Parasound Halo C1 Controller manual 16USING THE MASTER AND SIDEKICK REMOTES

16USING THE MASTER AND SIDEKICK REMOTES

The Master and SideKick remote controls supplied with the C 1 Controller are programmed at the factory to operate the C 1, and the Master remote is, for testing and demonstration, pre-programmed at the factory with IR codes controlling various brands of televisions, VCRs, DVD players, and other components. However, it can also be programmed to operate virtually every other component in your home theater system. Usually, your dealer or installer will do this, but you can also do it yourself. Programming the remotes for your system requires the MX-Editor software, which includes the infrared command codes for hundreds of current and discontinued TVs, VCRs, DVD players, and so on (click

on “Program” at the top of MX-Editor window, then on “IR Database”), and a manual and tutorial (under “Help”). You can download this software from www.parasound.com/halo. The C 1 comes with the cable you need to connect the remotes to a PC’s serial port.

Most of the buttons on the Master remote, and all the buttons on the SideKick, have predeter- mined functions whose names are printed on the button face. However, the ten smaller keys flanking the Master remote’s LCD display are unprinted, because their functions change when the remote is set to a new control page; therefore, the functions you’ve selected for these buttons are shown next to them in the display.

The Main Menu Page

Pressing the MAIN button on the larger, Master, remote dis- plays a list of the components this remote has been custom- programmed to operate. The factory-default list, shown below, is typical but should be changed to match your setup.

Normally, the 10 components you use most often would appear on Page 1 of this menu; if you have others, they would appear on Page 2 (accessed by pressing the PAGE but- ton shown). The Master remote can hold very sophisticated control instructions, including sequences (macros) that include up to 20 separate commands, to simultaneously acti- vate more than one component and issue more than one command per component. The first entry on the list is for the Halo by Parasound C 1 and C 2 Controllers, both of which use the same commands. The second entry on the list is for the Halo by Parasound T 3 tuner. You can reprogram the T3 key for another tuner’s functions and model number display.

The Master Remote and the C 1 Controller

Pressing the key next to the C1/C2 listing brings up the first of three pages devoted to operat- ing the Halo Controllers. Many of the functions on these three pages are not easily available from the front panel of the C 1.