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  1. Hello! After some exhaustive research, I've finally chosen and acquired a Panasonic DMR-ES15 DVD Recorder to be used as a pass through device for my JVC VCR and into my Sony HDTV. I've tested the device for playing DVDs and passing video through from a VCR and both of those functions do work, however I'm unable to find a remote controller that will work for it.

    I first attempted to program one of the many remotes around my house (PDP Universal Media Remote for PS4, JVC Multi Brand Remote Control Unit LP 20303-009, & a Pioneer Receiver Remote ADX7741), but to no avail. None of these remotes would interact with the unit using the "121" programming code for the Panasonic DVD Recorder. They also don't cause the Panasonic device to display anything on the screen, making me think its not even picking up any signal from the remotes. I've been able to reprogram these remotes to work on a mix of devices already, so I'm not sure why it's so difficult to program for this Panasonic device.

    I then started ordering replacement remotes on Amazon that included the model "DMR-ES15" in their "supported" field. When one didn't work, I ordered a slightly different one. I now have 3 of these generic remotes that don't appear to work on the Panasonic device, but all produce the same response from it. I now have (2) remotes with the model number EUR7659Y10 that have a slightly different build and were sold from different suppliers and (1) remote with the model number EUR7659YKO. All 3 look identical to the remote pictures on the box for the DMR-ES15 and in pictures online, so I was hopeful.

    When using new batteries in them, the only response I see out of the Panasonic DMR-ES15 device is the display reading "SET 2" upon any button press. I've tried "reprogramming the remote" by holding the "2" button and "ENTER" button at the same time for 5-10 seconds, but doing so on all 3 remotes still doesn't let me power the device on or off, interact with its menus, and only causes the Panasonic to produce "SET 2" on its display.

    To test the remotes separate from the DMR-ES15, I pointed them at a digital camera and pressed most of their buttons. Pressing the power buttons, menu buttons, and most importantly the "2" & "Enter" buttons all cause the sensor at the tip of the remotes to light up, telling me the remotes are powered and indeed providing a signal. However, when I try to hold both the "2" & "Enter" buttons together, the light stops flashing. I believe this tells me that the remotes do not support multiple button presses and therefore can't be "reprogrammed" to work with the DMR-ES15, though I'm not entirely familiar with how the technology works.

    My main question is:

    Is there a specific universal remote I can buy that has been vetted by the community to indeed be programmable with the Panasonic DMR-ES15? At this point I don't care about it being identical to the remote shipped with the device, I'd really just like to be able to control the menu on it. I've attempted to contact Panasonic for a little advice but they claimed they couldn't even speak to me since the device was over 10 years old.

    ANY help in being able to finally see the menu system on the Panasonic DMR-ES15 would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you & stay safe!
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  2. I've continued down the rabbit hole with this Panasonic DMR-ES15 and purchased 3 more universal remotes. This time, (2) GE & (1) RCA Branded.

    This time, after programming via their individual instruction manuals, I'm able to get the DVD Recorder to display "SET 2" just like the generic replica remotes did. However it still doesn't let me control the device at all. Power, input, menu, and all other buttons just make the Panasonic display "SET 2" no matter what I do.

    I'm still able to power cycle the device with the power button on the front, play DVDs, and pass through a VCR signal (by using the Channel Up/Down buttons on the front of the device), so I still believe the device to be functioning properly. It's in pristine condition still and doesn't seem to have a single scratch. But I'd really love to be able to control the device remotely and gain access to the picture settings.

    Am I misunderstanding how to program for this device? Do I need to do something further with either the remote or the DVD Recorder after programming the remote to get the "SET 2" display on the screen?

    I'm not exactly sure what "SET 2" means yet as it's not referenced in the manual at all. I did find another forum explaining the DVD Recorder could be set to "SET 1", "SET 2", or "SET 3" for different remotes, however you need a working remote to access the menu this setting is in. This seems like an accessibility design flaw. I was able to factory reset the device by holding its STOP button and Power button for a while, but I still cannot interact with the setup menu to select my language. Thankfully, I can still change inputs while its in setup mode.

