This is almost too complicated to try to communicate about. I've been given no time, basically, to make this two-TV system work for them while having the way the remotes work be similar to all the other remotes in the house; they'd like to not have a lot of different kinds remotes in the house, though they now have a couple of cable company remotes, a URC MX850, and a Logitech Smart Control M/N: N-R0010. There's a photo of a Logitech remote that's supposed to be that model but it looks very different from the remote I saw at the client's house.

The cable boxes are all Motorola DCX-3200Ms. They use component and HDMI out of these boxes to feed signal to three locations.

It's easy to use URC IR routing to separately control the cable boxes. The difficulty is the two TVs. I think I'll just go simple and get two different brands of TV.

A detail, too, is that the control scenario can't be allowed to be too too complicated. There will be at least two remotes) sitting on different exercise machines). Each remote has to be able to be picked up, no matter whats's playing, and easily take control from there. I'll probably put in a HOME location before starting to use either remote unless they know that's the last remote that was being used.

I don't know if this made a lot of sense. I've been trying to work it through to make it simple and, thanks to your questions, I've got a much better handle on it.

You might want to post a photo of the actual remote- nobody refers to them by the model number. Elite is one, Pro is another, as are Companion, Smart Control, Harmony One, etc. Did it have an LED touch screen? If you go to the Harmony Remote site, you'll see all of their models.

That said, you may like to know that one Logitech hub can be controlled by two remotes and more than one hub can be paired to one remote but distance can be a problem- they use BT for the commands but in range, they work well

The two things I don't like about the Smart Remote/Companion are: No Help button and the user has to remember which activities & commands are assigned to the buttons and non-discrete commands can be a PITA unless you make it well known that the cable box Power On command is activated by a specific button.

The things I don't like about the Logitech remotes with LCD touch screen- it's possible to make changes to the program using the remote and it has a device area, where it's possible to control the devices without using the macros, which will lead to confusion if someone accidentally hits the device button. However, it's possible to decrease the touch screen's sensitivity.

It's great that the Motorola boxes have that nice IR control In jack. Great.

You will need 2.5mm-3.5mm adapters for the Logitech hub, though. They know they screwed up.

WRT the Home position- since these remotes (URC and Logitech) can use discrete commands, I'm not sure why that will be necessary since the two are operated differently. Both can use assigned IR ports.

Have you tried covering the IR emitters on the TVs with paint, to prevent receiving commands from the wrong port?

I'm not going to use the Logitechs at all. I included that info to show that the previous installer used this here, that there, the other in the other place, and had nothing like a unified approach to remoting the place up.

I didn't notice that the Motorola boxes have an IR in jack!

I haven't tried anything with paint. I haven't selected the TVs yet.

But I'd like to be sure what you're saying about emitters and paint. You say covering the emitters with paint to keep from receiving...I take it you mean cover the fronts of the emitters, the sides away from the component, with paint so the emitter's output cannot get to the other TV. Is that what you meant?

Thanks.

I just googled the make and model from your post and found the IR port, but also noticed that it has a serial port- maybe that works.

Scientific Atlanta boxes also had the IR jack, but Time Warner disabled it. I would try it and if it works, part of the problem could go away. If you can find the naked emitters I mentioned earlier, that might take care of the TV control issue.

Yes, cover the area that's not firing the IR into the TVs (facing away from the TV's IR receiver). Another way to prevent the IR leakage is to use the covers made for emitters- you wrote that you don't want to use Logitech, but their covers are rubber, so they conform to the shape as needed and don't fall off the way the Xantech covers do.

IR ins on DCX boxes were 3 conductor to allow an IR target to be plugged in. Seen lots of those used. I’ve never tried a control system into one.

This is being solved by using two different brands of TV and swapping out the existing Motorola cable boxes, putting in Spectrum 110 cable box or Spectrum 210 DVR. Those are controllably by RF.

So the remotes of the Spectrum units will be all I need to control both combo TV+cableboxes.