Entertain Yourself from the Couch - iConnected: Use AirPlay, iCloud, Apps, and More to Bring Your Apple Devices Together - page 89

Figure 4-8
Controlling a Sky set-top box with the Sky+ app
If you have a modern digital video recorder and a subscription with a major TV provider, it's
worth checking to see if it provides an app, so you can rid your living room of unwanted remotes. If
you use a media service such as a TiVo or Roku, there are also apps available in the App Store that al-
low you to control them from your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.
For your home stereo and other entertainment gear, you can also use your iOS device as a remote
control. Some network-connectible stereos receivers and Blu-ray players from Panasonic, LG, and
others have free remote-control apps in the App Store that you can use to control them from your iOS
device.
Then there's Gear4's $100 UnityRemote ( www.gear4.com ) , a combo of an infrared (IR) blaster
and iOS app that lets you control non-networked home theater equipment from your iOS device.
Basically, the device connects to your iOS device over Wi-Fi, and then sends IR beams in all direc-
tions in hopes of reaching your home theater equipment. Traditional remotes send an IR beam to
their devices, which is why you have to point the remotes accurately at them. If you can find a place
in your living room where the UnityRemote's IR beams can reach all your devices, it's a great way to
get rid of all those individual remotes — and lets you switch among all your devices from one screen.
(Of course, should you not have your iOS device with you, you can always use the original remotes.)