hate the peanut remote

[silvermang]

I just bought a series 2 dt unit. I hate the peanut remote that comes with it. When I hold it by its waist, where it is supposed to be held, I can't reach the Tivo, TV Power, Live TV buttons, etc, with my thumb, and, I can't reach the number pad either. This just seems like the worst remote control design I have ever seen. Am I missing something?

[rdrrepair]

I just bought a series 2 dt unit. I hate the peanut remote that comes with it... This just seems like the worst remote control design I have ever seen. Am I missing something?You'll get use to it. My kids have been able to use the remote since 3&5 yrs of age.

The remote is so easy to use you'll never have to turn on the light - Just give it a little time and you'll be singing it's praises.

[msaeger]

I like it but I did like the series one remote that was slightly shorter better. I mostly use the D pad, volume, tivo, ff/rw, pause, and 30 sec skip. I never use the number pad. I haven't really seen many remotes that you can reach all the buttons on without changing your hand position.

[supasta]

I didn't like the remote at first either, so I was using my Sony touchscreen remote to control the TiVo. Now, a year later, I love the TiVo Peanut. It is the only remote I use.

[Double-Tap]

Missing? Battery door comes off easily and gets lost. Small gripe but you asked. I tend to use a few buttons and can feel my way around them in the dark. My opinion is any remote that makes you move it forward in your hand to reach another button (happy TiVo guy), has room for design improvements. Unless you have a looooong thumb, that is. Give me the old Sony series 1 TiVo remote design and now you're talking. It seems you live with the peanut or find a TiVo-friendly universal remote to replace it.

[dianebrat]

If you feel the current peanut is too big, the old series 1 peanut is a full inch shorter, you may want to try it

[ZeoTiVo]

I just bought a series 2 dt unit. I hate the peanut remote that comes with it. When I hold it by its waist, where it is supposed to be held, I can't reach the Tivo, TV Power, Live TV buttons, etc, with my thumb, and, I can't reach the number pad either. This just seems like the worst remote control design I have ever seen. Am I missing something?
the thought in the design is that you end up watching pre-recorded shows out of now playing after you have the TiVo a while and build up a list in now playing. Then the buttons you will use most often are right there at the waist.

It sounds like you still do a bit of live TV watching right now

[captain_video]

There is no such thing as the perfect remote. The Tivo peanut is a simple ergonomic design that fits well in your hand and has a nice feel to it. The buttons are easy to detect by feel and it's simple to use.

Unfortunately, it has limited functionality when used as a universal remote, which takes it out of contention for use in most home theater setups that have numerous components. A programmable universal remote with lots of memory takes the place of my Tivo peanuts, most of which are still sealed in plastic since they day they were packed up in the factory box.

[StuffOfInterest]

Having just moved from a Series1 (Sony) to a Series2 I'm having some issues with the new remote as well. I find that there are a lot of things I could do one handed on the old remote that have to be done two handed with the new one. Guess I just probably try just using the old remote with the new box. The thing is that most of the paint and button labeling has worn off the remote to the point that I'm working from memory!

Should post a picture of this poor remote some day.

[pkscout]

I just bought a series 2 dt unit. I hate the peanut remote that comes with it. When I hold it by its waist, where it is supposed to be held, I can't reach the Tivo, TV Power, Live TV buttons, etc, with my thumb, and, I can't reach the number pad either. This just seems like the worst remote control design I have ever seen. Am I missing something?

BLASPHEMER!!!! I smote you. :D

[ZeoTiVo]

There is no such thing as the perfect remote. The Tivo peanut is a simple ergonomic design that fits well in your hand and has a nice feel to it. The buttons are easy to detect by feel and it's simple to use.
I do see some of the OP's point. We watch "So you think You can Dance" and I sometimes have to look down and use the second hand to mute the annoying sounding female judge that always sits in the middle. :eek:


Plus you are right for multiple components the Peanut remote does not have the capability. I see a lot of them up for sale on ebay. have you tried the new learning remote that comes with the S3?

[freeze12]

I Myself do not like the series 2 remote either: Why the heck is the.. "Enter" or "flashback" button all the way at the bottom of the remote as I like to go back & forth between channels. ... Jusy My rant :down: :mad:

[moviewatcha]

the peanut remote is the worst

[ZeoTiVo]

I Myself do not like the series 2 remote either: Why the heck is the.. "Enter" or "flashback" button all the way at the bottom of the remote as I like to go back & forth between channels. ... Jusy My rant :down: :mad:
get a DT and tune the two channels then use Live Tv button to go back and forth while keeping a buffer on each. I do that the few times a year I watch Live TV that is ;)

[drumorgan]

I know what you mean. My thumb get tired having to move that extra inch down to the other keys. I heard that back in the 20th century, they had to get up out of the chair and hit pause and rewind on the actual Tivo itself.

edit: I just read that they didn't have Tivo yet. I guess they had to get up off the couch to switch to the HD channels from the SD ones and....

edit: never mind. The more I read about those days, it looks like they were probably too busy waiting in a gas line to watch much cable television.


