Decorum for the Forum:
  • Be nice. If you want to be mean, try Reddit.
  • No Piracy. If you want to be a thief, there are dark places on the internet dedicated to that.
  • No Cracking. Discussions on AnyDVD, DeUHD, DVDFab, UHDKeys and similar tools are not permitted here.
  • No Spamming. If you want to make a buck, work smarter... somewhere else.
  • No Adult Content. Half the internet is dedicated to adult content. This half isn't.

Privacy Policy: Click Here to Review (updated September 30, 2020)

Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Show off your HTPC builds, NAS Servers, and any other hardware. Great place to ask for hardware help too.
dsteinschneider
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 9:06 pm

Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Post by dsteinschneider » Sat Oct 17, 2020 11:57 pm

I've got the MCE remote working for windows volume, launching CMC, skipping back and ahead in MPC-BE, closing MPC-BE and CMC and doing everything else an MCE remote always did but I still need the remote for the Samsung TV to turn it on and off and the Vizio soundbar remote to adjust its volume

We also have a K400 for PC keyboarding.

I've been researching and thinking about buying a Harmony 525 for $26 on eBay. I've seen the 650 at someone's house - it was nice that you could create color icons to assign to the programmable buttons around the screen but people in that house were still confused by it.

Interested in anyone's opinions on remotes:

This article is interesting:
https://www.lifewire.com/best-universal-remotes-4138565

User avatar
Pauven
Posts: 2777
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 10:28 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Contact:

Re: Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Post by Pauven » Sun Oct 18, 2020 9:52 am

I use a Harmony 650, and I'm pretty happy with it. I don't think they're made anymore, which is why some of the prices are ridiculous. If you can find it for $35-$50, that's a good deal, though I think this was originally an $80 remote. Sometimes they go on sale on Amazon, I got my for under $40 a year or so ago.

image.png
image.png (162.05 KiB) Viewed 6247 times

The color icons are the most important feature. I have green assigned to launch CMC, and red assigned to Close. Their location, central on the remote, is key. I'm right-handed, and these two buttons are easy to reach with my thumb.

The 650 also has handy mode buttons at the top, which I use to switch between watching my Roku and my HTPC. The number pad is critical element on any remote for CMC, as that's how you can type without a keyboard.

The main omission is the * asterisk button, which is how you toggle a movie for WatchLists in CMC. But you can add that to one of the 4 soft programmable buttons around the screen. But the more important button is Clear (bottom left) which toggles a title or episode between watched/unwatched states. I use that all the time (well, less now that CMC automatically marks titles as watched for me, but still...).

On occasion my components get out of sync with the desired power state, i.e. TV turns off when I want it on, or ditto for the HTPC. I make sure I program a few handy power toggles on the soft keys, so I can get things powered exactly as I need when this happens.

In counterpoint, some of the features that make the 650 great for CMC, make the 525 bad.

image.png
image.png (298.4 KiB) Viewed 6247 times

The colored buttons are at the very bottom, and will be difficult to reach one handed. That's not great for launching CMC, but not a huge deal. But that's really bad for the red close button, you want that to be right at your thumb. Now, on Win10 CMC can reprogram other buttons to do the Close action, including the big red Record button which is in a good central spot - but if you need that for other programs (i.e. HDHomeRun), then that's not a good solution.

Above the red button is a "* Clear" button. These are two different actions, so I'm not sure how this works. If it's programmable, you probably want Clear for toggling Watched status vs. * for toggling WatchList status.

Ultimately, I don't think the 525 is a good choice.


image.png
image.png (1.4 MiB) Viewed 6247 times

Ironically, expensive remotes like the Harmony Ultimate (above) are even worse. Colored buttons at the bottom. No numberpad. No Clear or *. Plus a lot of convenient hard-buttons are missing, replaced by the small touch-screen. Also, I've had bad experience with Logitech rechargeable remotes, the battery doesn't last long and I never notice it needs charging until I'm ready to use it. I much prefer using rechargeable AA's that I can swap in a few seconds and that last about 2 months between swaps.

image.png
image.png (813.13 KiB) Viewed 6247 times

Another one to avoid is the Harmony One (above). It's a nice looking remote at first glance, like a sleeker version of the 650, but then you notice it is missing the 4 colored buttons.

