JP1 Remotes

[ClarkJeff]

Hi,
I'm new to JP1 and haven't even purchased a remote yet. I don't know which to buy, but would like to get something that is somewhat future-proof and easy for the family to use. I'm a techie, so want to be able to program it when I want/need to. I have a $15 gift card at Best Buy, but don't have a problem buying used as well. I'd like to keep it under $40. From what I've read, it looks like the OFA remotes are great. Here are my 4 devices (old) right now, but might get cable/sat (we watch more movies than TV):

1. RCA TV
2. Presidian DVD Recorder
3. Panasonic VCR
4. Fisher Amp

Thanks for any suggestions!
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Jeff Clark

[vickyg2003]

Hi Jeff, I looks like Bestbuy is out of the OneforAll 8820,6820 and 10820, so you'll probably be buying from Rob or Ebay.

Its really impossible to recommend a remote for someone else. These are the things that I think about when purchasing a remote:

1)Learning
2)Button Layout
3)Total Number of buttons
4)Back Lighting
5)Modem Upgradable (you can postpone buying making a cable)
6)Ovearall size (I like little remotes, but people with bigger fingers like bigger remotes for accuracy)
7)Interface (JP1 or JP1.x) Your interface is going to cost more than the remote itself, so take a good look at the remotes that are available. You'll probably want JP1's everywhere you have more than one piece of equipment, so to minimize your investment stick with one interface family.
8) JP1 Support (The availability of an extender is an important consideration)


If the cost of the interface is important to you, you should note that JP1 (serial and parallel) cables don't work with adaptors or port replicators while JP1.x remotes work with a serial to USB adaptor.

[ClarkJeff]

Thanks for the info. I did read through the forums on picking a remote, too. I think the URC-8910 or URC-9910 would work for me. How do I know what JP version they are? Thanks!
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Jeff Clark

[vickyg2003]

The 8910 and the 9910 are JP1 remotes. They are very popular remotes

[ClarkJeff]

So what do I gain by buying a JP1.3 remote?
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Jeff Clark

[Evan_s]

typically speaking the jp1.2 or jp1.3 remotes are newer remotes. The main difference that we care about is it uses a combined flash processor where the older jp1 remotes use a separate processor and eprom.

Typically speaking the jp1 remotes are older and the 8910 and 9910 are probably on their way out so to speak. You may not be able to get a replacement for them 2 or 3 years down the line. They also have pretty limited learning space since they are limited by the eprom.

On the good side these are the remotes that the jp1 stuff was developed on and so they have very good support with extenders, custom protocols and many other things so they are well figured out. The Simple jp1 parallel cable is the cheapest cable but it can also be very fussy to get working depending on your particular remote and computer and as notes it won't work through docking stations, usb adapters etc. People often have to play tricks like using old batteries or new batteries or putting some in back words etc to get the programing to work right. There are other types of cables including a USB cable and they don't have the same finickiness as the simple parallel cable but they are more expensive. The learning memory isn't usually a major issue if your using a jp1 cable since you can learn a few commands, decode them and then repeat the process until you have all the decodes needed to build a new upgrade and upgrades take up much less space.

The jp1.2 and 1.3 remotes are newer remotes. The flash processors typically have lots more memory available for learning and in general. Most jp1.2 and jp1.3 remotes seem to advertise 100+ learned buttons instead of 2 dozen or so. These remotes are more likely to be available in the future if you find one you like. Being newer remotes some of the support isn't there yet. There are only a couple extenders for jp1.2 and jp1.3 remotes but more are getting worked on as time goes by. There are less custom protocols and other things developed for them also. These are things that will improve over time and all indications are that these will be the types of remotes made in the future. The main design for jp1.x cables is a serial cable. It's pretty much just works with out any of the finickiness of the simple parallel cable and can work with a usb to serial adapter. The resident hardware guy just designed a straight usb cable but I'm not 100% sure if he's actually selling them yet.

