OT? TV Uinversal Remote

Seems you could make up a microprocessor-based device which could "learn" your TV codes, then you'd need a way to program schedules and channels.

Or do it the way us analog guys would do it and devise a device that presses buttons on a schedule >:-}

With cable TV this is all accomplished with the STB (set-top box).

Which suggests, see if you can't buy a non-cable-provided set-top box and program it to do the tuning, TV stays set to channel 4, for instance. ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    | 
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             | 
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  | 
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     | 
              
I love to cook with wine.     Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Analogly thinking I could hire a 7 year old to press the right channel button on the cable box remote at the appropriate time to match the recorder schedule. But since that may be against the child labor laws I was thinking there should be some smart universal remote that could do it with less hassle. Maybe that would be too much to ask that some company would design and build a device like that.

Anyhow that is why I asked, just in case someone has already been there, done that kinda thing.

Les

I guess I'm not understanding the problem. If you have a cable box, isn't it programmable? Mine is. I can program recording various shows, on a thousand different channels, weeks in advance. Mine even has a selection, "Record whole series". ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    | 
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             | 
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  | 
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     | 
              
I love to cook with wine.     Sometimes I even put it in the food.

In the 90s; one of the TV/VCR manufacturers produced a remote with integral barcode reader, for a while some printed TV guides had barcodes next to the program listing.

AFAIK it sank without trace!

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Well under that note the following may come be a shock to you. It might be a good idea that you are seated before you read any further.

There are other parts of the planet where there are people that only have cable boxes that only change the channels and do not record. Those people are left with a dilemma in that if they want to record a program to their HDD or DVD they must first select the proper channel, and un-mute prior to the recorder being started.

Yes, it is challenging to say the least. Having a universal remote with a schedule would be a wonderful blessing.

Les

Actually I do remember such days. Back when I did it last, the VCR could jump channels.

Interesting problem.

Many people have done various hacks to remotes,

Try...

There was a group that specialized in such hacks, but I can't find my way back to it :-( ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    | 
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             | 
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  | 
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     | 
              
I love to cook with wine.     Sometimes I even put it in the food.

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

Thanks for the links. I looked for such groups as well. But not to be found.

What would be cool would be a App for my iPhone that I could set up the program schedule and either DL it to a Remote or if the Remote was Z-Wave compatible and would receive from my phone thru a GSM signal.

That would be the Wish List!!!

Les

One of those links _did_ use an iPhone to control their TV! ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    | 
| Phoenix, Arizona  85048    Skype: Contacts Only  |             | 
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  | 
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     | 
              
I love to cook with wine.     Sometimes I even put it in the food.

I did not see a iPhone hack only a iPod hack.

No matter, I was not looking to try and hack, modify, tear down and rebuild the process. I was actually just wanting to buy off the shelf, stick in the batteries, and program. More like a no brainier thingy.

Les

It wsa hard to judge. I never even saw one, but yes, the "tv listings magazine" that came with the local paper had the code. But I can't remember the name. I think it wsa successful for a while, but then things came along where information came from the internet. The success of that remote was because people didn't have to fuss with specifics, they'd scan the program and the remote would do the work. Once devices came along that got the listing from the internet, the same ease was there.

I always assumed those remotes took the information, kept track of time, and then simply sent the needed information to the VCR via IR. TO the VCR, it appeared like any remote, turning on the VCR at the right time, telling it to go to such and such a channel and start recording. But the remote was "smart" and sent the sequence of control codes at the proper moment. In other words, you weren't programming the VCR, which is what peoiple wanted to avoid.

Michael

LIRC

probably not what you wanted.

--
?? 100% natural 

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: news@netfront.net ---

They have been made. I saw one at a Salvation army store. I looked it over just as a curiosity. I don't recall how many times it would would store. I have no more information, other than it was not a name brand. Have some memory that it could have been packaged with "As seen on TV". Mikek

You are correct. Maybe if I was 40 years younger and had nothing else to do but hack and play with it until I had a breadboard the size of my kitchen table. And then go through the miniaturization process till it could become a practical handheld device........................... not.

Thanks,

Les

Definitely to the "as seen on tv".

But why can't we remember the name, the thing was everywhere for a while.

Michael

That product is rather interesting but it will not do what I would like to do.

The trick is that this remote contains its own clock and timer. You set the clock once. Then, when you want to record a show, you do the following:

1) Turn on your VCR, and leave it on. 2) Switch it to the channel on which you want to record. 3) Set the VCRs default recording speed (if you care, and if your VCR allows this).

Step #2 is the killer. I need it to change the channel at a specific time.

I found it funny that the review was written in 2004.

Thanks for the input.

Les

Yes, Radio Shack and Memorex used to have one that did 48 key macros. You can set it on a table, point it at the TV, and it turns things on an off and selects channels by time and day of the week. It has a LCD display, but it's a big ugly thing that eats four AA batteries every couple months. I have a RS modle 15-1901 but I never learned how to program it. I was too busy changing batteries. I imagine you might find it on ebay, or something similar.

-Bill

Yes, Radio Shack and Memorex used to have one that did 48 key macros. You can set it on a table, point it at the TV, and it turns things on an off and selects channels by time and day of the week. It has a LCD display, but it's a big ugly thing that eats four AA batteries every couple months. I have a RS modle 15-1901 but I never learned how to program it. I was too busy changing batteries. I imagine you might find it on ebay, or something similar.

Well thanks, I did actually find two on eBay. Reading the manual leaves the brain with a lump trying to understand how to set it up. So, I can follow your comment above on "I never learned how to program it". Need to think about this one a bit. But for an experiment, $23 is not that bad.

Thanks for the tip.

Les

-Bill

There were a few such items; I have a VCR Plus+ (from Gemstar Devellopment Corp). It even had a toll-free phone number, you could hold the remote up to the phone and get the codes entered by the customer service department. It had an internal clock, and you could do record-once, or once weekly, or all weekdays.

Corp).

weekdays.

Yes, it wsa VCR Plus that I was thinking of. Oddly enough, I wsa in a "thrift shop" on Friday, and saw one, actually providing the name I couldn't remember.

Wikipedia has an entry under that, says the same basic unit was sold under a variety of names.

I ended up with an SSB CB set for five dollars, complete with some odd cable out the back so it's been modified. I've been looking for one of those for almost 20 years, so long I can't quite remember why I hoped to find it. I don't even have much hope for it, even if it does work, the SSB filter can't be that great, since a glance at the schematic shows that the SSB filter is used for AM too, so it can't be particularly narrow.

Michael