You have to wonder why they don't standardize
remote controls all with one open standard IR
protocol. Incompatibiliy with universal remotes
gains them nothing but decreased sales to the
well informed. Why not have one standard IR code
that's capable of sending three numbers: A
manufacturer identifier (like the first 5 digits
of a Universal Product Code), a product code
within that manufacturer (like the last 5 digits
of a Universal Product Code), and a button code
within that product.

That way, one universal remote could easily
control any device, simply by selecting the
manufacturer code and device code, and you would
still have the potential for the use of advanced
codes. Furthermore, all of the circuitry
involved in IR encoding, transmission, reception,
and decoding could be standardized and mass
produced in such quantity that it would quickly
recoupe the design costs, and lower the long term
cost of manufacturing.

Just an idea.

-=Ingenious=-