I need a refresher

[vickyg2003]

Hi, I've been away for a long time. I haven't been around since this group was on yahoo.

Wow the keymaster program and IR have really been improved. I think its great. Also, I couldn't find the RDF's for the Cinema 7 . Where would I find that. Is it okay to use the ancient RDF's from 3 years ago?

I just got my new Sony DVD recorder grx-3300, this is my first Sony device. The 2 device numbers thing has me stumped. I didn't see the recorder in the file section.

How do you do a 2 device sony when you need keys from both of them. I'm just "learning" the keys that have the different device number, but I'm sure there is a better way.

[The Robman]

Refresher Course:
http://www.hifi-remote.com/jp1/help/

You can download the current versions of all the tools (including the RDFs) by clicking on the "File Section" link at the top of this page. The tools are in the Tools/Main folder.

[vickyg2003]

I'm having trouble navigating this site.

I can't find the RDF's for the Cinema 7 (7800)

I also see that you now have a USB cable remote. I'm thinking of buying one and doing more remotes for my less than techno savvy relatives who are having remote issues.

One thing I'm not finding here is many keymaster sheets for old devices. I just had a battery rupture in an original remote that I hadn't bothered to create a jp1 for and now I'm having trouble figuring out a device number for it. Shame on me!

What JP1 ready remotes are currently being sold in the stores? I'm in love with the 7800 but I think with the new equipment I'm going to need to change styles because its getting too confusing when the keys don't correspond to the function. On the old site that used to be in a spreadsheet, I can't find that here.

[The Robman]

I'm having trouble navigating this site.

I can't find the RDF's for the Cinema 7 (7800)

Like I said in my previous post, the Tools are all in the Tools/Main folder now. To navigate there, do this...

1) Go to the top of this page (or any page) and click on the File Section link.
2) Scroll down to the Tools section.
3) Click on the Main sub-folder.
4) Click on the RDF files required for RM and IR - Version 1.25 entry
5) Click on the DOWNLOAD button.
6) This zip file contains all of the current RDFs. Unzip all of the contents into a new "RDF" folder.
7) Fire up IR and select the "File" Menu item
8) Select "Set Directory" then "Set RDF path"
9) In the "Select Directory" pop-up window, select the new "RDF" folder that you just created and DOUBLE click it, then click "OK"

I also see that you now have a USB cable remote. I'm thinking of buying one and doing more remotes for my less than techno savvy relatives who are having remote issues.

We now have USB cables. Any JP1 remote can be programmed using either a regular "Simple" JP1 cable or a USB cable. The only reason that you would select a USB cable is because your PC doesn't have a parallel port, which I assume is not the case for you.

One thing I'm not finding here is many keymaster sheets for old devices.

We don't delete upgrade files once they get old, so if we had the file before, we have it now, just check the File Section.

I just had a battery rupture in an original remote that I hadn't bothered to create a jp1 for and now I'm having trouble figuring out a device number for it. Shame on me!

Start a new thread in the Code Search forum (using the required template and we'll see if we can help you out.

What JP1 ready remotes are currently being sold in the stores? I'm in love with the 7800 but I think with the new equipment I'm going to need to change styles because its getting too confusing when the keys don't correspond to the function. On the old site that used to be in a spreadsheet, I can't find that here.

It's getting harder to find JP1 remotes on store shelves these days. The URC-8811 and URC-8910 are the most popular JP1 remotes these days, and I have both models on sale myself if you need one.

[vickyg2003]

If the Jp1 remotes are getting hard to find on the shelves is that why there is all this talk about Jp1.1 and Jp1.2? Are these new URC's?

It looks like you are beta-ing them right now. Is that the way I should go?

What models of jp1.1 and jp1.2 are there out there? And are they going to require chip soldering like I did with some of my non-cinema7 remotes? Is that what I should be looking at for future development?

Layout is extremely important to me when choosing a remote. I watch TV without my reading glasses. I basically can't see to read the remote when I operate it. That's what makes my cinema7' so nice. I don't need to read the buttons because of the friendly layout.

As far as the jp1 USB cable goes, my old USB cable works just fine, but my laptop doesn't, and I was thinking it would be nice to be mobile.[/quote]

[The Robman]

If the Jp1 remotes are getting hard to find on the shelves is that why there is all this talk about Jp1.1 and Jp1.2? Are these new URC's?

It looks like you are beta-ing them right now. Is that the way I should go?

