Suggestion of a universal remote

[prostuff1]

Well my dad just went out and bought a surround sound system and we are starting to get quite a nice collection of remotes so i am looking to get him one for chirstmas.

I have been searching around and it is kinda hard to find one that has all the things i need it to control and not look really ugly.

What i need it to control:
1. A 42in widescreen HD TV (hitachi brand)
2. A DVD/VCR combo drive (hitachi brand) <--this actually seems to be the
hardest thing to find
3. A Dish Network box. This use to be the hardest thing but i have found that
there are codes available.
4. A Onkyo home-theater-in-a-box. This is fairly easy to find a code for.

As i said i am having probelms finding a code for the DVD/VCR combo player.

So does anyone have a good suggestion for a universal remote?

Thanks

 

[crazysaxchris]

The logitech eharmony is nice, my friend has one and it's so simple to use, you just connect it to the mac and download all the correct drivers.

 

[balamw]

So does anyone have a good suggestion for a universal remote?

The Harmony is a bit big and pricy for me $149. USB is very nice though.

Any learning remote can be taught from your remotes. I got a Philips PMDVR8 remote for $30 that has the special keys for TiVo and the like, but you could do with a PHDVD5 which sells for around $13.99.

Overall I like my DirecTV/TiVo "peanuts" the best, but my older learning remote the SONY VL-900 which was about $70 at the time is a close second. The Philips in question is a little light and has too many buttons, but it is a great value.

B

 

[wattage]

I recently bought Bose Cinemate-the remote with it is universal and the booklet has a large list of devices and codes. If you want I will post the codes for Hitachi..

 

[pammyspyce]

We have a Logitech Harmony 680 and adore it. It's a easy to set up and really simple to use.

 

[kbonnel]

I am a big fan of my Philips Pronto 7000, but it sounds like you are looking for something sub $100. If you are just looking for a simple remote, I am sure you can find a $30 one, or if you want something more, I always liked the Sony touchscreen remotes. You can usually find them for around $100 (the 4000 is the latest model I think).

Kimo

 

[prostuff1]

Thanks for all your suggestion so far.

I was looking at the Logitech Harmony 520, but that is a 100 dollar remote. I know i really dont need to spend that much on a remote but i think that i can convince my sister to help me buy it. I wanted to get it for my father for christmas.

Just have to convince my sister to help me get it.

Thanks for the help

 

[screensaver400]

I bought the Philips PMDVR8, and it stopped working about a year later. Just totally died. I went back to my TiVo Peanut remote, and don't really miss much. I don't do many DVDs, or play with the receiver.

 

[prostuff1]

Well, i convinced my sister to go halves with me so we are going to get the remote. I decided on the Logitech Harmony 520. It should do everything and more. i will probably end up setting it up with about 6 devices.

I read quite a few reviews and spec sheets and from what i can find this is more then what i need... Setting it up should be fun, but i have read that the software for OS X is very good.

Thats for the suggestions.