The one big omission on all of these remotes? Look at the top of this remote:

image.png
image.png (264.92 KiB) Viewed 6247 times

Notice the "My TV", "My Music", "My Pictures", and "My Videos" dedicated WMC buttons. On Win10, these can be reprogrammed by CMC to do other activities, including launching CMC into specific modes. For example, you can configure "My Music" to launch CMC straight into the Music Library, and "My Videos" to launch into the Movie Library. This will become even more powerful/convenient in the future, with a dedicated Photos Library, and possibly launching HDHomeRun when you press "My TV", or alternatively switching to the TV Series Media Type in CMC.

Sure, you can do soft-keys for those actions on the Logitechs, but dedicated hard buttons are both super convenient and also simpler for guests and new users to understand.

I'll do a 2nd post on non-Logitech options.
President, Chameleon Consulting LLC
Author, Chameleon MediaCenter

User avatar
Pauven
Posts: 2777
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 10:28 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Contact:

Re: Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Post by Pauven » Sun Oct 18, 2020 10:50 am

Okay, I know I said this next post would be non-Logitech, but rules are made to be broken. I realize I missed an interesting Logitech option, the Harmony Smart Control remote:

image.png
image.png (765.54 KiB) Viewed 6247 times

This seems like a nice minimalistic remote that is still programmable and includes most of the buttons that you want for CMC. Looks like the * button is missing, but perhaps that can be programmed to another button. The media buttons at the top are not replacements for the programmable "My Music", "My TV", "My Videos", but rather Logitechs mode buttons to run macros and turn on/off devices.

Looks like you can buy these used on Ebay for okay prices. As nice as these seem, I might still prefer the 650 - having a screen with softkeys is helpful for resolving out of sync device power-state issues.


The following remotes I have no experience with, so my advice may be bad. Though these all seem to have potential.

The Inteset 4-in-1 Universal Backlit IR Learning Remote seems interesting. It looks a lot like a regular MCE remote and lists compatibility with Media Center/Kodi. It's got the 4 colored buttons in a good spot. It's got the number pad, and a *, but I don't see a Clear button - perhaps that's programmable? The arrow buttons, OK and Back all look convenient to reach.

image.png
image.png (536.33 KiB) Viewed 6247 times

Supposedly it has a large device database and supports macros. Probably not as convenient to program as a Logitech, but it seems like it would get the job done to control your other devices. And while it doesn't have the MCE mode buttons (My TV, My Music, etc.), it does have the A, B, C, D buttons at the top that can be programmed.

It also has a handy Eject button at the bottom, useful if you watch physical discs. There's also the four shape buttons at the bottom, Circle, Triangle, Diamond, and Square, which might be useful for reprogramming.

For $26, this might make a decent solution. I've barely read up on it, so do some more research before making the leap. For example, I don't know how you program it, and what the programming limitations might be:

https://www.amazon.com/Inteset-Universa ... NrPXRydWU=

For something completely different, the Pepper Jobs W10 Gyro Air TV Remote is very interesting. You wouldn't want to use this for normal CMC duty, but it would make an excellent 2nd remote that eliminates the need to keep a keyboard & trackpad handy for maintenance tasks. For $25, this seems like a really good value. Here's a good video review:
I actually just ordered one of these for myself, so I can report back later whether or not I like it.

image.png
image.png (711.41 KiB) Viewed 6247 times
President, Chameleon Consulting LLC
Author, Chameleon MediaCenter

dsteinschneider
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 9:06 pm

Re: Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Post by dsteinschneider » Sun Oct 18, 2020 11:51 am

Thanks for all the detail. After I posted I researched further and decided on the used Harmony 650 so it helps that you also recommend it. The Inteset looked interesting as new inexpensive option also.

Just watched this video on the Pepper Jobs W10 Air Mouse:
https://d2y5sgsy8bbmb8.cloudfront.net/v ... rpcbe5.mp4

If you could reprogram a few of the buttons for WMC it would a good choice.

dsteinschneider
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 9:06 pm

Re: Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Post by dsteinschneider » Sun Oct 18, 2020 12:11 pm

I might go for the Inteset. EDIT The way its programmed is you download a Windows program that has their database of remotes and you choose your make/model and it imports that device's settings.

The only part is just that you retrieve the 5 digit codes for your device from a database they have online. It is easy look up the codes.

I'm a little hesitant to buy a used 650, they are a device that can be spilled on and also worn out from much use.

I'll buy the Inteset and report back
Last edited by dsteinschneider on Mon Oct 19, 2020 10:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Pauven
Posts: 2777
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 10:28 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Contact:

Re: Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Post by Pauven » Sun Oct 18, 2020 1:41 pm

I look forward to hearing your experiences with the Inteset. The programming sound interesting.

