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User reviews for the One For All URC-9800 (Home Producer 8) from One For All.
One For All URC-9800 (Home Producer 8)
RatingsReviewsMSRP (USD)
Average: 3.39/5.00
Median: 3.67/5.00
28$99
The Home Producer 8 is similar to the URC-8800 A/V Producer, but includes an RF basestation for through-the-walls control. It features a backlit keypad, macros and limited learning capabilities.
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Now viewing user reviews page 4 of 4 for
the One For All URC-9800 (Home Producer 8) remote.
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Written by Jack Sain from Mass.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-2 years.
Review 7 made on Friday April 6, 2001 at 9:44 AM.
Strengths:Macros
Weaknesses:Very short battery life!
Complex programming procedure.
Some programing lost when batteries replaced.
Low RF strength.
Review:I had to retire mine when the transmitter started sending uncommanded random IR signals, frequently changing the cable channel while recording.
Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Barry Munkasy from Georgia, USA.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 6 made on Monday March 26, 2001 at 2:25 PM.
Strengths:Setup not difficult. Instructions are clear. Has great potential.
Weaknesses:Terrible RF telemetry. No more that 30 ft. clear shot (no walls or anything) from remote to base station.
Uncomfortable placement of VCR controls. Lots of keys bunched very close together
Review:I spent a lot of time trying to decide which RF remote I wanted to get. Reading the features on this one made it my choice. Unfortunately, you cannot test out or trust the information they provide about the distance the RF transmits. The house I live in is essential old and wooden. Where I wanted to use the remote there was almost a straight shot to the base station. If I stood 29 ft. away from the base station it worked 30 ft. it did not. Unfortunately, I needed 35 ft.
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Written by Dan Gibson from NJ.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 5 made on Thursday March 15, 2001 at 1:12 PM.
Strengths:- RF
- REAL buttons
- Backlight (Nice and bright BLUE, not distracting)
- Advanced (Discrete) Codes
- Solid construction and feel
- Comfortable/Ergonomic/Easy to use
- Price: I paid <$30 on ebay

Weaknesses:- Volume punch-through only works for TV, VCR, CBL/SAT modes
- Not enough memory :(
- Can't program to shifted keys
- Macro length: 15 keys maximum
- RF is weak
- Learn codes to only 6 keys
Review:While I DO like this remote, I am a bit dissapointed. Primary complaint: NOT ENOUGH MEMORY.

My System: Denon AVR3300 reciever, Panasonic DVDA-120, Sony 35" (c.1999) TV, Yamaha CD, Go Video VCR, Motorola (Gen Inst) Digital Cable, Technics Turntable. Everything is switched through the Denon, via composite or S-video is available. Line-In on the VCR sends any source to the bedroom via coax. Naturally the RF remote was chosen to control the system from the bedroom.

The RF does not work as well as I had hoped. It only works in certain parts of my bedroom, but works fine in the kitchen (I like to rock-out while I cook). Since the remote emits RF and IR at the same time, I was concerned about using it in the living room with the RF station. I have had NO problems with the system recieving duplicate commands though. Others have reported a problem here, but I haven't seen it.

The advanced codes feature is great. Especially for macros. You can set discrete codes to functions. Non discrete toggle functions like POWER, can be replaced with discrete POWERON and POWEROFF. Also the TV/VIDEO "scroll" function on the TV can be replaced with discrete TV_TV, TV_VID1 and TV_VID2. Thus the macro for watching a DVD is TV_ON, RECV_ON, DVD_ON, TV_VID1, RECV_DVD. I can engage this macro while watching cable and it won't accidentally turn off the tv. Also some functions have codes that are not even on the original remote, like PANEL_DIMMER for my reciever.

When programming advanced codes I quickly ran out of memory. That stinks. This is a limitation that I have been able to somewhat work around though. This is the main reason it took me >5 hours to program this beast.

You can also lock the volume keys to a certain component (ie reciever), so that the reciever controls the volume regardless of what mode you are in. The only problem is that this only affects the TV, VCR and CBL/SAT modes. So when in CD mode, the volume key does nothing. This is dumb. So I used the keymover feature to copy the volume keys from the reciever to the CD. Again I ran out of memory.

The manual is weak and doesn't even touch on the capabilities of this remote. If you plan on using this or any other OFA remote, I highly recommend visiting www.hifi-remote.com/ofa for instructions and tips on how to program, etc. That site covers in detail the capabilities/limitations of the OFA remotes.

