Am 20. Oct, 2012 schwätzte Joseph Sinclair so:

>> MHL means one remote controls both TV and the plugin device? Do you have
>> to switch back in forth like TV/Sat/DVD/AUX or can you just change
>> channels or change volume and the correct thing happens?
> With the MHL connection, the device has no remote control of it's own, everything is controlled by the host device; that includes volume.

Cool, that's what I want.

>> I need simple. While the person is intelligent, whatever I set up might be
>> a brand new interface to learn multiple times a day on the bad days.
> Simple is good, and I have gotten some absolutely technophobic persons to use Roku just fine (as long as I turn on the system; I have a complex turn-on sequence due to having 5 non-integrated devices, something you'll want to avoid), and switching (via single-button) from Roku to OTA is not a problem when I provide a small instruction sheet (3 sentences [for Watch TV, Watch Movies, Turn Off], fits on a 3X5 in 16pt Courier).

I ordered a refurbed Roku from a discount place. Should arrive next week.
Got it for me, but if we decide to set up networking, then I will use the
new Roku for this project instead.

Went to Spencers Appliances to see about TVs and found something that
would work. For a remote he recommended the Harmony line from Logitech.

Harmony touch looks like it could work and we'd just program in the
half-dozen channels that are of interest.

http://www.logitech.com/en-us/remotes/universal-remotes/harmony-touch

Granted, the remote costs more than the TV we're looking at...

As to the TV, they all have HD tuners now, so a new TV would not need the
broken HD tuner box.

I found claims of cables that would use USB and HDMI ports on the TV to
make a MHL connection, so I think I can work with whatever we get.

We're strongly considering Samsung and there might be a firmware upgrade
available to get MHL natively.

> I should mention that some of the newer "Smart" TV sets have built-in streaming video capability (including viewing any DLNA content on the local net), and that can be made fairly simple to use as well with a bit of remote-control programming.

Mostly need to get streaming for video chat ( google thingy and maybe
skype ), remote uploading of pictures and remote reset if things get
horky.

Don't even yet know if we can get anything beyond dialup in the area.
Waiting for someone else to get back to me on that.

ciao,

der.hans
-- 
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