Who Know about this stuff here? I have two projects

Now that I have a new house, I'm going to be mounting my bedroom LCD on the wall, and keep the DTV and DVD player in the closet behind it.

And the same goes for living room. Going to buy a LCD for the living room to go on the wall, and DTV and DVD/Stereo will go in closet behind TV.

This will give it a nice clean look;)

Bur for this to work..I need IR repeaters.

IF it is what I am thinking of my parents have one. They have all the control boxes in a closet and just a little round thing under the tv that picks up the signal from the remotes and sends it to the units. On theres it runs through a cat5 line that is in the wall. I am not a fan of it. You have to be straight ahead of it to get it to work. Sit off to the side and it wont work. It will work from one end of the couch but not the other. Not sure on the brand name of it.

I have no idea what you're looking for, but it sounds like electronics, lol.

I use newegg.com for everything I need. Great website for just about anything electronic you'll need.

Look at the Logitech Harmony remotes. I have the Harmony 890 and it has remote IR/RF repeaters. You stick the IR LED onto the component you want to control and the remote takes care of everything. It is also internet USB programable. Its a pretty sweet remote, a little spendy but sweet.

^ I think this is what I'm looking for. The remote would solve my problems, but at $300-$400:eek: I mean HOLY CRAP!:eek: Does it cook my pizza too? and can I watch TV on my remote?:confused:

I have the Harmony 880 (no wireless) and it's the bomb too! I paid $100 for it.. Even better is the concordance free software for it - I don't have to be a Windows user to program it!

As for hidding equipment - what, are you that embarrassed about it?

:D

My suggestion is to go browsing on the AVS forum - http://www.avsforum.com/

It sounds like you just need to get the remote signal to be repeated in the closet...
http://rsk.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pRS1C-2110633w345.jpg

If so.. just use a remore control extender.. We have an old radio shack set (had it for years).. Its two pyramid looking things with antennas.. In our case I needed the IR signal sent from our head unit to be repeated so the device lower than it in the cabinat could see it..

It place the IR transmitter from the head unit next to the remote extender receiver and placed the remote extender transmitter at the back of the room..

Now when the head unit sent out the IR signal at the front of the room it would be broadcast from the back of the room so the devices could see it..

You can do something similar.. Just put the remote extender reciever at the front of the room.. Now place the remote extender transmitter in front of the devices.. Now when you hit your remote it will rebroadcast the signal in the closet..

Assuming you can get the remote extender transmitter in front of the devices this whoudl work.. If you can't.. you'll need something similar but instead of a single transmitter you need the kind with little IR transmitters that you tape to the front of the units..

Here is one I found at Radio Shack (I've seen them other places too.. It just so happens the old set we have came from there)..

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049642&cp=&sr=1&kw=remote+extender&origkw=remote+extender&parentPage=search

As for hidding equipment - what, are you that embarrassed about it?


Space! I don't really want another big piece of furniture for me to trip over, just to hold a dvd player and a DTV box:rolleyes:, when I have a perfectly unused space that is hidden behind the TV.

Does anyone know for the Harmony 890, can I control 2 different rooms? and at that what if the componets sre the same brand?:( In the bedroom I have a Samsung LCD, Panasonic DVD, and DTV. Livingroom I also have Samsung LCD (or will this weekend:rolleyes:) Panasonic DVD/5.1 Stereo and DTV. I can probally validate $300 bucks for 1 remote that will do both rooms, but not $600:eek:

You know the Ironic thing is my Uncle invented all of all-in-one home automation stuff when I was a kid. I remember 15 years ago he had all his lights in his house on one big remote:confused:

I setup a harmony 550 for someone.. It works "ok" but the macro stuff doesn't always work..

No amount of tweaking etc could get it to always change everything correctly.. Sometimes the TV wouldn't switch the input, sometimes the receiver went to the wrong input etc.. Since the TV and receiver never have issues understanding the buttons from their factory removes I think the issue is in the 550.. (we even went as far as had the 550 just learn all the buttons that were on the factory remotes instead of using device codes)

It does have a troublshooting button that fixes thing for you but it is anoying.

I don't know if that remote has the issues becuase its one of their lowest end remotes or if its because the remove is a few years old but the fact that you have to keep the remove pointed at the devices when the macro is running AND that it doesn't always set everything up correct makes me leary(sp?).

If the 890 macro stuff has the same issues then it seems like an expensive solution to just control somethin in the closet.. But I'm sure tdavis can let you know if the higher end remotes have the same issues..

~Mark

for our bedroom, I thought of going super lo-tech, and just putting a small mirror (quarter size) in our closet doorway:rolleyes:


I'm looking at the Universal Remote Controls RFS200. Newegg has it for $85 bucks which a little more reasonable;)


http://c1.neweggimages.com/NeweggImage/productimage/80-120-001-02.jpg

Do not buy an IR repeater, get an IR/RF remote and a matching RF basestation.

I am a custom audio video installer. If you are on a budget, I recommend the Universal Remote MX-350 remote control and an MRF-260 RF to IR basestation/repeater.

The retail of these 2 pieces is $150 and $120 respectively. The entire setup is cheaper than the $300 LCD/Plasma Proof IR repeater kit that you would need. (LCD and Plasmas cause saturation of non LCD/Plasma Proof IR repeater systems)

You will want the NEW narrowband RF model remote and basestation.

Get the new "MX-350" not the older "Orisis" (MX-350) and get the new MRF-260 not the MRF-250(wideband RF).

