Messed Up Remotes

Messed Up Remotes: a reader asks…

I’ve paired a new Samsung flat-screen TV with my Verizon set top box but now I can’t get those Smart TV options to appear on my screen for Netflix, Amazon etc. There’s no button on the Verizon remote that will make those options appear on the TV, and the TV remote no longer works to bring them up either. Can you help?

The short answer is that your Verizon remote doesn’t have the capability to deal with the Smart TV options, you’ll have to use the Samsung remote for those. If your Samsung TV remote isn’t working, it probably needs new batteries. If that’s not the case (and you’re using it correctly otherwise), then it might be defective and you can likely get Samsung to replace it. Read on for the longer take on this.

Let me first make some general statements about remotes and then we’ll zero in on your issues. TV & FIOS TV remotes use infrared light to communicate with the devices, and almost always need direct line-of-sight in order to work reliably. So think of your remote as a gun, you have to aim it at the sensor for your device if you want to make sure the button you push has the desired effect. On your Samsung TV, that sensor is usually at the bottom on the right-side of the TV. Your Verizon set-top box has a sensor on the front of it. If those two devices aren’t near each other, you may have to point the remote at each in turn, to get them to ‘see’ the commands coming from your remote button-pushing.

Second, some new Samsung Smart TVs come with a fancy, multi-function remote that has TV controls on one side, and a full-function keyboard on the other. What’s not clear is which end of the remote to point at the TV (or set-top-box). The answer is that if you look at the side of the remote with the TV controls, there’s a red power button at the top – that’s the end that has the infrared beam. If you’re using the remote and not pointing that end at the TV, you might not get any response.

Now to your two issues – let me take the last one first. If your Samsung remote isn’t working, most likely it’s due to needing new batteries (assuming you’re pointing it correctly). Also, check that you installed the batteries correctly – if you put them in wrong, not only will your remote not work, but you might also damage it. If that’s the case, you can get a replacement online from SamsungParts.com, as well as other online retailers.

When you programmed your Verizon remote to work with the TV, that didn’t change any settings on the TV nor on the Samsung remote. So ‘pairing’ your Verizon remote with the TV won’t have any effect on your Samsung remote’s ability to communicate with the TV.

As to the Verizon remote’s buttons, the programming codes generally set the remote to only control volume and power (with the rest of the buttons being used for the set-top box control). There may be a few common TV functions that can be done with the Verizon remote (by first pressing the TV button and then another button). You can experiment to see what functions exist. But Verizon’s remote is not a “Universal” remote by any stretch of the imagination. After all, there are dozens of brands of televisions and hundreds of different models of TV. It isn’t possible to craft a usable remote control that can handle all the possible combinations of functions since the different brands (companies) don’t have to follow the exact same communication protocols. I think we’re lucky they do for the most common things (like volume control & power).

There are more universal remotes that would work better with your Samsung TV. Some of the Logitech Harmony series of remotes can be programmed to control Smart TV functions, such as the pricy Harmony Elite ($350), or the more economical Harmony 650 remote ($80). These remotes can be programmed using a software application you install on your computer. With a Harmony Hub (part of the higher-priced options), you can even use an app on your smartphone to control everything.

You can buy these remotes at big-box stores like Best Buy or H.H. Gregg, or at the place you bought your Samsung TV. I’ll leave it to you to judge whether it’s worth the money and hassle to be able to use a single remote to control all your devices. Personally, I’ve found it simpler to just use the Smart TV remote when I need it, and forego a universal remote control if you only have those two devices. A universal remote becomes that much more worthwhile when you have a lot of components – like a home theatre setup, check out my article Many Remotes.