Seriously, though,
I like the peanut shape, because, even if my hand has to move, I know just by feel where my thumb should be. Anybody remember the one minute that Apple came out with a completely round mouse? Uh, yeah, you had no idea which way was up. The peanut has just become like riding a bicycle for me, I don't have to look for any buttons. Not the ones I use anyway. Who is changing channels? What is that? I have no idea what channels the shows I watch are on, nor do I know what time or day they come on. I do know how to spell their titles and how to find them in a wish list, and how to use my 'now playing' to watch everything I need.

[marrone]

I do like the series 1 peanut better. Slightly smaller. Felt better made too...slightly heavier.

The new one just feels slightly junkier.

-Mike

[alansplace]

i bought a both a harmony 628 and a harmony 880 and i hate (tried them out for months) using either of them (they've both been retired to a drawer in my bed table), but i love my peanut.
--
Alan :D

[classicsat]

The only downside with the Peanut is its flexibility with other devices, like universals are, even the crappy universals. Which is which I have a rather good universal in my HT room (a One For All URC-8910).

I do use the peanut in my living room/office though,as there is little other equipment to control.

[billboard_NE]

Having just moved from a Series1 (Sony) to a Series2 I'm having some issues with the new remote as well. I find that there are a lot of things I could do one handed on the old remote that have to be done two handed with the new one. Guess I just probably try just using the old remote with the new box. The thing is that most of the paint and button labeling has worn off the remote to the point that I'm working from memory!

Should post a picture of this poor remote some day.


I also went from the Sony 2000 remote to the peanut remote. I didn't like it at first, but know I am fine with it. Stick with it, you will get used to it.

[megory]

I agree. I don't like the peanut. And the only remote that I ever loved was the Sony TiVo remote. It was perfect for me.

However, the regular TiVo peanut doesn't work according to my logic.

Oh well. I had to figure it out and get used to it (well, I'm still working on that) because it isn't gonna change. I will.

Ya can get used to anything, it just takes time.

Good luck with it.

[Expat]

The Peanut sucks :p

The Sony Series 1 remote is king :up: :up:

Having switched to S2 units I just can't bring myself to use the peanut, so I got a 1forall and reprogrammed some of the buttons to better match the Sony.

Been happy since :D

However my wife loves the peanut, so we have His & Hers :cool:

[wierdo]

The peanut is good, but not until you learn how to easily slide your hand up or down it to put your thumb into the appropriate position to use the set of buttons you need at the time.

That said, I prefer to use my Harmony, but that's only because that keeps me from having to mess with a bunch of other remotes. ;)

[rlc1]

Blasphemer! How dare you speak against the peanut! :)

Seriously, I don't think you'll find it to be a long-term annoyance. You're generally not going to use those buttons at the top a lot during a particular tv-watching session. The buttons that are closer to the 'waist' of the remote, as you called it, are the ones that you'll use a lot - pause, rewind, play, etc. Every other remote I own, I have to always look at it to see the buttons before I press them. With the peanut, I can just remember where all of the most commonly-used buttons are by feel alone. But maybe that's just cause I watch too much TV...

[matthewwhite]

the glo remote is the best. i like the extra weight and backlight.

my right thumb controls all...

[TiVotion]

It's all subjective.

The TiVo remote is actually far easier to use and more logical than the remotes I've seen with my cable boxes or televisions. I can work the thing in the dark and I know the buttons by feel. I've never had the battery door come off, not once.

Not sure what's so difficult about it.

[Jonathan_S]

The DirecTV TiVo remote has some drawbacks, specifically the tv power button is located right under the skip-back button and right over the '1' button. So I keep turning off my TV by accident.

I should pick up a standard TiVo peanut and just use it instead. At least they have power positioned out of the way.

But I really, really like the old Sony TiVo remote and was tempted to mod it to be programable and use it to control my S2 DTiVo. (Until the Sony remote died.)

[pdgraham]

The thing I hate about the peanut remote is that it slides off everything.. and of you lay it down on the buttons the channel button gets pressed...

It would have been better if it was flat like every other TV clicker...

[d_anders]

This must be the remote "bitch" thread. I love the remote. It's the best basic remote I've ever had. Is it universal, no. Is it very practical to use for everyday tivo/tv viewing, yes. Everyone here complaining is in the minority....most like it. Will some not like it, sure. For those few compelled to complain about it, they're here in a 20-30 count post thread.

[dianebrat]

The thing I hate about the peanut remote is that it slides off everything.. and of you lay it down on the buttons the channel button gets pressed...

*chuckle* I solved that easily, I lay it face down on the buttons (and for those interested, no, the buttons don't press and wear out the batteries) and boy are those rubber buttons grippy!

Diane

[DocNo]

What is always amusing to me is, among the things you can complain about on Tivo, the remote is the easiest to replace!

There are literally hundreds of universal remotes out there that you can switch to. Me, I love the peanut. A friend has the abomination known as the sony - I can't stand that remote!