Amazon says my Pepper Jobs W10 will arrive tomorrow. I'll see if anything is programmable, but I'm not hopeful on that.

I agree with not wanting to buy used - Logitech <insert any product here> devices always wear out. I love their products, so when they go on sale I'll stockpile several spares for the inevitable replacments. I use their G602 mouse on my desktop, and I wear out the main mouse button about every 6-12 months. I also keep spares of the M560 portable mice. I'm on my 3rd 650 remote - after a while some buttons will wear out and be hard to press. They're also fragile, if you drop them on a hard wood floor they often crack.

I don't want to go so far as to say Logitech stuff is bad - I think they're so great that I use them exclusively. I don't know if I'm just hard on devices (probably) or if other brands would last longer, but since I don't use other brands I might never know. But buying Logitech remotes and mice used just seems risky.
President, Chameleon Consulting LLC
Author, Chameleon MediaCenter

dsteinschneider
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 9:06 pm

Re: Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Post by dsteinschneider » Mon Oct 19, 2020 8:36 am

I look at mice and keyboards as wear items. The Logitech ones are well designged and work well until they wear out so they are my go to for that. I don't buy the least or most expensive . Usually go for the $30-40 keyboard/mouse combos.

A friend likes the mechanical Cherry MX keyswitch keyboards that run about $100 (DAS Keyboards)

User avatar
Pauven
Posts: 2777
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 10:28 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Contact:

Re: Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Post by Pauven » Mon Oct 19, 2020 9:22 am

Your friend has good taste. I looked hard at the DAS keyboards and almost got one.

I have a Logitech G810 mechanical switch keyboard. It was about $150 new, but since Logitech doesn't make them anymore I've seen them listed for $400 new. It's not the Cherry switches, which are awesome, but Romer-G, which are great too. Plus the Romer's have central lighting, and the keys look fantastic backlit.

It's got a great balance of tactile quality, keystroke, and auditory clicking volume. I'd been dreaming about going mechanical for a few years, and finally treated myself a couple years ago. No regrets. My fingers happily glide over the keys. Considering how much of my life I spend in front of my PC (programming CMC for you guys), I've come to appreciate keyboards, mice, and monitors as something you don't skimp on.

The best part? A couple weeks ago I pulled all the keycaps off, threw them in a laundry mesh net, and washed them with a load of clothes. And I took a vacuum and Q-tips to clean out all the grime on the base. I won't share any pictures of how bad it looked before cleaning, it would haunt your nightmares, but now I'm happily clicking away on a clean-like-new keyboard. As long as these switches don't wear out, I think I've got another 10 years in this keyboard, which makes the expense relatively minor.

But, it is a Logitech, and all Logitech's wear out, so we'll see.
President, Chameleon Consulting LLC
Author, Chameleon MediaCenter

dsteinschneider
Posts: 46
Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2020 9:06 pm

Re: Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Post by dsteinschneider » Mon Oct 19, 2020 10:16 pm

That was quick - Amazon delivered the Inteset today.

I used A (factory default is Apple TV) for the Samsung TV - the first code I tried was correct. The controls mapped well. One thing that's an upgrade from the Samsung TV's remote is when I press menu it jumps right into the Picture menu. The Samsung remote takes about 10 clicks (traveling through menu's with ads) to get there.

I used B (factory default is Xbox) for the Vizio Soundbar - only one code was listed and it worked

C was factory default to WMC
D was factory default to Roku which I don't have but I only need TV - Soundbar - WMC

The Inteset is much more responsive (faster) then the HP Mediacenter remotes I bought in bulk from an ebay seller. I haven't read up on how to do macros yet but they are able to, as an example, turn all devices on by pressing the number 1. That and 2 to turn off everything are the only ones I'm planning on implementing right now.

It's also very comfortable to hold. I see why it's popular, it's easy to set up and works well.

I'm going to assign the 4 colored buttons to CMC

User avatar
Pauven
Posts: 2777
Joined: Tue Dec 26, 2017 10:28 pm
Location: Atlanta, GA, USA
Contact:

Re: Remote to control soundbar, Samsung TV and CMC

Post by Pauven » Mon Oct 19, 2020 11:10 pm

Nice.

By any chance does it have a microphone?

I use a Roku, and one of the features is you can talk to it to search. It's very convenient. I've never found a universal remote that can replicate that feature.
President, Chameleon Consulting LLC
Author, Chameleon MediaCenter

Post Reply