Comcast Remote: Love it? Hate it?

A. What is the difference between the gray up and down arrows and the white up and down arrows

B. What do the A, B, and C buttons do?

I have a broken remote and was trying to replace it with one that I friend gave me (he had extras). I can control the TV but not the cable box. How do I know if the remote can pair with the box I have? I have a dark silver Comcast remote that I'm trying to use with a Motorola HDTV box. I can control the TV so I know the remote works. Thanks!

Don't have any major complaints about the remote. Would like to hear more about the new remote. Will it have more than cable box, tv, ane aux? Being that it uses rf will be using rolling codes to the specific cable box so I wont be changing the channels on all the tv in my house? Ill assume it will still use ir for older tv's dvd audio etc. Will it be a learning remote. Hopfully its not computer dependent where you actually have to connect it to a computer in order to program it. Be great to see some pic of it. Would be great to see a blog on the new upcomming remote. Thanks

when you first turn tv on it is at least 5-10 minutes before you can use the remote.....won't change channels, turn up volume, anything during that time....won't even show guide .....have replaced remote and no difference....did the same thing with comcast with the dvr box I had at last address

The remotes should all be radio frequency remotes not infrared remotes. The remote for one of my boxes doesn't have a range more than 3 ft and when i press fast forward occasionally it will go 15 seconds back or when i do channel up it will bring up my recordings.

It is 2012, I know it is early, but do you know yet when closed captioning becomes easier for Motorola boxes?

Haven't had it a week and already having issues... it was working fine then when I try to input an HD channel or anything other than the local one digit channels it only takes the first number input and jumps to that channel... for instance, if I am trying to input 1003 it will see the 1 and then jump to the on demand channel... if try to input 405 it only sees the 4 and goes to that channel??? What's up with that???

My remote had been working fine until today. All of a sudden, the DVR is failing to respond to remote commands on more or less every other press of a button, even though the remote light is lighting up every time. I changed the batteries, and am getting the same result. Also, holding down a button (e.g., page down) used to repeat while held down, now I'm lucky if it produces a single response, making programming a real hassle.

Great remote. Love the design and feel. Layout is fine and the ergonomics are fine. My only criticism is that there is no back glow for the buttons in the dark.

I selected all my favorites on the remote. Is there a way to scroll these channels only? I can do it by hitting the favorite button then the page up or down but if I select a channel then try to scroll again it goes back to all channels. Hitting the favorite button and page up or down starts the scroll at the first channel again. I would like to only scroll favorite channels all the time.

Ok well I have been pleased with my remote ever since I got it, but just recently it stopped working. I have the Motorola HD box with dvr and on demand. Now whenever I press any kind of buttons on the remote, nothing happens. The lights no longer light up or anything. Is there anyway I can fix this or do I need to get a new remote?

I have 3 HD receivers located in the same vicinity. Unfortunately, their both are operated on the same frequecy. I would like to operate them independent of one-another. Please advise the most plausible solution.

i am trying to place my comcast receiver in a closet. is there a solution to allow the remote to work when the receiver is behind closed doors?

I have been extremely pleased both with the Motorola HD DVR, and the remote provided by Comcast. The last 2 months however have been an exercise in frustration. We have two DVRs and remotes to go with them. The remote in the family room has started to malfunction quite a bit recently. The keys that we use the most, Last, and the four arrow keys around and including the OK button, the volume and channel rockers, have all begun requiring more and more pressure to make them work and some won't work at all. These are intermittent, but I've noticed that this has not gotten better and has only gotten worse. Do these remotes wear out? Is there a policy/procedure for trying to get a replacement remote? Thank you all for your comments. I have enjoyed reading everyone's thoughts on the remotes. Thank you.

I have a question the remote control and the on-screen tv guide.

Recently, I replaced my analog tv with an HD tv and connected using an HDMI cable. Now, when I push the guide button and then use the page up or page down, often the tv guide will just start scrolling by incredibly fast. I am not holding the page button down. Sometimes after pressing it once this will happen. Is there some setting that can be changed to stop this?

