Programming an ExpressVu 3100 to talk to a Sony VCR

I'm trying to teach my ExpressVu 3100 Satellite Receiver to talk to my Sony VCR, so the receiver can tell the VCR to record shows for me.

The documentation and the online help tell you to first program your remote to work with your VCR, by trying a number of code numbers, and then to use that same code to program the receiver. For my Sony VCR, the list was 500, 501, 502, 503, 504, and 629. Not surprisingly, it was the last one that worked.

Didn't work for the receiver though. Ran the test a bunch of times, moving the VCR around, just in case something was blocking the IR signal. No dice.

Finally I give up, and contact a helpful Bell technician (Claude) through chat support. It turns out the receiver might use a different code than the remote. Exactly the opposite of what it says in the manual. In my case, 500 worked just fine in the receiver.

Thank god for smart technicians.