If you like a jp1 remote for what ever reason there is nothing wrong with that. Especially if your looking at the 9910 since I don't know of a jp1.2 or jp1.3 with the RF base station like it has.

One thing to consider beside the one 4 all remotes is a number of OEM remotes are made by the same company. The popular one recently is the Atlas remotes. There are a fair number of variations of the atlas remotes so we've even got a sticky to figure them out. http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=8508
There are some board members with various different versions of the atlas remotes for sale if you decide your interested in those.

Even the typical silver Comcast remotes are jp1 remotes of some sort or another depending on the particular remote model.

I do recommend sticking to remotes that use the same type of cable since the cable can end up being more expensive than the remotes. I've picked 3 or 4 different jp1.2 and jp1.3 remotes off of ebay for about the same price I paid for my cable but it is still very much worth it to get the cable. I'm not sure I could imagine going back to using a regular programmable remote. The extra features you get programing it from the computer. The relative easy of programing with a gui on a computer vs weird key combinations on a remote and the ability to back up different configs is just wonderful.

[ClarkJeff]

Thanks for the lengthy explanations! Is there a list showing which remotes are JP1, .2, and .3?

I really don't need the RF and would like to get a remote that's going to be around for a few more years (probably not the 8910 then). I really don't even need the JP1 capability, but am tired of buying mulitple universal remotes because my equipment isn't supported. I want the ability to update the remote, if I need to.

I don't have a lot of equipment, but it's older, so that's why I wanted a newer remote with hopes of being able to find/program all of the equipment. For instance, I don't have a remote at all for the Fisher amp and the universal remotes that I've bought only seem to partially work on it.

I wouldn't have a problem buying an Atlas and had read the post you referenced. I'd just like to find a supported JP1.3/x for future-proofing as possible.

Vickyg2003, you had some listed in the MarketPlace in October. Do you still have some available? I'll obviously also need a JP1.3/x cable from someone, if the remote doesn't support all of my equipment right now.

Thanks everyone for your help in this! I'm an IT geek, so thoroughly enjoy the technical discussions. Earlier this week, I hadn't even heard of JP1. In the last few days, I've read so many posts on this forum, I think I at least understand the concepts.
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Jeff Clark

[vickyg2003]

In the JP1 remotes, there is a lot more versatility. You may find that different remotes fit different applications better.

I'm real fond of the 6011. Its small and backlit, I find it to be the perfect remote for the bedroom, where the needs are simple and lighting is an issue. The original 6131 is a good one handed remote with lots of buttons. The drawback for me on these two remotes is that I suck at soldering (can't see) so I can't just pick one up on ebay. I'm dependent on Rob for these. I've got several of backups for each of these remotes.

The remotes you are considering have a LCD and can simplify things for other family members, they have an learning and are ready to go out of the box(no soldering). As long as they are available on ebay you are pretty much good to go. I don't know of any JP1.2 or JP1.3 remotes that have an LCD. And as Evan pointed out, I don't know of any JP1.2 or JP1.3 remotes that come with RF so you can operate equipment behind closed doors or in another room. But you can always buy a seperate box to convert your IR to RF and back again. Not as convenient as a 9910 though.

This group has developed some pretty nice tools for the JP1 remotes. We're in the process of adapting these to the JP1.2 and JP1.3 remotes, but its a slow process and not as mature as the JP1 support. In the future, there may be things developed for the JP1.x remotes that won't be backwards compatible, because we can write our own software and reflash the JP1.x remotes. With JP1 remotes, we don't have that flexibility. We can't change the built in software of a JP1 remote.


Take a look at the whole line of remotes when making your choices.

Once I JP1ed I couldn't go back. Once I used an extender I couldn't go back. The deeper you get, the harder it will be to be satisfied with anything other than a customized JP1 or JP1.x remote with all the bells and whistles.

[greenough1]

Here's a LINK to a thread on JP1/JP1.X summary. In the first post at the end, there are links to various things including a table of what remote is of what type (compatibility guide).

