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User reviews for the One For All URC-10820 from One For All.
Ratings
Reviews
MSRP (USD)
Average: 4.33/5.00 Median: 4.33/5.00
2
$23.96
The URC10820 is a 10-device remote control supporting infrared learning, macros and code upgradability. It also features Home Theater mode, 10 favorite channels and a Master Power key.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 6-12 months.
Review 2 made on Tuesday April 24, 2007 at 9:35 AM.
Also owned:
URC-9910RF Harmony 659 RCA RCU1000B
Strengths:
Price Buttons spread out because of a wider remote.
Weaknesses:
No backlight If you need additional codes, remote has to be mailed in for upgrade. NO over the phone upgrading! Only a single LED. Makes it very hard to program and easy to forget where you are in the process.
Review:
Can't beat the price, but the unit has no backlight and if your codes aren't included, the remote has to sent back to them for upgrading!
Since there isn't a display, it makes programming harder since you don't know where you are in the program process if you get interupted.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 3-6 months.
Review 1 made on Saturday January 21, 2006 at 9:03 PM.
Strengths:
Inexpensive. Easy to set up. Vast library of preset device codes. Large learning memory. Ergonomic, one hand use.
Weaknesses:
No LCD display. No backlight. No IR. No JP1. No RF.
Review:
I'm a long term user and fan of One For All remote controls, dating back over 10 years and 5 generations of product lines. OFA has been in the remote business since 1987, and is responsible for many of the remote control innovations we all take for granted in this remote control everything age. They currently have 4 product lines; Value, Mainstream, Premium Learning, and Kamelon. In addition, they provide original equipment remotes for many electronics manufacturers, cable, and DBS companies around the world.
The URC 10820 is the latest top of the line remote in the Premium Learning line from OFA. It has all of the capabilities and features of prior OFA Premium Learning remotes, two major improvements, and one significant change that I'll discuss later.
The OFA approach is to provide a remote with a large built in library of device codes, with learning capability for device codes not in the library. Previous OFA's had a relatively limited learning capability. If your system required different device capability, an added feature was the ability to send your remote to OFA, where they would delete some of the unused device codes in the library and add codes for the specific devices you needed. This freed up the learning memory for other uses.
One of the reasons the OFA Premium Learning line has been so popular with advanced users, was the capability to completely reprogram the remotes at their most basic level, using a PC program called JP1. JP1 is a freeware program available on the Internet. Using a special 6 pin connector found in the battery compartment, the remote is connected to the PC via serial communication. The JP1 program can learn IR commands and create a custom library for your specific devices, in effect eliminating the learning memory limitation and providing the ability to totally customize the remote. There's a lot more to JP1 than my brief description, for details see www.hifi-remote.com/forums
Unfortunately, the 10820 is not JP1 compatible. It has a different flash chip than previous OFA remotes, and is using JP1.2. Up to this point JP1.2 is not PC accessible the way JP1 is. It's not known if JP1.2 will ever be programmable like JP1, but the best and brightest are working on it as we speak.
The 10820 has 59 button functions, arranged in groups for ease of use, with 10 device selection capability at the top of the remote. Each button push lights up the main power button, also at the top of the remote, to provide positive feedback.
Among the standard OFA capabilities included are: - Learning. Ability to learn IR commands from other remotes. - Macros. Multiple IR commands with one button push. - Key Mover. Button functions can be moved to other buttons. - Code searching. Automatically finds device codes. - Volume lock. Volume control for one device, regardless of what device mode the remote is in. - Upgrading. Adding new devices to the existing device code library. - Non volatile memory. Maintains all programming even with battery replacement. - Advanced codes. Adding unique commands that the original remotes may not have had; e.g. discrete power on and off,
The 10820’s major improvements over previous OFA remotes are increased device code library and increased learning capability. Looking at a historical progression of OFA products in these areas, the 8 Upgradeable (URC 6050) and Cinema 7's (both learning URC 7800 and non-learning URC 7200) had 360-380 TV device codes; the 10820 has 420+. The 10820 also has a number of device categories not in existence for previous OFA remotes. Overall, the built in device code library is substantially larger than previous OFA remotes. The learning capability of the 10820 is where an even greater improvement comes into play, as the 10820 is reputed to have the ability to learn over 100 IR commands, compared to approximately 25 commands for the previous generation models.
In unscientific testing with my system, the 10820 meets or exceeds original remote distance capability. Typical maximum control capability is ~25' for direct line of sight. Using a Recoton IR repeater reduces the usable distance to ~16'.
Approximate Physical Dimensions Length 9” Width at top 2.5” Width at bottom 2” Thickness 1” Weight ~ 4-5 oz.
Retail pricing appears to be $29.95; a quick Google shows it’s available for less than $15, plus shipping.
Similar units to control fewer devices are URC 8820 (8 device) and URC 6820 (6 device), both of which are slightly smaller than the 10820.
Conclusion Quite frankly, I don’t understand the fascination with elaborate remote devices. I want something fully functional and small enough to use with one hand. I suppose for some, having the LCD screen is necessary for non-technical users but I’ve taught children how to use the basics needed to operate my 10 device A/V system, with my 10820.
For most OFA users, I believe the memory improvements in device codes and learning capability will overshadow the lack of PC programming capability. On the other hand, for the invariable tweaker, the lack of JP1 may be a deal killer.
One For All has come up with another winner, and for those of us hooked on their approach, the latest is the greatest. The value of this product simply can not be beat.
Thanks to Edmund, The Robman, and Daniel Tonks for their previous assistance.
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