Hate it! Buttons in wrong place - fast forward and play should be where I can use them comfortably with one hand. No 30 seconds forward button. No way to jump ahead by 15 or 30 minutes. Other video providers have both of those features.

I wish there was an easy way to toggle Closed-Captioning. That is one of my many complaints that switching their software has caused me. The only way I know to do it is:
Press Settings
Press Settings
Select "Setup" (should already be highlighted if that is the last thing you accessed on this menu)
Page Down (or move to Subtitle Setup)
Press Select
Press Left for Off, Right for On
Then press Exit.

So, thanks to Comcast, it now requires a minimum of 7 button hits to simply toggle CC. I like to use CC on non-live programming. This and the fact that PIP, which worked perfectly before their software update, doesn't work and noone at Comcast wants to acknowledge that they have taken a working feature away.

note: This is based on my Scientific Atlanta S8300HDC box.

i am having a hard time removing a favorite channel. please send directions how to remove a favorite channel.

The number pad at the bottom of my remote has stopped working. That is, I can only change stations by pressing "Guide", scrolling through and selecting the station I want from the list. Pretty slow. Am I doing something wrong, or has the number pad stopped funstioning? I used to be able to simply press the number of the station I wanted.

I have had several frustrating, lengthy calls w/Comcast about the
Scientific Atlanta hi def box not allowing CC while muting. Have received numerous answers & several failed attempts to rectify-ALL to NO AVAIL. Finally, it seems this is NOT an option after much wasted time.

Is there a quick way to toggle the closed-captioning on and off? Thx!

My gripe is the same as Dyke Cullum's, from June 19, 2010. Is there a way to set my FAV list as the default? I've wasted hundreds and hundreds of clicks on this button. Do you know of a work-around?

Monte Montgomery, Columbia Heights

How do you delete favorite channels and or the favorite channel list

My area just got upgraded to your new guide. I think you could have done a lot better! When can I pick up a button functionality guide. The remote I have from u is a joke when interfacing with the new software guide.

Send me something of value so I can operate your remote with the new guide!

Will the comcast remote work thru a wall. I have my components hidden in my closet.

While I will agree that Comcast is missing relevant codes for programming televisions, this problem is easily solved by looking on the internet. For those who don't find it "intuitive" I say, huh? You're not born expecting your remote buttons to be in certain spots, you are able to learn and adapt. Also, I have tiny hands, but I've never had to use two hands because the channel numbers are at the bottom end of the remote. I have no problem with my Comcast remote, it does what I want it to do.

I always use my universal remote because it won't work my DVD. Everything works except the "Select" button so you can play or navigate but not select anything to actually play the movie!! arrrgh! I've never seen that before.

i like the remote and now just need the code for a smasung HW-C500 AV receiver and I will be happy. searched everything online and had a chat with samsung. I want to use the remote to turn on av receiver, cable box, and tv with the all on button.

Where do you obtain the large remotes? I need to obtain one for my elderly mother.

Over the last couple of days, my remote has gotten SUPER SLOOOOOWWWW. I cannot enter a 30-digit channel as it will only respond to one or two numbers. Changing channels or looking through the guide has given me carpal tunnel syndrome from pressing so hard. HELP!! How can I fix this? I have a Moto digital cable box from Comcast. Oh, and there are brand new batteries in the remote, so it isn't that.

The current remote leaves something to be desired for longevity. this unit has been somewhat diffcult for my wife to operate. Lately the keys are very sow to respond or do not operate at all. There should be a better remote for the price we pay.

I have kind of a weird problem with my remote. It doesn't happen all the time, but it's very frustrating when it does. Sometimes, when I try to turn on the TV, and I press the "TV" button, the remote won't respond. It'll be like this for a few seconds, then the "Cable" button will flash, over and over, for another few seconds. Then the remote will work as intended. Sometimes this effect lasts for a couple minutes, sometimes only for a few seconds. Like I said, it's more annoying than anything else, but I don't know why it's doing this!

