I have a Linux VDR box working as a hard disk video recorder, and it does a good job at that. Still, I would like to get rid of the generic remote (from a broken STB) and use my Beo4 for this as well. Technically, all ll I'd need to do would be to replace the current IR receiver with a TSOP7000, no problem with that.

However, I can't make up my mind about which buttons to allocate to which function. Daily basic VDR operation would need up, down, left, right, OK, the colour buttons, MENU, EXIT and the numbers (and various other functions I can probably live without).

Of course I would like to keep the Beo4 in video mode so I could control the TV volume directly and not going to LIST all the time. But if I try SAT or V.TAPE2 or similar, pressing MENU calls up the menu of the MX. And pressing the numbers or up and down try to change the channel on the MX as well.

Has anybody found some way to work around this or similar problem?

Due to the high interest in the topic, I had to think myself and got an idea.

I'll put the VDR controls behind LIGHT. I don't have any light controllers, it's a direct button (not behind LIST) conveniently next to the TV button, and the volume up/down continues to control the MX when LIGHT is selected. And I can use even TEXT and MENU. OFF would be nice as well, though... Anyway, bye bye to one more crappy plastic remote!

Edit: well it wasn't quite that good - EXIT, which I need to move back in menus, drops the Beo4 back to TV (apparently no such thing as light-exit). LIGHT also won't stay selected as it times out to TV, but that's a smaller nuisance. Furthermore this won't work with Beolink 7000, it is too clever with LIGHT. Anyway, I can use the Beo4 now and it's much more reliable than the old 38 kHz remote