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Rating: 
Summary: Versatile remote - and it really is upgradeable
Review: After considering the highly respected Unifier URC-100 by Universal Remotes (which sells for nearly $100) I decided, on a whim, to give the OneForAll 8910 a shot. I was replacing an older, simpler Sony universal remote because I'd recently purchased a Samsung Home Theater unit (DVD/Tuner/Receiver/SurroundSound) and I knew I'd need a new universal remote to have any chance of success with this new breed of component.
First lesson - the "learning" function of the 8910 remote really does work, and is very simple to use. The LCD screen at the top makes all the difference - it walks you through the process and lets you know exactly what's happening. No guesswork involved. So, even though there was no code included with the remote for my new Samsung Home Theater Unit, I was easily able to "learn" the most important functions. The catch is that the remote can only hold about 25 commands total in its "learned" memory - so you're not going to "learn" all the buttons from several remotes.
Second lesson - the "upgrade" system really works! I was dubious, but I called the OneForAll customer support number early one morning, and the phone was answered so quickly I thought I'd dialed a wrong number. A very friendly and capable service agent immediately looked up my Samsung unit, had me type in a code and my remote reponsed with an error message. So he said, "Right, I'll have to upgrade you. Please hold the back of the remote to the speaker on your telephone headset." There's a modem microphone hidden behind the plastic, and after playing modem tones for about 10 seconds, the remote's screen blinked "success" and instantly the appropriate code for my Home Theater System was accepted. Worked perfectly. Almost like magic (and this was actually over a cell-phone). I've heard other stories of remotes needing to be mailed in for the upgrade, but this is a 5-minute, over the phone system that really works. The database is constantly updated (my Samsung unit is very new to the market, and they already had it programmed) so you can call and "upgrade" your remote each time you get a new component.
As for my older components (RCA TV, Toshiba VCR, etc) the pre-installed codes worked fine. The macro functions and volume-lock features work as well as any other universal remote I've encountered.
But there's even more...
Third lesson - This remote has a JP-1 connector! If you're so inclined, you can order a special cable for about $15 and download software that will let you completely program and customize this remote using your Windows PC. Program any command to any button. Thanks to the "learning" feature, you can input a command from a component's original remote, then map that command to any button, or download command sets made by other users off the internet specifically for your device. This means that even unusual units such as home security systems or wireless home-network media centers can be controlled fully - not just STOP and POWER ON. (I've just finished setting up my 8910 to work with a Netgear MP101 Media Player.) All this programming is direct to the unit's main memory, not using the "learned" memory space, and thus overcoming the 25-learned-button restriction. Granted, it requires a little work and the software isn't easy, but that's the wonderful thing about this remote: It will work out of the box for most devices, can be easily "upgraded" over the phone by OneForAll, and if you really want, it can be completely customized by programming and downloading command schemes from your PC.
These are features I never imagined would be available in a $35 remote. Not to mention the fact that the buttons are quite well laid out, the backlight is crisp and clear, and while it is large, it's comfortable to hold.
I've gone from being dubious to being astonished at how powerful this unit is.
Rating: 
Summary: Only upgradeable if you can get through to customer support
Review: I bought this remote to consolidate 4 other remotes and use to control 3 devices for 'home theater' usage. Unfortunately, the brand new remote did not have the proper code for my 2 year old home theater receiver. OneForAll sent me the required code via email, but when I tried to enter it into my brand new remote, it said 'Not Found'. According to my email, that means I need to 'upgrade' the remote by calling their (long distance) customer support number.
The customer support number is only staffed during business hours (EST), so if you have a normal day job, you have to call it from work. Their customer service number does not appear to be able to put you on hold so you can be serviced when its your turn. Instead, you get a busy signal whenever you call during business hours. I've been trying for many days without ever getting anything other than the busy signal. I would say that while the remote might be capable of being upgraded via its internal modem, in fact you can't upgrade it because you won't be able to ever get through to customer service on the phone.
The remote itself is OK, I guess, although I haven't had much occasion to use it. It's rather large & heavy, but it has a lot of buttons so it has to be large.
Bottom line -- be ready to return it if it doesn't work with your equipment, because upgrading it is very difficult, if not impossible.
Rating:
Summary: excellent product
Review: I bought this to replace a remote for a sony xbr which had died. The factory codes that came with the book worked for most of the functions except picture in picture, I emailed the company and they send me instructions to enable this functionality on the new remote. I now have all the functions from my old remote and the added advatage to control 7 other devices around the house. Looks like I have to get more electonics. ;)
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money!
Review: I bought this URC 8910 remote control becuase my old remote (a One For All Cinema 7) was never able to operate my Sony STR-K740P stereo receiver and would not operate my new Toshiba D-VR3SU DVD Recorder/VCR (it did work with my old Philips/Magnavox DVD player). Of the three items which I needed the URC 8910 to control (the two mentioned above and a Toshiba 20AF42 TV), the remote was only able to operate the TV.