All new OFA remotes now use the "JP1.2" platform rather than the traditional "JP1" platform ("JP1.1" is a short lived platform that is now discontinued, that was pretty much limited to Comcast cable remotes). To program a JP1.2 remote from your PC (using JP1 tools) you would need a new cable (and the new cables don't work with the old JP1 remotes), but these new cables are not yet available. When they do become available (which should be soon) the new JP1.2 cables will all be serial. People with newer PCs that don't have serial ports will need to buy a USB-to-serial adapter.

What models of jp1.1 and jp1.2 are there out there? And are they going to require chip soldering like I did with some of my non-cinema7 remotes?

The current US JP1.2 models are URC-6820, URC-8820, URC-10820 and URC-6690.

Is that what I should be looking at for future development?

Right now, the majority of the JP1 expertise is still in the JP1 (ie, Samsung S3C8) arena, we haven't all learned about the JP1.2 (Motorola HCS08) chip yet, so I would still recommend getting a JP1 remote like the URC-8910 if I were you.

Layout is extremely important to me when choosing a remote. I watch TV without my reading glasses. I basically can't see to read the remote when I operate it. That's what makes my cinema7' so nice. I don't need to read the buttons because of the friendly layout.

Then why do you need a new remote? The C7 has four learning buttons that you can use for "new" functions.

As far as the jp1 USB cable goes, my old USB cable works just fine, but my laptop doesn't, and I was thinking it would be nice to be mobile.

If your old cable is USB, getting a new USB cable won't make any difference.

[vickyg2003]

Then why do you need a new remote? The C7 has four learning buttons that you can use for "new" functions.

There a two reason that I'm thinking new remote:

1 Up until now everything I wanted to do could be moved to a key where the label made sense. Now I've got a really complicated device that needs lots of specialty keys. Its okay for me, but the other people that use my remote can't even get used to pressing 1L for Line 1 and 2L for Line 2 when setting up timed recordings, so haveing 3L and 4L being used for things that are less logical are going to drive them bonkers.

2. The keymoves are nearly at the limit. I suppose I could use an extender, but I thought there were some disadvantages to that. Doesn't that screw up the learning capacity? I'm one key/move away from a buffer overflow. That's another reason I don't want to stick things in strange places.

And then there is the total worry for me because I've only got two spare cinema 7's. I know its irrational, but its a worry just the same.

Of course now that you've told me that the jp1.2 cables are serial and I'd have to crawl around the back of the machine to change from one to the other, it makes it less appealing. As it is now, any time I need to change the remotes I just go down and plug them in. I need to do it quite often, as my macro's that select the input source to my TV need to be adjusted every time we connect or disconnect a input line. Saving myself from having to do those 13 key strokes when changing from antenna to satelite to DVD to VCR makes me a JP1 ADDICT. Otherwise when the family comes in for the holiday and they plug the game machines in, I have to come and manually run through those 13 key strokes everytime they go from playing games to watching local shows to watching satelite to playing DVD's. So I just change one of the remotes to use a different macro while they are visiting.

[Capn Trips]

1 Up until now everything I wanted to do could be moved to a key where the label made sense. Now I've got a really complicated device that needs lots of specialty keys. Its okay for me, but the other people that use my remote can't even get used to pressing 1L for Line 1 and 2L for Line 2 when setting up timed recordings, so haveing 3L and 4L being used for things that are less logical are going to drive them bonkers.

Sucks for them. You're NEVER gonna find a universal remote that has labels that will exactly match every exotic function you find out there on OEM remotes and their associated devices.

2. The keymoves are nearly at the limit. I suppose I could use an extender, but I thought there were some disadvantages to that. Doesn't that screw up the learning capacity? I'm one key/move away from a buffer overflow. That's another reason I don't want to stick things in strange places.

There is no reason to fear the extender. It is only a SOFTWARE load into your EEPROM. Yes, it disables learning WHILE IN USE, but if you need to learn a new device, you remove the extender, learn and decode, build a new upgrade, and re-upload the extender. No big deal. The advantages of an extender are significant. It sounds like you have long and complex macros. The extender executes macros MUCH faster and allows to you concatenate them to much greater extent than the 15-step limit would normally impose upon you. PLUS almost All of the learning memory is converted to keymove memory, so it sounds like a perfect solution for you.

Try the extender.

[The Robman]

Up until now everything I wanted to do could be moved to a key where the label made sense. Now I've got a really complicated device that needs lots of specialty keys.

