GE 24959 8 In 1 Universal DVR Remote, Infrared Black

First let me tell you I was very skeptical about buying another cheep-o Universal Remote, but I got this at an online auction delivered for $12 so I thought "Why not?" Normally I'm one of those people who would buy the $100 remotes because "they must be better."

The light is very bright and you can control whether or not it even comes on. The buttons are logical however some are smaller. The remote is light weight but feels well constructed.

The code's provided were 100% on 2 of my devices but 2 were partial and 1 did not work with a code at all. The Learning Mode work flawlessly to get all the non-functioning buttons working in about 15 minutes. You can also set functions as forced, so no matter what device is selected that button always works with a particular device, for instance my volume and mute are always on my Amplifiers control. This remote does not script so I have to tell it to turn on each device and select the correct input for my amp (still all on the one remote.)

The manual was misprinted with mine, again not purchased from Amazon and probably the reason I got it discounted. But I can read page 15 before page 13 no biggie.

I have no doubt every device in the house will work with this remote.

The devices I configured are as follows:

Samsung Plasma TV

Samsung Blue Ray (Netfix, YouTube and the like controls all work also.)

Yamaha Receiver

Mediacom HDTV Cable Box (Motorola)

Acesonic Karaoke player

I was able to show the wife in about 3 min and now I have 1 remote to rule them all.

Have you ever had the conversation about where the remotes are in your house? Me too, and they are all over the place, so I thought I'd give this one a try Amazon has a great return policy if things don't work, so what do we have to lose really?

I can't believe it but it really works.

I have:

Sony TV, first code worked for that.

Verizon FIOS DVR first code worked on that too (and all buttons are logical on the remote for DVR, channels etc).

Sony multi disc DVD Blu Ray first code worked (but special functions like editing names of discs I will use regular remote for).

Vizio Soundbar (horrible remote with this one) used the LEARN feature and programmed the buttons we use for sound.

Sony picture frame used the LEARN feature with the frame's remote for this too just to switch on and off.

Also programmed the sound to default to the AMP setting (where I put the Vizio soundbar) so that I don't have to press AMP every time I want to change the volume or mute the TV doesn't matter what the remote is on, TV-DVR-AUX etc volume works across the board.

Considering how long it usually takes me to figure out WHICH remote to use and then where it is, where the buttons are, and the fact that most do NOT have backlit buttons this remote is worth it's weight in gold. No more fumbling around with the wrong channel buttons on a night.

Have yet to find someone with an Xbox 360 remote control so that I can LEARN from that for rented DVD playback (the Xbox controller is a pain to use for just DVD playing), and have not found a solution to the ROKU issue but hey, I'm down to 2 remotes that I use frequently from the 6 I was previously using.

Buy GE 24959 8 In 1 Universal DVR Remote, Infrared Black Now

I cannot even remember the last item I bought that had a GE label on it. After ordering and using this 8 device capable remote, I'm a little mad at myself, that I didn't get a universal remote sooner. This is a very nice, very light and easy to use remote. The buttons are all good size and backlit a pleasent blue color. I have bought two of them and connected them easily to seven devices, including two TV's, two dvd players, two receivers, and a Tivo.

I haven't had the remotes too long yet, but so far no complaints. For under $20 if these remotes last a couple years, it's more then worth it. In my opinion they are nicer then any of the remotes they replaced.

I also looked at the RCA RCRN08GR which is another 8 device capable remote also for under $20. The GE is a little more peanut shaped, but I would have probably been happy with either.

I cannot imagine why anyone would pay $50-$300 or more for a universal remote, when you can get either of the above remotes for under $20.

And on top of that, if you don't want or need an 8 device capable remote, there are numerous similar 3,4 or 6 device capable remotes for around $10.

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We have a remote for the TV, dvr, receiver, blu-ray player, HD TV live. This remote learns and works for all of these electronics. You don't lose functionality; all of the same functions still work. For the price I would recommend this particular remote to anyone on a budget looking for a universal remote.

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So, I was just coming off of a Harmony 300i Universal Remote. I was definitely spoiledthat remote's PC based setup is phenomenal, easy and the layout/buttons all worked great. However, the Harmony 300i did NOT work with my Next Generation IR Remote Extender, which for me, I reluctantly decided was a deal killer.

I needed a remote for the Denon AVR-3310ci receiver, Panasonic P65S1 TV and XBox 360 (for DVD, DVR, Media Center, Netflix, etc.) that also worked with my Next Generation Remote Extender. I also didn't want to spend a lot of money trying to accomplish this. Really $30-40 was about my limit.

Enter a trip to Target (sorry Amazon) and I saw this thing (GE Universal Remote model 24959) for about $15.00 or so and thought I'd give it a try. I was almost positive it wouldn't work with the XBox 360. Many Universal Remotes simply don't for some odd reason.

