I recently decided I wanted to use my Media Center remote in the bedroom where I just have a TV and an Xbox 360. This sounded like a pretty fool-proof plan. All I needed the remote to do was turn off the TV and control the volume on the TV. If you have a model of Media Center remote that has the TV power button on it, this remote can be programmed to control a TV (not all Media Center remotes have this functionality). If you want to look at the manual for the remote, click here.

Well I quickly found out that my task wasn’t going to be as easy as originally planned. No matter what I did, I coudln’t get the thing to work with my 27" Samsung LCD TV. The power button wouldn’t work and neither would the volume buttons even though I got confirmation from the remote that it did learn the commands from my Samsung remote. I tried this for 20 minutes on a few different occasions and gave up on it numerous times. Then, the other night I was determined to finally figure it out. I was successful but I’m ashamed that I didn’t think of something so simple quicker.

As it turns out…the BATTERIES DIDN’T HAVE ENOUGH JUICE. The remote worked fine with my Media Center PC but when it came time to program it, the juice in the batteries just wasn’t enough. So, I decided to try and replace the batteries and VOILA…worked like a charm. So if you’ve been struggling to program your remote as well, be sure to change those batteries to some brand new ones before trying again.

In case you’re looking for the programming instructions for the remote and don’t feel like looking through the manual, here they are:

Using the Remote Control Learning Functionality

The TV, VOL +, and VOL - buttons on the remote control for Media Center PC can "learn" IR commands from other remote controls. This feature lets you use the TV button to turn on your TV and the VOL + and VOL - buttons to adjust the volume on your TV or another device, such as an audio receiver.

Notes

  • By default, the VOL + and VOL - buttons on the remote control for Media Center PC control the system volume on your computer, and the TV button has no command assigned to it until it "learns" one.
  • Do not perform this procedure in bright natural or artificial light.

To program buttons on the remote control by using the learning feature

  1. MAKE SURE BATTERIES ARE NEW OR HAVE BEEN RECENTLY REPLACED (I added this one)
  2. Place the remote control for Media Center PC head to head (2 to 3 inches apart) with the remote control from which it is learning.
  3. On the remote control for Media Center PC, press and hold the DVD MENU and OK buttons at the same time until the remote control lights turn off (2 seconds).
  4. On the remote control for Media Center PC, press and release the TV, VOL +, or VOL - button, depending on which command you want it to learn. The remote control for Media Center PC lights blink once to confirm the selection.
  5. On the remote control that is teaching the command, press and hold the button (I found that mine worked better when I just pressed it rather than holding it) that you want the corresponding button on the remote control for Media Center PC to learn. The remote control for Media Center PC lights blink twice to confirm the selection. If the remote did not learn the command, the lights blink quickly four times. To try again, repeat steps 1 through 4.
  6. Repeat steps 1 through 4 for the other buttons that can learn commands.

To restore the default remote control settings

  1. Press and hold the DVD MENU button and LEFT navigation button at the same time until the remote control for Media Center PC lights turn off.
  2. Press the OK button.
  3. The remote control for Media Center PC lights blink twice to confirm that the buttons have been reset. The TV button will have no command assigned to it and the VOL + and VOL - buttons will adjust the Media Center PC volume.
  4. If the default settings were not restored, the lights blink quickly four times. To try again, repeat steps 1 and 2.