How do most cable techs program the DVR remotes? They have for example a power button and a TV button. Am I correct that the power button will turn off ALL pre-programmed devices?

For years we have left our non-DVR box on with no problem and have turned the TV on and off with the TV button. (The old Pioneer had no one button power off on it)

Considering that this DVR box will have Navigator on it, what would be your recommendations? Power off with the power button or leave the DVR on and control the remote by turning the TV on and off with the TV button.

The confusion is that the instructions say that the CABLE button must be pressed to access DVR features? So does that mean that if I set up to control my on/off button with the TV mode key, that the conventional SELECT, GUIDE, and INFO, buttons on the digital remote will not work unless you press the cable button?

Jack

The typical remote supplied by the cable company costs just a few dollars to manufacture. It is not a mid-range or high-end remote.

Some DVR remotes supplied by cable companies have a 'main' power button that will power on the DVR and one additional device, such as a TV. On other DVR remotes, you have to press the TV button first to turn on/off the TV, and then press the CABL button to control the DVR. Note I do not have experience with the specific remote issued by Time Warner, so I don't know which category your remote would fall into.

If you want a single remote to control all of your devices, you'll obviously need to buy your own remote.

I like the Harmony 720 (~$125 @ Costco). All Harmony remotes can learn IR from an existing remote, but that is largely unnecessary. Most only need to use the Windows / Mac application which guides one through device / component selection and then automatically programs your Harmony remote over USB. Through this application, you can also customize the hard buttons and the buttons on the LCD.

Click for larger image.

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/9890/harmony7201yl1.th.png (http://img524.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harmony7201yl1.png)http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/4720/harmony7202zw9.th.png (http://img524.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harmony7202zw9.png)http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/544/harmony7203cy0.th.png (http://img364.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harmony7203cy0.png)http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/5366/harmony7204nr1.th.png (http://img520.imageshack.us/my.php?image=harmony7204nr1.png)The Harmony 720 is very easy to setup and use. One button switches to the correct display input and audio input for each activity (see first image). One button turns everything off. There is no need to figure out macros, because the Harmony does all that for you -- it asks you questions such as "What video input on your TV does the Tivo use," "What audio input on your receiver does the Tivo use," etc and gives you a list of options to pick from. It then uses the answers to those questions to setup the activities. WAF is very high.

If there is a downside to the Harmony remotes, it is that the buttons are relatively small and feel cheap. They don't have the feel or responsiveness you get with higher-end remotes. If it weren't for the nice LCD screen, activity switching, and PC wizard-based setup, you'd think it was a $30 remote.

If cost is a non-issue, and you don't mind spending $250+ for a remote, you might want to consider the upcoming URC MX-810 pictured below-left. Compared to the Harmony remotes, the buttons on the MX-810 are much larger and have a far superior feel. It should be out in the next month, and is supposed to have software setup similar to the Harmony.

Click for high-resolution image.

http://img462.imageshack.us/img462/4460/mx810mx900thumbru9.jpg (http://www.triplebsoftware.com/images/MX810&MX900.jpg)
The Harmony 720 is 8.1" long by 2.1" wide. The two URC remotes pictured above are about about 8.8" long by 2.1" wide.