Real Kato Blog: Universal Remotes

The remote control situation is getting out of, um, control.

I currently have four remote controls in my living room: one each for the TV, the TiVo, the home theater (DVD player and amplifier), and the cable box.

I need a universal remote, and I have one very specific requirement: I want to be able to organize the buttons according to the task I'm doing, not according to the equipment being controlled. For example: when I'm watching TV normally, I want both the TV controls (volume, mute, input selection, PIP, aspect ratio change) and the cable box controls (channel, on-screen guide) to be available at my finger tips without any mode changes. When I'm watching TiVo, I want the TV controls and the TiVo controls available. When I'm watching a movie, I want the home theater control and some TV controls available.

Most inexpensive universal remotes require a mode change before controlling different pieces of equipment, resulting in a lot of tedious extra key-presses.

Other requirements: it should allow for learning (programming an infrared code by pointing an existing remote control at it), it should be something I can use without looking at it (ruling out most touchpad devices), and it should be something that only requires one hand (very important when watching porn). Oh, I'd also prefer not to spend more than $100. What I'm leaning towards is the Home Theater Master MX-500, despite its rather garish appearance.

I do have an old universal remote that looks like a calculator from the 1970s. It did most of what I wanted, but it only supported learning (no built-in support for common devices), so it took forever to program it. And it ran out of memory before I could store all the commands I needed. And it was difficult to use in the dark.

Anyone have any experiences with other universal remotes? There are just so many, and sometimes it's hard to tell how well they'd suit my requirements.

Permalink 4 Comment

Posted by Ken in: techwatch

Comments

Comment #1 from Amy McConnell (Guest)
2005 Sep 30 - 10:14 am : #

Thank god I only have 2 buttons ON & NOT OFF

Comment #2 from Crouching Hamster (Guest)
2005 Sep 30 - 1:00 pm : #

I'm down to two, with my cable remote taking care of most tasks. But I've programmed my DVD player into it, as opposed to my VCR, which I rarely - until recently - use. So now, I may also be going universal.

I read a review about a year and a half ago in the NYT re:universal remotes. Most of the ones reviewed were to be found at Radio Shack. (True!) If I saved it, I'll pass on the info.

Comment #3 from Crouching Hamster (Guest)
2005 Sep 30 - 1:03 pm : #

I'm pretty sure you can fly a plane with that Home Theater Master MX-500.

Comment #4 from Steve (Guest)
2005 Oct 1 - 9:39 am : #

I have some experience with a remote universe, if you think that would be any help.

Comments are closed for this post.

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