I sell these all the time to my customers. You can actually work your system from outdoors. Great for your your back deck or pool.

One of my customers likes it so much he now has 8 (MX-350 remotes) installed in one house.

That sounds like the "right" way to do it.. Our headunit is RF and it acts as the IR base station for us to control the other devices.. and it is nice to be able to control things from outside.. In our case we needed the IR repeater since I couldn't get the IR transmitter in front of the IR devices.

I was only suggesting the IR repeater becuase its the cheap way to do it.. but its definatly not the "right" way.

Since some of the universal remotes are touch screen, I figure I'd put my 2 cents out on that...

Our HU uses a touch panel for the remote (pic attached).. It is nice to have, BUT it has its disadvantages.. It Big and takes up a bunch of room on the coffee table. Its heavy and if/when you drop it.. it stands to break much easier than a normal long/skinny remote (more glass in it too). You can't wrap it to protect it when your having a party (I used to shrink wrap my remotes before a party to protect them from drinks). With the big screen it really lights up a dark room which messes with your eyes.. Oh yea.. Batteries for our remote at $60 each and last a few years..

All in all, we like our HU with the remote (its different) but you can tell it WAS top of the line.. back in 1999.. Sure ain't now adays.. If we do it again I'd try to get the more normal looking remote.

~Mark

One other thing to look at - find out what it takes to program the remote!

One of the reasons I picked the Harmony was the ease of programming vs. other remotes. I didn't want to be sitting down in front of a TV, and punching 'codes' in to program the remote..

One other thing to look at - find out what it takes to program the remote!

One of the reasons I picked the Harmony was the ease of programming vs. other remotes. I didn't want to be sitting down in front of a TV, and punching 'codes' in to program the remote..

Yep, after installing the software on my laptop, it took about 3 minutes to program in everything in. Including my 12 year old TV. The macros work great, the first time you use might require a little tweaking but its all done through the remote.

I am a custom audio video installer. If you are on a budget, I recommend the Universal Remote MX-350 remote control and an MRF-260 RF to IR basestation/repeater.

Get the new "MX-350" not the older "Orisis" (MX-350) and get the new MRF-260 not the MRF-250(wideband RF).



Did you mean the MX-650? All there website shows MX-350 Orisis model:scratch:

Called and talked to URC customer service. Looks like the MX 350 N and MRF 260 will do the trick:thumbsup: It has different channels like a cordless phone, so I can program it with the different room:thumbsup:

This way I can say Bedroom CH 1 and Living Room CH 2.

Make it happen, you will make your friend jealous. Programming is not that hard. You can do basic programming in a couple of minutes and even label your own buttons. The next step I like to do is make one touch macros from the home page. You hit DVD and it plays the DVD, you hit HDDVR and it takes you right there.

The MX-350 N even has discrete buttons for the inputs of most major brand TVS that the OEM remotes do not offer. I use mine everyday.

Good Luck.

One other thing to look at - find out what it takes to program the remote!

One of the reasons I picked the Harmony was the ease of programming vs. other remotes. I didn't want to be sitting down in front of a TV, and punching 'codes' in to program the remote..

I'd have to agree.. the harmony remote was simple to program once the sofware was on the pc.. For the odd ball cd player they had I just held the harmony remote up to the factory remote so it could learn the signals...

The macros are nice, but thats the part that doesn't always work as expected..

You hit Play DVD and the TV turns on, input changes, DVD player turns on, Receiver turns on and changes input.. about 75% of the time everything works.. sometimes the TV input ends up on the wrong input or the receiver is on the wrong input..

We worked with the harmony people and they had us increase the delay time which helped.. but its to the point now that you hit play dvd and you wait 10 seconds for the macro to finish (thats how much delay they had us add)..

Keep in mind though, this is on the harmony 550 remote.. not exactly their high end..

After playing with their system more I think the issue is problalby caused by their cheap TV.. or the combo of it and the universal remote.

~Mark

My solution for our bedroom...:D and yes it works:thumbsup:

http://im.edirectory.co.uk/p/3341/i/solosofsmrc.jpg

With the dvd/sat in the closet behind the TV, the mirror goes in the caddy corner from them. From bed it works just like it's under the TV, and sense the closet door is always open in our room...it works...and cost $19.99:p:


Still working on living room situation:rolleyes:

So it turns out that DTV remotes (some of them anyway) are already RF capable. So I have eliminated to mirror already in the bedroom and the RF is working in there:thumbsup: I can't control DVD with RF though, but I'm ok with that because I have to get up to put a DVD in anyway:p:

Both living room and bed room are now using the Direct TV RF controler and it looks and works great:thumbsup:

This was my new edition this week;)

Rockfish Wireless rear speaker system (also uses RF technology)

http://www.electronichouse.com/images/uploads/rocketfish-kit-web.jpg

picked it up off e-bay as a open box from best buy for $70 bucks originally $120.

Works awesome...and no wires running across the room:D

Both living room and bed room are now using the Direct TV RF controler and it looks and works great:thumbsup:

This was my new edition this week;)

Rockfish Wireless rear speaker system (also uses RF technology)

http://www.electronichouse.com/images/uploads/rocketfish-kit-web.jpg

picked it up off e-bay as a open box from best buy for $70 bucks originally $120.

Works awesome...and no wires running across the room:D

How does it power the speakers? Batteries?

How does it power the speakers? Batteries?

It has a electrical plug. So you have a base unit (the small box) that wire to your stereo and then the reciver (big box) that you wire the rear speakers into, then just plug it in and they sync up via RF;)