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Topic:
Mute with Timer ?
This thread has 15 replies. Displaying all posts.
Post 1 made on Saturday March 4, 2017 at 13:28
New Guy with Question
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Is there an existing TV remote that allows for MUTE to be set at 60, 120, and/or 180 seconds ? If not, can a 'new guy' build that into a chip set and program key ?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks!
Post 2 made on Saturday March 4, 2017 at 14:38
buzz
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"Wand" types of remotes are active only while a button is being pressed. This characteristic prolongs battery run time. If the remote generates the MUTE after a delay, the remote must be awake during that delay.

Regardless, there are a couple other considerations: First, I have not seen a TV with "Mute ON" and "Mute OFF" commands, there is only "Mute". As such, the remote cannot guarantee what will happen if a "Mute" command is issued. This is known as a "Toggle". Some TV's might come out of "Mute" if a "Volume Up" or "Volume Down" command is issued. If the remote supports "macros" you could brew up a guaranteed "Mute ON" with a "Volume Up" followed by "Mute" sequence, but this may actually bump the Volume up, before Mute.

Second, is there a guarantee that the remote will be pointed in the best direction after the 180 second timeout?

Pad/phones used as remote controls may offer macros, but you'll still need to manage the pad/phone sleep options.

Some of the higher end control systems could do this, but these generally require professional programming.

Out of curiosity, why do you want this function?
Post 3 made on Saturday March 4, 2017 at 15:26
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
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New Guy,
buzz is right on every point.

Hey, just out of curiosity -- are you going to lobby for a different (I almost said 'new') member name in a year? Here's a tip: never label anything as new, since in a matter of seconds it won't be.* Instead, if it's worth noting it at all, label things old. Old things never stop being old.

Similarly, a moment on the soapbox here: don't get too invested in things that are in fashion. The term 'in fashion' requires that such things be out of fashion at some time... so what's gained by bothering to be in fashion?



*I forget the comedian, but somebody asked him for a picture of him when he was younger. His response: "Isn't every picture a picture of me when I was younger?"
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 4 made on Saturday March 4, 2017 at 21:20
highfigh
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On March 4, 2017 at 15:26, Ernie Gilman said...
New Guy,
buzz is right on every point.

Hey, just out of curiosity -- are you going to lobby for a different (I almost said 'new') member name in a year? Here's a tip: never label anything as new, since in a matter of seconds it won't be.* Instead, if it's worth noting it at all, label things old. Old things never stop being old.

Similarly, a moment on the soapbox here: don't get too invested in things that are in fashion. The term 'in fashion' requires that such things be out of fashion at some time... so what's gained by bothering to be in fashion?

*I forget the comedian, but somebody asked him for a picture of him when he was younger. His response: "Isn't every picture a picture of me when I was younger?"

Sounds like Steven Wright.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 5 made on Saturday March 4, 2017 at 22:55
buzz
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Harmony remotes are targeted at the DIY market. I'm not a Harmony guy, maybe one of the higher end models could do this.
Post 6 made on Sunday March 5, 2017 at 00:18
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
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Got it. And I've never heard the guy. If he's nearly as funny as Jimmy Carr, I've gotta look him up.




A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 7 made on Sunday March 5, 2017 at 01:59
Mario
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On March 4, 2017 at 13:28, New Guy with Question said...
Is there an existing TV remote that allows for MUTE to be set at 60, 120, and/or 180 seconds ? If not, can a 'new guy' build that into a chip set and program key ?
Thanks in advance.

TV remote -- no.
Control system -- yes.
Denon AVR RS232 codes have MuteOn and MuteOff commands.
Few lines of programming and it's done.
OP | Post 8 made on Sunday March 5, 2017 at 08:06
New Guy with Question
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Great comments. Thanks so much!
Why the feature ? I hate commercials, thats why! So when a commercials comes on, I want to hit a button, toggle off the mute for 60, 120 or (sadly) 180 seconds and then have it toggle back on. Yes, I'm that lazy.....I completely overlooked the fact the timer is internal to the remote and therefore, must be pointed to correct line of site to toggle the volume back on. Need to rethink that.
Will also update my Name-Just wanted to let everyone know I was new and this may be a well discussed topic for you other Good Folks.
Looking now at the Denon AVR RS232 codes.
Comedian Mitch Hedburg died in 2005 of existing hearth condition aggravated by drug use. But he w-a-s funny. Very funny!
Thanks for your consideration.
Thanks!
Post 9 made on Sunday March 5, 2017 at 09:16
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
Joined:
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30,104
The answer you're looking for is a DVR, but then you have to plan what you want to watch. Ill tell you, though, skipping through ads is WAY better than silencing the system and figuring out what to do for the 240 seconds (yes, sometimes, sadly) of ads.

