Universal Remotes?

[zod]

My DirecTV (circa 2004) and Marantz remotes (circa 2016) seem to have lost their juice in normal daylight. Batteries are good and ran the Marantz diagnostics.
https://support.marantz.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/419/~/remote-control---wont-operate-the-receiver Everyone flashes pretty.

Range is the common denominator, so it's time to bite the bullet ala Wirecutter: https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/the-best-universal-remote-control/

Option two seems to fit my application best. Was denken sie?

 

[Akula]

With the demise of the Logitech Harmony units, I'm not even sure what I'd do if I needed one. It's nice that these others are using the activity groupings, but in this day and age I'm not sure why programming is still a pain in the butt.

 

[Haywood]

Caavo is about the only game left in town. I have one. They are fine if you don't have anything fancy, like triggering lights and whatnot.

 

[mzpro5]

I wouldn't think someone would step in and fill the need

 

[Haywood]

I wouldn't think someone would step in and fill the need

Logitech got out of the market because demand is low.

 

[Akula]

Logitech got out of the market because demand is low.

Yeah, most folks don't need something to run a complex A/V system. For those who do, they may have things like lighting and whatnot as well, so they went for the higher end stuff anyway. The days of people having a stereo hooked to the TV are over for most people. They're pretty happy with a soundbar (maybe even an attached sub). For that you don't need a funky universal remote. The one that comes with the cable or satellite box will work (and if it's a smart TV, they may just use that TV remote for their app based streaming).

 

[zod]

Now we are are tip toeing into a BMW forum motor oil discussion. A former boss of mine liked high-end HT/AV stuff, but he never could get anything to operate from a single remote properly in front of company. One of my brothers had Magnolia set up his new HT after a house fire. They gave him a logitech so that only had to push one button to make the system do what he wanted it to do.

 

[Haywood]

The Caavo is pretty slick for what it does. Check it out.

 

[Akula]

Now we are are tip toeing into a BMW forum motor oil discussion.

Well, we sure wouldn't have made it into a discussion of anything BMW from talking about turn signals!

 

[zod]

An anal equivalence to <insert reference class here> is all. I pretty much trust chemical engineers in the oil domain so I don't sweat the small shit. Some people do because they think they own something special. They aren't in the motorhead group.

 

[Botch]

Not to derail the thread (and I am intensely interested in what happens when my own Harmony One dies), a brief blurb on oil.

When I bought my '18 Audi, I was surprised to learn that it had no dipstick; you checked the oil thru the "infotainment" system! (nice to keep your hands clean, but I don't trust electronics, plus you can't check the visual condition of the oil). I was further surprised to learn the oil change interval was 10,000 miles! And I was completely alarmed to learn that was from Day One; no break-in oil change after 600, or 1,000 miles. I dug into the owner's manual to change it myself, and the Owner's Manual doesn't show you where the drain plug even is!!! I took it into the dealership and told them I'd pay, out of my pocket, for them to change the oil at 1K miles, and they wouldn't do it, just told me not to worry about it.
She has about 26,000 miles on her now, no problems to have fixed (!) but I do have two Factory Recalls to have done (new whatever to convert from 3G to 4G (which I don't use), and a possible passenger air bag defect (which I also don't use)), I can have them done at the 30K Sched Maint, which is an overnighter and I can get it all done then.
Oil Rant off.

 

[zod]

@Botch - we can do a thread on this in the automotive section. I like owning performance cars for a long time.

 

[Haywood]

There are a couple options other than Caavo with Logitech gone. Sofabaton makes a half-decent traditional stand-alone IR universal remote. I bought one for my parents. It isn't terrible. It reminds me of the lower-end Harmony remotes without the Hub. There are some other Chinese remotes out there that I have not tried. The nice thing about Sofabaton and the rest is that they are pretty cheap. If you don't need anything crazy, they will probably work.

Caavo is not a traditional remote. It has a base with a four port HDMI switch that you plug your sources into. There is not support for anything but HDMI. The reason they do it this way is pretty slick. The remote has a universal voice search. You plug all your devices in. Then you tell it what streaming services you have and which device you want to use for each. You can even connect a cable box. The voice search will do a search across all of your services. It will also keep track of what shows you are watching and which episodes you have watched. The caveat is that last feature only works if you use the voice control.

If you don't use the voice search function, it works just like a normal remote. You pick the device and use the remote to navigate. Even here, there are a couple differences. First, your source selection is done on-screen. You hit the button and a banner appears with your sources on it. Select the one you want and that's it. Second, when you touch (not press) any button on the remote, a little pop-up will tell you what it does.
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There are no customizable keys, so it is pretty basic. It controls everything I've used it with very well, but it cannot trigger my TV life or bias lighting.
It will power a receiver on/off and control the volume. That is it though. There are no receiver-specific controls and it is not accessible as a device. Remember, source switching is done on the Caavo itself.

I think this solution was more aimed at the soundbar crowd, but it works well in my family room (with the aforementioned exception of being unable to control the lift or bias light). I run my sources to the Caavo, my Caavo to the TV and the TV to my WiSA transmitter. It works fine. I do it that way because the transmitter only has an HDMI in and can only be remotely controlled via a mobile app. This avoids those limitations entirely.

The Caavo can control your display in addition to the four sources. You hit a button and it puts you into TV mode, where you just directly control the TV as a device.

 

[zod]

My DirecTv receiver is not in their database so they asked for a picture and model number of the remote. It's a RC64 which seems to be a cheap buy these days.

I've always wanted a voice activated computer like Spock's, but I like Gary7's better.

 

[Botch]

My DirecTv receiver is not in their database so they asked for a picture and model number of the remote.

By "they" do you mean the Logitech folks? If so, sounds like they're still supporting their Harmony database, at least for now. If so, I need to run out to "Batteries-n-Bulbs" and get my battery replaced; I've been afraid to as doing so will probably erase my settings, but if I can still reload it online, time for a new battery!

 

[zod]

Option 2 here:

The Best Universal Remote Control

The Sofabaton U2 offers a good design and lots of features for the price. Though it has flaws, it’s the best affordable remote we’ve found in a dying category.

www.nytimes.com

There is a 30 day return policy at Amazon.

I'm the only person who knows the three-letter code group.

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[Haywood]

Option 2 here:

The Best Universal Remote Control

The Sofabaton U2 offers a good design and lots of features for the price. Though it has flaws, it’s the best affordable remote we’ve found in a dying category.

www.nytimes.com

There is a 30 day return policy at Amazon.

I'm the only person who knows the three-letter code group.

Dr Strangelove clip with quote I'm the only person who knows the three-letter code group. Yarn is the best search for video clips by quote. Find the exact moment in a TV show, movie, or music video you want to share. Easily move forward or backward to get to the perfect clip.

getyarn.io

I bought one for my parents and it is not that bad. Basic, but not bad.