. That's a lot of remote for the money, considering you can make it do about as much as a harmony if you get a JP1.3 cable. The JP1 stuff does have a learning curve and isn't nearly as easy to set up as a harmony. But it's still a powerful little remote even without the JP1 stuff.


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## aphex (Oct 30, 2007)

I've got a Harmony 890. Its OK - I mainly got it because all my stuff is behind a cabinet and I can use the IR repeater. But frankly, most Harmony remotes feel really cheap for the price.


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