All in all, I am satisified with the 9800, but only because I only paid $30 for it. If I paid the retail, $99, I would likely take it back. Don't count on the RF capabilities to extend your system to another room.
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Written by Roger Z. Schaaf from Ca. USA.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-2 years.
Review 4 made on Tuesday February 20, 2001 at 12:02 AM.
Strengths:Push button control instead of LCD panel. Buttons are far easier to control, you don't have to look at the remote to make it do what you wish. Looking also requires both hands, one to hold it and the other to push the proper selection. Also with buttons you can control just as with touch typing. Also very good is the ability to reassign device keys(in other words do pic in pic from satellite key, or control AMP volume when in satellite mode) and also keymover(the ability to call one device another so as to give you 2 satellite positions instead of only one).
Weaknesses:Could use more than 3 macro positions(although I get by fine with them). Could use more than 6 learning keys for each device. Support for my new Sony T-60 Tivo or my Apex Dvd(which is really good for those who know the Apex story). These I have programmed using learning funtions to somewhat good success. RF remote could have more range as is somewhat unreliable from 2 rooms away. Home Producer tells me by email that they will update my remote to newer products such as Tivo if I send it to them. The problem is that it will take time and probably the hours of programming that I have put into it will be lost. I would hate to have to figure it all out again as it works so well now. Manual also does not tell you anywhere the consequences of changes batteries(ie whether you will lose all your programming effort). A call to them did not let me know either as they did not know. There website gave a long elaborate process for changing batteries including entering a number of codes. I finally just removed the 4 batteries and replaced(holding my breath) and all went well.
Review:My system is a Yamaha DSP-A1 amp, one Sony B-50 Satellite receiver and one RCA 480 Satellite Receiver(twin satellites for pic in pic support), Apex DVD, JVC Super VHS, Yamaha Tuner, and Sony 57 inch HD, wide screen TV.

I run the S-video outputs from the satellite receiver directly to S-Video inputs on TV and dolby digital outputs directly to Amp's dolby digital inputs. Of course then when I do a pic in pic swap the audio to the amp must also properly change. With the 9800, I do a macro that handles this perfectly so that I merely must hit the pic in pic button to bring up pic in pic, and then hit the correct macro button to handle the complete swap. With touchscreen remotes such as Pronto, was forced to look at screen and manually go thru several panels to make these type of swaps. Have found this remote to be very powerful and easy to use once you study the manual carefully(somethings are somewhat obtuse to figure out but well worth the effort compared to the alternative systems.) I believe there may be an alternative better remote that I have become aware of that is mainly pushbutton, but it sells for 650.00 that is probably better. I have 8 remotes for devices in my system. They are all in a drawer. My friends are amazed how well this works. The only problem is that so much is programmed in a mixture of keymover, reassigning of keys, learning effects, and pre-programmed codes, that no one besides me could ever hope to run my system using it. Contrary to what others have said on this remote or its cheaper sister, 2 buttons(home theatre and power)will completly power my entire system either up or down.

I am convinced that none of the competitors using screen panels are near as user friendly for controlling your sytem once you have this devices setup as long as your system is not overly complex. I also feel that all these folks designing these remotes should spend some time in the field with their users to find what the chickens are actually eating out here. For the most part most of them are crap such as the one that came with my Yamaha DSP-A1. The Sony T-60 Tivo remote is not bad but needs pic in pic support for Sony Tv's and would be nice if could also let you change aspect ratios on your widescreen HD TV set. With a few more buttons, some learning support, some built in codes for other device types, and RF remote such as with their satellite receivers(not as good as RCA's however) it could be a good basis for a decent remote.

Please do not comment on my spelling or grammar. I do not go back to proofread.
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Written by Gene Bruce from Dallas area.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 3 made on Thursday December 21, 2000 at 11:56 PM.
Strengths:Backlighting is well done. Easy to program.
Weaknesses:Programmable keys don't work in theatre mode, only in individual device modes. Very poor support for my dish network receiver.
Review:Having all keys reprogrammable would have made the difference in ease of use. The shift key is persistent - you have to press it again to get out of shift mode. The RF connection is rather weak.

I'm sending the product back tomorrow.
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Written by Jude Mansilla from USA.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 2 made on Monday December 18, 2000 at 1:58 AM.
Strengths:Macros are very cool -- I'm new to this scene, so please understand my enthusiasm. The gigantic size of the remote is nice -- harder to lose and nice in the hand. Backlit buttons and LCD are very bright. See brief review below for more.
Weaknesses:Buttons for PLAY, FORWARD, etc. shouldn't be located so low on the remote. Radio frequency transmitter on remote could be a bit stronger. Wired mini IR pod repeater could have longer wire. See brief review below for more.
Review:This remote is amazing. It is my first more advanced universal remote. The main purchasing point for me was the RF/IR repeater. You see, we have a very nice entertainment center (all wood). Obviously wood isn't transparent, so much of the equipment was initially not remote controllable. We actually lived like people did before remotes were invented, getting up to change the main volume control, change songs on CD player, etc. To remedy this at first I replaced one of the main wood panels on one of the doors on the front with glass. This just did NOT look as nice, but we were happy to be able to control more of the equipment. When I saw the 9800, I was thrilled. I placed the small IR pod on the inside of the wood-again door. I placed the main repeater on top of the center. The wood door is in place again, and it's sort of like being able to IR right through the wood. We're very thrilled.

Feature-wise, I'm also very pleased with the remote itself. I'm just starting to play with the macro function, creating combinations that make it easy for my wife to optimize the system for various activities with single button pushes. Very very cool.

Long story short, I'm a very happy customer so far.
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Written by Timothy Bish from USA.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-2 years.
Review 1 made on Friday October 13, 2000 at 9:32 AM.
Strengths:Easy to program
Highly customizable
Weaknesses:The R/F transmission is somewhat weak.
Review:Very nice remote, highly customizable. I've had mine for awhile now, and it doesn't have codes for my newest equipment, so I'll see how well the upgrade process is.
Quality: Features: Value:


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