I recently purchased the Sony "Dream System" and wanted to be able to control the volume of the system using my TiVo remote control. Unfortunately, using all the codes listed for Sony products has yielded no luck. A quick search of this site reveals that a lot of people have had problems getting codes for the Sony Dream System. My emails to technical support to both Sony and Hughes have yielded no help from either party -- they both claim the other should be able to give me the answer(!). Anyway, any help would be much appreciated. My only other fallback is to find a universal remote that does all the TiVo features I love so much and will also handle the Dream System. I really hate having a separate remote just to control the volume when I am watching TV. Thanks!!

Sorry, but you're out of luck, you will not find a single oem or universal remote with a code for the Sony Dream system. There a plenty of remotes with code for the tivo, but if you want a single remote to control both, you'll need a learning remote.

How incredibly annoying. I shell out money for a "Dream" system and it subsequently requires me to turn around and shell out money for a learning remote if I want to have only one remote in my hand while I watch TV. Thanks for your prompt response, though. Seems like people are pretty friendly with information on these forums.

Any recommendations on a learning remote that could handle all my needs but not be outrageously priced?

Hmmmmm, define "outrageously priced". Is yours the 770 or 990?

Jim

I have the 770. My apologies to all the remote control aficionados on these forums, but I consider paying more than a $100 for a remote to be outrageous (and if I spend more than $50 it better be for a good reason). I basically just want a remote that can control my TV's power (Sharp), perform basic functions on my Sony Dream System 770 (volume, basic DVD functions), my VCR (Toshiba), and my Hughes TiVo box.

Again, thanks for all your help. I'm sure these forums get newbies like me all the time, and I'm thankful for your comments.

You could make a $10 remote work all your gear, see here;

[Link: hifi-remote.com]

While I admit that spending only $10 is appealing, I would rather spend a bit more and get something that works out of the box without all the work JP1 seems to take. Best Buy has an RCA RCU811 that looks decent, but I don't see any reviews on this site. I'm guessing it is similar to the RCU810. Any thoughts on this "learning" remote?

If it is just like the 810, it'll only learn about 25 commands for the whole remote. If you want a remote with enough learned memory, see the Sony VL-700, Vl-900, or my favorite the HTM MX-500.

There may not be a preprogramed code for the dream system, but there may be a an upgrade code you can loaded over the phone, if you had ofa urc-8910 or 9910?

I have just created a JP1 upgrade for Sony Dream Systems and am waiting to see if a JP1er with such a system will confirm that it works.

Assuming it does, I could pre-program a remote with this code for you. I have several to chose from, so it depends on how much you want to spend and how advanced you want the remote to be.

If you want a remote especially designed for your Tivo, you could chose the URC-6131 "PVR" remote, which is $25.

If you want a cheaper remote, the URC-6012 is $15 and the URC-8011 is $20.

The 8 device, learning URC-8811 is $25 and the RCA RCU810 is $30.

Rob
http://www.hifi-remote.com

Forgive me for my JP1 ignorance, but if you pre-programmed a remote for me would I have any way of re-programming it myself? What else would I need to buy to make that possible? My only hesitation about your offer (and thanks for offering btw) is that the remote loses memory at some point and I have no way of reprogramming it. Either that or I want to tweak the way the buttons are assigned and I have no way of doing it.

Everything we do in the JP1 world is merely utilizing the fact that the remote was designed to be upgradeable in the first place. Typically, you would mail the remote back to UEI (aka "One For All") and they would add the upgrades to the remote's memory.

The upgrades are stored in non-volatile memory, which means they will remain in place even when the batteries are removed. The only way to remove the upgrades, is to do a full "981" reset.

If you don't like the way the buttons are arranged, you can move them around yourself (except with the RCU810) using the keymover function. If you select a learning remote, you can also learn any missing functions from the Sony remote.

Rob

Robman, you got yourself a deal. I'd like the URC-6131 "PVR" remote, especially because the wife loves all the TiVO functions and really wants a remote that matches the standard TiVo remote as much as possible, while still being able to perform basic functions for our Sony Dream System 770. Let me know how to arrange payment, et cetera. You can reply to this post or send me an email.