Here's the outcome. To summarize the problem for future readers, I've got a 1995-era GE VCR on which the only way to change the tape speed is with the original remote control, which is long lost. I discovered that none of the universal remotes out there have a "tape speed" button and it seemed the only way was to get a programmable universal remote from One For All or Radio Shack (both made by the same company, UEI).
So I went and bought the One For All URC-8811 for $35 (all dollar amounts are Canadian dollars) and aless expensive Philips universal remote PDVD5 with "learning" capability for CAN$19, with the intention of programming the tape speed command into the OFA 8811, and then using it to "teach" the command to the Philips remote. Then I could return the OFA 8811 and save a whopping $16.
I used the hifi-remote.com information to program the Advanced Code for tape speed into the OFA 8811. Worked perfectly.
Then as I was setting up the Philips remote to work with the GE VCR, I discovered by chance that the subtitle button (meant for DVD player) also changes the tape speed on the VCR! What luck! And it turns out most of the other DVD-specific buttons on the Philips remote also do something to the GE VCR that is not doable from the small number of buttons on the VCR itself, or from any of the buttons on a similarly-priced RCA universal remote I had tried earlier. I don't know if this is lucky coincidence, or if the Philips designers went the extra mile and put in a larger command set, for my VCR at least, assigning less common commands to various other keys on the remote.
But the bottom line is the Philips PDVD5 universal remote does what I need and I didn't have to use the OFA 8811 to teach it any commands after all.
So now I'll return the OFA 8811 and save a few bucks. If anyone reading this has a similar problem trying to change the tape speed on a GE (or RCA or Proscan) VCR, or perform any other function from the VCR's original remote control, you might want to try the Philips PDVD5 universal remote.
But the OFA 8811 remains the most versatile and upgradeable solution, and if I had more funds or a more complex audio-visual system to control, I'd get that unit. The codes and instructions on hifi-remote.com are a tremendous resource that make the programmable OFA remotes (8811 is the entry level model of this type) even more powerful.
But in my case, not only do I save some money, I also really don't need anything more than the ability to change the tape speed on this VCR, so the Philips remote does the trick.
Thanks again, everyone who offered advice. I can wholeheartedly recommend this whole site -- it's very nicely done with a helpful and friendly user community. The kind of thing that gives the Internet a good name.
