I had a Mx-800 installed and am generally happy with it's operation. However we have had a few quirks with the remote. Note - it has been professionally installed by a Certified supplier and installer and we are on our 2nd remote (1st one was replaced due to these issues). The system is set up for RF (all equipment is behind cabinet doors, so no interference from light etc. All nodes are secured with electrical tape and completely covered.

We have a Direct TV/Tivo combo receiver that is hooked up to our home-theater system. The MX800 is set up so that pressing TV turn the receiver to "all stereo" mode on and then the TV. We then have the options on the LCD for Tivo operation. Here are the issues:

1) The "3" button has not worked on either of the two remotes. Installer cannot figure out and stated he needs the Direct TV/Tivo remote again to program.
2) In order to change channels we need to depress like so for any channels, example for channel 123... 1 (pause), 2 (pause), 3. Sometimes the channel changes to 1 or 12 if done too fast.
3) Action to guide and movement within guide seem slow compared to actual Direct Tv/Tivo remote. I can understand this as delay in RF etc.
4) Favorites for 2 or 3 numbered channels only changes to 1st number (0-9) So, channel 24 or 245 change to 2 if selected.
5) When moving forward or back in recorded shows, sometimes we cannot stop it. FF and Rewind work (sometimes), stop/play do not always work.

This is our 2nd remote. I love the fact it is "easy" to use, press DVD all equipment switches to play DVD but the issues above are driving me and my wife nuts. Installer is about to replace and re-set up again (3rd try). Any suggestions, similar issues and resolutions? I am leaning toward returning the remote and looking for another set up. I performed a search on-line at AVS and here but no info... Apologies for the long message, and thanks for any information.

boboso...

Your Tivo might be more sensitive to the ir signal and thus could be overloaded with it. This same thing happened with some of my equipment. By reducing the strength of the ir signal I was able to have the equipment respond properly.

I have my mx800's send a signal through a niles repeater system so all I had to do was reduce the output of an individual ir output. You could accomplish the same thing by increasing the amount of distance between the ir output and your equipment. Worth a try anyways to see if this help things work properly.

Pete

See Peter's idea above.


Are you doing this manually? If so, then again see Peter's idea above.


There should be no noticeable RF delay. See Peter's idea above.


This either needs a pause between numbers in your macro, or more likely, since you even have problems with your manual entering of numbers, see Peter's idea above.



See Peter's idea above.

________

Try using the MX-800 without the IR Flashers and use the blaster from about 10 feet or more away.

If it works fine this way, then it is definitely what Peter has said.

If not, then I hope someone else has some ideas.

But, I'll bet that Peter is right and you need to either put the whole transmitter in a place near your equipment and have the Front Blaster flood your cabinet - you'll have to do some experimenting as to what is the best place in order for the Blaster not to overload the IR "eye", as Peter said.

Or, you need to put some sort of semi-transparent or semi-opaque (whichever way you want to look at it) between the Flasher and the IR "eye".

Since this is your 2nd installation already, I doubt that the MX-800 or RF unit has anything to do with it.

I believe Peter is right. (Did I say that enough times??? LOL)

Greg

Problem solved... Apparently this is a common issue with the DirectTV/Tivo PVR units, some work RF some do not. Here is what we found...

The DirectTV/Tivo unit was hooked up as am RF unit as equipment is in cabinets. The delay from the remote (press remote, read remote, send remote , read RF unit, send RF unit)to the device causes issues as the DirectTV/Tivo unit reads quickly and changes quickly. So by the time the remote is pressed and it reads/sends, the DirectTV/Tivo unit is on the way. It needs the info fed to it quickly (i.e. channel changes - # # # not # wait, # wait, # wait) In addtion, the RF unit may not work for our application. Switch it over to IR and all problems have been solved. Now we are exchanging the RF 200 unit for the IR unit. So far, so good! Thanks for all of the advice and thanks to Home Theater Tech for figuring out!

Hmmm, you should have been able to make the D-Tivo unit work with RF. I haven't heard of any particular models being a problem and they all are subject to possible oversaturation. The suggestions posted by Pete were exactly what I've found typically solves the problem. I have two D-Tivos myself at home and had simliar problems until I relocated the IR emitter.

Mike
www.SurfRemote.com

Mike, I agree with the posts above and the solutions, however the RF200 is not in the same cabinet as the equipment. The RF unit was in a cabinet next to the equipment cabinet with the emitters to the equipment area. No light from the RF unit, or remote, was getting to the equipment area. The RF unit was in box/cabinet #1, PS2, CD and VCR in box/cabinet #2, and finally Direct TV/Tivo receiver, DVD and AV receiver in box/cabinet #3. Each their own box with door. We were on our 3rd remote and numerous learnings, as well as moving the RF unit to different locations. The RF worked well with the CD mega-changer, and DVD, but was very sporadic with the Direct TV/Tivo unit.

Long story short... Setting up as IR has seemed to be the solution to the problem.

It shouldn't matter where the MRF-200 is (except when it's being interfered with by adjacent equipment). The oversaturation I'm speaking of has to do with the IR emitter overpowering the IR eye in the D-Tivo. Placement of the emitter further from that eye is how the problem's usually solved, but if using IR only solves your problem, then that's great. I just wanted to mention it for those who absolutely have to use RF.

Do you have a plasma in the room? If so, then you are getting interference from the ir flashers.

You can remedy that and also a similar suggestion to Petes suggestions above is to put a few pieces of plain old yellow masking tape over the equipment ir receiver eye. That will cut out the plasma interfernce or lessen the strength of the ir flasher output.

I don't understand how you are using the MX800 as an ir remote with your equipment behind a cabinet?

E. J.