Forcing one box to get along with the other via one way communication and control interfaces like IR will always lead to kludge.

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Perhaps the most novel non-gaming function of the tablet-esque controller is its IR-based universal remote control ability -- the GamePad can be used to control your HDTV (well, "most" HDTVs) in some basic, but very important, ways.

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Additionally, we spotted an option to "Control TV", which could indicate some sort of IR-blaster functionality that could allow for direct TV control within the Snapstick environment, but for now the button didn't do anything.

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It uses IR, Bluetooth or RF (to the Hub) to control up to 15 devices, and is programmed using Logitech's software for PCs that pulls settings from a database of 225, 000 home entertainment products.

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The only trouble we initially ran into was that our original no-frills Freeview box wasn't listed on SlingPlayer's IR code database, and since the SlingBox couldn't be trained using our own remote control, we had to procure a compatible Freeview box.

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Samsung Smart Remote, powered by Peel, utilizes the built-in IR emitter in the GALAXY Note 10.1 to transform the device into a sophisticated universal remote control that can control an entire home entertainment system and even recommend programs.

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