Coloured buttons on programmable RC

andyrich29

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I was just wondering what people have done to resolve the colour buttons issue for programmable remote controls that dont have them?

The colour buttons are essential for Sky Planner etc, so have people programmed the "green" button into a macro which sends the "Guide" code first?

I'd be interest to hear what people have done to resolve this? E.g. Create buttons on a touch screen etc.

Kind Regards
Andy

ps. I'm in the market for a remote control.
 
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Hi Andy.
Most universal remotes do have dedicated hard buttons for the colours, but for those that don't it's usually easy to customise the colour commands to spare buttons or to buttons that are not needed for their initial assignments.
That worked well for me with the Harmony One which has the one (!) deficiency of not including dedicated buttons - though some posters here find that solution difficult to understand or believe.:D
Having more than one command on a single button is also a usual thing to do, for such things as selecting a particular menu item.
You'll find plenty of ideas about that in the fixed Tips thread at the top of the forum.
Logi
 
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Cheers Logi,

I too cant believe that an expensive(ish) remote doesnt have coloured buttons!

Considering some of the older versions do have them.

I guess like most people I'm after the best and cheapest solution all at the same time.

What do the new remotes offer in terms of functionality compared to the slightly older remotes? I'm not interested in RF really.

I'd rather either have actual colour buttons of a colour touch screen. But the new logitech one is about £280!
 
OK - For colour commands on hard buttons rather than on a screen the newest Harmony, the 700, looks like the best option right now.
It takes only five devices, but the price is way lower than the models immediately before it
They all actually do the same thing in much the same way - controlling all your devices in combinations of your choice, with the commands for each device in the combination available at the same time on appropriate buttons, and making basic settings automatically.
Some models add RF of course, there are the two basic types handgrip and panel, and there are various structural differences in both types.
Logi.
 
Thanks for that Logi,

The Harmony 700 looks ideal for me at the moment.

In terms of programming, how do remotes get around the fact that televisions dont respond to channel commands etc until they are fully on?

For example for my panny plasma you have to hold the power button for a good second and the power led flashes for a little while until the tv actually comes on. I'm assuming this is normal operation for the panasonic? But anyway, how do remotes get around this if for example they have to also select the "AV" button after to select a different HDMI port etc?

Andy
 
OK Andy.
Your question is covered by one of the basic functions of Harmonys - you set a delay between the power command being sent and the input command.
The Panasonic "hold" on the power-on command is also specifically allowed for.
Logi
 
I notice that the 700 doesnt have a dock, which would be nice.

Whats the next one up that has a dock?
 
I see the Philips Prestigo SRT-9320 looks good.
Are there any good websites to compare remotes?
 
The One uses a rechargeable battery and has a charging base specifically for it.
 
logiciel, I noticed you have both the one and the 900. Would you say the coloured buttons alone are worth the extra expense?

Am I corrct in thinking that I can just use a 'spare' hard button on the One and give it a series of commands so that it can access my Sky planner automatically?
 
Definitely not - the expense comes in the IR/RF capability and a few other details - the colours are not a major problem on the One.
Yes, you can send up to five commands from any devices in an activity on one button press - I do that for Planner and Guide.
HTH - Logi.
 
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I label up Red, Green, Yello, Blue on my URC remote.
 
no-one in my household notices the missing coloured hard buttons on my harmony one. Coming from a 885 i thought it might be a problem but can honestly say the coloured buttons on the touchscreen are more than good enough.

Additionally the unused + and # keys on the remote have been programmed for the two most commonly used planner functions.
 

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