What remote are people using these days. (1 Viewer)

[SpudR]

This makes for interesting reading:
http://lifehacker.com/5901930/five-best-universal-remote-controls
Not MP specific though...

 

[Stéphane Lenclud]

I think that this interval can be reduced to 100 millisec, so I will see if I can find the setting in the Harmony software and try a smaller value.

I'll try to adjust that again:

 

[Stéphane Lenclud]

This makes for interesting reading:
http://lifehacker.com/5901930/five-best-universal-remote-controls
Not MP specific though...

They obviously published that article before Logitech released the Harmony Elite and 950.
I should try that Touchsquid app.

 

[Stéphane Lenclud]

So settings all delays to zero does not fix the lags. One can not avoid having no long press command but you can have both the short and long action be the same obviously. It not helping with lags either.

 

[kiwijunglist]

I'd say any remote that is not imon/soundgraph is the best remote.

You might want to check this thread:
https://forum.team-mediaportal.com/threads/recommended-remotes-receivers-for-mediaportal.120528/

`

 

[Stéphane Lenclud]

(3) The shape of the underside of the casing is inimical to convenient use; yes, it is curved and not flat. Typically, I keep the remote on a coffee table next to my chair, and I like to be able to reach out and press buttons on the remote without picking it up. With the Harmony 650, pressing the VOLUME button in this way causes the remote to tip over (because of its curved underside). So adjusting the volume requires picking up the remote before pressing the button. In contrast, the One-for-All URC-7140 has a flat underside, and does not tip over in this scenario.

Yeah that won't work with Harmony 950 either. It's really designed to hold it in your hand.

 

[rsbrux]

The most capable remote that I have in my collection is the One-for-All Xsight Colour...

I have one of these too, and like it more than anything else I have tried, mostly for the wealth of hard buttons and the flat form factor. My only frustration is that I can't reprogram it any more without firing up an antique XP machine running IE6. Apparently OneForAll is not supporting this remote anymore. How do you handle this?
Furthermore, this experience just reinforces my mistrust of remotes that need to be configured via a website. This is one reason I haven't bought a Logitech.
What comparably capable remotes are there, which can be configured offline (e.g. with locally installed SW)?

P.S. Another feature which was key to my choice of the XSight color were the RF capability (which I use to activate a Marmitek RF to IR relay). I have also read that the newer Logitech remotes have fewer hard keys and rely more on the touchscreen, which I consider an evolution in the wrong direction.

 

[CyberSimian]

My only frustration is that I can't reprogram the Xsight Colour any more without firing up an antique XP machine running IE6. ... How do you handle this?

There is an excellent tool called "RMIR" produced by the enthusiasts over at:

http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/index.php

"RMIR" is a stand-alone tool for One-for-All remotes that installs on Windows systems (no internet connection is required in order to run it). I programmed my Xsight Colour and Xsight Lite using it.

Note: there are also two other tools, one called "RM", and the other called "IR" (I think), but these are superseded by "RMIR", which is the one that you should use (but in the fora, people often refer to "RM" when they actually mean "RMIR", so watch out for that!).

This experience just reinforces my mistrust of remotes that need to be configured via a website.

Yes, I agree with this. Unfortunately, there seem to be very few alternatives.

What comparably capable remotes are there, which can be configured offline (e.g. with locally installed SW)?

With the Xsight line now discontinued (although stock may still be available in some locations), there remains at least one One-for-All remote that can be programmed using software plus a USB cable, namely the URC-6440, this one:

http://www.oneforall.co.uk/universal-remotes/urc6440-simple-4.html

The enthusiasts at hifi-remote.com really like this remote. I am not so keen, as it fails one of my requirements: it does not have a flat underside. Also, it does not have separate SKIP_FORWARD and SKIP_BACKWARD buttons (a long press on FAST_FORWARD or FAST_BACKWARD provides these functions). However, this remote is nowhere near as capable as the Xsight Colour.

One fact that may not be well known is that the vast majority of One-for-All remotes can be programmed via the "RMIR" software by using a special cable. This cable is not a USB cable, and you have to purchase it via the internet. A custom-made one from the USA was about £40 when I last looked, and about £5 from China via eBay. The "problem" with the eBay one is that the six wires are not fixed in the 3x2 array required to fit in the socket in the remote. So you have to guess which wire goes where . Also, some of the eBay cables allegedly use a "clone" integrated circuit. When the maker of the original chip found out about this, he allegedly modified his drivers so that they disable the clone chip , and the cable no longer works (so you have to be careful to use an older set of the drivers that don't do this). I actually have one of these cables from eBay, but have not yet plucked up enough courage to try using it with my URC-7140.

The other manufacturer of note is Universal Remote Control of the USA. I have one of their MX-850 remotes in my collection (I no longer use it as several of the buttons have become intermittent). This is a very capable remote: 20 devices; 10 LCD buttons; 5 pages of LCD buttons per device; IR and RF control; Windows application to program it. The problems with this manufacturer's remotes are:

(1) Their library of device codes is strongly oriented towards the USA/Canada market, so it includes lots of devices that are not available in Europe, and very few of the devices that are available in Europe.

(2) They have a truly appalling support policy. They position themselves in the market as providing remotes for bespoke installers to sell fully-configured to end users at inflated prices. As a result, they do not provide the programming software to end users. So every time you want to make a minor change to your remote setup, you have to pay the installer another £100 to make the change.

They do market a range of simpler remotes intended for the end user to program, but you do that by pressing buttons on the remote, not by using software.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK

 

[rsbrux]

@CyberSimian
Many thanks for your detailed reply!
I had seen your link to hifi-remote in your earlier post, but had a hard time finding out whether RMIR was appropriate for the Xsight (it turns out that I have a Touch, not a Color; Color doesn't have RF capabilities), and an even harder time finding the SW. I found what appears to be the latest version (v2.03 build 12) here, but I am still a bit confused, because the second post in this thread (dated 14 Aug. 2013) talks about v2.03 Build 21!

I programmed my Xsight Colour and Xsight Lite using it.
...
One fact that may not be well known is that the vast majority of One-for-All remotes can be programmed via the "RMIR" software by using a special cable. This cable is not a USB cable, and you have to purchase it via the internet.

Did you need a special cable to program your Xsight Color using RMIR?
According to the first post in this thread, the USB cable provided with the remote is sufficient.
Also, this FAQ says:

Xsight includes a USB interface cable, so it is not necessary to buy or build a JP1 cable.​

 

[CyberSimian]

I had a hard time finding out whether RMIR was appropriate for the Xsight

Yes, RMIR can be used for the Xsight remotes and the URC-6440: a standard USB cable is all that is required . RMIR can also be used for almost all other One-for-All remotes, but for them a special cable is required.

I found what appears to be the latest version (v2.03 build 12) here, but I am still a bit confused, because the second post in this thread (dated 14 Aug. 2013) talks about v2.03 Build 21!

The mode of development of RMIR is for many alpha and beta versions to be issued, with somewhat confusing nomenclature and numbering.

The user currently maintaining RMIR is mathdon, and the following post contains a link to a recent build (which is build 12); the post is dated 2015-12-05:

http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=122622#122622

If you follow that thread, it will tell you when new builds are issued (and provide a link to download them). Like most tools, you have to learn how to use RMIR, so it might seem intimidating or confusing at first, but stick with it, and ask questions on the hifi-remote.com forums if you need help.

-- from CyberSimian in the UK