Hi Tom Harper,

The PIP feature is no longer supported. Here is a link to Comcast's Ted Hodgins, Sr. Director, Video Product Development - Navigation, in Media & Entertainment, "New Guide for Scientific Atlanta Cable Boxes" blog:

http://blog.comcast.com/2010/05/new-guide-for-scientific-atlanta-cable-boxes.html

Most of the issues that you raise have been addressed in previous posts in Ted Hodgins blog. Some have work arounds and some don't.

My mother is 87 years old and she can't see or handle the remote. She is totally frustrated and wants to cancel Comcast because she can't change channels without doing something that makes the TV go out. She needs a simple, large button remote with channel numbers, volume up and down, and maybe power and mute. There are far too many buttons on the Comcast remote that do too many things she doesn't want to do.

I just exchanged my 2 boxes with the new black ones. One is in the living room & the other in the kitchen. Both are working great right now. My only problem is that whenever both boxes are on & I try to change a channel on say the kitchen, the box in the living room will also change channel. Is there a way to prevent this from happening? Just bound 1 controller to 1 box?

my volume button doesnt work right. it will raise the volume but not lower it, i have to use the tv remote to lower it. why all of a sudden, is it not working right. the mute button doesnt work either. and yes the batteries were replaced and the codes were run thru.

Does Comcast offer a RF cable remote or not? The people on the phone have no clue what this is so I guess that Comcast does not offer one. Where my receiver is placed is not in line of site from the viewing area and it is very annoying to have to get up to change a channel or to use the guide. I am looking for a non HD digital box that has all the channels.

Does anyone else have this problem? We got a new DCX3400 recently, and the remote is a real pain. There is a delay in it when using fast forward, stop, pause etc. It is slow enough that as you are fast forwarding through commercials on the DVR, and press "stop" when you get to the program, it takes two or three seconds before it reacts.

Very annoying!

Is there any reason both of my HD receiver boxes, ON A WEEKLY BASIS, drop my favorite channels list? Sometimes it just adds and subtracts various channels to MY FAVORITES (when it does this I don't notice until I'm looking for a channel that has magically disappeared), and sometimes it drops the whole favorite list. Either way, ON A WEEKLY BASIS, i have to take about 20 minutes that I really don't have and re-build the favorite lists. I can't wait until I can get Verizon Fios!

I have two of these remotes one for a regular SA cable box and one for a DVR. They are both annoying because if you don't hold the remote absolutely still, it doesn't turn everything on. With the DVR set it is really bad because in addition to the DVR and the Toshiba TV, I also have Panasonic Surround sound. My wife is forever telling me that the TV doesn't work. I tell her to leave the remote on the table and just push the All On button. Even doing that I get calls of "the TV doesn't work". Now this isn't anything about your "10's of thousands of viewing choices" -- its just about ON and OFF. Your remotes suck!

Comcast just updated our service. I hate it. I don't like the fact that the Guide now has advertisements on it and two less lines of program listings and it is sluggish in terms of response to the remote control. And what happened to the Picture In Picture function?????!!!!! How do I get to PIP now? This is a very crucial feature during football season!!

Now neither of mine are working (out of the blue by the way). My HD TV cannot program a channel change that has more than one number. My other TV has two comtrols and the main one has a connection issue and will not turn the set on or off. I have changed batteries--Not the problem. What the Heck do I do?

The Comcast remote is a cheap, overly complex, poorly designed device.

First problem is that if I spend $2400.00 on a TV why do I have to use Comcast's nasty remote? it would be great to be able to use my TV remote to operate the Comcast cable box.
Second, The complexity and buttonitis problems... I understand the economics of utilizing as few remote control device as possible but I hate the Comcast remote's unecessary amount of buttons for my needs. There is nothing intuitive about using this remote.
And finally..... I have followed the programming instructions exactly as written and this remoote will NOT program ANY codes for ANY TV's. "Two flashes" after a four digit input? HAHAHAHAHAHA!
One more thing Comcast... I'm seriously considering DISH because you still refuse to eliminate unsubscribed channels from surfing channel to channel. I'm sure that everyone enjoys mashing a button 42 times to scroll through unsubscribed channels. And even if I could eliminate each unsubscribed channel it would take me a year to go through an inane multi-button input sequence for each unused channel.

