plagioclase's Full Review: Universal Remote Control URC-6131N Remote Control
I've been quite hesitant in the past to use a universal remote, as I'm not willing to spend a great deal on one, and most of the ones I've seen don't have enough buttons to replicate all the features my other remotes have. Recently though, I got fed up with all the different sized and shaped remotes on my coffee table and started looking for something to help clean it up.
I found this remote by reading the reviews for the URC 6131, which I believe is the previous version of this remote. (From what I've seen, you're much more likely to find 6131n in stores.) As far as I been able to determine, the only difference between these two is the button layout and the batteries it uses: 6131 uses AA's, the 6131n uses AAA's. I tend to have more AA's around the house, so that was a bit of a pain, but I did mange to find some AAA soon enough.
Programming the remote did take a bit of time, there was a bit of trial and error putting in the codes. (I think you have to enter codes fairly soon after pushing the set button, it seemed like I got the error code - a long blink instead of a 2 short ones - more often when I spent too much time looking things up) Once I got the rhythm down though, I was quite happy with what the remote was able to do.
Some highlights were that I was able to program it for 2 different DVD players, set it so the volume buttons always controlled my TV volume no matter which mode it was in, and I was able to set it up so that 2 buttons controlled each of the volume and channel controls in TV mode. This was useful because my TV's menu system uses those buttons to navigate, and I was able to map them to the DVD arrows on the remote to closely replicate the way my TV remote is set up. As an extra bonus, the CC button in TV mode adds functionality that my factory TV remote doesn't have!
All my devices, including my Xbox were recognized (the Xbox remote uses RCA DVD player codes), and now I have a lot fewer remotes to worry about. As far as I can tell, all of the buttons that my other remotes use are replicated on this remote, including Picture-in-Picture, TV configuration menus, and the two separate programming menus on my VCR. - You may have to guess a little to find the right buttons for some of the non-universal features, but it makes sense once you figure it out.
Near as I can tell, this is the ultimate remote I have been waiting for, and for less than $20 to boot. :)
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