JP1 Remotes

brian626b · Joined: 07 Apr 2013 Posts: 2

Simplicity is the key here.
I'm guessing this is familiar question but I did not find any help when I looked specifically for avr325. Here is a little background. I'm helping a friend hook up their "home theater" system but I'm kind of new to the field of AV amplifiers and all the whistles and bells. I call it a "home theater" system because it has a mid-range AV amplifier which looks like it could be used for such an installation but they are not needing all the cool stuff it can do. When I starting looking at what it can do I thought I might be able to simplify things in the long run.
My friend had some painting done in the TV room and the painting took much longer than expected. When they disassembled the working system they labeled the cables etc. but now when I went to hook everything back up it still takes three remotes to play a DVD. The family cannot remember how the whole thing used to work and the technical person who initially got everything working is no longer available. They are not technical and should not need to be.
So my question is: is it worth the effort to run all devices through the AV amplifier and making the AV remote do everything or is it better to get the JP1-Comcast remote to do everything and not use the AV amplifier? They have expressed a desire to have the audio of the DVD use the amplifier.
The Comcast remote: DCT3416 Remote
The AV amplifier/receiver: Harman Kardon AVR-325
TV: ~50" Sony Bravia

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. My hesitation in this project is that I'm not convinced I can actually get the AV remote to do everything the Comcast remote can do.

vickyg2003 · Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 12:50 am Post subject:

xnappo · Expert Joined: 30 Dec 2003 Posts: 861

If I understand the OP's question, it depends a lot on the AV receiver's remote. In my experience it is easier to get the Cable remote to control everything than to get the AV remote to control everything. But again, depend on the AV remote.

If you have a JP1 cable, then obviously use the Cable remote(though not sure that one is JP1?).

xnappo

brian626b · Joined: 07 Apr 2013 Posts: 2

vickyg2003,
I see your confusion. If the AV remote can do everything then I'll use that but I will be surprised if I can get it to do things like search the DVR.
The amp is nice because there are speakers mounted around the living room. So if I can control the amp I'll use it.
1. I want 1 remote.
2. I understand why this complicated.
3. I don't understand why the industry has not found a way to make this better.

xnappo,
This was the answer I was expecting. I'm trying to avoid using the JP1 cable because I'm concerned I may not be available if things change. But the flip side is that now they only have what I would call a half-solution.

Thanks for your help.

vickyg2003 · Posted: Wed Apr 24, 2013 7:38 am Post subject:

3FG · Expert Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 3367

From your description, it isn't very clear what the expectations are. None of the 3 remotes is going to be able to control all functions of the other components. For example, the Comcast remote doesn't have a button labeled Delay. On the other hand, it is likely that your friends don't plan to use the Delay feature of their AVR325.

I personally find it is best to setup one remote to do common every day tasks, and resort to the OEM remote to do infrequent tasks.

The Comcast remote can be set up manually to send all of the signals used by the AVR and nearly all of the signals used by the Sony. With a JP1 flash cable, all of the commands can be programmed into the Comcast. But I would first try to use the AVR325 remote, trying the various setup codes for the Sony. The Motorola box uses IR codes developed by General Instrument. After your remote was made, Motorola bought General Instrument, so Motorola isn't listed in the AVR325 manual. Try GI, General Instrument, and General setup codes. I suspect the OnDemand button may be missing, but frequently just entering Channel number 001 will call that up.

If you do want to use the Comcast, set AUX to 30110 to control the AVR. That will control Volume, for example. But it probably won't turn Power off. Power off can be assigned to a different button by assigning EFC 00002. And the cursor buttons probably won't work. We can get the cursor buttons to work by keymoving in commands using setup code 20702 using EFCs from a AVR325 upgrade file. We'll give you the list of EFCs if you want to try this, but it won't be easy for your friends to change the remote if their equipment changes.