DVD Remote Control: replace or buy a universal?
 

I have a Panasonic Bluray dvd player. I have lost the remote control. I can still operate the machine with my digital tv remote (Rogers DT/HD) but the functionality is not quite the same. For example, I can 'play' 'FF' 'stop' and select chapters on most dvd's but on my Star Trek Bluray disc, I cannot operate the play menu for the movie.

I think i need to replace the remote control. The original Panasonic BD35 remote costs $75 to replace.

Way too much to pay for such a thing. I noticed that universal remotes can be bought in that price range.

Will these work on the newer bluray players like mine? Should I go this route?

I love my logitech harmony 880. it's easy to program because you tell it via a web browser what products you want to configure. You also setup profiles, so I set it up to change the tv to ant 2, turn on the DVD player, the surround sound amp, set the sound for night mode. It's great! You can find them for around that price.

It's great for my MIL who just wants to watch a movie, but the system is so hard to turn on with all the stuff, she presses the button that says, "Watch movie" and boom! she's watching a movie.

Yeah... here's the thing about universal remotes: the good ones are very good, but the cheap ones are very not.

The Logitech Harmony series is an example of the universal done right. Versatile, adaptable, user friendly.

Newegg.ca is offering the Harmony 688 for $74.99 with free shipping.

Right, I don't think I made it clear that when I set up the remote, I didn't have to type in some IR codes or learning system. I went to a website, selected DVD player, selected SONY, then selected the model player I had. I did that for all the components of my home theater experience.

Another vote for the Logitech Harmony 880. I love mine, and more importantly, so does my electronics challenged wife. It couldn't get any simpler to program, as Cynthetiq said. And it is pretty foolproof when you can push a button that says "Watch TV" and your TV, DirecTV box, and home theater all come on, with both the TV and home theater automatically picking the right input and output (respectively) necessary for watching TV. And when you press "Watch DVD" the DirecTV box shuts off, the HT changes outputs, and the BluRay player comes on.

It's pretty powerful for a sub-$100 remote.

I am going to have to get one of those Harmony remotes for my parents someday. My mom is technologically challenged, and as my parents' home theater gets more complex, she grows more confused, especially over what remote to use for what. Sounds like even she could figure out this remote.

I'll put in another vote for the Harmony line of remote's. I have a Harmony 900 and I am very happy with it.

if the harmony is going to cost 74 bucks, why would Leto choose it over buying the original remote for 75 bucks?

because it does so much more than just control the Blu-ray player, but control your entire home theater, or A/V experience.

+1 more for the Harmony series of remotes.

I worked in A/V retail for years, built home theaters and designed whole house systems. The Harmony series of remotes is hands down the best thing since the creation of Home Theater.

It is by far the easiest to program and operate of any remote I've used and I've used hundreds. Although no longer in the A/V biz, I am still the go-to guy in that area for the family and all of my friends. ALL of the digitally challenged have Harmony remotes and love them. I'm talkin' 80 year olds with 5-9 components in their systems. What used to be a daily call "How do I......", has dropped off to maybe once a month or less.

And they won't become outdated either. You program them through Harmony's sight and the data base is constantly updated with the IR codes for new gear.

One of my Canuck friends has a massive man cave in his garage, where the wife banished him after one too many rowdy hockey parties. He has a Harmony 900 which we even taught how to open his garage door. He's a little more savvy than most of the others. He's up to 12 devices on his and is currently trying to teach it how to operate the remote start on his Caddy and the 'Beer Train' he has running around the garage, since he still can't convince the missus to serve beer in just a Maple Leaf's jersey. :eek: He had it operating a remote control Earnhardt nascar, but the left turn command kept opening and closing the garage door. I suspect his wife is trying to program it to operate his pacemaker so she can 'pause' him after he gets a few in him.

Awesome remotes. The 510 is the only one I don't recommend. It functions as well as the others, but the keys are so small and close together it's a bitch to operate.



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Agree with everyone else. Buy a universal remote and control all your devices with one remote.

i saw something similar to the harmony 5-6 years ago now, but havent really paid attention to what's in the markey currently.

which one's is better at surviving the constant exposure to saliva and the beating it will get from teeth from little ones? that'd be my main concern right now!

Still Logitech probably, their warranty service is pretty legendary among gamers so I'd imagine they treat remote controls similarly well. Plus except for their headphones i haven't seen anything of theirs that can't take a pretty nice beating.