Controlling my audio receiver with the Hopper Remote

Marauderjoe

New Member
Original poster
Dec 28, 2013
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Granbury TX
I just signed up for Dish with Hopper/Joey. Former Charter Cable user.

I have a Sony Receiver that I use for the sound on my TV. The Charter setup allowed me to turn on the TV, Receiver, and DVR with one button. The Hopper is setup so that I can turn on the Hopper with the On/Off button or the Sat button. I have to push the Aux button and the On/Off button to turn on the receiver and then push the Sat button to control the Hopper. Once all this button pushing has been completed, I can control the volume with the Hopper Remote. This is truly a pain in the neck!

Is there a way to set up the remote so that the On/Off button turns both the Hopper and the Receiver on or off by pushing the On/Off button?
 
I have a Samsung sound bar, and had the same problem as you for awhile. I went back and looked at the sound bars manual and I discovered that Samsung had an Auto Power option. I configured this with the sound bar and it works flawlessly.

Other than something that is included by Sony for your receiver I do not know of anyway to do what you want from the Hopper. I did a search of these forums and found a post from April that included a Dish reps response which basically said the only way to do it is by changing modes.

https://support.dish.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=5278

I tried convincing my wife that we needed an Xbox One to control all of our components with a single voice command (The new Xbox has IR blaster capabilities that can be programmed to turn on the television and audio components).

Hopefully your receiver has this functionality. Good luck!
 
Seriously? That is what you call a pain in the butt? I myself consider myself lucky that I'm able to run all my devices with only the Dish remote. You'd be surprised how many people out there are still using 2 to 3 remotes to run all their equipment.

With the new feature Dish added a little while ago I'm now able to turn my Dish receiver and TV on just by pressing the SAT button.

Here is my routine when turning on my system:

Press AUX
Press the Power button (turns on stereo)
Press the SAT button (turns on TV and receiver)
Start watching TV
 
Obviously you are either not married or have a wife who is not "remote" challenged!

I am married and have a 4 year old boy, no issues. It's not rocket science. You explain it once and it's not hard to remember, we're talking about 3 button presses for me.

This thread reminds me of a Seinfeld episode:
(Elaine takes a drink of something.)
ELAINE: Oh god this tastes terrible.
JERRY: Did you shake it up?
ELAINE: No.
JERRY: You gotta shake it up.
ELAINE: No. I'm sick of shaking. You've got to shake everything.
(Jerry picks up the bottle and shakes it gently.)
JERRY: Yeah, that's a real nuisance. This is killing me.
 
buy a harmony remote and all your problems will be solved. that is what i did.
A hefty penalty to pay for a remote that doesn't do DVR functions particularly nimbly. I have yet to meet a Harmony remote that was laid out as logically as the conventional DISH remotes.

My remote is set up to run the TV volume because that's all most of my peeps need. I've also got a TV that doesn't force me to apologize for its sound quality so it makes a big difference.

Remember, you probably only turn on the AVR once or twice a day.
 
I too have a Sony Receiver. To turn on, I hit Aux. and power. I then just hit the Satt. Button and the TV and Hopper turn on. Not too much hassle. Even the wife can handle it. It also controls my Oppo Blu Ray very well. I also have a Harmony One Remote. I use the Hopper Remote more than the Harmony One.
 
A hefty penalty to pay for a remote that doesn't do DVR functions particularly nimbly. I have yet to meet a Harmony remote that was laid out as logically as the conventional DISH remotes.

My remote is set up to run the TV volume because that's all most of my peeps need. I've also got a TV that doesn't force me to apologize for its sound quality so it makes a big difference.

Remember, you probably only turn on the AVR once or twice a day.
Entertainment system control goes beyond turning devices on and off. It also must select inputs on one or more devices. (You may need to select the audio source on the AVR and the video source on the TV.

[EDIT] HDMI-CEC (HDMI consumer electronics control) helps integrate components and Hopper was just updated to include CEC control of an HDMI-connected TV. Hopper will turn on the TV and select the proper input when you turn the satellite on.

[EDIT] Apparently, Hopper does NOT turn off the TV though.

