Replacing the horrid Apple Remote

Channels Apple TV
#1

I'm personally using the remote that came with my Samsung Smart TV. It looks very similar to this:
image

Finally! Easy navigation within Channels by programming the directional pad and DVR controls with AppleTV. As stated on this forum a few times, any universal remote can work...find what works best for you. But the experience for the wife and I is much easier using the features on the remotes that already came with our TV that have better ergonomics in your hands.

Just thought I would pass along my experience

#2

I'm using this GE universal remote with my Apple TV 4K.
$9 apiece on Amazon and it works great. I bought three of them.
I love the Apple TV 4k but can't stand the ridiculously twitchy remote that comes with it.
And I'm tired of listening to the wife complain about it. Best nine bucks I've ever spent. It has restored sanity to the family room tv.
http://a.co/d/1kUSrf3

#3

Thanks! I just ordered it. I thought about getting this remote but hearing that someone else really likes it pushed me over the edge.

The problem with my Samsung remote is if I ever need to go into the TV menu, the TV and AppleTV are accepting the IR commands. This remote should solve that problem.

#4

If the Samsung remote has multiple device profiles, just pick one that's not otherwise in use, and that has the buttons you need, and use those buttons to set up the ATV.

For our FTV and Android TV devices I used a Replay TV profile on our Home Theater Master MX-500 remotes, since there was no chance we'd ever have one of those.

The only thing you have to watch out for is punch-through or the lack thereof. I.e.: If the device you choose doesn't have number buttons, the TV's number buttons may sent when that device is selected (that's punch-through). Conversely: If the device profile you choose has a volume control, you may lose both that and mute while that device is selected, because the TV's volume and mute won't be punched-through.

(That wasn't a problem with our universal remotes, because they have configurable, selective punch-through from any device to any device.)

#5

In our house the GE remote replaced three remotes: Samsung TV, Apple TV 4K and a Sony sound system.
The GE remote comes preprogrammed to work with many Samsung Tv's, so that was a bonus. The programming setup for my Apple TV and Sony sound system was pretty easy and just took a few minutes.
The device buttons in the first row are mapped:
tv - Samsung TV
cbl - Apple TV 4K
aux - Sony sound

My wife, who is a technophobe and hates this stuff, quickly understood that the GE is actually three remotes in one, and that she needs to select the correct device button to control the device she wants to manipulate.
I also explained that just as in the Apple TV remote, the Menu button on the GE remote would be better labeled and thought of as "return or go back one step" when the cbl device button (Apple TV) is selected.