Universal Tv Remote Control
Clotilde Wilks
If you have a handful of remotes you regularly juggle, and you have a smartphone, then the SofaBaton U2 is the best way to tame them. The SofaBaton U2 picks up the mantle left by the Logitech Harmony remotes, pairing simple programming with excellent ease of use. While the more-expensive Logitech 665 offers more power -- including the ability to program more sophisticated macros or "activities" -- the SofaBaton is the best universal remote for most people. Also note that you can save a few bucks by activating the instant coupon on the product page.
Logitech Harmony wrote the book on the universal remote control devices, and this remote is still very good despite being discontinued. The main appeal over cheaper universal remotes, including the Sofbaton U2, is the activity-based control. Press the "Watch TV," "Play Game" or "Listen to Music" and the Logitech Harmony remote turns on all the relevant devices (such as your smart TV, cable box game console and AV receiver), switches to the right inputs and maps the keys to that activity: Volume to the receiver and Channel up-down to the cable box, for example.
If you have a Roku streaming device and it lacks the ability to control your TV, the Voice Remote Pro may be worth the investment. This clicker isn't universal -- it only works with Roku streamers -- it will control volume, power and mute on pretty much any brand of TV, so you might not need the TV's original clicker at all.
The coolest feature of the Voice Remote Pro is the voice-activated remote finder. Just say "Hey Roku, find my remote" and it will beep from among the couch cushions (or wherever you left it). The Pro also has a headphone jack for private listening and works with Roku's voice system.
Much like the Roku Voice Remote Pro, the Fire TV version is designed to work with Fire TV streaming devices, allowing control of connected TVs' volume, power and mute. It's not actually universal, aside from the fact that it controls most brands of TV. We didn't like the Fire TV's remote finder function as much -- it requires a separate Alexa device to work -- but otherwise the two are very similar.
The wacky Cube is a mashup of universal remote controls, the Fire TV 4K streamer and Amazon Echo speaker, making it the king of your smart home devices. It comes with a device but its buttons are sparse and rudimentary; real device control happens via your voice. The Cube has an IR emitter to control your gear and a mic sensitive enough to hear your commands over the blare of music. On the downside, you'll need to keep your old remotes (even ones that aren't smart) around for many functions.
Halo Touch is the new premium universal smart remote by Control4, built to offer the latest technologies and with a refined design to delight any user. The handheld interface includes a host of user-driven features along with thoughtful innovations that are sure to excite.
Halo Remote was built from the reliability, functionality, ergonomics, and modern aesthetics of the previous generations of Control4 Remotes. Halo was designed from user feedback, with thoughtful features developed with you in mind.
You will enjoy the ergonomic feel of the remote in your hand, and the tactile response as you use it. With its complete set of backlit buttons, Halo provides comprehensive, yet intuitive control for all your devices and media without becoming intimidating. The non-touch graphical display provides a beautiful user interface that provides access and control for your movies and shows, your music, lights, thermostats, ceiling fans, fireplaces, and so much more!
We have the products to enable control of virtually anything in your home, tied to a system that makes living and interacting with them easy for the whole family. Select what is most important to you for more information.
Currently own a 2017 Q7 49" TV, with a HW-MS650 soundbar and a UBD9500 Bluray player hooked up via HDMI Arc. All has been fine up to now, along with 2 x wireless speakers that don't appear to give me any issues (after the initial teething connection problems).
Last night I turned the soundbar on using its own remote control, as opposed to selecting it through the TV, but I couldn't adjust the volume using the TV remote - as I normally would - having to resort to the soundbar remote instead. When using TV remote all it showed was the soundbar 'flag' on the left hand side, with no volume adjustment.
For me, if I open up the menu, go to sound, switch to TV speakers, wait a few seconds, then switch back to the soundbar it works again for a little while. But this issue will occur again in the future, without any sort of rhyme or reason.
The way the TV controls the Soundbar is via CEC, and that signal goes on pin 13 of the cable. Internally though, pin 13 is common across all HDMI ports. This means that other devices that support CEC could be 'hijacking' the control.