    If anyone currently has a universal (or any) remote that functions with this device, please let me know its make and model so I can try it. I really don't know what is going on here.
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  3. I've updated the firmware on the Panasonic to the latest version available on their website (dmr-es15_vu5319_firmware). The update was successful, however the device still seems to be stuck in the "SET 2" remote control set after initiating another "SETUP" by holding the Channel Up/Down buttons on its front face.

    I'm starting to become convinced this "SET 2" mode needs to be switched to "SET 1" somehow, as manuals from other Panasonic DVD Recorders mention that they're typically shipped from the factory with "SET 1" or "DVD 1" remote control set codes.

    Researching online I can't find a way to hard reset this setting without the original remote that came with the device. It would seem that initiating a setup doesn't do this unfortunately. I've scoured the inside of the device and its 2 motherboards looking for any kind of jumper pins or batteries i may be able to move or replace, but none exist in this model. There also doesn't appear to be an HDD inside that I can wipe to force a factory reset either.

    Is there a way of hacking the device to force it to return to factory default settings without a functioning remote control? I'm convinced the IR sensor still works because of the display always reading "SET 2" when I press a button. I'll be trying to find a genuine used remote for this product in the meantime, although I'm not hopeful that will resolve this issue.

    TLDR - Are there any remotes that are guaranteed to work with the Panasonic DMR-ES15? Is there a way to reset the "remote control set" option to its default "SET 1" from the current "SET 2" without a functioning remote?
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  4. Member
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    Originally Posted by czarship View Post
    I've updated the firmware on the Panasonic to the latest version available on their website (dmr-es15_vu5319_firmware). The update was successful, however the device still seems to be stuck in the "SET 2" remote control set after initiating another "SETUP" by holding the Channel Up/Down buttons on its front face.

    I'm starting to become convinced this "SET 2" mode needs to be switched to "SET 1" somehow, as manuals from other Panasonic DVD Recorders mention that they're typically shipped from the factory with "SET 1" or "DVD 1" remote control set codes.

    Researching online I can't find a way to hard reset this setting without the original remote that came with the device. It would seem that initiating a setup doesn't do this unfortunately. I've scoured the inside of the device and its 2 motherboards looking for any kind of jumper pins or batteries i may be able to move or replace, but none exist in this model. There also doesn't appear to be an HDD inside that I can wipe to force a factory reset either.

    Is there a way of hacking the device to force it to return to factory default settings without a functioning remote control? I'm convinced the IR sensor still works because of the display always reading "SET 2" when I press a button. I'll be trying to find a genuine used remote for this product in the meantime, although I'm not hopeful that will resolve this issue.

    TLDR - Are there any remotes that are guaranteed to work with the Panasonic DMR-ES15? Is there a way to reset the "remote control set" option to its default "SET 1" from the current "SET 2" without a functioning remote?
    factory reset procedure - https://www.justanswer.com/recorders-and-players/8xpbp-panasonic-dmr-es15-working-prop...-suddenly.html
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  5. Thanks! I did already hold the Channel Up + Down buttons on the front of the unit together to "factory reset" the device. It does take me to the first time setup screen as detailed in the instructions, but I'm still not able to control the setup menu with either a remote or the buttons on the front.

    The manual (https://www.instructionsmanuals.com/sites/default/files/2019-06/Panasonic-DMRES15-en.pdf) specifically mentions:
    SET #
    (“#” stands for a number.)
    • The remote control and main unit are using different codes. Change
    the code on the remote control.
    Press and hold [ENTER] and the indicated number button at the
    same time for more than 2 seconds.
    Even after trying the above steps on replacement and universal remotes, I'm still only seeing the same "SET 2" on the display. I don't believe generic universal remotes have this "remote control set" options programmed into them, so I'm not sure how to get a universal remote to work.

