TrophyHusband 0 #1 May 18, 2010 every now and then there's something that pisses me off that nobody else seems to give a shit about. i'm starting to think this is one of them. i own 2 tv's that will not accept a universal remote. i found out about the first one a while back when we got satellite tv and had to begin using two remotes. aggrivating. i found out about the second one today. i broke the remote to the tv and promptly bought a cheap universal. it did not work. i called the tv manufacturer and was told that not only could i not use a universal remote, i couldn't even buy just a replacement remote. i have to buy a "service package" that comes with a power cord, some cables, and a remote. this package costs $50 plus shipping. i told them that there was no way i was paying that much. its a freeking 19 inch tv. i'll buy a new tv that accepts a universal remote before i will pay that much for a replacement remote. i have talked to several people in costomer service and none of them gave a shit. i was told that they have been selling the remotes in packages like that for 2 years and i was the first person to ever complain about it. why would you even make a tv that won't accept a universal remote? "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PhreeZone 20 #2 May 18, 2010 You are just not getting good enough Universal remotes. Look at the Harmony series by Logitech. The have a database online that will let you download the exact sequence for just about any electronic device that uses IR for its control. The remote will control every device in your AV rack and then you can custom program it if it does not have the exact match also. Hell, the remote can also be set to control things over radio frequency so you can control your ceiling fans, lights and just about any device in the house with one. Yesterday is history And tomorrow is a mystery Parachutemanuals.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zep 0 #3 May 18, 2010 Quote why would you even make a tv that won't accept a universal remote? Is that a trick question, Answer: So they can sell 50 dollar service packs to people who don't complain. I think that mainstream manafactures will very soon cotton on to the fact that they can make money out of replacement remote's and the remote's will be dedicated to to models thus cutting out the universal market. Gone fishing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #4 May 18, 2010 i had a harmony once and didn't really like it, and it stopped working long before my wife stopped bitching at me for spending $100 on a remote control. between me, my wife, and my three boys, remotes are going to get lost or broken. i need to be able to replace them relatively cheaply. "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #5 May 18, 2010 it's the manufacturers of tv's that make universal remotes, so they'll be cutting themselves out of the market. if more and more tv's are being made this way, i suspect it will eventually become more known to consumers. once people know to look for this, they will turn away from buying a tv that would then require them to use multiple remotes. i find that forcing someone to buy a $50 service pack in order for them to replace a remote is just shitty customer service. "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #6 May 18, 2010 I have a cheap RCA universal remote that I bought at Walmart for $10 for my 35" Sony WEGA TV after the remote broke. I had 4 codes to try out and am using the one that works best. It's compatible for up to 350 brands of TVs. There were names on the list that I'd never heard of!! What TV do you have? "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
monkycndo 0 #7 May 18, 2010 Those buttons on the front of the TV are there for a reason. You have a universal remote, just don't realize it. Have one of your kids get up and push the buttons. Problem solved. 50 donations so far. Give it a try. You know you want to spank it Jump an Infinity Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BillyVance 35 #8 May 19, 2010 Quote Those buttons on the front of the TV are there for a reason. You have a universal remote, just don't realize it. Have one of your kids get up and push the buttons. Problem solved. But of course. My 4 year old could turn the TV on, set the input from TV to DVD, turn on the DVD player and put a DVD in the drive, then hit play, all when she was 3 years old, I shit you not. She has no idea how to work the remote though, yet! "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #9 May 19, 2010 QuoteQuote why would you even make a tv that won't accept a universal remote? Is that a trick question, Answer: So they can sell 50 dollar service packs to people who don't complain. I think that mainstream manafactures will very soon cotton on to the fact that they can make money out of replacement remote's and the remote's will be dedicated to to models thus cutting out the universal market. The only way they could do that would be with some kind of encryption scheme, and that would be an added expense where profit margins are already thin (in consumer electronics). Unlikely, and overkill. mh ."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #10 May 19, 2010 the one in my bedroom that is hooked up to the satellite is an RCA. the one with the broken remote is in the kids' bedroom of the fifthwheel and its a Jensen. i've also decided to keep the universal that i bought ($8 at walmart) and take it along with the code list with me next time i buy a new tv (which will be soon, we need one for our bedroom in the fifth wheel). i will not buy a tv that doesn't allow use of a universal remote. "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TrophyHusband 0 #11 May 19, 2010 Quote Those buttons on the front of the TV are there for a reason. You have a universal remote, just don't realize it. Have one of your kids get up and push the buttons. Problem solved. one is in our bedroom where i prefer not to have the kids, and the other is in their bedroom in the fifth wheel. the main problem there is that the remote in needed to change inputs and also to access the menu to program over the air channels. beyond that, they can walk their little asses over to it to change channels. "Your scrotum is quite nice" - Skymama www.kjandmegan.com Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andy9o8 2 #12 May 19, 2010 Quote i find that forcing someone to buy a $50 service pack in order for them to replace a remote is just shitty customer service. If it makes you feel any better, "planned obsolescence" was invented over 100 years ago. You don't feel any better, do you? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