I checked a couple of things. My Sky Q box had CEC enabled, so that the Sky Box could turn on the TV (which I never use). My Matrix had CEC enabled, also to control the TV (again, which I never use). My other devices don't appear to have any form of CEC. But I have read a couple of articles online that suggest issues resulting in having Apple TVs, and Android TV boxes connected. So it's worth a shot?
is this problem solved ? Because i am having the same issues with an HW-q80R soundbar and a Samsung UE55MU8000 tv. When starting the TV, the TV remote works, but when i change a channel i no longer can control the volume. Soundbar an tv are connector with HDMI ARC.
This sent me in the right direction, thanks! I have a Samsung Q60T and JBL 2.1 sound bar. I initially followed JBL instructions to program the sound bar to respond to the TV remote's IR signal, which worked for a while and then same issue- volume stopped responding. After finding this I discovered the TV's universal remote setup is designed to establish a proper connection between the TV remote and a sound bar, etc.
I tried a few things, but simply unplugging TV & soundbar like Hailee said worked for me. I didn't try separately so don't know if one or the other was enough.
So many problems with this samsung TV & soundbar....
This fully backlit remote can control eight devices and has all the important buttons you need, including three activity controls that allow you to group devices together to watch a movie, listen to music, or watch TV. The layout is clean, albeit somewhat generic-looking, and the buttons are fairly large.
The programming process is old-school, though: You have to manually input codes for your different AV devices and then teach the remote any functions that are missing or executing incorrectly. These steps are not as quick or intuitive as using an app, and the owner manual is not as clear and concise as it could be. But at the end of the process, this remote should be able to do most everything you need it to.
If, on the other hand, your home-entertainment system is built around an AV receiver and multiple source components, and sitting down to watch a movie or play a video game requires shuffling among several remotes to switch inputs and control multiple components simultaneously, a universal remote is exactly what you need.
To test each remote, I program it to control two different AV systems in my home: One is a more basic living-room setup with a Hisense TV, a Polk soundbar, and an Apple TV 4K media player. The second is a more complex home-theater system with an LG TV, an Onkyo AV receiver, an Oppo Ultra HD Blu-ray player, a Chromecast with Google TV, and an Xbox One X. The equipment consists of a mix of traditional IR devices and Bluetooth devices. During my testing, I live with each remote for a while to see how intuitive and reliable it is to use on a daily basis.
The remote communicates with the app via Bluetooth, so the first step in the setup process is to pair the two. Next you add the devices you want to control by choosing from a list of preloaded devices or entering the manufacturer and device name. Sofabaton claims that its code database includes over 60,000 devices and 6,000 brands. The software automatically (and wirelessly) updates the remote with the proper control codes after you add each new device.
I loaded all of my gear from both of my AV systems in just a few minutes, since all of my devices were in the Sofabaton database. At this point, the remote was able to execute most of the basic commands I needed for my devices.
It has all the necessary buttons but no customizable device screen. This Insignia remote looks like your standard stock remote, with a whole lotta buttons taking up every bit of the front-panel real estate. Thankfully, the button layout is logical, with core functions such as volume, channel, mute, home, menu, back, exit, and navigation grouped together near the center. And the buttons are large and decently spaced.
The remote is longer and less contoured than the Sofabaton U2, and I had more trouble reaching all the buttons with my thumb without having to shift the remote around in my hand. But the full backlighting is a welcome addition. The remote requires two AA batteries (not included).
It controls only IR-based equipment. That means it needs line-of-sight with all your gear. We found the IR window to be sufficiently wide to ensure that commands execute reliably. If you want to hide your gear away in a cabinet, you need to pick up an IR repeater kit, as well.
Because this Insignia remote does not support Bluetooth devices, I could not program it to control my Bluetooth-based Google Chromecast, but I was able to use it to control all the other components in my system.
The setup process takes place on the remote itself. Instead of the app-based approach you get with our top pick, this Insignia remote requires that you either manually put it in setup mode and punch in codes to add your devices or initiate an automatic code search for each device button. Either way works, but be prepared to jump back and forth a lot between the remote and the supplied setup pamphlets to follow the instructions.
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