Gadgetory

a lot of new smartphones are coming with infrared ports on them but how can you put them to good use I'm Taylor Martin this is pocket now and this is how you use the HTC One or the galaxy s4 as a remote for your home entertainment system infrared as a remote communication technology is anything but new it's been used in countless consumer electronics for over three decades and infrared was once widely used in smartphones for file transfers long before the days of iOS or Android the infamous beam function of Windows Mobile for example along came the great smartphone boom between 2007 and 2010 where I are mysteriously disappeared from high-end smartphones as newer more efficient data sharing methods and file transfer protocols were created in ER 2013 however and ir blasters are making a comeback why mainly because companies are looking to offer a great second screen experience with smartphones and tablets multimedia is no longer simply about consuming it's about sharing and using alternative devices to enhance the experience two of this year's most notable smartphones among many others come with infrared ports along the top edge the HTC One and the Samsung Galaxy s4 if you own one of these devices you may be wondering how do i set up my smartphone as a universal remote for my home entertainment system fortunately it's extremely easy provided you have the right equipment and name brands the respective applications necessary for setting up the remote function on the galaxy s4 and HTC One may be different the galaxy s4 s application is called watch on and the ones app is simply titled TV but both services are powered by peel and they operate quite similarly first you open the application on your phone where you must choose your region and enter your zip code from this information the application determines what cable or satellite providers are available in your area even if like us you do not use cable or satellite you must set up at least one service to enable the remote control function so we just picked one and breeze through if you take the time to set up your actual service provider there are some added benefits such as channel guides and additional information on your favorite television shows we did however set up netflix on the watch own application but without Google TV it serves no real function once you get past this you're ready to set up the actual remote functionality tap the remote icon in the upper-right portion of the display and watch on or the upper middle of the TV app on the one enter the name of the room and watch on or the name of the actual remote on the one next choose your television brand then you will go through a series of code tests point the phone towards your television and press the power button within the app if the button does not turn on the TV try the next code if you've chosen the correct brand and try to all the codes to no avail it's worth trying again just in case if it doesn't work make sure you're pointing the IR blaster on your phone directly at the infrared receiver on your television you may also have to do some trial and error tests the LG optimus g pro did not have official support for the dynex television in my living room so I chose a few brands at random and discovered that memorex uses similar ir codes if however the setup won't without a hitch your smartphone should now perform most of the functions your OEM remote does and you can go through the same process to set up other devices such as blu-ray players game consoles set-top boxes and more it's also worth mentioning that the remote can be quickly accessed in various ways by default the remote you used last appears in the notification shade on the HTC one with the galaxy s4 you can set up the remote to appear in the notification shade or have it show on the lock screen based on location Wi-Fi network or Bluetooth if you enjoyed this video or found it helpful be sure to click the thumbs up button below and subscribe and follow us in all the usual places twitter google+ and facebook at pocket now I'm Taylor Barton you can follow me on twitter at pat's protect I'll see you next time found it helpful be sure to give it a thumbs up in the I'm Taylor Martin you can follow me blew it I blew it I I just blew it I'm Cleveland Brown and you can follow my name is Cleveland breath