Remote Control Recommendations

[MattJackson86]

The title says it all. What are you recommendations for a remote control with SageTV. I know what is supported, but which do you guys think is "best", and why?

Thanks

[lovingHDTV]

This one is easy for me:

A Harmony based remote with a USBUIRT.

I personally use the 880 and would never go to any other remote. It took < 1 hour to program it for every device in my theater and most importatantly took 1 min to teach my wife how to use it. I have not had to deal with a remote related issue since (3 months).

[blade]

Depends on what you're looking for. When it comes to price and layout I'd be hard pressed to find one I like better than the MCE remote; however, it is very limited in that only 3 buttons can be programmed. If I were building a very basic low cost system it would be my remote of choice.

I looked at the Harmony remotes and they appear to be very nice, but so far haven't been able to justify buying one. When I get a more complex setup I'll probably pick one up. I also second the USB-UIRT. I'm using one with my MCE remote instead of the reciever that came with the remote.

[StephaneM]

Hello,

Originally Posted by MattJackson86

but which do you guys think is "best", and why?

If you do own a Hauppauge PVR card that come with a remote, then you can stay with this : it is free and it works very well (though you have to tweak the .ini fine to set it up to your liking).

Other than that you should go for a IR remote : IR remote can be replaced by a universal and programmable remote and don't suffer radio interference like X10 based remotes (I owned a Firefly remote and with the microwave, bluetooth, WiFi, Cordless phone the remote range was awful).

I do find the Streamzap ok enough for SageTV (even though it miss a few buttons), ohterwise you can go for the USB UIRT (but you need an old unused IR remote to go with it).

I also strongly recommend any Harmony remotes : they are simply great and even your parents / wife / kids can use it. These ones are not like the other universal remotes : they are activities based. So you create an activity "Watch TV" and the Harmony will put the TV on, put your Stereo Receiver On, launch SageTV on your PC and eventually switch all devices to the right input. When you "shut down" the activity : the Harmony will turn off all equipments used. If you switch to another activty : it will power off unused equipments and turn on the needed one.

Regards,
Stéphane.

[wado1971]

I've used the Harmony 676 for over a year and love it. Recommended to family & friends. The service is also pretty good - I had my right arrow button fail about 2 months ago, called logitec/harmony with the problem, and after about 1/2 hr. on the phone troubleshooting they simply replaced the remote. Took about 3 weeks to arrive but in general it was a good experience with phone support.

You can't beat hitting one button to turn on your computer, TV, Reciever and have it all set to go. Turning off can also incorporate just about anything with one button (ie - set your computer to standby etc.) Easy to program..... etc.

[AWS]

I have a Harmony 890. It's "cool" but here are the drawbacks I have experienced with it:

1.) buttons are so dang small! If you have large sausage fingers, good luck pushing only ONE button. The soft buttons that line the top half of the LCD are extremely close together and small.

2.) my 890 will lockup about once every 10 to 13 days. Very bad for the WAF.

3.) it's slick - meaning, slippery (when dry ) It's easy to not have a great grip on it and then it slips through your hands.

4.) the button depression doesn't feel right to me. I would like a solid, almost a click type of feel knowing that I pushed a button. These just have a sloppy or lose feel to me.

The other positives mentioned above are true. It's pretty easy to setup, has a nice motion-activated backlight (you pick it up off the charger base and it illuminates with a soft blue glow), etc. It had a good balance. Felt a little "lite" in the weight area. I'd give it a so-so rating. Don't think it's the best remote, but it's not horrible. I picked my 890 up for $245 online (about the same price as the 880 in a big box store)

I'm back to using my Hauppauge 32 (is that the right count?) button remote that came with my 350. IT's nothing fancy but it gets the job done... kinda. I returned the 890 last week.

I am looking at the Soundgraph iMon 2.4G DT (HERE) but am still not convinced it has enough button functionality for me. I prefer to not have to switch "modes" to make a remote work. I like dedicated buttons (volume not to share with channel, etc - like what I'm doing now with my Hauppauge.) The only reason I haven't bought this yet is because I wish they would pair their full size remote with the RF PCI card. I'm pretty sure I'll go with an iMon 2.4G DT and hope it performs well.

Another place to check out is Remote Central. You can really drop some serious cash there - well you can't really buy from there but it shows you what you can find if you look for it. The have low, med, high quality remotes reviews. Pick out a remote, pair it with USB UIRT and you'll be set.

Hope some of this helps.

