Is the a way to do commercial skipping with the Apple TV remote? I heard it should work, but can not seem to get it right.
Yep, when your timeline enters a commercial block, double click the skip button (right) and it’ll zip through the block.
Just to be clear, this only works on recordings that have been indexed. You can see them in the timeline if it’s happened.
While I love the simplicity of the apple TV remote, it can be frustrating to use. Does anyone recommend another remote to allow the skip button (double click right) easier to use, particularly for grandparents? Thanks.
I've always been a fan of Harmony remotes. The 650 felt great in the hand, and had backlit buttons for use in the dark.
I'll second a harmony remote. I also use a 650. I do notice that the 665 sells for less despite it appearing to be slightly better than the 650. Not sure why it's cheaper.
I have an RCA remote and skipping through commercials with the skip key is very erratic. Sometimes it works but often it takes 2-4 times pressing the skip key twice to get all the way through the commercial break. any ideas as to why?
It could be the timing of the IR on that remote. Handling "double clicking" in tvOS is a little sensitive. We have to actually handle the timing ourselves. We had to tweak a bit before Harmony remotes worked ok.
You could try just always clicking faster to be under the time it needs to receive the two clicks. Make sure ou don't move the remote while doing it either. It could be missing the second IR command being sent out. Or try another remote.
I know this isn't the best answer in the world, but testing on all of the remotes out there just isn't feasible. We design first for the remote that comes with the device and do our best to support universal remotes where we can.
Will a Flirc USB IR receiver work on an Apple TV? Reason I ask is I have the Flirc on our Fire TV doing single-button commskip, channel up, channel down, and previous channel. I expect I could do the same with the MiBoxes we have. But I'm thinking of doing-away with both of those for Apple TVs. Not having those buttons work would actually be a reason I would not do so.
No, you can't plug keyboards into Apple TVs. Only bluetooth.
I figured that might be the case 
Oh well, guess we'll have to stick with wonky Android and Android-derived streamers. Not gonna pay 2-3x for something with less functionality.
If you're using an IR remote, you can setup a dedicated skip button and not have to double click at all. Just go into the Apple TV remote settings and click Learn Remote
There's a learn for "commercial skip"/"next mark"?
What about channel up/down and previous channel?
There is a limited list of "media commands" which can be mapped to IR: Expanded Media Keys for IR Remotes
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