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...Continued from Page 5.
Codes taught extremely quickly and reliably, but it wasn’t long before I ran out of testing space – after 24 commands, to be exact.
Unfortunately, UEI and by extension One For All, have not placed much emphasis on infrared learning capabilities. Although UEI made much ado about the feature when it was first implemented, discovering that there was only enough memory for a couple of dozen learned commands in total was a disappointment, especially when many competing models could store literally hundreds of codes without breaking a sweat.
The Kameleon 8 does not break this trend, with the manual cautioning that “learning capacity is approximately 16 to 25 keys” (some manufacturers use longer codes than others, thus the variance in learning space). Barely enough for half a device!
Changing from standards...
The Kameleon 8’s rather extensive preprogrammed code list includes audio amplifiers, audio receivers, cable boxes, CD players, DVD players, DVD/VCR combos, home automation devices, PVRs, satellite receivers, satellite/PVR combos, televisions, TV/DVD combos, TV/VCR combos, VCRs and miscellaneous video accessories. That’s a lot! But in spite of everything, what if something in your home theater still isn’t covered?
As we’ve already seen, the code learning process isn’t able to teach an entire device’s worth of commands. In light of this, One For All has yet another option: the Kameleon features a small audio coupler modem that can be used to nearly instantaneously add new preprogrammed codes. In some situations, even codes that are impossible to learn can be added to the remote’s database over the phone.
So, if your programming crisis occurs Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern time, simply call the toll number and describe your situation. If an updated code is available for your component, it can be downloaded through your wired phone’s handset – no cables or software required. The manual implies this feature as being time unlimited, so as long as there’s someone at One For All answering the phone, they’ll try to get your remote working!
Is the “upgrade” feature unique? Yes. Useful? Without a doubt. But it is not a viable replacement for true learning capabilities, but is something that should be offered hand-in-hand... especially when you want to finish programming the remote on weekends or after hours!
Home Theater Mode & Punchthroughs
Although the Kameleon 8 is an 8-device remote, One For All has thoughtfully included a special 9th device mode that merges the functionality from several other devices into one. So, whenever the “Home Theater” device is selected, the remote’s operation is divided into four separate areas that can each control a different piece of equipment: playback (all transport controls), channels (keypad, channel up/down and 3 others), menu (5-way menu cursor and 6 others), plus volume (volume up/down and mute).
Setting up the Home Theater mode is quite intuitive: select “Theater” from the Setup Menu and the remote displays the first cluster of buttons. Simply pick the device at the top of the screen that you’d like to have control those buttons. The remote repeats this for another three categories... and that’s it!
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