General Question - Send in remote or upgrade

[Greencat]

I have a URC-8811 and I think all of the tools to upgrade it. JP1 cable and software. I have hooked up the cable and it communicates to the remote. I have tried to do a lot of reading but I'm still not getting it.

The remote does not have the codes to operate my DirecTV tivos like the Philips DSR704 or DSR7000, or the Hughes HR10-250. OFA will upgrade if I send it in. I would prefer to upgrade through the JP1 interface.

I saw the upgrade files and I'm interested in the one that has codes to handle multiple Tivos.

My questions
-Can I do the same thing as OFA and insert the code for the DirecTV tivo?
- If the upgrade will give the remote all of the codes as OFA why is there very little data in the upgrade code box on the keymap master? Is it because the remote naturally knows the rest?
- This remote has a home theater buttom. Is this the same as a macro? Will pressing the buttom turn all of the equipment on and off? Or does it allow certain keys to be universal such as the volume keys?

Thanks for your help

[johnsfine]

I have tried to do a lot of reading but I'm still not getting it.

Without specific questions, I don't know how to help you.

-Can I do the same thing as OFA and insert the code for the DirecTV tivo?

In almost all cases you can do anything via JP1 that OFA could do for you via mail-in upgrade, plus you can do better and more than OFA can or will do for you.

The only time they might be able to give an 8811 an upgrade that you couldn't do via JP1 is for some device that they have data on and we don't. Tivo is certainly not such a device. There is plenty of Tivo knowledge in this group.

- If the upgrade will give the remote all of the codes as OFA why is there very little data in the upgrade code box on the keymap master? Is it because the remote naturally knows the rest?

I can't figure out what that question means.

There is a very limited amount of eeprom space available for upgrades. Each upgrade is a very condensed representation of the IR signals for one setup code. There is room in eeprom for several upgrades. Upgrades by mail-in to OFA use eeprom space the same way as JP1 upgrades. Sometime the extra flexibility of JP1 lets you fit a little more than OFA could, but usually the storage limits are about the same.

- This remote has a home theater buttom. Is this the same as a macro? Will pressing the buttom turn all of the equipment on and off? Or does it allow certain keys to be universal such as the volume keys?

It isn't a macro. It doesn't turn equipment on or off.

With or without using the Home Theater button the 8811 supports VPT (Volume Punch Through) which allows a device to be selected for the three volume keys while other devices are selected for other keys.

Home Theater extends a concept similar to VPT to other groups of keys. When you press the Home Theater key you are making a divided selection of device: Selecting a (preprogrammed) device for vol keys, while selecting a different (preprogrammed) device for transport keys and another for channel keys, etc.

The built-in Home Theater design is seriously flawed in a number of ways. With JP1 you can use the built-in Home Theater design with a simpler UI for setting its options. But if you want Home Theater features in the remote, you're better off using the "extender" software (installed via JP1).

The extender gives you much more control over Home Theater like features, including having the Home Theater key be a macro if you like, and having Home Theater features without pressing that key (if you like) and having more than one Home Theater configuration programmed at once.

[greenough1]

with my extended 8811, I use the HT key as "shift". It seemed to be an obvious choice for me.

jeff

[The Robman]

Are you saying that you have tried VCR/0618 and SAT/1142, both of which are built-in to the URC-8811, and they don't work any of your Tivos?

[MaskedMan]

Rob, the 8811 has VCR0618, but it doesn't have sat 1142. But with 3 tivos, code 0618 will be useless, if it controls all 3 at the same time.

[whompus]

Wouldn't you just want to set each tivo to its own remote address. Then build 3 upgrades 1 for each address.