Behavior of buttons on a hand held remote

[fdastoor]

As one switches function from say controlling a Dishnetwork receiver to a DVD player - is it possible to give different functions to the programmable buttons on a hand held? Or can these buttons be assigned only one function?

The custom buttons appear in the events pane when a 'Room' is highlighted. Highlighting a V2 remote does not display any programmable buttons.

Please advise.

I realise being very new to Control4 I am asking a lot of questions and do very much appreciate all the help and patience with my ignorance.

[slemay]

We do one of two things:

1) In the driver (which you're dealer would have to change) we change the IR code itself. For example, the factory (Control4) code for DVR on some of the Time Warner Cable boxes brings up a menu of options (DVR being option 1, VOD option 2 etc.. etc..). Most customers don't want that, instead when they press DVR they want the actual shows they've recorded. So we just learn the different IR command and change it in the driver.

2) Sometimes people want additional functionality and that's where you can use Composer HE to add something to a button. For example, if I press button # on the remote, turn the lights on or change the aspect ratio of the screen. The remote will still send the # to whatever device is being controlled (let's say the DVD play for example - but the DVD player will just ignore it as it's not a registered command, or it doesn't do anything). THAT is where you can make programming changes in Composer HE.

[fdastoor]

Thanks. This would help in cases when the button such as # is not doing anything such as a DVD player or Sat receiver.

[ikey78]

Shawn:

How do you start the programming for the individual buttons on the remote in Composer HE?

As fdastoor stated, when you highlight the remote there is no option that I can see to pick a button to program.

Am I missing something? Is this a feature that has to be activated by the dealer?

[TurboKuake]

You program them on the device. Select the device and you can select the command that is emitted for when that button is pressed and the focus is on that specific device.

You cannot change the actual codes, however, your dealer has to edit them with Composer Pro.

[ikey78]

Thanks for the response.

In the programming screen, when I select the satellite receiver under distribution, the only choices are Power on Power Off Stop Pause Record and Channel changes. Similarly limited choices with other devices such as the Disc Changer.

Perhaps someone could give me some more detailed instructions to program a button such as # on the remote to change the aspect ratio on the TV or adjust lights while watching Satellite programming.

[TurboKuake]

Sorry, this is actually listed under the System design tab. Your dealer would have to set these.

[slemay]

TurboKuake - SYSTEM DESIGN is a TAB in Composer HE... FYI.

IKEY78 - The keys I used in my example are all programmable at the room level. 6 keys are easy to program for anything (w/o editing the driver) and are tied to the device itself. So click on a SATELLITE in SYSTEM DESIGN and you'll see the screen pop up that I'm talking about. Now that keeps the device married to that button (for example, if I have a DVD player for the entire house and program the RED button to turn the living room lights on - when I'm in the bedroom and press the RED button, the living room lights are going to come on - two ways to work around that. One is to put conditions in (if RED button is pressed form living room etc... )... or program that button at the room level.).

To program at the room level - click PROGRAMMING tab in Composer HE and go to the room (Living Room for this example). Then click on commands on the left hand side. You'll see a drop down of all the commands on the remote (including the 6 from above - but also including other commands, like the number keys). NOW you can tie any programming you want to these buttons. Just keep in mind, for example, if I tie the lights to come up when I press the number 5 button - it's going to do that PLUS still send the number 5 key to whatever device is currently select (Satellite in my example).

Hope this helps.

Shawn

[ikey78]

Thanks for the info. Very helpful.

In Composer HE I have Monitoring Media Agents and Programming tabs. Do not see System Design but Monitoring has the features you refer to.

So I assume that if you want to assign the Page Up button to do something specific when using Satellite, you have to program it that way in each room.

[slemay]

Yeah... that would be something we'd change in the driver itself - and in HE you can't access that, so yeah - if you want to change that assignment, you'd have to change it in each room - sorry ... OR ... make a list of changes that you can't do and have the dealer come out and do it in one big swoop... probably not the answer you wanted to hear though...