AWS

[mightyt]

I've used the Hauppauge, ATI Remote Wonder I and II and in the end found that I really like the Firefly. I works really well with Girder ... Has good placement of buttons and several of them are available to program for commands outside of the usual (such as “Delete”). Girder is also cool for creating and assigning macro commands to navigate through your custom menus. Not a Harmony, but a great alternative if you want to save the $$. Oh, and it doesn't feel uncomfortable to hold ...

[jbarr]

Anyone have any experience with the "Universal Remote" brand remotes available through Circuit City? Specifically, the "R7G" model listed here.

It has learning and macro capabilities, and is listed at $39.99. With a couple minor exceptions, the buttons look like they pretty much match up with the Hauppauge 45-button remote.

[JUC]

I picked up a used Harmony 676 a few weeks ago on ebay for $50---best money spent on the PVR in a while. So easy to setup..activity based....same as all the above people mentioned.
Juc

[dflachbart]

Originally Posted by jbarr

Anyone have any experience with the "Universal Remote" brand remotes available through Circuit City? Specifically, the "R7G" model listed here.

It has learning and macro capabilities, and is listed at $39.99. With a couple minor exceptions, the buttons look like they pretty much match up with the Hauppauge 45-button remote.

I dont know this particular remote, but I have been using 'Universal Remote Control' remotes for years (MX-500, recently added a URC-200), they are great. Check out the reviews at Remote Central, and their web site...

Dirk

[Polypro]

I have an 880 with an MCE Receiver & Keyboard. Love it. You can start and navigate any other app that offers keybard shortcuts, as well (You use the MCE Keyboard to program the Harmony). If you want more of a tactile remote, the Harmony 720 is at Costco for a good price.

P

[lovingHDTV]

Originally Posted by jbarr

Anyone have any experience with the "Universal Remote" brand remotes available through Circuit City? Specifically, the "R7G" model listed here.

It has learning and macro capabilities, and is listed at $39.99. With a couple minor exceptions, the buttons look like they pretty much match up with the Hauppauge 45-button remote.

I used an URC prior to my getting the Harmony. I used it for years with Sage via winlirc/grider. I then used it for about 6 months with my USBUIRT (got rid of winlirc and girder).

It worked fine, had a JP1 interface that allowed me to customize it. After using the Harmony, honestly, there is no comparison with the Harmony ruling and you can pick up the 676 series for not much money.

All Harmony remotes I've looked at have the same "activity" based structure. The diffferences between them being the LCD, RF/IR and the button type/layout. So you get the same "niceness" with the 676 as you do an 880.

The best button on the Harmony is the "help" button. This button does not exist on any remote I have looked at. This button is what makes the WAF so high. Example, I have a WatchSageTV button. When you hit that button, with all equipment off, it will turn on the reciever, select the right input, turn on the PJ, select the right input, wake up Sage and be ready to go, just like macro based remotes.

The win for Harmony is for the times one of the steps in the macro did not work. For example if you pj did not turn on all you have to do is hit the "help" button. It prompts you with, "is the projector on?" you hit no, it then turns on the projector and asks if that fixed the problem. If you answer yes, your then off and running. If that was not your only problem, it will then walk you through the entire power up sequence step by step asking yes/no questions. This allows anyone to recover from a broken state. With macro based remotes you don't get this ability. Hence the high WAF for me.

dave

P.S. - no I don't work for Logitech, its just that after years of hearing "it did not work!" I now have a remote that can fix the issues caused by "power toggle only" devices.

[MattJackson86]

Ok, so it seems like the harmony based remotes is winning.

Just another newbie question regaring remotes. Some of you mention USB-UIRT. Is this the receiver? If so, why do I need one? Does the harmony products not come with one?

Also, how does the harmony products do when one of the devices is not in state that is expects? Ex. TV is on when you tell the remote to watch tv and it is meant to turn it on, then start sage etc. I guess it will turn off the TV no? This is not a problem, just a curiosity question

Thanks

[blade]

This is the USB-UIRT. It is a reciever that can be used with the majority of (almost all in my experience) remotes.

[lovingHDTV]

Originally Posted by MattJackson86

Ok, so it seems like the harmony based remotes is winning.

Just another newbie question regaring remotes. Some of you mention USB-UIRT. Is this the receiver? If so, why do I need one? Does the harmony products not come with one?

Also, how does the harmony products do when one of the devices is not in state that is expects? Ex. TV is on when you tell the remote to watch tv and it is meant to turn it on, then start sage etc. I guess it will turn off the TV no? This is not a problem, just a curiosity question

Thanks

If you TV has descrete power on/power off commands it will not turn off the tv becuase it will use the descrete power on signal. However, if your TV only had a power toggle (most likely) what happens depends on why the TV is turned on and how it was turned on.

