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Configuring preprogrammed codes is done through the “Code Setup” menu, which presents two further choices: “Dev Search” and “Dev Setup”. The first option searches through the entire built in database. Select the device button to configure a code for, and then press [OK] to begin searching. The remote will automatically send out a new power code every 2.5 seconds, with the active code number indicated on the LCD screen. When a code works, press any key to stop the search. If you didn’t respond in time the [Up/Down] keys can be used to increase or decrease the current code number. In this state, most of the keys for that device can be tested live without having to exit the setup menu – this is extremely useful for figuring out if a code is good or not. To save a code press the [OK] button, or to restart the automated search from the current point press [Exit] and then [OK] twice.
If you do plan on a full code search be sure to dedicate enough time – at the remote’s only search speed I calculate that it would take over 20 minutes to sift through just the television section.
The second code selection method, direct number entry, is rather less useful. Select the device, and then enter in a 3-digit number using the keypad from the long list of code numbers printed in the back of the manual. Press [OK] to save – unlike the last method there’s no way to test anything from the codeset first – and then press [Exit] twice to return to normal operation. If the code works, great, but otherwise you’ll need to make your way back through the setup menu to try another number.
Preprogrammed brand names...
A third and potentially the best code entry method is curiously not offered from the setup menu, and can only be accessed by holding [Set] and a device button at the same time. This directly accesses the special “brand search” mode, which organizes all of the built-in codes by brand name. Erroneously, the manual indicates “by make and model number”, but even though there are no model numbers to be found this is still a capability rarely seen on standalone remotes. Simply select a brand name on-screen using the [Up] and [Down] arrows, and then choose one of the matching code numbers by navigating [Left] and [Right]. As with the original code search method, most of the device’s commands can be tested live before saving, making this the easiest and most practical way to find a fully functional codeset.
The only downside to this search is that it always starts off alphabetically at “A” regardless of the currently entered code, and there’s no way to directly jump to letters further along the alphabet. This could have made it rather time consuming to work your way from “Accent” all the way to “Zoppas”, but holding the [Up] or [Down] keys will fast-forward through the list – hold long enough and it really speeds up.
Built-in or not?
The ZR800D’s database is divided into 7 different sections, and combined they cover amplifiers, cable boxes, DVB receivers, DVD players, DVRs, LD players, motorized screens, projectors, satellite receivers, televisions, VCD players and VCRs. I’m uncertain whose code database Elite Screens has used, however outwardly it appears to be one of decent size and claims to have over 1400 different codes including 488 televisions and 190 DVD players.
Regardless of those impressive statistics, the database nevertheless offered poor coverage of my test components. Out of 12 infrared controlled devices in this particular system, the database succeeded in operating – even at any level – only 4 of them. For 5 other devices the remote claimed to control that specific brand of component, but none of the available codes were functional. Of note, there were many more brand names listed on the remote than in the manual, though few of those additional names were familiar. That, combined with the specific inclusion of a “VCD” code category, leads me to believe that the database may have originally been intended for the Asian or European markets, which may help explain why its North American coverage was less than expected.
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