I have a flatscreen LG tv. Recently I plugged in my external hard-drive to watch movies. The remote control wouldn't work - can't navigate. I thought it needed fresh batteries so I did but It still couldn't navigate; I couldn't change channels, couldn't change the volume, etc BUT I can however, turn the power switch on/off from the remote control itself. Also, the LED red light keeps blinking continuously. I switched the tv off, pulled it off the socket and proceed to let it cool off abit. Later I put it back and switched it on and the blinking red light is gone but the remote still wouldn't work.

So, the golden qns is: Where did the problem lies? The remote control? the tv screen monitor? Can I just buy a universal remote control to use instead?
My LG flatscreen tv has a USB port slot so yes, I can actually plug in my external hard drive, navigate a menu and watch my movie files from there. Previously i've not had any problems with watching my movies from my external hard drive that is plugged into my tv.
And no, the pictures and audio are all fine. It's just that the remote wouldn't work despite a fresh change of batteries. It can only switch the power on/off from the remote control.