Directv RC23 Remote Control

Our DirecTV service came with an RC 23 remote which we use in the room where our receiver includes the Digital Video Recorder. The remote itself is rather intuitive but still somewhat frustrating and not user friendly. I always like to start at the top - so here goes:

The remote is actually labeled with black lettering in the top left corner indicating it is the RC 23. That is nice because when my toddler carries it into our bedroom I can easily tell which remote belongs in the bedroom and which belongs back in the living room.

Across the top is a sliding switch that includes four positions: 1. DirecTV Receiver 2. AV1 3. AV2 4. TV
Supposedly the remote can be programmed to control other things like a DVD player which might be designated as AV1. I tried to program it for our DVD player and while it appeared that the programming was successful, the buttons just aren't compatible or I couldn't figure out what button to use to activate particular features of the DVD player so I wound up using both remotes separately. We do have our TV programmed into this remote so we are able to adjust the volume and turn it on or off. This slider switch can be frustrating if it gets slid (perhaps by a remote-happy toddler) into a different position and you don't know it and try to use it for the satellite there will be a message on the TV screen and then you have to go through and clear that and slide the switch back.

Under the slider switch and to the left is a TV Input button - don't know what it does, never use it. In the middle is a PWR button that also goes along with a TV Power button under the slider and to the right as well as the smaller Off button under the TV Power. I rarely use the PWR switch. It seem like the TV Power turns both satellite and TV on. But sometimes things get jumbled up and I'll use the PWR. Or sometimes I use it to turn it off...I'm not really sure - this is one of those buttons that when nothing else is working and you start pushing anything, aim for this one. It is nice that the Off switch is slightly smaller than the TV Power button above it. The size distinction helps avoid confusion and accidental turn offs. Directly opposite the Off button, back on the left side is the Format button which I also don't know and never use.

Now we have the directional arrow keys. A large black rounded button is in the middle that is the Play button and includes a right pointing triangle. There are seven smaller buttons around the play button. Starting at the 7 o'clock position is the Pause button represented by two short vertical lines. At 9 o'clock is the Rewind button represented by two left facing triangles. At 11 o'clock is the jump backwards button represented by a circular arrow. The rewind can be pressed multiple times to increase the speed. The screen will show a bar with the rewind progress, a picture of the symbol and under the symbol a number representing the speed with which you are regressing. The jump back button goes back 10 seconds (I think - sometimes it seems bigger and sometimes smaller). At high noon is the Stop button represented by a square. This button can be used to stop watching a recording and return to the Play List or if pressed during a recording a confirmation message will display offering confirmation and other options in regards to stopping the recording. At 1 o'clock is the jump forward button represented by a circular arrow and which goes more forward than the jump back does. The jump forward actually displays the picture in fast forward motion whereas the jump back does not. At 3 o'clock is the Fast Forward represented by two right facing triangles. There are four fast forward speeds. If you are in a speed higher than one and want to decrease your speed you can press the rewind arrow to decrease the speed but still continue in fast forward mode. The same is true in vice versa fashion. And finally at 5 o'clock is the Record button represented by an "R" inside a yellow circle. This is the fastest way to start anything recording whether it's something that is on live at the moment or something you see coming up later in the guide.

A little bit above dead center of the remote are the control keys. These are centered around a yellow Select button that obviously selects various things depending on what mode you are in. Around the Select button is a ring divided into four piece that are directional arrows and move whatever type of cursor you have in the pointed direction. One expects these to work with volume and channel as some remotes do but that is not the case here. Across the top of this section are four oval shaped buttons: Guide brings up the guide, Active brings up an annoying slow to load DirecTV feature that is equally annoying to get out of and back to what you intended to press (I never press this button on purpose). Next is the List button which brings up the Playlist of recorded shows. And finally on the top is the Exit button which provides quick escape from things like the Guide or the Playlist. Along the bottom of this section are three more oval buttons which are Back (also can be accomplished with the left facing arrow just above it). If you were looking at the Guide, switched to live TV, and want to go back to the same spot in the Guide you can use this button. The Menu button in the center opens a variety of menus depending on what you are doing. And finally the Info button shows additional information about a show in a pop-up box towards the top of the screen. Under these buttons are four colored buttons, red, green, yellow, and blue which do different things depending on where you are. For example, in the Guide the red button jumps back 12 hours and the green button jumps ahead 12 hours. In the Playlist the red button will begin the Delete process. DirecTV has been known to change the function of these buttons without warning.

Under the middle section are two large ovals. The one on the left is the Volume and the one on the right is the Channel and the Page button. Oddly if you are watching channel 12 and push the up button it will go to channel 13 (or the next greatest channel) but if you are in the Guide looking at channel 12 and push up it will move up to channel 9 (or the next lower channel). Apparently in the Guide it is the page and not the channel that you are directing. This is a bit confusing to the brain sometimes.

Under Volume is a small round Mute button and under Channel is a small round PREV button which allows you to flip back and forth between the last two viewed channels.

From there you have 12 keys set up like a telephone with numbers and letters. Where the asterisk would be is a Dash and where the pound sign would be is an Enter. If you type in a number to access a channel it is helpful to press Enter in order to get there faster - otherwise it takes a few seconds to make the switch.

The overall color on top of this remote is white and on back it is black with a sort of rubberized texture on back for a smooth grip. At the front there is a smoky black window to provide a place for the laser signal to escape. At the bottom is a battery compartment which I am happy to report stays very securely closed.

After two years of use all of our buttons work well but some of the letters and numbers are wearing off. Our 2 1/2 year old works the remote quite well. The first button he learned was the Volume. Unfortunately it took him a while to learn that it also went down, not just up! Now he knows the Rewind, Pause, Play, and PREV buttons. He also understands the concept of the Guide and the Info buttons. So, in spite of my occasional frustration at pushing a wrong button or DirecTV changing the functions, I truly have to say that this remote is so easy a child could use it.