I just recently got an AV receiver and am having problems getting it all to work with a remote. I think its the remote, but it could be something else ... don't know. I have a samsung ln46a55o tv, pioneer vsx-50 av receiver, bdt210 blu-ray, pace comcast cable box all connected via hdmi. the receiver in a "tower" with a glass door. I have the hdmi control function turned off on the tv and the av receiver, so that shouldn't be causing the problem. The comcast remote that came with the cable box should be able to control everything and I don't want to spend more $ on another remote unless I have to (I'll do the bluray player with the remote it came with). The problem I'm having is when I turn off the tv, cable box and receiver with the comcast "all off" button, everything turns off and about half of the time the av receiver turns itself back on. Everything works fine EVERY time if I shut everything down individually instead of using the "all off" button. I have the comcast remotes with the red select buttons. I have spent A LOT of time trying to troubleshoot this and any ideas you might have would be appreciated. The only thing I haven't checked out yet is the possibilty of the IR signal bouncing between the shiny front of the receiver and the glass, but the receiver turns off last and its a long delay between hitting the off button and it actually going off/on so i would guess the delay would kill any bounced signal.

This falls in the category of bad luck in having a Pioneer receiver and a Comcast remote.  The red button Comcast is actually a 4 device remote, even though it only has Cable, TV and AUX device buttons.  It also has default setup codes for all 4 devices.  The 4th device (that you don't have control over) uses setup code 1023, which is a Pioneer receiver setup code.  The AllOn button cycles through all 4 devices, sending a power command to each.  So the remote shuts off your receiver, and then turns it right back on again, or vice versa.

The crude way to fix this is to watch the flashing LEDs and just after the AUX light blinks, cover the end of the remote so that 4th signal can't be sent.

Another way is to use the 995 comand to define a macro on e.g. the PIP On/Off button that just has the three devices power signals, and use that instead of AllOn.
Press Setup until 2 blinks-995-Cable-Power-TV-Power-Aux-Power-Cable-Press Setup until 2 blinks.  The last Cable button press is just to put the remote back into Cable mode so it is ready to use after the macro runs when turning on your equipment.

If you only use a restricted set of  receiver functions, you could make lemonade out of lemons by assigning setup code 20490 to AUX, so that it controls most of your BluRay player, but have previously used the 994 command to assign e.g. receiver volume and inputs to buttons on AUX. Then AllOn would toggle power on all 4 devices, and you'd be in control of most functions for all 4 devices.  The idea here is that your receiver won't respond to play, stop, etc, and the Bluray won't be interested in Vol+/- and Mute.  I can explain in greater detail if you're interested.

Edit: changed Audio to Aux, since that's the label on the button.

Thanks for the info ... it helps and makes sense (mostly) to me. The remote worked to turn the receiver on right out of the box but it didn't control the volume so that's why I added the receiver as the Aux device. I suspected that the on and off problem had something to do with that. I don't have a DVR so I could use any of those buttons as an "all on" with a macro as you described. I didn't quite follow your instructions for programming a macro. I get most of it except for the reference to an audio button. Did you mean the Aux button programmed for audio? If so, I think I understand your suggestion and I think that will work for me for now. I've spent A LOT of $ on equipment recently and I'm trying to get by on the remote I have right now. I have several of the comcast remotes which is handy. That's the other reason I wanted to use them at least to start off. If you have a recommendation for a good remote for my equipment I'd appreciate it. I have a poor track record of selecting "universal remotes" over the years.

Also, your lemonade out of lemons idea may also work for me, but I'm afraid I didn't quite follow what you're suggesting.

Yes, my mistake in writing Audio instead of Aux.

About lemonade, UEI remotes (like Comcast, OneForAll and others) can "keymove" the IR signals from one button to another, including mixing the setup codes, and also sending IR commands which aren't in the Comcast remote as shipped.  So think about if it is practical for you to use the Aux mode to send IR signals to both your BluRay and receiver.  If both of them require the use of the arrow buttons in order to function well, then it probably isn't practical.  My guess is that you'd need the arrow buttons to navigate menus on the BluRay, while you could use discrete codes to select inputs on the receiver.

I like UEI remotes, because the capability to program them (either manually or by using a computer via the 6 pin connector inside the battery compartment) makes them very flexible.  Actually we use Comcast remotes at our house, although I think the RCA RCRP05B ($20) is more versatile-- 5 devices and 8 internally.  

Thanks again. You are right that I need the arrow keys for the blu-ray player (lemonade from lemons wont fix my problem) . Your other idea to program a macro to an unused key will work for me and I probably wouldn't have considered it without your help, I really appreciate it. I guess its not possible to clear the all on/off key and reprogram the all on/off macro you suggested? Apparently the comcast remote is capable of a lot more than the manual says. I'll have to research UEI remotes to find out what else it can do. The comcast remote is really a nice remote if you can make it do what you want it to do. Unfortunately the manual that comes with it doesn't tell us much.

It isn't clear  to me whether you've decided that you need arrow keys for both the receiver and the BluRay.  If only the BluRay needs them then lemonade may work.

I suggest you visit hifi-remote.com in general, and especially read about the 9XX commands.  The Comcast can't do all of the commands, but it will work with many.  

thanks. I actually was there this morning and that info is very helpful

3FG, if you're still around I have a follow on question/problem. I decided to program an all on/off macro on the pip on/off key as you suggested and it just doesn't work. I've followed the sequence about 5 times using both the instructions you gave and those for 9xx commands on the hifi-remote site which are essentially the same. Does something need need to be unlocked in order to change keys that aren't typically intended to be changed? Actually I'd rather put the macro the "help" key since its easier to hit and does nothing at all on my setup, but I'm not sure that key can have a macro. The JP1 site said that any key could be programmed with a macro except the device buttons and the setup button. That is a general statement that may not pertain 100% to a comcast remote. Any help would be appreciated.

"Doesn't work" is not enough information.  I already tried setting up such a macro with Comcast remote before posting the suggestion, so I know that it should work in principle. Please check if the LED lights are flashing when the macro presumptively switches device mode.  If not, try setting up a simple macro first, perhaps on a different button.  If the LEDs do flash, use a digital camera (e.g. your phone) to look at the output of the IR transmitters.  Cameras are sensitive to the IR, so you'll see flashes if signals are actually being sent.

What I meant by "doesn't work" is the device LED's don't flash in sequence like they do when you hit the all on/off button (cable, tv, aux) I get one flash from the Cable device LED and that's all. I appreciate your help and didn't mean to imply you gave me bad info.

I can't look at this until tonight, but in the macro make sure that you're using the Power button, and not AllOn.  Also, are you terminating the macro entry by holding setup until it blinks twice?

I'll try it again and make sure to do it right, but I believe I did both of those things correctly on the previous attempts.

Tried again last night before giving up, but this time I tried a different button. Success! I used the "My DVR button" since I don't have a DVR and probably wont any time soon. For some reason I was unsuccessful on previous attempts of trying to use the TV/VCR button and the PIP On-Off button for the same macro. No matter since the My DVR button is easier hit while holding the remote. From a curiosity stand point I'm still curious why those other two keys wouldn't cooperate. I want to thank 3FG again for giving me the information needed to solve my immediate problem. 3FG, you've inspired me to learn more about these remotes. With your help I've learned that they are far more useful than the Comcast users manual indicates.

Perhaps the Input and PiP buttons have previously had a keymove assigned to them.  Keymoves (994) take priority over macros.  You could try clearing the potential keymove using 994--the last item in the 9XX command Wiki.