Sight. Line of sight, not site.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 10 made on Sunday March 5, 2017 at 09:29
highfigh
Loyal Member
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8,311
On March 5, 2017 at 08:06, New Guy with Question said...
Great comments. Thanks so much!
Why the feature ? I hate commercials, thats why! So when a commercials comes on, I want to hit a button, toggle off the mute for 60, 120 or (sadly) 180 seconds and then have it toggle back on. Yes, I'm that lazy.....I completely overlooked the fact the timer is internal to the remote and therefore, must be pointed to correct line of site to toggle the volume back on. Need to rethink that.
Will also update my Name-Just wanted to let everyone know I was new and this may be a well discussed topic for you other Good Folks.
Looking now at the Denon AVR RS232 codes.
Comedian Mitch Hedburg died in 2005 of existing hearth condition aggravated by drug use. But he w-a-s funny. Very funny!
Thanks for your consideration.

The problem with setting a specific mute time is that not all breaks last for that amount of time. OTOH, you could always create a button for Delay 1, Delay 2, Delay 3 and if you find that you use one of them more often, remove the others.

If your remote is tossed onto the sofa and the emitter isn't aimed at the equipment, the delay command won't matter- if you want this to be reliable, you'll need some kind of RF hub, whether RTi, URC, Harmony, or whatever. These brands can all do this- you'll need to decide which will work best. The Harmony Hub would be the least expensive if you want to use a smart phone or tablet to control the system and each delay can be set to a max of 20 seconds- if you want it to be a longer delay, add more until they add up to the total needed. This hub can control via IR, Bluetooth or IP.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 11 made on Sunday March 5, 2017 at 10:28
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
Joined:
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You'll also run into times when you hit 60 seconds and the ad is 30 seconds long, or 60 seconds and the ad is 90 seconds long. Again, the DVR: its buffer can let you set up as many as 20 delays of 30 seconds each, and when you see the show is back on you can hit PLAY or that command with the rotary arrow, which takes you back 8 seconds and then goes into play.

This all seems to come down to this: if the delays aren't built into the receiving equipment so that all you have to do is trigger that component, it's going to be pretty difficult to do.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 12 made on Sunday March 5, 2017 at 11:02
highfigh
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Joined:
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8,311
On March 4, 2017 at 13:28, New Guy with Question said...
Is there an existing TV remote that allows for MUTE to be set at 60, 120, and/or 180 seconds ? If not, can a 'new guy' build that into a chip set and program key ?
Thanks in advance.

Assuming you're using the TV's tuner, you need a remote. If you have Cable TV, you may be able to use their buffer to go back to the beginning of a program an fast forward through any ads you don't want to hear.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 13 made on Sunday March 5, 2017 at 11:08
buzz
Super Member
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Regardless of any remote control platform considerations, there is also a human element -- the delay before the human can respond to the start of a commercial break. Perhaps the delays should be 59, 119, 179 seconds. After a few beers, maybe this should be 55, 115, 175.

If the control platform supports the feature, a timer could be terminated early. Otherwise you'll be adding still more buttons to un-mute early and dealing with what happens when the original timer spews it's queued commands.

Ernie's DVR scheme might work for you, but you are likely to become farther and farther behind in real time as you jockey to avoid commercials. Probably, this is not a big deal, but you could miss the beginning of a following program on another channel.

You could turn the whole scheme inside out and record the program before watching. At this point you will be jumping ahead to avoid commercials. Overall, you'll be spending less time in front of the set or watching more programs in the same elapsed time, but you will not be watching in real time.
Post 14 made on Sunday March 5, 2017 at 20:41
Ranger Home
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people still watch live tv? I never see commercials. even my news is dvr'd. This sounds like a complete waste of time to investigate on how-to.
Post 15 made on Sunday March 5, 2017 at 21:12
IRkiller
Advanced Member
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And this topic is why pro's shouldn't allow users to have say in designing systems.
how in the hell does ernie make money?
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