If the TV is on becuase you used the Harmony and turned it on. Most likely because you were watching a DVD say. The the Harmony remote knows you are in the "watch DVD" activity and will not mess with the tv power, becuase it knows that the TV is on and "watch SageTV" needs it on also.

If the TV is turned on becuase you turned the TV on by pushing the power button and the power is a toggle, then it will turn the TV off as you said. This is when you hit the "help" button and turn it back on.

hope that helps,

[mayamaniac]

The perfect remote varies for each person.

For me, I like lots of customizable buttons (at least 5). Buttons should be big and the spacing between buttons should be big also so that I don't accidently hit the wrong button. I like the directional arrows and playback buttons to be at the bottom because I generally hold the remote at the bottom which is where the weight is heavier, usually because of the batteries.

I'm kinda spoiled by the RF remotes, where I can be lazy on the couch and just press a button without pointing at the IR receiver. I hate to praise the competition, but the Snapstream Firefly remote is pretty good for my needs. It has all of the criteria I mentioned above and it is an RF remote.

But as for price, comfort, and functionality combined, like blade said, the MCE remote is probably the best. I would put the Hauppauge 45 button remote second to it. Its cheap and works great, especially with the MVP.

[camus]

Quick question for you Harmony users. If I got a Harmony remote and a IR reciever (say USBUIRT) what software or driver tells the computer what to do? Do you program the remote to act like a wireless mouse/keyboard? I guess I am asking do you just plug it in and program it at the Harmony website then it works? Or do you need girder?

Currently I am using a Firefly, it is OK for Sage, I would like a few more buttons though. But I want a Harmony for the TV and Stereo.

Do you need Girder for the HTPC funtions? Really I want to run Sage and Itunes.

[blade]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

I like the directional arrows and playback buttons to be at the bottom because I generally hold the remote at the bottom which is where the weight is heavier, usually because of the batteries.

I agree it will vary from person to person.

I hold mine towards the bottom, but in an overhand position and use my index finger, which makes the MCE perfect for me since all of the important buttons are at the top. I have another remote that has macros and is fully programable that I would love to use, but many of the important buttons are at the bottom such as pause, ff, rew, etc.. making it a no go.

I also like the fact the buttons have a lot of different shapes because it makes finding the correct one without looking at the remote very easy. Being able to use it in the dark or without looking is very important to me.


I would suggest thinking about how you hold the remote and which fingers you typically use and whether you prefer a contoured or straight remote. Then look at the models and layouts and choose one with the desired features and layout. For example just glancing at the harmony remotes I noticed the 659 has pause, ff, etc.. at the very bottom while the 679 has them higher up making it a more preferable remote for me. mayamaniac might very well prefer the 659 due to the location of the buttons. I didn't compare features and such, but you get my point.

[lovingHDTV]

Originally Posted by camus

Quick question for you Harmony users. If I got a Harmony remote and a IR reciever (say USBUIRT) what software or driver tells the computer what to do? Do you program the remote to act like a wireless mouse/keyboard? I guess I am asking do you just plug it in and program it at the Harmony website then it works? Or do you need girder?

Currently I am using a Firefly, it is OK for Sage, I would like a few more buttons though. But I want a Harmony for the TV and Stereo.

Do you need Girder for the HTPC funtions? Really I want to run Sage and Itunes.

Sage support the USBUIRT directly. So you just plug in it in, and point the Harmony at it, go into detailed setup and map SageTV commands to remote buttons.

I did not use the preloaded SageTV setting from the Harmony website as it is based on the hauppauge remote that uses toggle commands, and I don't like that style. So I just took another universal remote, set it to a device I don't own (any Sony DVD player works well), then learned all the buttons on the universal into my Harmony and used those command for SageTV. This gave me lots of IR commands to use so that I could get all the functionality I wanted from Sage. Things like a delete key, a home key, custom4 and custom5 for commercial skipping, etc.

Too bad we can't just share our SageTV settings, but everything has to go through the Harmony database.

[gplasky]

Originally Posted by camus

Quick question for you Harmony users. If I got a Harmony remote and a IR reciever (say USBUIRT) what software or driver tells the computer what to do? Do you program the remote to act like a wireless mouse/keyboard? I guess I am asking do you just plug it in and program it at the Harmony website then it works? Or do you need girder?

Currently I am using a Firefly, it is OK for Sage, I would like a few more buttons though. But I want a Harmony for the TV and Stereo.

Do you need Girder for the HTPC funtions? Really I want to run Sage and Itunes.

I set my Harmony up as a MCE remote. I'm using a USBUIRT on the server and the MCE receiver on 3 clients.

Gerry