    Page 36 of the manual states that "Remote Control Code" is set to "Set Code 1" as a factory preset, however performing the reset with the Channel Up + Down buttons doesn't seem to revert the setting and it's still stuck in "Set Code 2" (I believe).

    This is my first Panasonic device so I'm not familiar with how their proprietary remote control code settings work. The seller does not accept returns so I fear I may be stuck with a lemon.
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  6. I've just realized I posted this to the wrong group and it should be in "Hardware > DVD & Blue-ray Recorders" instead of the "Capture" group. Can my thread be moved there or should I recreate it? Thanks!
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  7. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    You're probably buying the wrong remotess.
    What is the model number of the Panasonic remote that you have?
    Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
    FAQs: Best Blank DiscsBest TBCsBest VCRs for captureRestore VHS
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  8. Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post
    You're probably buying the wrong remotess.
    What is the model number of the Panasonic remote that you have?
    I feel blessed to have a response directly from the lord! I've long appreciated your recommendations in this field and only recently created an account to finally ask my own question.

    I ended up with remote model numbers EUR7659Y10 and EUR7659YKO. While the former does match the model number on the back of a genuine remote, they are actually generic knock offs. Although the vendor's support provided instructions on how to change the remote's "Set Code", after much experimenting I do not believe they're capable of doing that.

    I've been instructed to locate a genuine Panasonic remote from the era (including blu ray remotes) that will likely be able to match the DMR-ES15's "SET 2" code and let me flip the unit back to "SET 1", finally allowing the use of universal remotes.

    Apologies for the wall of text above! I was writing down all of my notes during troubleshooting trying to weed out irrelevant information. In hind sight it looks like the ramblings of a mad man lol.
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  9. Video Restorer lordsmurf's Avatar
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    The ES15 was OEM'd with EUR7659Y20. I see several on eBay for $15.
    The N2QAKB000055 also works.
    The remote from the EH80 mostly works, but not made for it.

    The Blu-ray remotes are different.

    If you still have issues, the eye may have issues. Dirty or failed.

    Glad to help.
    Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
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  10. Member
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    Originally Posted by lordsmurf View Post

    The Blu-ray remotes are different.
    Actually my Panasonic BD remote(N2QAYB000184) operates my Panasonic DVDRs just fine, it just lacks the REC button and the FR button. It would work thought to change the remote code on a Panasonic DVDR as Panasonic BD players have the same 3 remote codes(older ones anyway) and newer ones have 5 remote codes, last I looked which was 5 or more years ago.
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  11. I was able to find a genuine used EUR7659Y10 remote in decent shape. This one was able to be reprogrammed to match the "SET 2" remote control code on the DVD Recorder. Afterwards, I was able to revert the setting back to "SET 1" in the options all of my universal remotes started working on it too!

    In hindsight, I should've started with a genuine remote. The recorder works great now, I love being able to output the same video feed to multiple devices. Maybe later I'll upgrade to one of the Blu Ray remotes. Its black design would match the rest of my older remotes nicely.

    Thanks for all the help!
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  12. Member
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    Originally Posted by czarship View Post
    I was able to find a genuine used EUR7659Y10 remote in decent shape. This one was able to be reprogrammed to match the "SET 2" remote control code on the DVD Recorder. Afterwards, I was able to revert the setting back to "SET 1" in the options all of my universal remotes started working on it too!

    In hindsight, I should've started with a genuine remote. The recorder works great now, I love being able to output the same video feed to multiple devices. Maybe later I'll upgrade to one of the Blu Ray remotes. Its black design would match the rest of my older remotes nicely.

    Thanks for all the help!
    Great but again the BD remotes lack the REC and FR buttons, making it less useful for DVDR use. Note I have several black Panasonic DVDR remotes, the black DVDRs used them. An example of a black DVDR remote is:
    n2qayb000196 and not only has the dedicated FR button but also the important(for me with HDD DVDRs) the Drive Select button, something you don't need at all for an ES-15 but doesn't hurt to have it. The BD remotes do have one nice button though, not really available on DVDR remotes, an EJECT button which some really like.
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