Infared Remote Controls

As you acquire each piece of AV Equipment along comes yet another dedicated remote for its IR operation. Suddenly, you have a coffee table full of them, and then to add insult to injury, mislay one!!!

Today, we have Universal Remotes that are capable of controlling all your AV devices in one simple handset.

However, the choices are vast. From the price, to how many devices the remote can control, pre-programmed or learning, buttons or touch screen, docking stations, PC editing facility etc.,

Pre-programmed remotes – these remotes normally control from 4 to 8 A/V devices. They are supplied with a list of all the popular brands codes, which you would simply select the code needed and input the code via the control buttons.

Others like the Kameleon Range by “One 4 All” are not only supplied with the brand codes listing; but offer telephone ‘help lines’ too – should the listing not have your specific piece of equipments code, this can be acquired over the telephone. These remotes also have touch screen backlit panels and learning facilities.

Learning Remotes – these literally learn from your existing remote, so this type of remote is of no use if your original remote is lost or broken. The learning remotes, learn by placing the top of the remote against the top of your original remote, hence the term “head to head”. The remotes normally can operate from 6 to 18 audio, video devices.

Touch Screen Panels - Next came the technology for touch screens. An alternative to the standard buttons. These screens are mostly backlit but it is useful to remember, keeping the back light on will drain the batteries pretty quickly. These screens have text buttons that are touched for activation, however there are variations on the screen types available. Some models have a different screen display for each separate piece of equipment and macro facilities so that one text button can be programmed to do more than one operation per command.

Remotes with PC Links – for the more technically minded there are touch screen learning remotes that offer PC link, so that the user can programme the remote via the PC whilst a further feature can be obtained allowing the user to re-text the screen itself and change the size of the buttons.

Remote Docking Stations - On some of the more expensive remotes a docking station can be purchased as an extra item others include the docking station within the price such as the Phillips Pronto and the Marantz. These docking stations are convenient as a common place to store the remote and for keeping the remote’s batteries charged. Remember the docking stations do have to be plugged into the mains.

IRDA

The IRDA was intended for high-speed data transfer over short distances (ie. from a laptop to a printer), rather than the slow-speed/long distance requirement of remote controls.

The IRDA standard specifically includes a format for remote controls but this is not the standard infrared system used by 99% of home entertainment equipment.

Only cable boxes such as NTL & Telewest and old PACE receivers use this IRDA method.

One 4 All have cleverly incorporated the IRDA functions into some of their remotes.

Also see History of the Remote Control.