Windows – Cheap/simple way to turn TV on/off using computer and/or Windows Meda Center remote

htpcpowerremote controlwindows-media-center

I have a Windows Media Center HTPC, and it's great. I'm trying to rid myself of one last minor inconvenience, though. The only thing I need my TV remote for on a day-to-day basis is to turn the TV on/off. Everything else I can do from my WMC remote. Is there anything I can do to get it off my coffee table that doesn't involve a Logitech Harmony or similar? It seems kind of silly to buy a universal remote just to power one device on/off.

I'd prefer something a bit more elegant than duct-taping a TV-B-Gone to the bottom of my WMC remote (which is sadly the best idea I've thought of so far).

Any ideas?

Best Answer

You can program some of the buttons (TV power and volume) on your microsoft media center remote (Assuming that's what you have)...

  1. Put the Media Center remote into learning mode by holding down the “Ok” button and the “DVD Menu” button at the same time. Once the lights have gone out, you are in learning mode.

  2. Press the button the Media Center remote (TV Power or volume) that you would like to program. The light on the remote will flash once.

  3. While holding the two remotes so that their IR nodes are facing each other, press the button from the other remote for which you would like the Media Center remote to learn. If the operation is successful the lights on the Media Center Remote will flash twice. If it wasn’t successful then they will flash four times.

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