Anyway, I brought this home, entered the codes and it worked on everythingalmost.

Allow me to save you XBox 360 users some headachesyou will need to adjust the console settings for this remote to work. Go to My XBox --> Console Settings --> Remote Control and set it to "Both Remotes". All of a sudden, after doing the above and spending lots of time trying the recommended codes from the manual and the code search functions, this remote worked with the supplied Microsoft Code. It does not lay out everything properly, however. Up, down, left, right, Select all worked, but sometimes you need other buttons (Notably the 'Menu' button designated on the controller with the big green light-up 'X'). So, I went and picked up an old XBox 360 Universal Media Center Remote used at GameStop for $8 and used the learning feature to teach the GE Remote. Voilaproblem solved. Worth the extra $8 (all-in cost at $23) in my opinion. I mapped the color-coded buttons to the buttons of the same color on the Xbox 360. Now it works nearly flawlessly with XBox 360 and Media Center.

I seriously expected this product not to work with my stuffbut it did. Now it's easy. Fast forwards, plays, records, and is so much better than using the game controller. Really works very well. I've used it with Netflix, streaming video, DVR'd content from WMC. Works well.

If you have an audiophile receiver like my Denon, you will inevitably have to do some 'learning' on the remote with that feature. It's really not a big deal and pretty easy once you've done it once, but your receiver will undoubtedly have some major features that won't map from the GE codes alone. For example, I have multiple zones that I need to turn on and off, and the remote just isn't set up for that kind of thing with just the code entry from the manual. Everything mapped to the GE remote with the learning feature, though. I really only had about 4 functions I needed it to learn. Some things didn't quite work as logic would've dictated them to after the Denon code was entered, but again the learning feature saves you when there is the occasional "mis-map" of buttons. You can pretty much set any button (almost) on the GE remote to do anything your original remote could do (excepting macros).

TV mapped to the remote no problem with the right code. That device was super easynothing but the standard code from the manual needed.

Overall, I still can't believe this thing worked. Never thought it would but it does. It's a little quirky but most remotes like this are going to be.

Pros:

Works with XBox 360

Works with Next Generation Remote Extender

Learning Remote makes solving problems easy (ish)

Backlit

Controls up to eight devices if you need that

Feels sturdy enough, good size

Cons:

Button presses don't always register and you may have to hit stuff twice or press the button hard. (Doesn't sound like a big deal but this can get kind of annoying.)

Up, Down, Left, Right pad circle is placed too close to the channel up/down and volume up/down. Easy to hit those by mistake, and sometimes the pad doesn't quite register correctly. Sometimes if you push a direction and you're not exactly on the right spot the wrong direction will be sent. For example, if you push the circle at 2 o'clock (as if on a clock face), it should register as "Right" but might occasionally register as "Up".

Not sure why, but this remote just looks a bit goofy to me. Not a very 'refined' look, but whatever. It works and it's $15.

Doesn't work seamlessly even if the absolutely correct programming code was entered. Expect to use the learning feature to get everything exactly like you want it, even if just for a couple of buttons here and there.

No macro capability (the ability to program a series of instructions with the touch of one buttoni.e. pressing one button will turn on your cable box AND TV, AND set the TV to your favorite channel, etc., etc.)

If you are using with an XBox 360 you really will need to have a XBox 360 Universal Media Remote handy to teach the GE Remote the proper codes (X,Y,A,B,Media Center launch, Menu Button). Hopefully you can borrow one or find one used.

Other:

The Harmony 300i (you can usually find it for about $29.99) is a much, much better remote and worth the extra $15.00. Better build quality, ease of programming via PC and macro capability. No backlight on the 300i if that's important to you, though. However, if you are really cheap (ahem... cost conscious) and can't stomach the extra $15 then this GE remote is really quite good. But do NOT buy the Harmony if you use a Next Generation device in your system.

If you do use the Next Generation Remote, this GE Remote WILL WORK. The Logitech Harmony 300i will NOT work. This was a huge deal for me as switching to some other remote extender system would've cost me well over $50.00 (in addition to the $30 I spent on the Logitech Harmony 300i, which has since been returned). I also would've needed to find a good spot for an IR reception port, etc. The Next Generation product uses RF so everything stays hidden and my remote works from all over the house. A big deal.

Summary:

I needed one remote that would work with the XBox 360, a Denon receiver, a TV and my Next Generation Extender and I wanted an under $30 solution. You'd think it would be easier! (It's not easytrust me.) But this GE Universal Remote does the trick. It has its flaws but it works on 95% of what I need it to do. Overall an impressive little deviceespecially considering its price.