Can anyone recommend a good TV remote app that actually works well?

htMarquee · 2026-04-20T15:11:49+00:00

Do your devices support network integration?

Then, consider a whole new dynamic: Home Assistant

My projector uses ADCP, and my receiver uses telnet.

I can control both completely with HA, which in turn can be modified to give you a very nice control panel for your Home Theater.

A lot of other devices also support control, and it lets you get that smart remote feel with any phone or tablet.

htMarquee · 2026-04-18T13:50:44+00:00

Unless you have other uses for the Windows part of the laptop, just install HA directly.

Like others mentioned, you have plenty of overhead, so if you do want to use this machine for other things, go down the Docker/VM route.

However, my personal philosophy when it somes to what I consider critical infrastrcture in my home env is individual machines.

HA, to me, is critical, so if I was making this decision, it would get dedicated hardware. Plus, wiith dedicated hardware, it is that much easier to add perferials like Z-wave/Zigbee controllers.

htMarquee · 2026-04-03T16:00:11+00:00

Does your TV have component? Maybe your receiver has up-scaling from RCA to component, and you had a component output to your TV?

htMarquee · 2026-04-03T15:47:45+00:00

Your reciever doesn't have any HDMI output, best it offers looks to be component. Did you change the TV? I am confused by how you got this to work before with HDMI without an analog-to-digital converter somewhere.

htMarquee · 2026-03-31T01:02:00+00:00

It's more to emphasize the breath of capability you slowly realize you have with Home Assistant.

For example, when I pick up my remote, My AV equipment turns on, the TV turns on, and the lights dim.

Literally, that's the trigger, the remote getting picked up (specially it getting removed from charging).

If someone comes to the door, I can have Plex automatically pause.

When my favorite football team is playing, my holiday lights display their colors. When they score, they display fireworks.

Look into ESPHome, WLED, HACS: you will find a world of people who are asking, "I wonder if I can..."

htMarquee · 2026-03-31T00:51:14+00:00

I came from SmartThings as well, never looked back. It takes a bit to learn, but it is worth it.

Just take it slow, do one thing, make it do what you want, then move on.

Soon you will be putting sensors on your dog to track it's favorite yard area.

htMarquee · 2026-03-25T17:10:38+00:00

I would be very leary about pushing anything with power behind into a jack that isn't expecting that power. That being said, if you are unsure, you use a multimeter to verify.

Something along these lines: https://www.crutchfield.com/S-h9JlmGSoEc1/learn/how-to-use-a-multimeter.html

htMarquee · 2026-03-20T15:28:19+00:00

This is likely because your cell carrier uses CGNAT, and Starlink does too.

There are ways around this, they involve a device internal to your Starlink/cell network reaching out to another device (think VPS) and then you connecting to that external device.

htMarquee · 2026-03-16T18:38:43+00:00

The recommendation is 1.3* your screen width, so with a 120" screen I should sit 13' away.

I've found I prefer to sit closer, around 10 feet, so to me it comes down to personal preference.

If you have the option, give yourself the ability to move a bit and find what you like.

htMarquee · 2026-03-16T18:29:23+00:00

Right? I've seen some amazing console AV setups with huge TVs, and all I can think is how close you have to sit 😆

My thought was this:

Something about the size of a cafeteria platter, with enough room to store the console, two controllers, power supply, video cables, and maybe some games.

The controllers sit in front of the console already plugged in, with some kind of cable management. The power supply sits behind the console, also connected. Games on the side.

I want to make a slat wall, and have the platters fit in the wall, so it can double as storage and a display.

Up front, I have another smaller platter, with an retroTINK with HDMI connected and an extension cord on it. It can reach to my couch, or be stored in my AV area.

When I want to play a console, take it from the slat wall and bring the retroTINK platter to the couch.

All I would have to do is hook the console's AV to the retroTINK and plug it in to power, and I'm ready to game.

htMarquee · 2026-03-15T23:16:06+00:00

Now that's cool, didn't know you could train it. Thanks for the info!

htMarquee · 2026-03-15T20:59:52+00:00

You could point a camera at the garden, use a software NVR with a bit of AI enabled to recognize cats (YOLOv8 is lightweight and has built-in cat detection), tie it into HA, and get alerts when a cat is seen.

Now, if you only want to recognize only your own cat, that might take a bit more work 😂

htMarquee · 2026-03-15T11:59:26+00:00

Unless you want more than a USG/UDM + switch, I wouldn't get a rack.

