Which button on the Samsung remote is the Apple TV Button?
Can you use two of these on the same Apple TV? My wife and I sit across the room from one another. We like to each have our own remotes.
Of course. If you set it up with IR codes, the Apple TV has no idea which is which. And if you're doing BT, the Apple TV will just have multiple devices paired, just as you can use a remote and a game pad in tandem.
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The Channel Master will control any APTV no programing the only programing is done for the volume control and mute unless you have a Samsung tv those two work as is out of the box.. you can use 2 remotes at the same time.
Except we also use our current MX-500 universal remotes to control:
- Yamaha receiver
- Denon CD player
- Sony BD/DVD player
- LG TV
- ChannelMaster DVR+
- X-10 IR interface
Plus the Sofabaton has a number keypad, which the CM remote does not.
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That's why I use the Harmony companion for my main. Kitchen gets the channel Master guest room Panasonic TV remote utilizes all on apple tv and Master bedroom Insignia Fire TV remote will handle the Apple TV just fine.
Forwarding channel master , sounds like a cool remote. I took a look at it but it doesn’t seem to have the capability to do macros or even better yet activities like of the harmony remotes do.
Just controles the Apple TV and the sound on the TV set.
So the "TV" button also controls PiP, pulls up video feeds for HomeKit alerts, etc. This Channel Master has this functionality? My Harmony can do the Home button, but I can't find an IR equivalent for the "TV" button on any remote.
I’ve got everything working on my harmony 650, except the damm TV/HOME button in case I want to bring up the app switcher using my harmony. I don’t want to invest in a harmony hub at this point. Usually I have to grab my iPhone or iPad and get the control panel on the phone up and bring up the Apple virtual remote to get a TV button I can use. Just wish Apple would expose the TV button for Ir learning. So close, but yet so far,, alternatively, if they just exposed the Apple TV remote more fully in shortcuts, you could use Siri to get into the app switcher.
Yes, the Channel Master remote has this command in IR.
So invest in the $25 Channel Master (even temporarily) and teach this command to your Harmony 650. That's what others have done and I'm doing the same. Maybe we should get a community remote that we can pass along from user to user so everyone can can teach their beloved 650 (or whatever IR remote they hope to hold on to) this essential tvOS command? 
I like the community remote idea so that we can all teach our old 650s the Apple TV button. Lol
Anyone else remember, back in the day, when we could manually add a discreet IR command via Pronto HEX code, using the Harmony Remote desktop software? http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-harmony/thread.cgi?2490
LOL - the site "Visualize Infared" site is still live: http://members.harmonyremote.com/EasyZapper/Infrared/ShowInfrared.asp
Anyone else remember when Logitech wanted to charge $$ for each HEX command they'd add to your account for you? https://www.avsforum.com/threads/logitech-policy-change-for-adding-pronto-hex-codes.1381959/
This code is so important though. Logitech should have added it a long time ago. Now that we know it's possible it'd be great if they added it now... but we all know that's unlikely. Such a long and twisted history these remotes have had. Sheesh. Maybe sharing a community remote for teaching this one elusive command isn't such a bad idea
I bought a channel master today on Amazon to see if this magic IR code actually works, and if I can learn it into my harmony remote. I’m just amazed that Apple already has a mechanism to assign the other buttons using IR and left off the ability to do the same with the elusive TV button.
Maybe a separate thread, entitled "ChannelMaster <whatever> Remote," where all the wonders of this remote could be discussed, would be better than a thread entitled "Sofabaton?"
Just sayin'...
And maybe @tmm1 or @maddox could move the CM-specific content out of this thread into that thread?
good suggestion jseymour,
But I decided to change the title of this thread for obvious reasons. It has evolved, but there are useful tidbits here that should not be separated. The crux of the matter is how to get the Apple TV “home/tv” button working with as few remotes as possible, preferably using our existing IR devices. Of course bluetooth enabled devices (ie sofabaton) are great if you have them. I just happen, like I’m sure many others) have several harmony 650 series remotes and would like to keep using them. It seems a shame to have to purchase a channel master remote, and learn the magic IR code into an existing 650, and then put the channel master into a drawer ( or maybe return it to xmyxon). It also is a shame that Apple just can’t expose that button in their learning menu page right on the Apple TV settings under “other remotes”, and then ANY IR remote could operate the Apple TV “home/tv” button. One person called one of my my comments a rant. If it offends someone that many of us are sick of drawers of obsolete dongles from Apple, obsolete remotes from tv manufacturers and basement and attics with electronic junk waste than fine, call it a rant , but please be respectful and kind. We only want to share knowledge here and make the world a better less wasteful place.
That works, too
BTDT. Only, in our case, it's Home Theater Master MX-500 remotes. But they're slowly dying, one-by-one. It's time to move on. Thus: Sofabaton. (Your Harmony remotes are a lot newer, though.)
BTDT, too. Twice.
That didn't make sense to me, either.
Another approach which could work is if Apple would expose via Siri Shortcuts a “double click” tv button and long press tv button, to invoke the app switcher or control panel. Then you could do it using a Siri voice command.
Already have a shortcut I use all the time for toggling close caption on channels. Works awesome.
Did you ever get the Channel Master remote? Did it have that "TV" button command as others have mentioned? I would hate to buy it just for that, but if it actually worked, I'd try it!