I've also never had a problem with telling one end of the peanut from another - the d-pad and number pads are kind of dead giveaways :p To each his/her own I suppose. I hear Logitec makes some nice Harmony universal remotes.

[tBfree]

I to loved the old Sony remote and after over a year using the peanut still don't like it. I have gotten as used to it as possible but it just doesn't fit in the hand right and it takes two hands for many things.

Having all the Tivo buttons at the bottom makes the most sense to me but I haven't found a universal one that has that, that is the biggest problem, no choice.

I also considered moding my Sony remotes but decided I couldn't pull it off myself.

It seems like anyone who loved the Sony remote hates the peanut. Like some have said it's all subjective, but I do agree with the original post. It's always funny when people try to convince others to like what they like, or worse (not so funny) put them down for not agreeing with their opinion.

To each their own.

cheers!

[megory]

It seems like anyone who loved the Sony remote hates the peanut. Like some have said it's all subjective, but I do agree with the original post. It's always funny when people try to convince others to like what they like, or worse (not so funny) put them down for not agreeing with their opinion. Hear! Hear!

Diverse opinions and tastes make the world go 'round.

De gustibus non est disputandum! (only sharing <vbg>!)

[simonkodousek]

If you don't like the peanut remote, try the one that comes with my cable box! It is about 10 inches long and has sharp edges and an awful feel to it.

[jmoak]

I just bought a series 2 dt unit. I hate the peanut remote that comes with it. When I hold it by its waist, where it is supposed to be held, I can't reach the Tivo, TV Power, Live TV buttons, etc, with my thumb, and, I can't reach the number pad either. This just seems like the worst remote control design I have ever seen. Am I missing something?Maybe I can help,

When you hold it by the "waist", your middle fingers and the heel of your thumb should be resting on either side of the widest part of the bottom section of the remote and your thumb should land comfortably on the pause, play, rewind, fastforward, jump-back and skip-forward buttons, and to a lesser extent (it's a wee stretch to reach it) the select button.

While holding the peanut by the "waist", tilt the peanut up and let it slide just a little back in the palm of your hand just to the point where the directional (arrow) pad is right under your thumb (the heel of your thumb and your middle fingers should be resting on either side of the narrowest part of the of the remote). Due to the peanut shape it's easy for it to just "fall" into place. From this position you should be able to easily reach the directional pad and the select, guide, live tv, info, tv power and other buttons at the top.

While holding the peanut by the "waist", tilt the peanut down and let it slide just a little in the palm of your hand just to the point where the number pad is right under your thumb (the heel of your index finger and your middle fingers should be resting on either side of the widest part of the of the bottom of the remote). Again, due to the peanut shape it's easy for it to just "fall" into place. From this position you should be able to easily reach all the buttons at the bottom of the remote.

This all came naturally to me the first time I picked up a peanut, but I'm also know to like peanut butter with bananas at times!;)

Give this a shot and tell us what you think. It's worked well for me for years now and I can hit it all in the dark. The rounded shape fits perfectly in my hand. Plain-jane flat remotes aggravate the heck outta me now!

I hope it works out well for you but in the worst case, there are some great aftermarket remotes out there that'll work great with a tivo. Folks just rave about the Harmony series, although they tend to be kinda expensive.

Whichever remote you use, I hope you enjoy your tivo!

[nms91]

I love it to be honest. Just hold it up a little higher.

[megory]

I'm really glad that the majority of people love their TiVo Peanuts since that's what we get.

But for those of us who do not (despite all the energetic attempts to try to see the error of our ways <g>), I'm curious if there is any universal remote with the setup we (well, at least I) love?

I like the numbers at the top. I like the thumbs, TiVo guy etc. in the middle.

I like the volume control and channel change on the bottom. Here's a photo of one on eBay (I can't figure out how to post photos): Sony Tivo Remote (http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-RM-Y809-Tivo-Remote-Sat-T60-RMY809_W0QQitemZ230156965035QQihZ013QQcategoryZ15065QQssPage NameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)

Anyway, I have learned to live with the peanut because I must. But, despite all the convincing posts <g> I still prefer the Sony TiVo setup.

If anyone knows of any universal remote with a similar setup that will work/run TiVos, or if anyone knows how to change the Sony Tivo remote to run all the Tivos PLEASE let us -- this small community of peanut-resistant users -- know.

Gracias.

[Jedi4141]

BLASPHEMER!!!! I smote you. :D

I concur Mr. pkscout, Tivo peanut is untouchable by harsh words. :) :) :)

[Jonathan_S]

If anyone knows of any universal remote with a similar setup that will work/run TiVos, or if anyone knows how to change the Sony Tivo remote to run all the Tivos PLEASE let us -- this small community of peanut-resistant users -- know.

Gracias.
Here is a an old thread here on how to modify the Sony remote into a programmable JP1 universal remote (http://archive.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=101136)http://www.tivocommunity.com/tivo-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=101136). (I'd considered doing this before my remote broke)

That should be a good starting point.

[megory]

WoW! That looks real good! Thanks for posting the link!