[EDIT] If you route HDMI through your AVR, CEC may also turn it on and off and be passed through to the TV. My Pioneer receiver passes CEC to the TV but doesn't respond properly to the CEC on command itself.

You can find used Harmony remotes for around $50. Remotes like the Harmony series focus on an "activity". That is "watch satellite" or "watch HBO". The remote hides much of the device management (turning things on, selecting inputs and tuning to a specific channel) behind a single button. The activity selection also delegates portions of the remote to the devices involved in that activity: channel and DVR buttons control the satellite receiver, volume controls the AVR, ...

Harmony remotes simplify programming as many activities are pre-programmed once you tell the PC-based setup app what devices you have. Other programmable activity-based remotes provide more functionality but require someone to write the program from scratch.

There are less expensive remotes that allow you to program keystrokes into a "macro". Macros can be used for system power and input selection. You may need as few as two macros: 1) turn everything on, select satellite on TV and AVR; 2) turn everything off. But most of these inexpensive remotes don't allow delegation to a specific device to be incorporated into a macro. For example, if the remote was controlling the DVD player and the "watch satellite" macro is executed, the remote does not automagically begin controlling the satellite receiver. This can be as frustrating as having to turn each device on manually. If nothing else, use an inexpensive remote with macro capability to turn on the devices and select inputs then fall back to the Dish remote for everything else.
 
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We have a Harmony 880 in our family room. We use it only to turn on the system and turn off the system. We use the Dish remote for channel changing and DVR functions. The Harmony is worth having for just that as far as our family is concerned. I just bought my Dad a Harmony 650 which is a bit less elaborate, but still works very well turning on and off his system, changing to the proper input and volume control.
 
Purchase a power-strip that turns devices on when TV is powered on. When the TV is turned on the amp draw turns on my Sony receiver. When TV shuts off Sony shuts off. I control everything from Dish remote with the two red buttons (DVR TV) just like you would do if you didn't have receiver. Wife has no problem. Only problem I have is if I want to use receiver without TV ie CD player or FM, which isn't very often, I still must turn the TV on. My TV has picture off setting in menu. I am hoping eventually with Dish upgrades that I can control all with HDMI-CEC. Hopper, TV, and Sony are all CEC ready but Dish will not turn on the Sony.
 
The Harmony remote, if you take a little time to set up absolutely does DVR very well, faster then the DISH remote. I push one button to get to my list of recorded programs. Or I push one button to get to today's scheduled recordings, one button to get to my EHD. Fast forward, skipping all work just as well as the Dish remote. I don't use slow motion but I can't imagine it wouldn't work on the Harmony.
It turns on any combination of my audio/video units again with one button. It knows what is on and what is off, so if I pick blue ray, it knows what comnponents are already on or off, know what needs to be on to watch blu ray, and either turns on, turns off, or does nothing as needed. When done I go back to TV with one button, again it turns on, off, or changes inputs as needed.

The buttons for fast forward or skip are very similar to the DISH remote, on mine in the middle of the remote. Pause is right there in the middle of those buttons. Right above is page skip.
 
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Yes, one fault the Dish Remote has is you have to turn off the TV and Hopper separately. No biggie for me. I use my Harmony One primarily to switch between functions by using it's touch screen. I do not like touch screens, too easy to miss a command if you have fat fingers. I also find I don't like the feel of the Harmony's slippy buttons. I put the Harmony down after I switch functions and use the Hopper's Remote. I prefer the feel of it's buttons.

I see Harmony has a new remote out. No keypad! I believe it does RF and Blutooth. But having to use that screen on it to go directly to a channel would drive me nuts.
 
Yes, one fault the Dish Remote has is you have to turn off the TV and Hopper separately. No biggie for me. I use my Harmony One primarily to switch between functions by using it's touch screen. I do not like touch screens, too easy to miss a command if you have fat fingers. I also find I don't like the feel of the Harmony's slippy buttons. I put the Harmony down after I switch functions and use the Hopper's Remote. I prefer the feel of it's buttons.

I see Harmony has a new remote out. No keypad! I believe it does RF and Blutooth. But having to use that screen on it to go directly to a channel would drive me nuts.

That's why my Harmony has a keypad..... It's so simple, it boggles the mind....
 
