I sit in a chair about 12 feet from my 62 inch Mitz LCD TV. Next to this chair I have a end table that I often will sit my laptop on while I watch TV and browse the web. Often I find that my MX-500 will have no effect at all on when I direct it to handle one of my 3 Tivo's, or the TV, or my Parasound C1 amp, or my DVD player. In other words nothing. I then will shut the lid on the laptop and all is well and perfect. I do hold the remote so that it is beyond the laptop screen(the front of the remote is looking at my home theatre rack, not the screen of the laptop). I have turned off infra red support in my laptop(this is used to control wirelessly devices such as printers). Still have the problem. Only when I shutdown the laptop or close its lid all is well. At other times all will be well with the computer in action.

I also run a Linksys 802 11 G wireless router. The router is sitting behind the TV(connected to my cable modem) with its short stubby antennas poking above the TV.

My question is this. Can somehow the infra red signal that the MX 500 sends out be compromised by the 2400 gigahertz RF that the laptop and the wireless router use for communication?

By the way, I too love the Mx 500's. I have 3 of them and for the most part am unable to find any limitations that would cause me to spend the money to upgrade to any other of Home Theatres fine family of remotes. I do have IR clone(which I have never found a need to use except for a backup of my remotes) and use repeaters for controlling my Tivo's from other rooms(such as my garage) where I send Tivo output. I also fully control my rotator for my HD off the air antenna which is located in the attic with the Mx 500. I also did control my Comcast HI Def cable box until with my new LCD Mitz, I am now using their cable card.

I am set up with 2 regular Sat Tivo's that are expanded to 120 hours and also a HD Tivo which I will be upgrading for capacity. I can run all devices using only the TV's internal speakers(for casual viewing or my wife's usage) or using another group of the 10 device keys available have all audio output play thru my Parasound C1(which is also fully controlled by the Mx 500).

With merely using the M1, 2, 3 MACRO KEYS and the 10 key device macro facilities I can switch to any device(with internal tv speakers or with the C1) with a single push of button. I also do full pic in pic(for instance may be watching a Hi Def Tivo movie, and wish to change the C1's audio from Stereo output to Dolby Digital) I will bring up the C1 in the pic in pic window so that I can view the changes that I am making to its operating funcitons.

I also clone my main Mx 500 to another, so that I always have a hot backup in event of an Mx 500 failure(like stepping on it and breaking it).

The point of all this is that you do not need to spend the bucks for the latest and geatest remotes. For less then a 100 bucks, this old Mx 500 is still quite a work horse and will service most peoples needs quite well. I did just order from Blu Do their remote extenders to see if they work better then my remote repeaters.

Roger
Silicon Valley

I suppose it's not impossible that the Wireless signal is interfering with the remote. I have a Linksys Wireless "B" router and have no problems with my MX-500. I know that in the router's setup software, you can choose the frequency that the router operates on. I think the default "channel" is channel 6. Maybe you can try and change the router's frequency and see what happens?

Viken

most laptops have an IR port on the side of them, make sure it is disabled.

I've seen this before, but I can't remember if it was due to an active IR port or the screen itself. My suggestion is to place the laptop in an area behind where the remote is used and see if you still have the problem. If the problem is resolved, then it was likely the screen.

Let me know what you find.



Thank you,
Damon DG
= = = = =
Control Systems Consulting, Sales & Online Programming

do you really think an LCD screen can spill IR?

I ahve not heard this before but I have not heard everything yet. Still a little wet behind the ears eh. Unless you use one of those rare yet awkward CRT laptops.:-)

Glen,

Not spill IR, but possibly absorb it. CRT laptops...haha! One word comes to mind there - "ow"!

Again, I can't remember exactly if the problem we found was due to an open IR port on the computer or the screen itself. This is going to be one of those things that bugs me until we figure out what it is. :)

Roger: please let me know what you find.



Thank you,
Damon DG
= = = = =
Control Systems Consulting, Sales & Online Programming