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Buffalo IR/Samsung Frustration

post #1 of 11
2/15/13 at 10:52am
Thread Starter 
Hey guys,

I was hoping someone could give me some recommendations on my specific set up. I have a Samsung LN52A650 television and a Buffalo IR350 kit. I have searched the forums and have tried just about everything to see if I can reduce the interference but to no avail.

I don't know if it's my room layout, wall configuration or whatever, but I just cannot get the IR to work reliably due to interference. With the TV on, the Buffalo activity light is almost completely pegged, making it almost impossible for me to get signals through. When I turn the TV office, it goes completely dark.

I've tried the painters tape trick as well as adjusting the oritentation slightly, but the eye mount hole greatly limits that At this point, I think replacing the eye with one with internal filtering is really my only option.

Can anyone recommend an eye that is compatible with the IR100 block or an entirely new kit that they've used with a Samsung TV? At this point, I think I'm open to just about anything.

Thanks!

E
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post #2 of 11
2/15/13 at 11:39am
The issue is the TV's backlight, which is CFL-based. You'll need an IR receiver that is "CFL-friendly", and those aren't cheap, and even some of the better ones don't work particularly well, either.

I'd suggest a different route by installing the "Next Generation Remote Control Extender" in your remote instead, to convert it to an RF remote to control whatever components you have at the other end of your IR repeater.

http://www.amazon.com/Next-Generation-Remote-Control-Extender/dp/B000C1Z0HA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360957141&sr=8-1&keywords=next+generation+remote+control

(and this issue in general is one of the reasons to buy LED-based based TVs going forward..)

Jeff
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post #3 of 11
2/15/13 at 11:48am
Thread Starter 
Hey Jeff,

Appreciate the advice on the CFL situation. This Next Gen remote thing looks pretty cool. The only wrinkle I can see is that I'm using a Vizio Costar remote to control everything.

Do you think this would work with a Google TV (Bluetooth) based remote?

Thanks

E
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post #4 of 11
2/15/13 at 1:02pm
That's a tough one, I don't know if the Next Gen would work with it, but my guess is probably not because of all the other stuff going on internally...

A CFL-friendly IR repeater is probably your solution.
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post #5 of 11
2/15/13 at 1:53pm
Thread Starter 
Any to recommend that you'd have had success with, especially with these Samsung TVs? I think I might just order all of it!
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post #6 of 11
2/15/13 at 4:13pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by gte619n View Post

Any to recommend that you'd have had success with, especially with these Samsung TVs? I think I might just order all of it!

I've tried a couple of the expensive Xantech models and don't have much luck with my Samsung TV, either. Note that this is not a problem unique to Samsung, but rather with all CFL-based (non-LED) LCD flat panel TVs. Plasma TVs have a similar issue.
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post #7 of 11
2/15/13 at 5:29pm
We have several of the cheapies, like your buffalo one, and a few of the samsung tv's with cfls. It took 3-4 pieces of masking tape over the sensor to get them all to work. We also had a issue with the CFL bulbs in a table lamp below the sensor in the bedroom (and with that one light on, it would cause the whole system not to work.) We changed that bulb to LED, and everything works great now. Again, more pieces of masking tape made a big difference. And our system works great now.
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post #8 of 11
2/16/13 at 11:35am
Had this exact same problem in my master bedroom with our Samsung there. It burned out a Buffalo receiver in less than a month due to the radiation it puts off (light stayed solid the whole time). Anyway, I bought this and it works like a champ. Hope it helps you.

http://www.smarthome.com/81232/Xantech-WL85-Universal-Wall-Link-IR-Receiver/p.aspx
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post #9 of 11
2/19/13 at 5:17pm
Thread Starter 
Hey guys!

Thanks for all the advice. I've placed an order for the Next Gen product and will report back about the compatibility.

I was wondering if anyone has experience with the following Xantech Product: http://www.smarthome.com/81223K/Xantech-ML85K-Plasma-LCD-LED-CFL-Proof-Designer-Micro-Link-IR-Receiver-Kit/p.aspx

I've tried the masking tape trick and it's just not working well enough for The Wife!

Thanks!

E
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post #10 of 11
2/21/13 at 10:19am
Thread Starter 
Hey guys,

To confirm, the Vizio Co-Star remote works with the Next Gen product. In fact, I think it works better than any other eye I've ever had!

I'm mildly concerned about battery life, but otherwise, just wholly impressed. Thanks for the tip, Jeff!

E
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post #11 of 11
2/21/13 at 11:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by gte619n View Post

Hey guys,

To confirm, the Vizio Co-Star remote works with the Next Gen product. In fact, I think it works better than any other eye I've ever had!

I'm mildly concerned about battery life, but otherwise, just wholly impressed. Thanks for the tip, Jeff!

E

Good to know, thanks for the update! One usage note of the NG product - the RF will stop working when the battery gets low, but all the remotes I've used with it will continue working (IR) on the same level of battery charge. The NG setup is very reliable - so when it stops working - time to charge the battery!
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