NICE AND EASY: Change the TV input using your Genie Remote

One remote. That’s what people want. People don’t want to reach for a whole pile of remotes when watching TV. In past years you could count on companies to create fancy universal remotes. Those devices had their day, but they were too much for most people anyway.

Today, thanks to technologies like HDMI-CEC (also called HDMI Control, Anynet+, and other company-specific terms), you can pick up the remote for the thing you want, press one button, and the TV will power on and switch inputs for you. That just leaves volume control, which is also pretty easy to do with one remote.

Sometimes, though…

…you do need a bit more control. If you need to change inputs to use a different device, or if the TV didn’t change to the right input, you might need to do it all manually. This can be a frustrating process of digging out the original TV manufacturer’s remote and searching for a button labeled INPUT, SOURCE, or something else. If only there were an answer.

There is, and the answer has been staring you in the face this whole time. If you need to change the input on your TV while watching DIRECTV, or if you just don’t want to drag out the TV remote, press and hold the ENTER button (to the right of the zero) for about two seconds to bring up the menu to change your TV’s input.  You’ll need to be using the Genie Remote, the one pictured above.

It doesn’t work on 100% of TVs but it works on most. In some cases you can use the arrows to choose a new input, then press ENTER. On others, you can just press the ENTER button again to change to the next available input.

Remember that in most cases you’ll need to point the remote straight at the TV. We tend to get kind of lazy since DIRECTV remotes can be pointed nearly anywhere. But, most TV remotes still use infrared technology and that means you have to be a lot more precise.

At that point, you’ll have to switch to the remote for whatever device you want to control, but at least you’re one step closer.

Does this work with universal remotes?

You can still buy other remotes to work with your DIRECTV system. I’m not sure why you would, but hey it’s all about choice. Each different remote is going to have different capabilities. Some have custom programming, so you can have a TV Input button there all the time. Some, like DIRECTV’s older remote, require you to slide a switch to get to the TV control part. It’s all up to you.

Speaking of which, you’ll find original DIRECTV-branded remotes as well as a good selection of generic universal remotes when you shop the great selection at SolidSignal.com. We’re your source for everything you need to live your best digital life!

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.