I've tried searching the forum for a similar situation to mine with no luck. I just purchased a Sony DVD/VCR combo unit. None of the codes in the 15-2116 manual will work at all with either the DVD or the VCR (I tried testing with Power on/off; start/stop; menu; etc...). Am I out of luck?

Yes, there isn't a preset code for the sony combos. If you had a remote like the 8910 or 9910, you could have code DVD0864 loaded over the phone. There's always JP1.

Thank you, that's what I was afraid of.

Guess it's time I look into JP1. Not being hardware savvy, that's more than a little intimidating.

The hardware part of Jp-1 is the easy part. You'll need a Windows PC, and now can use one of three ports: parallel, serial, or USB. Other than the port, the only hardware actually involved is the interface cable from the remote to the PC. Software is a different matter. IR requires Windows. KM (To make upgrades) requires MS Excel. RM also makes upgrades but requires a free java upload. You're free to use either KM or RM for your upgrades, or you can use both if you want. At the present, IR requires windows, and there is no other options. Most of us use a Parallel port "simple" interface cable.

Jim

Let me state that more simply.

You need a Windows PC with a parallel port. You can buy the JP1 cable. End of hardware question.

I don't think the serial or USB alternatives are ready for ordinary users yet (cutting edge technology = bleeding edge users).

If you don't have Microsoft Excel, you don't need it. Most JP1 users use it because you used to need it.

Sure they are! They may not yet be commercially available, but the current IR supports them, and they've been tested and debugged to the best of everyone's ability. Tommy Tyler's comprehensive construction doc's are available in the JP1 files area. Of course, none of this helps someone without the skills (or desire) required to build one of them. ;)

The lady says to the butcher "Why are these steak tips $2.69 a pound? Across the street at Joe's butcher shop they're only $1.69 a pound."

Butcher says "Then why don't you buy them across the street?"

The lady says "Joe's butcher shop is out of steak tips."

Butcher says "Look lady, when I'm out of steak tips they're only 69 cents a pound".

A few times at work, when that joke should have highlighted the flaw in someone else's argument, no one appreciated it :( But I tried it here anyway.

Add me to that list. ;)

Actually, I don't get your point. For a typical user with a typical PC that has a typical parallel port, the Simple interface probably can't be beat. However, the new interface designs might be the ONLY option for someone who has a newer laptop without a parallel port. They also don't seem to be prone to the dreaded voltage incompatibilities we've seen with the Simple.