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...Continued from Page 6.
The Kameleon’s other devices have two punchthrough-based options: “Volume Lock” and “Key Mover”.
The first option, Volume Lock, punches one device’s volume controls through to all others. If you always use your television or amplifier to play back sound, you can configure the remote so that the three volume keys will always operate that device. Initially, Volume Lock will have all devices operating a single device’s volume, but after setting this up it’s possible to “unlock” devices one at a time. However, it is not possible to configure multiple automatic volume locks, for instance if you want the satellite and VCR to control your television, while the CD and DVD controls your receiver.
The second and more powerful punchthrough option is Key Mover, used to remap any of the remote’s command keys. Accessed via the setup menu’s mysterious “Other” option with code 9-9-4 (see, those code numbers again), Key Mover lets you copy (or “alias”) functions to anywhere else on the remote. So, with this feature it would be possible to copy the television’s three volume buttons to the VCR device, while maintaining receiver volume control everywhere else. Where there’s a will...
Four in a row.
Wedged between the numeric keypad and the transport controls are four small keys numbered [1] through [4]: the macro buttons. These macro buttons are automatically punched through to all devices, meaning that on these keys you can store exactly four macros and no more.
Macros are very simple to record: enter the setup menu, press the “Macro” button, select one of the macro keys, and then start recording commands. Up to 15 steps may be entered, including device switching and scrolling pages (recording begins on the last page viewed before entering setup). When finished, hold the [Setup] button for four seconds to save.
A fifth system macro can be programmed to the Home Theater device’s [Power] key. This macro records and operates the same as the rest, but is only available when the Home Theater device is selected.
It is not possible to assign automatic power and input-switching macros to device buttons, nor can macros be placed anywhere other than the default keys. Macros play back relatively quickly, with 10 commands from a single device taking approximately 5 seconds to transmit. The delay time between steps cannot be adjusted, nor can extra long delays be added.
Another macro-like feature on the Kameleon 8 is “Favorite Channel Scan” (code 9-9-6). Normally when using the Television, Cable/Satellite or Aux devices, pressing the [Fav] button will send the “channel up” command every 3 seconds for up to 3 minutes or until another key is hit. This is useful for previewing channels without developing the dreaded “surfer’s thumb”.
For a single device, this feature can be expanded to scroll through a list of 10 favorite channels. Each channel number can be up to 3 digits long plus [Enter]. When triggered, the remote sends specific channel numbers for up to 3 minutes.
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