Is there such a thing as a universal remote with a subtitles button?

Twice a year in this area, we have "bulk trash pickup" where the city will haul away almost anything that you put on the curb for free. People use this opportunity to clean out their closets, attics, basements, cabinets, etc. All sorts of stuff ends up on the curb, much of it still in 100% working order.

I have brought home all sorts of stuff, including a couple Blu-ay players. For most things, a universal remote works just fine, however absolutely none of the URs I've looked at have a subtitles button for turning the subs on/off. On most commercial discs, there's usually an option to turn the subs on and off, but what do you do with an MKV file that has embedded subs?

On my friend's Blu-Ray player, he can just hit the subtitle button and it turns them on. My universal remote has no such button and none of the existing buttons stand in for that function. The player also does not have a built-in menu option to turn subtitles on and off. It just assumes that you'll have the factory remote.

Yes, I could just go on eBay and buy a replacement remote, but that kind of defeats the purpose of having a universal remote. Plus, it also kind of defeats the purpose of getting the player for free if I have to spend $10-20 on a remote for each one.

So does anyone know of a universal remote that includes a subtitle button?

It would help if you can tell us the Blu-Ray models that you are are having difficulties with.
Remote control replacements have gone down in price so I would try this first on AliExpress instead of eBay.
For example I bought a universal remote control for TV's (tested and worked on several TV models) for just $2.

Originally Posted by Subtitles

It would help if you can tell us the Blu-Ray models that you are are having difficulties with.
Remote control replacements have gone down in price so I would try this first on AliExpress instead of eBay.
For example I bought a universal remote control for TV's (tested and worked on several TV models) for just $2.

The one I use the most is a Toshiba BDX3300KU. I also have an LG BP350-N. As bulk trash is a twice yearly thing, I expect that I may find more in the future. For a while VCRs were extremely common, and while I still see those, I now see a lot of DVD players. In fact, if you were to say you needed one, I'd say "I'll get you one next bulk trash." So, as more people fall for the promise of streaming services, I expect that I'll find even more Blu-Ray players.

As far as universal remotes, I bought one at Walmart for about $10 2-3 years ago, an RCA RCR414BHE. It supports TVs, VCRs, DVD players, Blu-Ray players, set-top boxes, and more. So far I haven't found a TV or player that it couldn't control.

However it doesn't have a subtitles button for players. It's also missing an eject button, but I can live without that. The only other problem I ever ran into was a TV that didn't have a menu setting for changing the aspect ratio, that had to be done from a dedicated button on the factory remote.

I've tried every code for the Blu-Ray players and pressed every button, and none of them toggle the subtitles.

I'm still looking for a universal remote that will do this.

Thanks for the update.
I think your best option is to buy a replacement remote for each Blu-Ray player. Universal remotes are great but they can't do everything.
I found this remote for BDX3300KU on Amazon which seems to have a sub button. Costs about $7 but you might find even cheaper one if you search more.
https://www.amazon.com/Remote-SE-R0418-Toshiba-Bdx2300ku-Bdx5300ku/dp/B00FXOZTPE
For LG BP350-N also a remote replacement for $7 from Amazon. Search for AKB73896401

Originally Posted by Subtitles

Thanks for the update.
I think your best option is to buy a replacement remote for each Blu-Ray player. Universal remotes are great but they can't do everything.
I found this remote for BDX3300KU on Amazon which seems to have a sub button. Costs about $7 but you might find even cheaper one if you search more.
https://www.amazon.com/Remote-SE-R0418-Toshiba-Bdx2300ku-Bdx5300ku/dp/B00FXOZTPE
For LG BP350-N also a remote replacement for $7 from Amazon. Search for AKB73896401

Thanks, but finding replacements has never been a problem.

The various universal remotes all seem to have extra buttons on them, so I don't understand why when they program it for various devices, they don't assign some of the less common functions, like subtitles, to some of those buttons. I mean, if they're programming it for xxx model of player, they obviously have a list of the functions and the signals used for them, so why not add all that they can? Why just decide to exclude some of them?

You can contact RCA support and ask them why your remote doesn't have a subtitles button.
Perhaps they can recommend a newer version that has this capability.
https://www.rcaaccessories.com/remotes/
https://www.rcaremotessupport.com/

For working solution search for Logitech programmable remotes - they are expensive but at least fully programmable also you can download pre-configured setup for your device (brand) over USB. Perhaps something listed here suit your expectations:
https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-universal-remotes,review-4464.html