Your Universal Remote Control Center
RemoteCentral.com
Which Remote Should I Buy? Forum - View Post
Previous section Next section Up level
Up level
The following page was printed from RemoteCentral.com:

Login:
Pass:
 
 

Topic:
which remote for 5 tvs
This thread has 8 replies. Displaying all posts.
Post 1 made on Monday February 10, 2014 at 12:21
bucfanmike
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
November 2006
10
need basic control for 5 different tvs in 5 different rooms. TVs are just basic OTA signal and volume control. I also prefer web based setup if possible, as tvs die there, they are just replaced with whatever is cheap at the time. It needs to be easy to use as several different people would be using it. Would prefer mostly hard buttons, but also an lcd to select which room you are in would probably be helpful. Administration wants me to keep it around $100 or less.

Thanks
OP | Post 2 made on Monday February 10, 2014 at 12:48
bucfanmike
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
November 2006
10
leaning between a URC MasterControl RF20 or a harmony 650. I assume that it doesnt care what the 5 devices are, they can each be tvs please correct me if i am wrong. I am familiar with the 650 as that is what i have at home, just wonder if an activity remote is overkill as i only need simple device control. If there is a better option let me know, i need to order in the next day or two.
Post 3 made on Monday February 10, 2014 at 13:22
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
Joined:
Posts:
December 2001
30,104
So... you need to control five different TVs in five different rooms, and it sounds like you want to control them from some other room. The combination of web based setup, which I don't think is cheap, with replacing TVs when they die, which is the cheapest possible approach, doesn't seem to make sense. Also, any remote you program will need to be reprogrammed any time the TV on the market at the moment isn't the same brand as the ones previously bought... and brands do change.

If you want to control each one from the room it's in, I suggest the budget will be met by using the remotes that come with the TVs. Any amount of time during which more than one TV will be of the same brand will give you a bonus: the factory remote will work in more than one room.

Since TVs of the same brand will never be guaranteed to be available in the same brand or with the same remote codes if your replacement criterion is "one just died," which is completely random, it looks like good planning is your enemy here. You need the most flexibility, and use of factory remotes allows that.
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
OP | Post 4 made on Monday February 10, 2014 at 14:01
bucfanmike
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
November 2006
10
I should have given a little more detail. This is a correctional setting. We disable all buttons on the tvs before they are installed so they have to be operated via a remote. Right now when a tv needs to be changed, either channel or volume, the officer has to go to a central area and retrieve the proper remote then go back and adjust the tv. Its very time consuming and also adds to the amount of items we have to track and inventory each shift. My goal is one remote, preferable with a lcd screen where i can label each room (SigA thru SigE) and by selecting the room have it control the tv in the room. This would be a huge time saver as the officer could easy carry one remote during his day. I wont worry about macros, I just would like the hard buttons work the power, channels, and volume while they are in the selected room. We only average changing about 1 tv a year in the total 5 room area, so going back in and changing the code at the time should be easy enough to do.

Last edited by bucfanmike on February 10, 2014 14:59.
Post 5 made on Tuesday February 11, 2014 at 00:02
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
Joined:
Posts:
December 2001
30,104
Your first "detail" does more to define the circumstances than all the rest that you wrote before. When I have the time I'll come back and read the rest.
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 6 made on Tuesday February 11, 2014 at 00:18
3FG
Select Member
Joined:
Posts:
August 2009
1,861
You don't need a LCD screen or anything expensive.  Here's how a universal can work:  When the officer wants to adjust a TV, he first presses one of the digit buttons -- 1,2,3,4, or 5 to indicate the room he is in.  Then he would press Power, Vol, etc.

Get a RCRN08G (<$20).   Use the original remotes to teach the RCRN08G.  Use 5 different device buttons so that each TV's remote signals are taught onto its own device button.   Then assign a single step macro to the digit buttons 1 through 5.  For example if you've taught the Power, Volume and channel commands corresponding to the TV in Room C in the OARN08G's DVR mode, assign a macro containing just one button press to button 3.  The button press in the macro should be DVR.

