Setting Up a DirecTV Remote to Control a Stereo System

To program your remote to control your receiver or amplifier, you need to find the numeric code for the manufacturer of your device. The documentation that ships with your DirecTV hardware includes individual charts of setup codes in alphabetical order by manufacturer. The type is small, so jot down the code or codes for your A/V device on a separate piece of paper.

After you turn on your receiver or amplifier, slide the selector switch at the top of the DirecTV remote until it clicks into the AV1 or AV2 position. To begin the process, press and hold the mute and "Select" keys on the remote. The mute key appears below the Vol key. Four arrow keys encircle the large yellow Select key. When you see the green indicator light flash twice behind the name of your switch position, release the two keys and enter the five-digit A/V manufacturer code. If your component shuts off when you press the "Pwr" key at the top of the remote, you've entered the correct sequence; if not, you can press the mute and "Select" keys again, wait for two indicator-light flashes, and enter another code.

If none of the five-digit sequences listed for your product brand enable the remote to operate your hardware, you can search for your component code. With the selector switch set to the AV1 or AV2 position, press and hold the mute and "Select" keys until the indicator light flashes twice. Release the two keys and enter "9913." Aim the remote at your receiver or amp and press the up arrow on the Chan key. If your component turns off, you've found your code. If it doesn't, continue pressing the up arrow until your receiver or amp shuts off, and press the "Select" key when it does. The indicator light flashes three times if you run out of codes, which means your DirecTV remote can't control your component.

Once you've found the right code by searching for it, you can use the remote to tell you the five digits in your numeric sequence. You'll need to extract the code one digit at a time. With the selector switch still set to the AV1 or AV2 position, press and hold the mute and "Select" keys until the indicator light flashes twice. Release the keys and enter "990." The indicator light flashes twice again. When you press the numeric key that corresponds to one of the five digit positions, the indicator light flashes to indicate the first digit of the code, such as one flash for 1, or two for 2. Note that you won't see any flashes for a code digit that's a zero.