Philips SRP5107 / 27 Remote, Front View
We bought the Philips SRP5107/27 Universal Remote Control for a Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8300 DVR, and detail our experiences with it here.
Spent many hours playing around with this remote. Found it simple to set up and operate. The buttons have a very easy-to-press feel. Yet pressing the wrong key happens rarely. So this remote indeed works as well as hoped. Plus, it serves well as a replacement for the CLIKR-5 remote that our cable company gave us originally.
The SRP5107/27 controls up to seven devices, including the following.
That’s great, particularly since we have only three devices in our entire entertainment system. It’s always nice to have some extra room for expansion though. And the SRP5107/27 certainly provides enough slots for any devices that a budget could afford later.
These include the following.
The number keys are big enough to read easily, with their bold white print on a glossy background.
The two AA batteries lasted over a year, probably because this control has no back light to wear them out faster.
The buttons that specifically activate DVR functions have blue text labels. This distinguishes them from the rest, which are white. This is a neat feature especially for someone new to digital video recorders (DVRs).
The suite of device control keys on this remote include the following.
Philips has rearranged these keys into an ergonomically sensitive ring. The arrangement resembles the iPod Nano touch wheel. However unlike the Nano, this ring has individual buttons. We find these bigger buttons in this ring format easier to press without errors.
The battery access door comes off with little effort, but does not open unless you intentionally release it. So far, ours remained in place throughout the jolts, bumps, and drops.
Compared to the SRU4208WM/17 controller, this Philips SRP5107/27 is a later and enhanced version. This revised remote is a bit thicker with more rounded corners. This helps in gripping the unit.
We paid just $13 for this at Walmart; perhaps $10 less than the earlier SRU4208WM/17 remote some years earlier. So Philips has lowered the price a good bit with this version of their universal control.
The infrared transmitter appears about as strong as most other controllers we test. We’ve successfully operated the DVR from twelve feet with this remote. And while we do see more powerful remotes, this Philips one works well for our needs.
We like the command-learning feature here. WE worried that this learning remote did not include the LIST key, that our DVR needs to display the list of recorded programs. This specific button on the other hand, is found on the CLIKR-5. But this is not an issue however, as this remote offers instead, lots of extra keys; buttons that we do not normally use.
You can assign any of these to the LIST function by setting this remote to “watch” as you press the key to learn on the old remote. This per-key programming feature makes this remote truly universal. So with the command learning feature, I we programmed one of these available keys to emit the LIST command.
Plus, should a button fail, we can easily program its function on another key. Now that we are used to this feature, we might never again buy a multi-function universal remote that does not include command learning, except for review.
You need no device codes to program this portable remote. Why not? Because it includes a code search feature. This feature provides quick scanning through the entire library of device brands on board. Further, finding the correct codes took just over a minute. Simple stuff.
Philips added the new yellow, blue, red, and green generic function buttons that have recently appeared on state-of-the-art universal remotes. These support HD television operations. You can also program these buttons individually as well if using for nothing else. You may not need them for anything else if you’re not controlling a smart HD TV with this remote. We’ve set up two of them already, to simplify DVR control.
Challenging it is to work with this remote in the dark.
Though large enough to see fairly well, the print on the number buttons very little. It’s also less bold than we like. Not very low-vision friendly.
Our usual complaint about these remotes applies to the SRP5107WM/17 as well. It should have bigger buttons with, again, bigger print on them.
Does not include the all-on and all-off features of the CLIKR-5. So you cannot press just one button to turn on or off all the devices in your entertainment system.
Instead, this remote makes you press the button for each device you’re controlling in turn. For each, you then press the Power button to turn on each device. To avoid these extra keystrokes though, we’d love to see a single power button to turn on and off everything.
No basic setup instructions printed either on the unit’s back or on the battery compartment door. Thus, we might not be able to reprogram this device, should we misplace the manual.
The Philips SRP5107WM/17 universal remote control is nearly effortless to set up and operate. Plus, as cheap as it was, we’d certainly buy another. The SRP5107WM/17 is thus a decent and affordable universal remote. So we would rate it at 92 out of 100.
We got ours at Walmart. But numerous other larger department stores and electronic shops carry this product also. While we haven’t seen this remote in the stores for quite some time here in 2019, you may still buy it on eBay if you really want one.
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