Believe it or not, Logitech does not have a monopoly on macros. They didn't even invent macros. They only gave them different names, like activity and sequence. An $8 universal like the RCA RCRP05B can do everything the OP asks and more than most Harmony remotes. If that's not your cup of tea, the URC WR7 is another good, cheap option. Heck, even the cable remote you may have had before you got Dish probably has Dish codes and macro capability, and that remote is free, or $3 used on ebay. There is no need to spend $50-$300 for such a basic feature.
 
Believe it or not, Logitech does not have a monopoly on macros. They didn't even invent macros. They only gave them different names, like activity and sequence. An $8 universal like the RCA RCRP05B can do everything the OP asks and more than most Harmony remotes. If that's not your cup of tea, the URC WR7 is another good, cheap option. Heck, even the cable remote you may have had before you got Dish probably has Dish codes and macro capability, and that remote is free, or $3 used on ebay. There is no need to spend $50-$300 for such a basic feature.
Macro capabilities found on basic universal remotes have some limitations:

Macros are normally limited to a few buttons. For example, the RCRP05B only has two macro buttons, plus MASTER POWER. This could be enough for very simple systems, say one or two sources, but isn't generally sufficient for complex systems. That is, in a system with a TV, DVD/Blu-Ray player, and satellite, you'd need three macros to do all the device selections.

A master power on/off button can be problematic since the same button is used to turn devices on and off. Devices can get out of sync (one on with others off). Pressing the master power button would turn the one that's on off and the others on. There's no easy way out of this situation. "Discrete" power on and power off commands avoid this problem and remotes that support them typically have separate power on and power off buttons.

Macros are not synonymous with an "activity". An activity essentially answers the question of "what do you want to do?" The common answers programmed into an activity-based remote are "watch satellite", "watch a DVD", or even "watch "HBO". When an activity button is pressed, the remote insures all devices are turned on, TV and AVR are set to the proper inputs AND the remote is delegated to control the device. I.e., "Watch Satellite" would insure the remote controls the satellite receiver; "Watch DVD" insures the remote controls the DVD player. This delegation piece is typically missing from a basic universal remote.

Most basic programmable remotes don't allow macros to be attached to the remote's buttons labeled "SAT", "DVD", etc. These buttons typically function only as delegation buttons. I consider this essential in making the remote understandable to untrained users of the entertainment system.

A simple remote such as the RCRP05B could accommodate the OP's request: MACRO 1 could turn satellite, AVR and TV on and select satellite inputs on the AVR and TV. MACRO 2 could turn all devices off. The assumption that would need to be made is the remote remains delegated to the satellite receiver.



The Dish remote provides some steps at integration. The satellite receiver can be set to display an alert if a button is pressed on the remote and its not delegated to SAT. This helps avoid frustration when the remote gets delegated to another device. HDMI-CEC helps with device on and input selection but really only works with a TV. Automagic AVR control from the Dish remote via HDMI-CEC is iffy at best. There is also no master off button.
 
Harmony Remote is the way to go. You name an event and tell it what to control. It links those together and one button again. Only way to control several things with one button.
 
Seriously? That is what you call a pain in the butt? I myself consider myself lucky that I'm able to run all my devices with only the Dish remote. You'd be surprised how many people out there are still using 2 to 3 remotes to run all their equipment.

With the new feature Dish added a little while ago I'm now able to turn my Dish receiver and TV on just by pressing the SAT button.

Here is my routine when turning on my system:

Press AUX
Press the Power button (turns on stereo)
Press the SAT button (turns on TV and receiver)
Start watching TV
Mine is pretty much the same as yours except that even though I can turn my Yamaha receiver off with the Dish remote, it will not turn it on. Volume control is no problem. My 722 remote had no problems with anything. Dish says it's Yamaha's fault and Yamaha says it's Dish's fault. What a shock.
 
Macro capabilities found on basic universal remotes have some limitations:

Macros are normally limited to a few buttons. For example, the RCRP05B only has two macro buttons, plus MASTER POWER. This could be enough for very simple systems, say one or two sources, but isn't generally sufficient for complex systems. That is, in a system with a TV, DVD/Blu-Ray player, and satellite, you'd need three macros to do all the device selections.