I absolutely hate it. It is very hard to use.

Liked it just fine until it suddenly decided a few months ago that it wasn't going to control the TV volume anymore. I had to dig up the TV remote and now have to use the TV remote for volume and the Comast remote for channel changing. It also suddenly started turning on the DVD player when I turn off the TV. It's totally mixed up and I'm frustrated. :(

The new guide may have a few additional features that are nice but the ad at the bottom is very annoying. The guide is blue and the ads are redi / orange and you must scroll the ads as if they are channels. It really cheapens it. It seems that Comcast has found another way to sell ads at the expense of it customers.

I agree with the person that said the equipment is poorly designed. With the extra boxes you need to run on every TV in the house, it uses more electricity and wall plugs. Without it you get bumkiss.

is there any way to change the remote functionality so that you have to enter three digits for the channel to change? It use to be this way and then suddenly changed (likely when I had to have the DVR replaced). Now the channel changes after a few seconds if the remote is bumped or stepped on by the dog in the bed. This is an issue if I have paused a program and are not caught up, as soon as the channel changes I lose everything that was paused. This is very frustrating when there is something I want to watch and happens far to often.

There is a several second delay from the time a button is pushed and when it is registered. When this happened before the solution was to disconnect the cable for a few minutes. Did this a few times with no success. Any suggestions?

it is really difficult to imagine how a company can charge for equipment that is so poorly designed it defies belief yet they continue to re-issue the same disgusting remote when complaints are made.
before Comcast came to Houston, Time Warner's remotes functioned flawlessly. i am waiting for the day when AT&T comes to my neighborhood and I can dump Comcast's trash back on them.

Half the remote works and half does not. I can only selet #'s 1 4 7 and 8. I can only scroll down not up the last button does not work. Very frusterating to have a broken remote.

Could someone PLEASE fix the issue of the "last" button on the remote control taking you back to the first/lowest channel when in the favorites list? It is extremely inconvenient to have to repeatedly forward through your entire favorites list to get back to where you were. It looks like someone else (see Douglas, 7/17) had been told this would be fixed by mid-June, but so far, nothing. Thank you!

1) The volume up and down keys no longer work.
2) The exit key must be pushed down extremely hard in order to work (so hard that sometimes it kets stuck!)
3) The white down key doesn't work.

ALl of this makes it very frustrating for me to change the channel, especially on the "guide" page since I can't scroll down or exit the screen.

How can I get a new remote? I can't stand this any longer.

I have two cable DVRs, one of which is the HD version. I have slight problems with the remote talking to the non-HD DVR, but have significant issues with the remote talking to the HD DVR.

example: If I want to change the channel to 63, it will readily register the 6 and then change to channel 6. If I hit the 3 again, without even registering the first 3, it will go straight to channel 633. I have similar issues with significant delays in trying to pause a recording or live program. The problem has become dramatically worse over the last month.

The remote I have for my regular DVR is identical to the one I use for the HD-DVR. I have tried swapping them out, replacing the batteries, etc, none of which seems to help. This makes me wonder if the problem is with the HD DVR box, or with the interface between the remote and the HD-DVR, rather than a simple issue with the remote itself.

Regardless, this problem is a borderline deal-breaker for me, that may cause me to cancel Comcast if there is no imminent fix for it. It is extremely frustrating to take several minutes to try to change to the channel you are trying to watch and, in the process, miss the first part of the show. It is simply unacceptable.

I have the same issue. The remotes are constantly not working. Half the time they read only one digit that is put in and sometimes don't work entirely. Very frustrating when just trying to relax and watch some TV.

The comcast remote with the red ok button can not be programed for our tv. Therefore we either buy a new remote or use two remotes. Comcast seems to be unwilling to update their codes for newer tvs