In this way, when the officer presses 3, the RCRN08G will switch to the DVR mode and the learned signals for the TV in Room C will be active.  He can then adjust the TV.


   
Post 7 made on Tuesday February 11, 2014 at 12:58
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
Joined:
Posts:
December 2001
30,104
Looks like 3FG has the remote control portion of this down. You need a way to get the signals to the TVs, which I suppose is why you spoke of a web-based setup.

I can't begin to imagine what it would take to implement a web-based setup, so I'll answer with what I know: simple IR on a wire pair.

This is done with an IR sensor powered by a small power supply. A pair of wires runs the output of the sensor to an IR-emitting LED that's stuck on the front of the TV where IR from it will be picked up by the TV. The LED can be anywhere in the room where the TV can see it, but inside the enclosure that the TV is in (my assumption) is the best and safest place.

Let's say all the TVs are different brands: an IR sensor in the room with the remote can sense the IR signal and carry it out to all five TVs. The one whose brand has been chosen will respond. It's not likely that all five will always be different brands, though, so you have to route the signals.

The opposite case has all identical TVs. No matter which TV is chosen, the control signals will work all TVs, so you have to pick and choose where to send the commands.

One way to do this is to use an IR router, but that requires the remote to switch the router and I don't know if the suggested one can do that.

An approach I used once would have five IR sensors, one for each TV. A sensor is placed at the back end of a tube... the tube is of dimensions such that you can stick the remote about a half inch into it at the front; the sensor, a few inches away at the back, picks up the signal. You make a box with five such tubes in it. To control TV A, you stick the end of the remote into Tube A and push the appropriate buttons. To control TV B, you stick the end of the remote into Tube B and... like that.

I used this successfully at a sports bar where we wanted simple equipment -- a satellite remote -- to control a half dozen identical satellite receivers on the opposite wall. The remote did not have to learn any special codes. We used Xantech pickups which were a bit wider and higher than the remotes and it all worked great. A bonus of having all six tubes parallel to one another was that when day was done, you could back the remote up about two feet from the tubes, point into the tubes, and turn everything off at the same time. Send me a message if you'd like a sketch of this. It's very clear to me but written description is often not worth even the corner of a picture!
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
OP | Post 8 made on Tuesday February 11, 2014 at 17:09
bucfanmike
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
November 2006
10
i guess i still didnt do a good job of getting across what i was looking to do. Nothing fancy. I just want to control 5 different tvs with one remote. The officer would carry that remote to the tv and point it at the tv and use it. My big concern was being able to label a soft button with the name of the TV that they would be controlling. Hence only 5 devices, but they are all tvs. So a soft button on a lcd for SigA TV, SigB TV, SigC TV, SigD TV, SigE TV. When that soft button is selected then the remote hard buttons would work the corresponding TV. I have a harmony 650 that I know would work, but I dont really like that remote so I was debating going with the URC RF 20.
Post 9 made on Tuesday February 18, 2014 at 01:40
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
Joined:
Posts:
December 2001
30,104
Just looked at the RF20. Looks like it will do it, and your labels will be on the LCD screen.

But you have to program it from scratch. I didn't see any way to duplicate the programming on a second remote.

I'd get them three MX850s and program them all the same. Two stay in the guard's desk with no batteries inside, and when the first remote is destroyed in a fight, there will be no down time before they can put on Maurie and watch OTHER people throw chairs. Supply them with one remote and they'll be very unhappy with you when something goes wrong with it. The budget for three remotes will be less than the damage that might be done when no TV is available.
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


Jump to


Protected Feature Before you can reply to a message...
You must first register for a Remote Central user account - it's fast and free! Or, if you already have an account, please login now.

Please read the following: Unsolicited commercial advertisements are absolutely not permitted on this forum. Other private buy & sell messages should be posted to our Marketplace. For information on how to advertise your service or product click here. Remote Central reserves the right to remove or modify any post that is deemed inappropriate.

Hosting Services by ipHouse