URC-8811 vs. URC-8910 vs. 15-2116 - Which to Buy?

[Mega]

I have been researching remotes for about a week now, and I believe I'm down to these three models, URC-8811, URC-8910, or 15-2116:



I found this quote from another thread helpful:

If you are looking for a remote as similar to the 15-1994 as possible, with optional LCD and RF, the choice is simple...

15-2116 (8 device learner w/ LCD) or...
15-2117 (ditto, also with RF)

The only downside to these two remotes is that they don't have the four "smart" keys that have proven so useful on the 15-1994.

If you really want the smart keys, you could try the OFA versions of these, but physically, they look completely different to the 15-1994 ...

URC-8811 - 8 device learner
URC-8910 - ditto w/ LCD
URC-9910 - ditto w/ LCD and RF

Rob
http://www.hifi-remote.com

I like the looks and backlight of the 15-2116 best, but I really want to have some generic buttons so I don't end up mapping a lot of stuff to meaningless labels.

I like the green backlight (8811) in looks better than red (8910), but I like having the LCD on there. Also the LCD seems to force the top buttons down a bit which should be more ergonomic. On the other hand, the LCD may add weight and size to an already large remote... having never seen any of these in person, I'm having a hard time making my mind up.

So for those of you that have actually held and used some or all of these remotes, here are my questions:

1. Does Robman's quote imply that I should base my choice solely on which remote I like the looks and button layout on, or are there other advantages and disadvantages?
2. Does the JP1 software support one better than the others?
3. Which has the best support from the community, and is that important?
4. Which is the most ergonomic to use?
5. Is the LCD worth having?

I'm actually leaning towards the URC-8910, but it seems to have the smallest following, but I'm guessing that's because of the old doughnut button design (I'd be careful to get the new design). But I'm still so on the fence about it since there are things I like best about all 3 at the moment.

[Mark Pierson]

IMHO (and Steve's too), the $20.00 8810w (same as the 8811) from Wal-Mart is the best. I personally don't like or need and LCD. The 8810w offers the most physical buttons (same as the 8910 I think), and can use one of the best extenders available. In terms of support from the group, it ranks right up there, followed closely by the 2116/2117.

[johnsfine]

IMHO (and Steve's too), the $20.00 8810w

You probably couldn't include me in that list because the "H" would have been wrong. But I've also frequently stated my preference from the 8810w among the available models. The donut was the biggest flaw in the 8910, but I think the crowding of keys to make room for the LCD is also a flaw. I don't find it bad having keys near the top of a remote.

Of course if you have any use for the RF then notice that RS seems to be selling the 2117 at the 2116's price (get a price check from the register if the shelf price is higher) so the 2117 is the clear choice if you want RF.

[Mega]

Wow, thanks for the quick responses.

It sounds like so far, the clear winner is the 8810w from Wal-Mart. I don't see it listed on www.walmart.com and I hate to driver all over town looking for one in stock... would I be just as well buying the 8811 online, or is 8810w actually better in some way?

One thing I failed to mention was my goal for the remote, in case there are any limitations. I am obviously a newbie to JP1, but I plan to go all the way to get the remote to where I want it.

My goal is to set up macros on the component buttons so I can do things like:

Press DVD, and it sets my TV input, sets my receiver input, changes my A/V switch input. I'd even do power assuming I can find discrete codes (I haven't started that search yet). That would make my HT user friendly for someone not familiar... then I would also want to use shifted presses of those same buttons for the simple "mode switch" in case I need to do a DVD function while watching TV, but not change everything over to that function.

From everything I've read so far, this should be possible using any of the above remotes, but if anyone happens to know otherwise, I'd like to know so I can eliminate the remote(s) from my decision. Even though the two posts already have both stated the LCD is not important, and that 8810w has "one of the best extenders available" does that mean that if I get the 8910 that my extender capabilities would be limited?

I know this isn't the forum for discrete code discussion, but just in case anything jumps out to you guys, here is my equipment list:

• Receiver: Yamaha RX-V2090
• TV: Mitsubishi WS-65851
• DVD: JVC XV-FA900
• VCR: Sony SLV-920HE
• HTPC: Haven't purchased an IR receiver for it yet (any recommendations?)
• A/V Selector: Doesn't say the brand or model on it, but I can prolly just learn it since it only has 3 buttons on the remote. But I might need to get those into the PC to add them to the Macros via JP1... still not sure about that.

Thanks again for all your input.

[usblipitor]

Mega,

IMHO, the 8810w provides the best value in a remote. For $22 including tax, you get the JP1 pins, the EEPROM, learning, a nice backlight, and it can control up to 8 devices.

After using the 8810w for a few weeks, I found a few things I did not like. I use the DVD player, and if I want to switch audio tracks or subtitles there is no key labelled for this. The 8810w is also quite a large, heavy remote. My fingers do not reach all the buttons, so I am sliding the remote back and forth to reach all the buttons, or giving up and using two hands to control it.

The 6012m is very similar to an 8810w except it is lighter, smaller, and controls only 6 devices. The 6131m is also small and light, but has DVD friendly buttons, PVR friendly buttons, and .. more buttons. about 15 more buttons.

I use my 8810w next to the computer to learn codes for new devices to build device upgrades. I use the 6131m in the entertainment room with PVR and DVD. I use the 6012m in the exercise room (which only has a cable box, TV, and a VCR but no PVR or DVD).

I have in a drawer: RS15-2117, OFA8910 (non-donut version), and all the OEM remotes, all with no batteries in them.

Just my two cents! Good Luck,

[usblipitor]

..My goal is to set up macros on the component buttons so I can do things like:Press DVD, and it sets my TV input, sets my receiver input, changes my A/V switch input..

