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Philips - Universal Digital DVR Remote
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LauraBelle's Review
It'll Do In a Pinch
Budget-Conscious, Entertainment Writer, Not Patient
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SEP
18
2007
Doing entertainment reviews, I'm tied to my TiVo remote. While I made do without TiVo at one point, I'm so used to having it now that it has become a necessity. My son lost the battery cover off the TiVo remote quite awhile ago, and it's since been dropped on the floor dozens of times. He was cleaning up a mess this weekend and tossed the cleaning wipe on the back of the couch for reasons only a 14 year old boy would know. Laying on the back of the couch was the remote with the missing battery cover. The moisture from the wipe got into the remote through the battery compartment and rendered the whole unit useless. Sure, I can do like we did in the old days and operate the TiVo from the unit itself, but there are several features I can't access this way, such as pause, rewind, record, etc. I've grown accustomed to writing reviews using those features, so I needed a replacement remote right away. I found that I could order one online, but not pick one up at a store. I searched for alternatives, and found there were expensive universal remotes ($119 after a rebate from Logitech) or cheaper ($25 for the Philips Universal Digital DVR Remote), and that both said they would do the job. Standard TiVo systems sells for $99, so why would you buy a universal remote for it that costs $119? Best Buy sold both, so I ran to our local Best Buy to get a quick replacement.
Choosing the Philips Universal Digital DVR Remote
Once in Best Buy, I found a display for universal remotes, and both the Logitech and Philips remotes were there. As I was looking through the rest of the selection, a salesman approached me and asked if I was finding what I was looking for. Not really, if you want to know the truth. I want my TiVo remote, but know you don't have it. He suggested the Philips remote, but cautioned that it "said" it was created for use with TiVo, but sometimes universal remotes aren't all they're cracked up to be. He suggested I order one from DirecTV. No kidding. I'd love to, but I don't have the time; I need it now! I asked if this was one of those universal remotes where you needed to have the old in some type of operating status to be able to program the new one, but he wasn't sure. After hemming and hawing over it for a few more minutes, I decided to buy it.
Programming
Luckily, as it turns out, you don't have to have a working remote to program the Philips Universal Digital DVR Remote. The programming of the remote is done by codes, either by inputting brand name codes off a provided list or doing a code search on the remote. I was only programming two things, just my television and TiVo DVR, and both took the first code I put in for the programming, making it only take a matter of minutes.
Functions
Since the Philips Universal Digital DVR Remote is "universal" and covers many different devices such as satellite, cable, DVRs, TVs, audio, VCRs, etc., it needs to have many different types of functions, and some of them have to be used for several different devices, meaning they don't work perfectly for what we're used to. The buttons to move through menu selections are different than on the TiVo remote, and it takes me a few minutes to find the right one every time, although I realize it will get better with more familiarity. Built into the TiVo remote was the ability to use it for the TV and TiVo without switching back and forth, including the ability to turn the TV on and off. I can do that with the Philips, but I have to toggle back and forth between TV and DVR. It's not a huge deal, but enough to be annoying. It also has the capability to "Learn" functions you want it to do. I haven't used this function yet, but it sounds interesting. I am currently living in fear that someone will deprogram the remote by hitting the wrong buttons, as my father-in-law has other Philips universal remotes in his house, and it seems like they're never working right, as someone has deprogramed them by accident.
Overall
All-in-all, the Philips Universal Digital DVR Remote does the job. It allows me to do all those important functions on the TiVo, those ones that I now can't seem to live without. While it doesn't work the same way as the original remote, it's functional, and that's probably the best thing to say about it.
Philips - Universal Digital DVR Remote is recommended by LauraBelle
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