Excellent suggestion!!! Thanks Renojim. I can see the flashes from my old remote, but nothing from the new remote. The Device is a Voice remote with TV controls. It says on the box "TV controls work with most TV's", so I thought it was the one. The button layout matches my old remote exactly, but I don't see a IR window.
I only have rechargeable remotes (VRP v1 and 2) and the tips on both look like a separate piece, unlike yours, but if it has TV controls it must have IR capability. Try setting it up to control your TV (or any TV) and just answer that the music stopped whether it did or not and then try the digital camera trick again. It's possible, although not very likely, that the IR LED is bad.
Have you tried the CEC choice when setting it up for TV control?
There have been other reports of people not being able to control Samsung TVs, but I have a very old one and a relatively new one that I'm able to control with my VRP remotes.
I did not try the CEC, I really want the IR as I have multiple TV's hooked to the same Roku via a HDMI matrix switch and I want to be able to control the power/volume by pointing at the individual device. Tow of the TV's are very close (Kitchen & Living Room) I intentionally bought matching brand TV's so the remotes are the same. Anyway, I was going out today so we returned the remote to Walmart. My old damaged remote does still work so I'll keep using it for now. I can't seem to find a clear listing for the the stock RC-EL3 on Amazon, I can buy a RC-EL3 on ebay.
Huh. I learned something new today. There is visibly black but IR-transparent plastic available. You can search for IR pass or long pass black plastic.