There is a good design for this here.

I'd even do power assuming I can find discrete codes

Who needs stinkin' discrete codes? Actually, discrete codes are nice, but if your device doesn't accept them, the toadtog protocol is way cool.

[rant on]
Why is everyone spelling discrete as discrete? Which is correct? I have seen "discrete" in a lot of posts lately. Also, Why are there so many people here lately named Steve? I don't like red backlights. I don't like bifocals either. OK, I think I'm done.
[/rant off]

[mr_d_p_gumby]

Why is everyone spelling discrete as discrete? Which is correct? I have seen "discrete" in a lot of posts lately.

You need to be discrete when discussing discrete codes.

[The Robman]

I like the green backlight (8811) in looks better than red (8910), but I like having the LCD on there.

Let me quickly clear up this issue first. When these remotes first came out they ALL had green backlights, then somewhere along the line OFA switched things and since then, they have ALL had red backlights. So bottom line, when chosing between a new 8910 and a new 8811 (8810w) you are chosing between two remotes that BOTH have red backlights. You would need to find an old 8811/8910/etc to find a remote with a green backlight.

As far as your desire to program macros to the device buttons, this is possible with all of these remotes but there is a "but". With the 15-2116/7 and I believe the URC-8910/9910, you can do this out of the box (with JP1) whereas with the 8811/8810w you will need to use one of the extenders. Now, using an extender opens up a whole new world of possibilities but some people find them intimidating, so keep that in mind when chosing your remote.

[Mark Pierson]

when chosing between a new 8910 and a new 8811 (8810w) you are chosing between two remotes that BOTH have red backlights.

I don't know about the 8910 or 8811 (and I hate to refute the boss ), but every 8810w I've seen (5, and one was just purchased the Sunday before Christmas) have green backlighting.

[The Robman]

I don't know about the 8910 or 8811 (and I hate to refute the boss ), but every 8810w I've seen (5, and one was just purchased the Sunday before Christmas) have green backlighting.

Maybe the URC-8810s are old stock then, which is certainly possible. Al I can say (and this is not mere speculation) is that after a certain point, all new OFA remotes that used to come with the gren backlight now come with the red backlight. I believe this was a cost saving thing as red LEDs are cheaper (for some reason) than green LEDs. Having said that, all the URC-6012s that I've seen have come with green backlights too.

[Carwarr]

The last 2 8810w I bought have green backlights too. I like the look of the red backlights but this is just from seeing pics online. But after reading several comments about it being hard to see in the dark, now I don't know. Or were they just talking about reading the LCDs on the 8910s or 9910s.

Red is supposed to not screw up your night vision as much so maybe that was the reason for going to red on the newer ones. Who knows.

Mitch

[Mega]

Wow, this community is really great. As it turns out, I ended up being near a Wal-Mart today, popped in, and sure enough they had one 8810w left, so I grabbed it. Before opening, I came back to this thread to see if anything posted would have changed my mind.

Kinda cool to see the pic I found of the 8910-new is now sized to match the others, and hosed here on hifi-remote (thanks Rob ).

I don't know enough about JP1 yet to know if I *should* be intimidated by installing an extender, but my assumption was I would have to for what my plans were anyway, so no biggy. After reading so much about how bulky this remote is, I'm surprised how light and small it is... I guess my idea of bulky is the Marantz RC2000 I have collecting dust in the closet... hehe

BTW, my 8810w has a green backlight, and looks identical to the middle photo in my first post... the serial number is G032505 if that means anything to anyone regarding it's "birth date". I haven't even started playing with it yet, but I did just order Richard Hovis's $14 JP1, and I'm eager to get started.

I usually run my posts through a spell checker just in case (since I am a rotten speller and typist) but since discrete is also a real word, spellcheck missed it, but after reading the humorous posts about it, I think I'll remember to discreetly keep discrete and discrete discrete.

Thanks again to all of you guys for the prompt replies. I usually figure on waiting a week to get replies in a support forum... you guys rock!

[usblipitor]

well, don't sit on your hands waiting for your cable to arrive! you have a lot of READING and DOWNLOADING to do. Hop to it!

[Carwarr]

Yea, start reading and reading... I am very new to this too but just go through the Faq's and attempt to do what they are doing in it. They are out of date and alot of things like what column the info is in, in the exel file is not correct but just follow along and you will get it. It seems intimidating at first but after you play with it a little, you will see how easy it can be. If you really want to see how hard it could be, try to do all this without the excellent KM file, IR.exe and decodeIR.dll (sorry if I left anything out) and you will see that they have made this incredibly easy for us. And when you run into snags, just search the forum and then post here, count to about 50 and see a responce to your message!
(I swear, the guys must be poised over their keyboard just waiting for another post to answer!)

Have fun!
Mitch

[Chuck_IV]

I looked at the 8810w before buying the 2117 and there were some major issues I had with the 8810 and their key designs/layout. The first was that the PiP keys were WAY at the bottom of the remote, which would cause me to have to constantly shift my hand around to get to those buttons(I use PiP a lot). When watching TV, I have my thumb on the up/down channel, thus the PiP buttons, should be nearby, like the 2117. Second, I like "rocker" style channel and volume buttons, like on the 2117, not individual buttons, like the 8810w has(this is why I hated the original RS 1994 replacement, the 2104).

About the only thing I don't like about the 2117 is the lack of "extra" buttons. The 8810w is loaded with them, but again, they are poorly places, all the way at the bottom.

Personally, my favorite remote, to date, is the RS 1994, because it is almost the same layout as the 2117 and HAS the 4 extra macro buttons. I still use this on my upstairs TV.