Alternative remote recommendation for the Echo?

[lithium630]

I have no doubt some people do not use the green button, but a lot of people do. I think it was purposely left off as Microsoft distances themselves from Media Center. Where is the STOP button on the new Xbox remote??

[foxwood]

I think it was purposely left off as Microsoft distances themselves from Media Center.

I seriously doubt that anyone at MS ever said "Let's get rid of the Green Button because we don't want people to use Media Center". I think it's far, far more likely that someone said "Why are we paying for a button that the vast majority of XBox users will next use and don't care about?".

Sometimes form just follows function.

[lithium630]

I think it was purposely left off as Microsoft distances themselves from Media Center.

I seriously doubt that anyone at MS ever said "Let's get rid of the Green Button because we don't want people to use Media Center". I think it's far, far more likely that someone said "Why are we paying for a button that the vast majority of XBox users will next use and don't care about?".

Sometimes form just follows function.

I don't agree. My guess is Microsoft thought "This is an Xbox remote, not a Media Center remote".

[mdavej]

Also be aware that some add-ons like Relaunch make use of TGB in order to exit. The Back button isn't enough in that case. If you get a universal instead of the Xbox remote, you can put whatever functions you want on it, including TGB and any number of other commands. There are lots of better choices out there than the Xbox remote.

[foxwood]

I don't agree. My guess is Microsoft thought "This is an Xbox remote, not a Media Center remote".

Funny, that sounds suspiciously like "Why are we paying for a button that the vast majority of XBox users will next use and don't care about?" to me.

[Sammy2]

Pretty much..

[lithium630]

I don't agree. My guess is Microsoft thought "This is an Xbox remote, not a Media Center remote".

Funny, that sounds suspiciously like "Why are we paying for a button that the vast majority of XBox users will next use and don't care about?" to me.

I guess. Except you assume a different motive than I do, which was the whole point. In the end it doesn't matter. My opinion is that the new Xbox remote sucks based on my usage. Others will disagree.

[foxwood]

I guess. Except you assume a different motive than I do, which was the whole point. In the end it doesn't matter. My opinion is that the new Xbox remote sucks based on my usage. Others will disagree.

The only agenda or motive that anyone at Microsoft has about Media Center can be summed up in one word - "Whatever".

Media Center simply doesn't matter. Nobody is basing any decisions, good or bad, on how Media Cnter will be affected. You have to take a sort of paranoid point of view to think that Microsoft is doing anything to "get at" Media Ceter by deliberately doing away with the Green Button.

The bottom line is - they didn't "get rid of the Green Button". It simply never occured to anyone that they should add a Green Button that would just be in the way for the vast majority of their users.

By the way, this is probably better for us Media Center Users - Microsoft isn't going out of it's way to make Media Center go away (unlike Cisco/Linksys, for example, who effectively disabled DMA extenders for some people when they shut down some servers. Microsoft's "benign neglect" means that there is little or no growth in the Media Center space, but if MS wanted to do away with Media Center, they could shut down the Guide Updates, which would be a major blow.

[lithium630]

The bottom line is - they didn't "get rid of the Green Button". It simply never occured to anyone that they should add a Green Button that would just be in the way for the vast majority of their users.

I don't think so. I'm sure there was thought behind every button on the remote and every button left off, if not people need to be fired.

[staknhalo]

The people who made the remote knew there was a Media Center button on the last Xbox remote; they decided to scrap it because Microsoft is shifting away from Media Center and trying to make the Xbox sotware itself the all-in-one living room experience. For that goal they didn't want/need the Media Center button. If this wasn't the case they would have just re-released the last remote but in black (with the newer circular Media Center Button). The new remote was re-imagined with the Xbox-only experience in mind.

[vert18]

the universal wr7 comes preprogrammed to control wmc on the aux button...

all i had to do is program my tv to the remote and do the punch through volume..

it works great!! buttons light up too

programmed my favorite buttons to my hdmi inputs for the ceton echo as yellow, Apple TV as blue and red and green untouched...

only button it doesn't have is the geen windows button but since i wasn't using the favorite green button on the WR7 i set it up as the green win button..

this remote kicks Logitech over priced garbage remote harmony ones arse
and it was only 19 bucks

[rsa]

vert18, I don't see a "back" button. What did you do for that?

[vert18]

I haven't yet.. tho the exit on some screens works.. just not in the recorded area of wmc(echo)

guess ill have to program the exit to do so

[punyearthling]

I use the newer black XBOX 360 remote. It works well for both the Ceton and Television. You can purchase it pretty cheap from Amazon.

@pduncan1963 I just bought an Echo and I'm thinking about buying a black xbox 360 media remote too. Do all of the buttons work as expected? For example, does the "Guide" button open the guide on the Echo? Does "Menu" bring up the menu? Does "Live TV" actually open up live TV? Does the big Xbox button do anything? I don't see a stop button, is there a way to stop a show instead of just pausing it?

[punyearthling]

I did buy an Xbox Media Remote and I wanted to follow up in case others were interested. After two days with the remote, I'm happy with the purchase.
* The Guide, LiveTV, Back, Direction Pad, Channel +/-, Play/Pause, RW, FF, Next Track, Prev Track, Record, Info, Numbers all work as expected.
* The Xbox power button does turn the Ceton Echo on/off.
* The yellow Y button brings up the guide
* The TV power, INPUT, Volume +/- and Mute buttons work on the TV.
* The big silver "X" XBox button does nothing
* The blue X, green A, and red B buttons do nothing
* The "Menu" button causes a ding sound while on the main Media Center menu, but otherwise does not do anything.
* The "Last" button does nothing. (I can press the center "ok" button to go back to the last channel)
* The "DISP" button does nothing.
* I have not found a way to stop live TV other than turning off the echo using the XBox power button.

I'm using the Ceton Echo as a cable box replacement in the main floor living room. I am using it only to watch live and recorded TV. Simplicity and wife acceptance are the main criteria. This remote works out of the box and did not require me to teach my family how to use it. I hate the TV, Cable, DVD, etc. "mode" buttons on other remotes, so I was happy that this remote has the separate TV power button. It is annoying that the "Menu" button doesn't do anything, but I can live with it.

[kp4akb]

Is there a code available to clone a remote control to the Ceton Echo? I appreciate the beauty of the small remote but I need something that lights up and that is a little bigger.

Ed Rios
Columbus, OH

[Dkeyguy1]

http://www.amazon.com/Xbox-360-Universa ... dia+remote

This one does everything I ask it to

[mdavej]

Is there a code available to clone a remote control to the Ceton Echo? I appreciate the beauty of the small remote but I need something that lights up and that is a little bigger.

Ed Rios
Columbus, OH

Depends on the remote. UEI (one-for-all, cable, sat, etc.) uses DVD 1972 (21972). For other makes, just look for MCE in the code list.

IMO universals beat the heck out of Xbox remotes since they can also do macros, volume, learning, backlight, etc. And many are cheaper.

[foxwood]

IMO universals beat the heck out of Xbox remotes since they can also do macros, volume, learning, backlight, etc. And many are cheaper.

The XBox remote that Dkeyguy1 linked to controls TV volume and TV power and is backlit. It's specifically designed to control an XBox and a TV, so Macros aren't relevant, and because Extenders will respond to the same commands as the XBox, it looks like a good choice.

Most importantly, it has a stop button. The "newer version of this item", the black "Xbox 360 Media Remote", does not have a Stop button. so make sure you avoid that one.

[mdavej]

^^^
Does it turn on/off both the tv and echo (or xbox) with a single button press?