I'd recommend going to the one-for-all website and looking at what they have (and/or stores that carry these). Once you see what that looks good to you and/or feels good in your hands, come back and see what others say about it and its usability.

Best,
jeff

[mdavej]

All things considered, I'd still go for an 8910: more devices, more buttons, lots of support, LCD, learning, etc. I personally couldn't live with anything less than an 8 device remote, with plenty of buttons, so the 8910 fits the bill in my case. If however, you have fewer devices or prefer a more compact remote, the 8910 probably isn't for you.

I also wouldn't give the future-proof aspect too much weight. JP1.x could easily be replaced by something else tomorrow at the whim of the manufacturer. So no matter what you get, be sure to get some spares, and you'll be set for years to come.

[vickyg2003]

[Capn Trips]

Taking into account the maturity of support, I also would prefer (as of TODAY) the 8910/9910/HTPro (identical except for cosmetics and RF base-station).

The only problem I see (and currently have) is memory. As these remotes are dated, there are few (like 2 out of 8 in my current situation) devices for which it has built-in setup codes, so I need a LOT of device upgrades, including several with protocol upgrades, and using the extender, I have simply run out of upgrade memory.

The last time I used the 8910 it in my HT (before some poor underpriveledged soul felt that my plasma monitor, receiver and DVD player would serve mankind better in HIS possession than in mine ), I was literally down to 1 byte of available upgrade memory, and 13 bytes of available keymove memory (WITH the extender having converted the learning memory to keymove memory!).

With my replacement components (Sharp LCD TV, Toshiba HD-DVD player, and SA CBL/HD-DVR) all requiring device upgrades, I simply cannot squeeze it all in. That is why I have gone over to the Atlas OCAP (URC-1056) JP 1.3 remote with its expansive memory and still-developing extender.

So if you have to use a lot of upgrades, the 8910 may not be good for you.

I recognize that the Atlas (cable-provider) family may not be everybody's cup of tea, either aestetically, or from a "number-of-devices" PoV (only 5 dedicated), but I like the form factor, button quantity and layout better (especially the URC-1056 (JP 1.3)) than the commercially-available 6820/8820/10820 family. They just appear to be boring, hard-to-use-by-feel rectangular boxes that do not set my soul afire.

Lots of Atlases available on eBay and from several forum members (speaker.guy and vickyg come to mind). The trick is keeping them all straight, and knowing which one you are REALLY getting.

The Atlas URC-1055 (JP1.2 version - there are several different ones) has a pretty well-de-bugged extender and may be worth a look.
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Remotes: OFA XSight Touch, AR XSight Touch
TVs: LG 65" Smart LED TV; Samsung QN850BF Series - 8K UHD Neo QLED LCD TV
RCVR: Onkyo TX-SR875; Integra DTR 40.3
DVD/VCR: Pioneer DV-400VK (multi-region DVD), Sony BDP-S350 (Blu-ray), Toshiba HD-A3 (HD-DVD), Panasonic AG-W1 (Multi-system VCR);
Laserdisc: Pioneer CLD-D704.
Amazon Firestick
tape deck: Pioneer CT 1380WR (double cassette deck)
(But I still have to get up for my beer)

[vickyg2003]

[ClarkJeff]

As I said earlier, I am an IT geek. I used to develop on embedded microcontrollers for lighting control systems in C and Windows interfaces in VC++. I'm not familiar at all with how to develop anything yet for the remotes, but am definitely excited to give it a try. Based on everyone's comments (thank you!), I think I'd like to get a JP1.3 remote, so hopefully I can give something back to this community. So, now I'm going on over to eBay to see what Atlas remotes I can find that support JP1.3... Thanks again!
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Jeff Clark

[speaker.guy]

I have 2 left. $25 each including Priority Mail shipping...1056 OCAP, black, backlit, with learning, batteries and manual.
The ones with backlight and learning are very hard to come by these days. None on ebay at all....
PM me.