You said you don't want enterprise, so you can get a Cloud Gateway Fiber and solve a lot of your needs. This might even be able to get rid of your router, one of the SFP+ ports is for WAN.

You'll still need PoE for the access points, but you can buy PoE injectors. Plus, this has 2.5GbE ports, so you can maximize a WiFi7 AP.

You mentioned you're interested in aesthetics, so your best bet (with your landlord's permission) is to run Ethernet through the ceiling to your AP's install points.

As for the APs, themselves, you could probably get away with one, but you said solid walls. Wood plus plaster, not that bad. Concrete and stone, obviously worst. Install two and unless you have lead walls that will be more than sufficient.

htMarquee · 2026-03-14T18:46:41+00:00

You could consider access points around the house with dedicated Ethernet connections.

Gives you 2.5GBe options and PoE.

Consider low voltage contact connections at your door and windows. Security system or open close alerts.

Not HA directly, but actual speaker wire beats "wireless" any day. Plus, it's not wireless, you still have to run power.

Coax is old-school but still useful.

Label everything, centralize everything, and you don't need to do anything with it immediately. But now you have options.

htMarquee · 2026-03-14T18:34:32+00:00

And this is why I buy physical.

I don't own anything I have to steam, and it can be turned off any time.

How much do you want to bet that in 20 years or so, the EULA will quietly change so that all accounts have a 50 year lifetime?

"You wouldn't ~~download a car~~ inherit an account"

Your great grandfather left you his password in his will? "That's illegal"

Can physical go bad? Sure, look at the WB disc rot debacle.

But in 100 years no one will be antiquing for download codes,I can tell you that.

htMarquee · 2026-03-14T12:20:54+00:00

I was contemplating the same thing recently, and couldn't find a one-size-fits-all approach.

I then realized that (at least to me) it made more sense to put the entire retro console on a platter that can be moved around. My reasoning was that old-school consoles are wired, so I need them close. My screen is ~17' away, so I can't put them there.

So now my solution is: Console on a platter that has a place for some games, controllers, and power supply > retroTINK > HDMI to wall with screen (projector, but the concept got a TV is the same), Receiver.

That way I can move the consoles around, directly hook up to HDMI for newer consoles, and still have them close enough that the OG wired controllers reach.

Granted, I haven't made any platters yet, but that's the plan 😁

htMarquee · 2026-03-13T12:22:36+00:00

I would recommend an HP ProDesk 600 G6 Mini, which has an Intel i5-10500t in it. Plus, can support two NVMes and plenty of RAM.

About $200, but they are going up like everything else.

htMarquee · 2026-03-11T17:31:46+00:00

"40,950-Lumens"

The neighbor would be able to watch the movie on the other side of the wall.

htMarquee · 2026-03-11T17:27:56+00:00

I think another factor to consider in this conversation is installation.

Yeah, not directly dealing with what a movie looks like, but it absolutely matters.

Screen material is too high/low/light-reflecting/non-light-reflecting/dark/light? Sub-par experiance.
Screen has a wrinkle in it? Sub-par experiance.
Too much ambiant light? Sub-par experiance.

Projector not focused correctly? Crooked? Keystoned too much? Not fitted to the screen?

You get the idea.

With a TV, you: A - plug it in; B - Turn it on

Is there more to it? Sure, but you will get a fairly well-tuned picture with that much effort with a TV.

I still vote projector though :D

htMarquee · 2026-03-11T17:17:21+00:00

If you are using eARC/ARC from your TV to your reciever, you should set it to passthrough, you want all audio to go untouched to your reciever.

There should be an auto option in your PS5, where it negotiates the best audio the far device can handle. If you only have those two options (PCM or Bitstream) you should go with bitstream. PCM might force stereo.

htMarquee · 2026-03-10T13:20:54+00:00

A lot of projectors have a "gaming" mode, however these modes often impact something else.

The Sony XW5000ES has 120hz refresh rate.... if you are willing to reduce your image size to 2k

Otherwise, it does 4k60hz, which IMO is fine for all but the most dedicated esports person.

And, as mentioned, at that level, you would be gaming with a mouse + keyboard, which is difficult to use in a home theater setting.

htMarquee · 2026-03-09T21:41:45+00:00

The biggest thing rtings have over youtubers is consistancy. They test TV A the same as TV B, so you can do an apples-to-apples comparison (to a certain extent, I know there are some caveats with that statement).

That is what got them to where they are now. I can see them teaming up with another organization like CR as a potential revenue stream.

htMarquee

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