I have a Vizio E500i-B1 HDTV, a Sony STR-DH720 receiver for surround sound, a ROKU 3 streaming player, and a laptop connected to the TV.

Ideally, I would prefer a universal remote that can;

1. Turn on (or off) both the TV and the receiver with one button

-and-

2. Operate all functions of the Vizio TV input control

[Display menu of input options, scroll to select choice,
and select choice]

Additional desirable functions would be the ability to control the Receiver volume, at least, and also the ability to select the receiver's source input (TV, in most cases).

Does anyone know of a universal remote that provide all the functions listed above, or at least the first two?

Thanks for looking.....

Any universal can do those things as well as control your laptop and streamer. But one made by UEI (One-for-all, etc.) is very inexpensive and can select inputs on both the TV and receiver directly with a single discrete command (no need to pick from menus). How much are you looking to spend?

To: mdavej

That's great to hear.  I'm on a veteran's pension and social security, so "inexpensive" does sound enticing to me, but I will use this remote numerous times each day, so I would be willing to pay a few extra dollars for one that best meets my needs and is easy to handle (not too large and cumbersome for instance).

I recommend this:
[Link: amazon.com]

or this:
[Link: amazon.com]

How about 3 OARUSB04G for $18.99?

[Link: ebay.com]

Sweet! Time to stock up.

EDIT: Remotes arrived. Some are missing cables and/or code sheets, and one has a wonky battery cover. But other than that are in great shape and a steal at $6 each. They'll make fine spares.

Thanks mdavej, I appreciate the recommendations.  Ironically I had already selected the OARUSB04G as a likely candidate ....until I saw the lowest rated reviews which concerned me.  It apparently doesn't support a ROKU 3, and the documentation is alleged to be poor now (for all One 4 Alls).  I'm a novice when it comes to multi-function universal remotes, so lack of instructional documentation tends to cause me considerable concern.

                    OARUSBO4G Review comments

"An otherwise excellent product that gets ONE STAR because it's one of the worst-documented, worst-supported consumer electronic products I've ever seen. The documentation has been simplified so much that it's impossible to completely set up out of the box; same documentation references other documentation that IS NO LONGER PACKAGED WITH PRODUCT. I've seen products from overseas in poor english that have more effective documentation than that for the OARUSB04G. Advertised learning function is not documented."

"Description as capable of operating multiple components with "ONE - BUTTON" prooved to be inaccurate. Spend almost an hour on the phone with (3) different "support" personal, who admitted "this model" would require turning on/off each component separately. I still didn't believe them, but I couldn't/didn't spend the time to call another "support" person."


"Online setup is complicated and does nothing but set the brand of devices; you still have to "point and wait to turn off" as described in the minimal documentation. Online does not set up device codes (which are supplied with product but PROGRAMMING PROCEDURE UNDOCUMENTED). Tried to set up Roku; failed; called customer support, which told me (despite being on website) it's not supported. Googled a solution in "questions" on Amazon.com. Don't waste time with online setup, and don't call tech support except for the (secret, not online) complete manual."

                 Inteset 4-in-1 Review Comments

"Remote does not work with ROKU 3.  It should be stated but on the manual it states ROKU is programmed already. The build quality is nice but it does not work with ROKU 3.
The instruction not laid out with steps for each function, its terrible manual.
The Learning function instruction is a joke does a good job with the " Term Confusion"
I wasted up to 3 hours trying to get it to work with ROKU, the ROKU button or ROKU should not be mentioned."

"They make it sound easy to program; it's not. Gave up on the first step. When I tried to look up codes for components on their site (a necessary step for setting it up). There were either no codes listed at all for some of my components or a large number of them for others, each of which had to be tried by itself."

**************************************************


In summary, I may be giving far too much concern about the
negative comments, but I don't know.  I just know I'll need some good instructions a/o tech spt on how to operate this remote and that appears to be questionable factor with these two remotes. A couple of my primarily desired functions also seem to be lacking (one button on/off for multiple devices, and inability to control one of my 3 devices (ROKU 3).  Despite my (novice-like) concerns, I deeply appreciate your (and edmund's) recommendations. I'm sure both of you are quite knowledgeable on these remotes and you both recommended one of the remotes, so it must be good in many respects.

**********************************************

How about Logitech remotes?  Too pricey?  Good instructions?

Let me know what you think.

Thanks tremendously for your price find edmund.  Since you concur with mdavej on at least one, if not both, of the units I have no doubt they are good remotes, but from my novice perspective I was (perhaps too) easily discouraged by the negative reviews on both that I read which seemed to impact my particular needs and concerns.

Please read my reply to mdavej for the particulars if you have the time and l'd more than welcome any further comment(s) you may have.

Please note that I had a complete brain burp in my original post when I cited having a "Hulu" streaming player.  I have just edited the post with the correct info by stating that I have a ROKU 3 player.....it's my 71 year old gray matter that's gone a bit Hulu!

Understood. While I agree with some of the comments, Edmund and I know these remotes inside and out and can help as needed. The Inteset works fine with Roku 3 and all other Roku models. The reviewer must have inadvertently wiped the remote's memory.

The other comments are due to ignorance. We can point you to good documentation, software and procedures that the reviewers are unaware of.

Harmony remotes are great and very simple, but much more expensive. However, a decent refurbished 650 can probably be had for around $40 and meets all your needs, if you're more comfortable with that.

I suspected your reply would be very much what it is, so I just went ahead and placed an order with Amazon for the "One For All OARUSB04G".....it appealed to me from the get-go so now I'll find out if my instincts were on target.

I also hope you fellows will be around if I need any help because I'm one "babe in the woods" with universal remotes.

Thanks so much again for all your input and assistance.

I think this would be the best place to start:

[Link: hifi-remote.com]

Also it would be best to continue this in those threads since more users of this remote hang out over there, especially Tranx who is probably the biggest expert on this model.

I just now saw this reply.  I'm expecting delivery of the remote any minute now, literally, so you're link will be put to use very soon.  Thanks again....

I moved my discussion to JP1 forum

[Link: hifi-remote.com]