A decade or so ago, you could get a universal remote that set up via your PC and could be programmed to do exactly what you wanted. There were a number of them that worked well and weren’t that expensive. Go to find one today and they’re either super-inexpensive or super-expensive. They’re either “a little” programmable or it seems like you need a master’s degree to get them to work right. What happened?
There were two manufacturers of mid-priced universal remotes that really dominated the conversation. URC, which still makes remotes for DIRECTV and others, had their One-For-All series. Logitech (which occasionally calls itself “logi” and I don’t see the logic in that) had their Harmony series. One-For-All is still out there but the remote selection is really focused on replacement remotes for your smart TV. Logitech stopped making Harmony remotes a decade ago, although they still support the ones they made back then.
Neither company is developing new remotes and there are two reasons. First, people simply don’t have that many devices anymore. You may have a TV, a satellite or cable box, and a streaming box. If you’re a little more advanced you may have a standalone home theater receiver. In the past, it was common to have 6 or more devices in a home theater, while today you could conceivably do it all with a smart TV.
The other reason demand dried up is that systems like HDMI-CEC got pretty good. HDMI-CEC is known by various names depending on the manufacturer you have. It might be called HDMI Control, Anynet+, Simplink, or something else. It’s all the same thing. HDMI-CEC is a system where information is passed over the HDMI cable. So, if everything is set up right, you can simply pick up the remote you want to use, start using it, and your TV will switch to the right input. You can even send volume control over the HDMI cable to make things even easier.
You’ll find an excellent selection of universal remotes at Solid Signal. Not only will you find multi-device remotes as well as every remote used by DISH and DIRECTV for the last 20 years. Some of these can handle more than 4 devices and all of them are high quality. They all come with programming information to help you get them set up properly.
The advantage of these remotes is that they’ll work with devices you probably still have at home. If you get a universal remote from another site, chances are it will work with today’s smart TVs and streaming boxes, but what about a VCR from 2003? That’s a completely different animal. If you keep your consumer electronics for a long time, you’ll want a remote that works with them. Today’s remotes generally don’t, unless you get something from Solid Signal. I’m not going to promise you that every remote works with every device, but the support for older devices is really robust.
The real question when we talk about the idea of universal remotes, or any older tech, is whether it’s time to upgrade or to stay with what you have. There’s a growing trend of people getting back to physical media, because they’re tired of streaming fees getting higher and higher. When you have a physical disc or tape, you still don’t “own” the media (that’s a story for another article) but you can watch it whenever you want without worrying that it’s been taken off the apps.
There’s also a big movement of people coming back to traditional pay TV because, all of a sudden, the value equation makes sense. When you were paying $100 for cable and $30 for streaming, it didn’t make sense. But now that you can be paying $120 or more for streaming apps and rentals, traditional pay TV just makes sense again.
Unfortunately it seems like someone forgot to tell the cable companies about that. Most cable companies are moving away from traditional pay-TV just like they moved away from landlines. Maybe even faster. But you can count on DIRECTV and DISH. They’re focused on live TV and they probably always will be.
If you’re ready to talk about getting back into traditional pay-TV, call the experts at Signal Connect! We’re DIRECTV and DISH dealers, in the top echelon of both. We’ll help you compare and choose the service that’s right for you. If you have a second home, an RV, or a boat, we can show you how live TV makes sense for those as well.
Call the experts at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you!
The post What happened to all the good universal remotes? Where can you get one? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
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Demand dried up for two reasons
There were two manufacturers of mid-priced universal remotes that really dominated the conversation. URC, which still makes remotes for DIRECTV and others, had their One-For-All series. Logitech (which occasionally calls itself “logi” and I don’t see the logic in that) had their Harmony series. One-For-All is still out there but the remote selection is really focused on replacement remotes for your smart TV. Logitech stopped making Harmony remotes a decade ago, although they still support the ones they made back then.
Neither company is developing new remotes and there are two reasons. First, people simply don’t have that many devices anymore. You may have a TV, a satellite or cable box, and a streaming box. If you’re a little more advanced you may have a standalone home theater receiver. In the past, it was common to have 6 or more devices in a home theater, while today you could conceivably do it all with a smart TV.
The other reason demand dried up is that systems like HDMI-CEC got pretty good. HDMI-CEC is known by various names depending on the manufacturer you have. It might be called HDMI Control, Anynet+, Simplink, or something else. It’s all the same thing. HDMI-CEC is a system where information is passed over the HDMI cable. So, if everything is set up right, you can simply pick up the remote you want to use, start using it, and your TV will switch to the right input. You can even send volume control over the HDMI cable to make things even easier.
What if you really want to stay with a universal remote though?
You’ll find an excellent selection of universal remotes at Solid Signal. Not only will you find multi-device remotes as well as every remote used by DISH and DIRECTV for the last 20 years. Some of these can handle more than 4 devices and all of them are high quality. They all come with programming information to help you get them set up properly.
The advantage of these remotes is that they’ll work with devices you probably still have at home. If you get a universal remote from another site, chances are it will work with today’s smart TVs and streaming boxes, but what about a VCR from 2003? That’s a completely different animal. If you keep your consumer electronics for a long time, you’ll want a remote that works with them. Today’s remotes generally don’t, unless you get something from Solid Signal. I’m not going to promise you that every remote works with every device, but the support for older devices is really robust.
When to upgrade and when to stay put
The real question when we talk about the idea of universal remotes, or any older tech, is whether it’s time to upgrade or to stay with what you have. There’s a growing trend of people getting back to physical media, because they’re tired of streaming fees getting higher and higher. When you have a physical disc or tape, you still don’t “own” the media (that’s a story for another article) but you can watch it whenever you want without worrying that it’s been taken off the apps.
There’s also a big movement of people coming back to traditional pay TV because, all of a sudden, the value equation makes sense. When you were paying $100 for cable and $30 for streaming, it didn’t make sense. But now that you can be paying $120 or more for streaming apps and rentals, traditional pay TV just makes sense again.
Unfortunately it seems like someone forgot to tell the cable companies about that. Most cable companies are moving away from traditional pay-TV just like they moved away from landlines. Maybe even faster. But you can count on DIRECTV and DISH. They’re focused on live TV and they probably always will be.
If you’re ready to talk about getting back into traditional pay-TV, call the experts at Signal Connect! We’re DIRECTV and DISH dealers, in the top echelon of both. We’ll help you compare and choose the service that’s right for you. If you have a second home, an RV, or a boat, we can show you how live TV makes sense for those as well.
Call the experts at 888-233-7563 during East Coast business hours. If it’s after hours, fill out the form below. We’ll get right back to you!
The post What happened to all the good universal remotes? Where can you get one? appeared first on The Solid Signal Blog.
Continue reading...
