Can my remote do more?

enchant · Post by **enchant** » Tue May 17, 2005 4:06 pm

I've just discovered JP1, and was all kinds of excited when I found that my remote DOES have a JP1 connector on it. I've ordered my cable.

I was looking at the device code file for my new Philips DVD player. In it, I see a lot of things that aren't on the remote that came with the unit. For example, volume control. Is there any chance that I might be able to control the volume on this DVD player from my upgraded Universal Remote?

Post by **The Robman** » Tue May 17, 2005 7:31 pm

Quite probably. The good news is that you can probably find out the answer even before your cable arrives. Which JP1 remote do you have, and which setup code are you using to work your DVD player right now?

enchant · Post by **enchant** » Tue May 17, 2005 7:48 pm

I have a very worn out but still somewhat useable Home Producer 8. I'm not sure what the code is for my new DVD player (Philips DVP642), so I'm using the remote that came with it.

whompus · Post by **whompus** » Tue May 17, 2005 8:31 pm

When your cable gets in that upgrade is the way to go. For the time being though you can try these 4 internal codes 0503, 0539, 0646, or 0854.
If I remember right it was one of the first 2 codes on my friends 9800

enchant · Post by **enchant** » Wed May 18, 2005 5:01 am

My remote accepted 0503, but it didn't work on the player. When I tried the other three codes, it displayed "NOT FOUND".

When I'd enter the four digits "0503", it would only display the last three entered, if that has a bearing on anything.

Post by **The Robman** » Wed May 18, 2005 10:48 am

We have an upgrade for that exact model of DVD player here: DVP 642. I see from that file that this player uses the RC-6 protocol with a device code of 4, which corresponds to the DVD/0539 setup code, and that setup code should be present in your URC-9800 remote. If you look at the other upgrade files for Philips DVDs you'll notice that all of them use the same device code as yours (except for the recorders, which use a different code), therefore, if you find any functions listed in those files that are not present on your original remote, you can try them out to see of they work.

In case you're not familiar with how to use EFCs (aka "advanced codes") with the URC-9800, here's a copy of the URC-9800 manual:

http://www.hifi-remote.com/manuals/p8/o ... l?URC-9800

NOTE: you didn't mention the model number of your remote. I'm assuming that it's the URC-9800, if it's really the URC-8090 or URC-8080 and it's a version less than B02, the DVD/0539 code will not be present in the remote, so you'll need to use JP1 to add it.

enchant · Post by **enchant** » Wed May 18, 2005 12:19 pm

The Robman wrote: NOTE: you didn't mention the model number of your remote. I'm assuming that it's the URC-9800, if it's really the URC-8090 or URC-8080 and it's a version less than B02, the DVD/0539 code will not be present in the remote, so you'll need to use JP1 to add it.

The model number is: URC8090B01. So I guess I'll have to wait for the cable to come in.

I might have to get a new remote one of these days. I like this one simply because I know how to use it. It has macro sequences that I need, and I really don't want to have to shell out a hundred bucks to get something that will do as good a job.

enchant · Post by **enchant** » Wed May 18, 2005 12:24 pm

The Robman wrote:If you look at the other upgrade files for Philips DVDs you'll notice that all of them use the same device code as yours (except for the recorders, which use a different code), therefore, if you find any functions listed in those files that are not present on your original remote, you can try them out to see of they work.

What is the liklihood that these other functions listed in the upgrade file will actually function on my Philips unit? My last two dvd players had volume up/down buttons, so that's something I would expect. But in that upgrade file, I also see Channel up/down, which doesn't seem very useful, or TV/VCR, or PIP on/off.

Post by **The Robman** » Wed May 18, 2005 5:19 pm

You'll have to wait and see what other functions your device responds to. If your original Philips remote doesn't have volume buttons, then there's no guarantee that your device has a volume function.

If you don't find any additional functions in the other files, it's quite easy to search for them yourself. If you load one of those upgrades into KM (or RM) it will show you the OBC codes for the various buttons. If you were to copy these into a seperate spreadsheet and sort them, you can spot the gaps in the sequence. These gap codes are prime candidates to be secret extra functions, so you should try them out.

As for needing to spend $100 to get a better remote, that's not needed. $17 at Walmart would get you the more modern URC-8811 remote which is way superior to your old URC-8090. The only thing that your remote can do that the modern remotes can't is "timed macros".

enchant · Post by **enchant** » Wed May 18, 2005 5:53 pm

The Robman wrote:As for needing to spend $100 to get a better remote, that's not needed. $17 at Walmart would get you the more modern URC-8811 remote which is way superior to your old URC-8090. The only thing that your remote can do that the modern remotes can't is "timed macros".

I have absolutely no need for timed sequences. My remote has randomly been resetting the time for years. The only thing I need is macro sequences (turn on amp, turn on tv, set amp to aux1).

$17 at Walmart?? That's a no-brainer. I'll pick one of them up this weekend. Who knows - maybe it already understands my Philips DVD!

I hate having to learn a new remote, but my old one is definitely dying.

gfb107 · Post by **gfb107** » Wed May 18, 2005 6:16 pm

The Robman wrote:If you load one of those upgrades into KM (or RM) it will show you the OBC codes for the various buttons. If you were to copy these into a seperate spreadsheet and sort them, you can spot the gaps in the sequence.

If you use RM, there's no need to copy them into another spreadsheet for sorting. Just click on any column header, and it'll sort by that column. Shift-click to sort in descending order. Sort using the # column to restore it to the natural order.

johnsfine · Post by **johnsfine** » Wed May 18, 2005 6:27 pm

enchant wrote: $17 at Walmart?? That's a no-brainer.

$17.86 but does Walmart still sell those?

I've been in a bunch of Walmart stores in the last month, in a few different states. Some of them still had a shelf label for that remote with the price of 17.86 but none of the stores had any of the remotes. Also the Walmarts that didn't have that shelf label had moved and greatly shrunk the section for universal remotes. So they clealy don't intend to stock as many models of remote as they did before (so I assume they're discontinuing it rather than back ordered).

I assume you can still order 8811's from internet vendors. With shipping, it's well over $17 but still may be the best bargain universal remote generally available.

whompus · Post by **whompus** » Wed May 18, 2005 6:59 pm

For anyone that has any ties to the military aafes stocks the 8811. Normaly 19.96. Last week I found a few there for 11.97

zackark · Post by **zackark** » Wed May 18, 2005 9:52 pm

Might just mention that the Wal-Mart number for the URC-8811 is URC-8810w. Same remote, just a different part number.

Bill

pH7_jp1 · Post by **pH7_jp1** » Thu May 19, 2005 6:40 am

enchant wrote:What is the liklihood that these other functions listed in the upgrade file will actually function on my Philips unit? My last two dvd players had volume up/down buttons, so that's something I would expect. But in that upgrade file, I also see Channel up/down, which doesn't seem very useful, or TV/VCR, or PIP on/off.

You need to look at what functions are assigned to the keys. Usually for a DVD player the functions assigned to the Channel up/down are the Chapter up/down functions - very easy to remember and very functional. You will need to load the upgrade into RM or KM to explore what functions are assigned to the other buttons, but I expect that once you see, it will be easy to remember.