I tried every code listed in the manual for the other two devices, and not one of the codes worked. I then tried the remote's code search ability, without any luck. Finally I called customer service to get the unit upgraded over the phone. It took five days just to get through to customer service (due to a "higher volume of customer service calls than usual"), and once I was able to actually talk to someone, the unit could not be upgraded over the phone. Two different customer service reps tried the upgrade process 5 or 6 times each, it failed every time.
Finally, the second rep told me that the upgrade process very often will not work over a cordless phone, and that it never works over a digital phone system, a phone system with DSL, or a filtered phone line. I have a 5.8GHz cordless phone using Digital phone service, so the upgrade process apparently will not work. She did thoughtfully suggest that I could pump coins into a pay phone for the 30 minutes or so (don't forget that you will pay for the time that you are on hold waiting for someone to answer) long distance phone call that each previous upgrade attempt took.
So my advice is do not waste your money on this remote control if you have relatively recent equipment which will not respond to any of the built in codes, and if you do not have an old fashioned, non-digital, corded phone with which to upgrade the unit. It may be perfectly fine otherwise, but in my case at least it was a complete waste of money.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT REMOTE!!
Review: I did some research and read lots of different reviews. I did not want to spend $100 for a URC. I have had RCA in the past and they never work and are very hard to configure. I got this remote with the hopes of easy setup with lots of functions and it delivered! With in minutes I had both TVs (used AUX for seceond TV), DVD, VCR and receiver programmed. Then took another other hour to re-map key and learn the few function this did not have, eg. up and down channel on the PNP. Highly recommend this remote for the price and functionality it is an excellent value.
Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT REMOTE!!
Review: I did some research and read lots of different reviews. I did not want to spend $100 for a URC. I have had RCA in the past and they never work and are very hard to configure. I got this remote with the hopes of easy setup with lots of functions and it delivered! With in minutes I had both TVs (used AUX for seceond TV), DVD, VCR and receiver programmed. Then took another other hour to re-map key and learn the few function this did not have, eg. up and down channel on the PNP. Highly recommend this remote for the price and functionality it is an excellent value.
Rating:
Summary: Awesome features, controls everything!
Review: I finally found a remote that controls all of my stuff. Previous remotes that I had only controlled 3 devices. This has room to spare. It worked with my scientific atlanta digital cable box, my sony dvd and tv, my sharp vcr. The learning function allows you to teach the remote any buttons that don't work when you first program it. You just put it in learn mode and select a button to use, then point the original remote at the one for all and hold the button you want to teach it. It worked a few times for me, no problems. Using Macro's was great. My wife complained that it took 4 buttons to switch from my cable input to my dvd input. I programmed this remote to do all 4 entry's with the push of one button. So far it's great. I've had it for 1 week. If I have any problems, I'll add another review, but this was well worth the 40 bucks to get rid of 4 other remotes. (Even my sony tv remote wouldn't control my sony DVD).
Rating:
Summary: Awesome features, controls everything!
Review: I finally found a remote that controls all of my stuff. Previous remotes that I had only controlled 3 devices. This has room to spare. It worked with my scientific atlanta digital cable box, my sony dvd and tv, my sharp vcr. The learning function allows you to teach the remote any buttons that don't work when you first program it. You just put it in learn mode and select a button to use, then point the original remote at the one for all and hold the button you want to teach it. It worked a few times for me, no problems. Using Macro's was great. My wife complained that it took 4 buttons to switch from my cable input to my dvd input. I programmed this remote to do all 4 entry's with the push of one button. So far it's great. I've had it for 1 week. If I have any problems, I'll add another review, but this was well worth the 40 bucks to get rid of 4 other remotes. (Even my sony tv remote wouldn't control my sony DVD).
Rating:
Summary: Perfect Universal Remote
Review: Let me start by saying that I NEVER write these reviews. I was so impressed by this thing that I felt compelled...Just bought one a few hours ago. I have everything programmed in to it already and it is working great! It is VERY easy to setup! The learning functions allow me to make the remote work with some of my older components which is awesome. Personally, I prefer the feel of this remote to those membrane switch, LCD remotes that are out there. It just provides a nice tactile feel. There are a few negatives but they are very minor and should not detract most from purchasing this product: 1) The codes provided do not seem to match the functionality of the original remotes in all cases. All of the most important functions are mapped, but if you have a favorite function that is a little less common, be prepared to use the learning function. 2) Its got a BIG footprint. There are a lot of buttons to reach which can be a minor distraction. 3) All of the buttons set aside for learned functions are at the bottom and ergonomically speaking, they are a little tougher to get to. BUT ON THE PLUS SIDE: 1) Backlight feature is awesome. It can be set to turn on whenever a button is pushed. It is bright and very helpful! 2) Its got a BIG footprint. You are going to have a hard time losing this bad boy. 3) In most cases you can re-program keys that are pre-programmed using the learning function (i.e. you want to change the volume on the TV rather than the cable box. You can program the cable mode volume control to change the volume on the TV instead without having to switch between component modes to do so. Great product!! If you are looking for a great universal remote at any price, I would get this product!
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