A master power on/off button can be problematic since the same button is used to turn devices on and off. Devices can get out of sync (one on with others off). Pressing the master power button would turn the one that's on off and the others on. There's no easy way out of this situation. "Discrete" power on and power off commands avoid this problem and remotes that support them typically have separate power on and power off buttons.

Macros are not synonymous with an "activity". An activity essentially answers the question of "what do you want to do?" The common answers programmed into an activity-based remote are "watch satellite", "watch a DVD", or even "watch "HBO". When an activity button is pressed, the remote insures all devices are turned on, TV and AVR are set to the proper inputs AND the remote is delegated to control the device. I.e., "Watch Satellite" would insure the remote controls the satellite receiver; "Watch DVD" insures the remote controls the DVD player. This delegation piece is typically missing from a basic universal remote.

Most basic programmable remotes don't allow macros to be attached to the remote's buttons labeled "SAT", "DVD", etc. These buttons typically function only as delegation buttons. I consider this essential in making the remote understandable to untrained users of the entertainment system.

A simple remote such as the RCRP05B could accommodate the OP's request: MACRO 1 could turn satellite, AVR and TV on and select satellite inputs on the AVR and TV. MACRO 2 could turn all devices off. The assumption that would need to be made is the remote remains delegated to the satellite receiver.

The Dish remote provides some steps at integration. The satellite receiver can be set to display an alert if a button is pressed on the remote and its not delegated to SAT. This helps avoid frustration when the remote gets delegated to another device. HDMI-CEC helps with device on and input selection but really only works with a TV. Automagic AVR control from the Dish remote via HDMI-CEC is iffy at best. There is also no master off button.
The RCA I mentioned is a very cheap remote but is not a simple remote. Nearly everything you said is true for simple universal remotes but incorrect for the RCA. While the RCA has 2 buttons labeled Macro, it can actually do 2 macros per button on any button except master power and the device select keys. That's hundreds of places for macros. Plus it can do global macros, device specific macros and has two multi-macro buttons (the ones labeled Macro). Plus, just like any JP1 remote, you can easily program discrete power and input codes on the RCA. If you program by JP1, you get 5 macros per button on any button. (FYI, a global macro runs in every device mode, so no requirement to stay in SAT mode to run it; a device specific macro only runs in the current device mode; a multi-macro runs a different macro with each button press).

I call your delegation functionality key group mapping. The RCA accomplishes this with key moves, volume lock and channel lock. If you program it via JP1, there are commands for key group mapping for transport keys, menu keys, number keys, vol/chan keys, etc.

I have all my "activity" macros on the device keys, i.e., a short press of SAT is my Watch Satellite activity and a long press is SAT device mode. This activity does discrete power for my TV, SAT and receiver, discrete inputs for my TV and receiver, maps vol to the receiver, and other keys to SAT, except TV input. A long press of the Master Power button I have programmed to send discrete off to all devices. I also have some state tracking bits for my devices that lack discrete power. My macros are exactly equivalent to harmony activities except that I have complete control over the steps without being locked in to what the programming wizard does.

I currently have my RCA set to control 12 devices and have about 30 macros. It is far more capable than any harmony I've every used. It has unlimited devices (via multiplexing), unlimited macros, 5 functions per button (short press, long, double, shifted, double-shifted), nested macros, state tracking (via toad-tog), recursive macros, key group mapping, fast macros, variable delays, conditional branching, pronto hex import, custom devices and protocols, signal analysis tools, and PC programming similar to harmony. Granted I do this with Remote Master, but you can still do plenty without JP1.

And before you say, "hey wait a minute, the RCA is only 5 device, how do you get 12?", well it's 8 device internally plus unlimited devices if you set up the device multiplexer (an extension that switched device codes on the fly). That's how I do 12. I could do hundreds if I wanted.

In any case, out of the box, the RCA can easily do what the OP asks, including discretes for bullet-proof macros and use keymoves and vol lock for key group mapping. With the addition of a JP1 cable, he can do even more than a harmony can do. That's why I recommended that specific model of JP1 remote rather than GE, Sony, Philips, etc., which are pretty worthless, but could still do a few simple macros and limited key group mapping.
 
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