How To Program Your Direct TV Remote

Contemporary remote controls have become quite complex. In the old days, it used to be that a remote control was a simple electronic device- one power button, a volume up and down button, channel selections and perhaps a mute control. Remote controls today have become more universal, programming the user's television, satellite receiver, VCR, DVD player, stereo and any other part of the user's home entertainment system.
The problem arises when the viewer is not able to understand the options on the remote control and it becomes useless. DirecTv's remote control can be simply understood if these directions are followed. DirecTV incorporates specific features and special options. A four-position slide switch for easy component selection , code library for popular video and stereo components, code search to help program control of older or discontinued components and memory protection to ensure that the user will not have to reprogram the remote when the batteries are replaced.
1. The user chooses the Device
The first thing the user is required to do is choose which device is desired for programming. Most remotes have separate buttons that correspond to the various devices:
SAT - controls the satellite receiver
TV - controls the television set
VCR - controls the VCR
AUX - controls one of several additional units, such as a home stereo
The user presses the button of the device to program until the corresponding light on the remote control begins to flash.
2. The user finds the Code
Once the device desired for programming is chosen, the appropriate code for the particular unit is needed.
Codes for most manufacturers and brands can be found in the back of the remote control user manual. Satellite subscribers can also typically go online to their provider's website and if all else fails, contact the manufacturer of your remote to get the necessary codes.
3. Program the Device
Using the keypad on the remote control, enter the number that's listed first for the device. When this is finished, enter the appropriate key to indicate completion of input. For some remotes, this might be the asterisk (*) while other remotes might use the pound key (#). The mode light on the remote control will flash again and, if the code was correct, the device can now be controlled with the remote control. The user should test the results by turning the power on and off. Does it work? If so, the device is now programmed.
There is no cause for alarm if the code doesn't work the first time.
Remotes come with several codes for the various device brands. If the first code doesn't work, start over using the next code and the next and the next until the right one is discovered and the device is programmed.
What if the device isn't listed at all? Look through the list for "general" codes. If those codes are not found, then try scanning for the device. The user manual should have specific advice for devices without a listed code.
Written by David Johnson

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Channels Through Satellite TV on the Web

Have you just moved from the city to a country house with no satellite TV connection? Or maybe you're a university student stuck in a dorm or shared flat without a satellite dish and you're stuck with just 5 regular channels. If you're a sports fan in a home without your regular live update channels or a soap opera fanatic without reruns then life can become incredibly tedious, but you do have a choice. You could spend a few hundred dollars to buy your own satellite TV setup and pay the monthly fees on all of your favorite channels or you could simply pay a one off payment and download the latest entertainment package, satellite TV for PC software. So what is this? As long as you have a relatively good internet connection you can have completely free access to over 3000+ channels from around the globe, including all the major sports, movie and news channels for your viewing pleasure.But how is this possible? Well the developers have taken advantage of a loop hole in the system, so you'll never have to pay a monthly subscription fee to receive all that exclusive viewing and best of all it is completely legal.
Advantages of a Satellite TV for PC software - If you're reading this then you've probably had a standard satellite TV connection of your own at some point in the past, you'll also know that these connections require setting up and the occasional maintenance. A regular satellite TV package will set you back a few hundred dollars and that's not including the price of your monthly channel subscriptions. This is where a PC satellite TV connection benefits you the most, there are no additional extras included or a hefty monthly fee; all you need to pay is a one off price for the software and you'll get thousands of major channels broadcasted to your desktop.
Just think about it your regular satellite TV connection gives you a selection of about 600 – 800 different channels, many of which are plain rubbish; the PC alternative gives you all your favorite channels as well as local and cable channels from 78 different countries.
The great thing about using a PC as your viewing platform is the extra flexibility that it gives you, for example you could easily set it up to record your favorite movie, which could then be burnt onto DVD for your own personal viewing later on. Also if you're not a fan of viewing programs on the computer screen, simply connect the graphics card out to your TV's video in port; this can be done using a standard video connector. When searching for the best satellite TV to PC software type a good tip is to pick those that offer high definition video streaming, this means that the picture will be closer to DVD quality than any of the others.
IF you're thinking of switching to the new satellite TV for PC then it will pay to do a little research before settling on one brand. As with all other popular products there are several rogue traders out their who are selling low quality satellite TV for PC software types, you don't want to start the program only to find that all the channels are spoken in a language that you don't understand. Search for customer testimonials and user reviews, weighing up the good and bad comments.
Conclusion - With things being the way they are more people are looking to cut costs in terms of leisure activities, the satellite TV for PC software appears to offer a service that is the same as and in some ways better than the traditional satellite TV packages. Currently you are legally allowed to purchase and download this software and use it to access thousands of paid for channels from around the world for a very low cost, but who knows whether this will change once the large networks catch wind of what is going on.

Submitted By: Robert Kokoska - Isnare Articles

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Sharp flat-panel TVs

SEATTLE – If you're in the market for a new flat-panel TV, it's a good time to buy.
TV prices usually drop from year to year, and the decline will be sharp this season thanks to a supply glut. Consumers have been holding out all year for better deals, leaving lots of unsold televisions on the shelves. Prices for high-definition LCD TVs will fall more than twice as fast as they have so far this year as manufacturers and retailers clear out inventory, analysts predict.
New sets will also be cheaper because TV makers have been getting great deals on the most expensive parts, the glass LCD panels.
However, DisplaySearch analyst Paul Gagnon expects prices for those components to level off early next year, so discounts won't be this steep again until the holidays next year, or even later.
For the consumer, that means that if you pull the trigger on a new set in the next few months, you probably won't be kicking yourself next year for not waiting a little longer.
The law of supply and demand is at work here:
• A TV-buying spree in late 2009 led to component shortages, which kept prices high in early 2010. That discouraged consumers.
• Makers of LCD panels invested profits from last year's buying spree in more manufacturing capacity. Thinking 2010 would be as strong as 2009, they flooded the market. But the economy didn't improve as expected.
• As a result, there's an oversupply of panels, and prices started dropping over the summer. That means cheaper sets should be making their way to stores now.
Already, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has slashed prices for some older models. Among the deals: a 32-inch Vizio set that went to $298 from $348. Amazon.com Inc. and Best Buy Co. are starting to advertise deals, too.
Some of the best deals this season will be on 32-inch LCD TVs, the most popular size. They will sell for rock-bottom rates of $300 or less, compared with about $400 last year. That's because manufacturers are selling raw panels of that size for only slightly more than the cost of making them — $160 to $170 each, far less than the $210 to $220 they fetched earlier this year.
Prices for 40-inch and 42-inch sets will drop about 20 percent, approaching $500, said Gagnon, the DisplaySearch analyst.
Deep price cuts also are coming for higher-end models, including LCD TVs with LED backlights, which use less energy than regular sets and can be thinner or provide improved picture quality. Manufacturers have increased production capacity for parts specific to LED sets; that will drive down prices for components and, ultimately, the TVs themselves.
Overall, good deals will be 15 percent to 20 percent lower than holiday 2009 prices for regular LCD TVs. The price drop had been slimmer at 7 percent earlier this year, Gagnon says, and the decline should return to the single digits by spring.
Of course, the longer a buyer waits, the lower the prices go. But that has to be weighed against the value of having a new TV. If a 32-inch set turns out to be $20 cheaper next summer, the buyer could have gotten six months of better TV for $20.
"In this industry you always know that in the future, you will buy new technology at a lower price. That's not the point," said Sweta Dash, an analyst at iSuppli Corp. "Especially this holiday, the price you will see is very good."

By JESSICA MINTZ, AP Technology

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