DIRECTV Remote Question: ENTER or SELECT?

Did you ever wonder… Why do DIRECTV remotes have both an ENTER and SELECT button at the same time? Seems like kind of a waste when they both seem to do the same thing, right?

First, a little history

DIRECTV has always been proud of its remotes. One of the first DIRECTV remotes may look clunky to your eyes today, but believe it or not this remote actually won awards for how user-friendly it was.

Its different banks of differently-shaped buttons and multiple colors helped those poor denizens of the 1990s understand how to get around the DIRECTV universe.

That remote was good, but this one was better:

Most people recognize the trusty white DIRECTV remote. It has more buttons than that old RCA remote and yet it’s easier to understand because of its use of color. It too won awards for being simple to use.

Many of those buttons weren’t used often so they were removed with the current Genie remote, which is the easiest remote of all to use, fits better in the hand and has only the buttons you need. Except, for some reason they kept both the ENTER and SELECT buttons.

Here’s why.

Friends, let me tell you of the hidden power of the ENTER button. You’ll soon realize it’s the best button on the remote, other than maybe the power button.

The ENTER button is designed to be used when changing channels. Press the number buttons to get what you want (like 278 for Discovery) and then press ENTER instead of just waiting around. You’ll see that channel changes are about 2 seconds faster than if you waited or pressed SELECT.

If you don’t press ENTER the DVR or receiver keeps waiting to see if you’re going to press more buttons. You don’t want it to tune to channel 27 when you really want 278, so it waits until it’s completely sure you’re done. There are up to 9,999 possible channels on a DIRECTV system so even waiting for you to press three digits isn’t 100% safe. When you press ENTER the DVR or receiver springs into action instead of waiting.

You may be asking why DIRECTV doesn’t just assign this same power to the SELECT button if it knows you’re pressing channel buttons. Great question, and we have no answer. But for now that ENTER button looks a lot more powerful, doesn’t it?

Get a great deal on an extra remote

SolidSignal.com has great deals on the old-school white remote as well as the Genie remote. Both of them work for any receiver in IR mode; pick the one you need to be able to shoot through walls and doors. The white remote works with HR34, HR24, H25, and older receivers. The Genie remote works with Genies and Genie clients.  No matter which one you pick, you’ll have a great experience. Of course, it will be even greater when you realize the hidden power of that ENTER and SELECT button.

About the Author

Stuart Sweet
Stuart Sweet is the editor-in-chief of The Solid Signal Blog and a "master plumber" at Signal Group, LLC. He is the author of over 10,000 articles and longform tutorials including many posted here. Reach him by clicking on "Contact the Editor" at the bottom of this page.