What sort of specialty keys are we talking about? Better yet, just tell us what the device is and we can look it up. If you're talking about a DVD player or a PVR, then the best remote for you is probably the URC-6131 because it has labelled buttons for functions like "Quick Skip", "Instant Replay", "Subtitles", "Angle", "Thumbs Up/Down" (for Tivo) and "PVR Menu" in addition to all the regular buttons.

Of course now that you've told me that the jp1.2 cables are serial and I'd have to crawl around the back of the machine to change from one to the other, it makes it less appealing.

You can have both cables plugged in at once, the JP1 in the parallel port and the JP1.2 in the serial port.

[Capn Trips]

You can have both cables plugged in at once, the JP1 in the parallel port and the JP1.2 in the serial port.

Reallly?! I would have thought that would this confuse IR.exe. Or would you then have to go and change the selected port in IR as you alternate between using the JP1 and JP1.x remotes?

[ElizabethD]

What JP1 ready remotes are currently being sold in the stores? I'm in love with the 7800 but I think with the new equipment I'm going to need to change styles because its getting too confusing when the keys don't correspond to the function. On the old site that used to be in a spreadsheet, I can't find that here.

Perhaps Alain's spreadsheet is what you remember from yahoo group, it's about all remotes:
https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... le_id=2981
but I don't know what you mean about key mappings spreadsheet. I wasn't around then.

If you're talking about a DVD player or a PVR, then the best remote for you is probably the URC-6131 because it has labelled buttons for functions like "Quick Skip", "Instant Replay", "Subtitles", "Angle", "Thumbs Up/Down" (for Tivo) and "PVR Menu" in addition to all the regular buttons.

I second that. And if you can get an old 6131 rather than new, it's more handy, the shape is similar to 7800 and you can't confuse top with bottom. However, there are no unlabelled macro buttons ,like on the 7800 or 8910, and there's no learning. But I think it's a great remote and its extender (a must) is fabulous.

You can see and compare button layouts by looking at the images from
https://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/dload ... le_id=1947

What are you planning to do with the spare 7800s? Do they have jp1 pins installed?

The advantages of an extender are significant. It sounds like you have long and complex macros. The extender executes macros MUCH faster and allows to you concatenate them to much greater extent than the 15-step limit would normally impose upon you. PLUS almost All of the learning memory is converted to keymove memory, so it sounds like a perfect solution for you

Just an example: With roughly 6 device upgrades plus 5 extras, I still have 198 bytes of upgrade memory left. With 71 keymoves and 21 macros on the 7800 under extender I still have 480 bytes left for keymoves/macros, just not possible without the extender.

[The Robman]

You can have both cables plugged in at once, the JP1 in the parallel port and the JP1.2 in the serial port.

Reallly?! I would have thought that would this confuse IR.exe. Or would you then have to go and change the selected port in IR as you alternate between using the JP1 and JP1.x remotes?

IR version 7 has radio buttons that you use to switch between JP1.x and JP1.

[vickyg2003]

I guess not only am I going to have to learn about the sony combo protocol, I'm going to have to play with extenders to get the most out of my remote.

It doesn't sound like the 6131 would work for me as I do have 7 pieces equipment to control.

What do you do with a remote with no macro keys, when you need something that works no matter what piece of equipment you are controlling?

With my Macro1 and Macro2 keys, they work all the time. If I'm controlling the satelite/DVD/TV/.... If I press macro 1 it changes the input source on the TV to satellite or VCR and assigns the play pause button to the VCR. If I press macro2 it it changes the input source on the TV to antenna or DVD and changes the play pause buttons to control the DVD. My family finds this to be almost too complicated, I can't imagine what they'd do if things were any more complicated.

Elizabeth: I definately am keeping my Cinema 7's, they are too dear to me to give up.

[The Robman]

The URC-6131 is really an 8 device remote, even though it's only labelled for 6 devices, there are 2 secret device modes in the remote's programming. You can use these modes by creating macros to invoke them. We usually use shifted device buttons for the 7th and 8th device buttons, but you could also use the Tivo THUMBS UP/DOWN buttons if you don't have a Tivo.

Also, are all of your devices true stand alone devices, or are some of them devices that facilitate using other devices, such as video selectors, etc? If so, you can probably combine their functions in with the main devices rather than using a seperate device button for them.

As for the other macros, people either use shifted buttons or they use things like the LKP (long key press) sprecial protocol.