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The following page was printed from RemoteCentral.com:
User reviews for the Home Theater Master MX-500 from Universal Remote Control Inc. |
| Ratings | Reviews | MSRP (USD) |
Average: 4.80/5.00 Median: 5.00/5.00 | 157 | $149 |
The MX-500 is a 10-device all-buttoned remote control with an LCD screen for custom labels on 10 adjacent buttons. It includes full infrared learning capabilities, a preprogrammed database, 5-way joystick, macros and more.
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Written by Mark from Alexandria, VA. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months. |
Review 145 made on Thursday July 29, 2004 at 1:30 PM. |
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Review: | Like everyone else I had the issue of 6 remotes on my coffee table and feeling like *Duuuhhh* because I couldn't figure out how to change channels because it depends on what mode I'm in. If I didn't use my system for a few weeks it was even worse because then all the remotes look confusing again! Yikes! So, thanks to all you folks that support this website with your reviews, I believe I picked a darn good remote.
I specifically wanted a hard-button remote, fully illuminates, and has a jog-dial and transport controls. And, I wanted to be able to operate with one hand.
The good: Very easy to teach this thing commands from existing remotes. I programmed macros to do all the basic stuff. This is great for switching between say TV/Cable to TV/DVD/Receiver modes. My original TV remote (Samsung HLN507 DLP TV) does not have discrete codes for input selection - not sure if the TV supports it either. Instead I get a menu that I have to cycle through. To overcome this I programmed a macro that selectes TV/Video (that gets the menu), then selects scroll-down via the jog button, then hits enter to select the input via jog center button. When I do this as a macro, the TV acts as if it has the capabilty to jump from one input to the other. It took about 1 minute to program this.
The bad: The preprogrammed codes are a joke. Most didn't match the pregrammed device's layout (like surround mode on receiver might be mapped to the "1" button - how stupid). So, pretty much don't even waste your time with the codes. Just teach the MX-500 the most common commands and you will be happy. The MX-500 does not support discrete commands. As discussed above, this is a real hassle for some systems (like mine). For example, my receiver's remote has a button to tell it to go directly to "DVD input" (a discrete command). In contrast, my TV requires you to go to menu and then scroll through various inputs in order to select it - so there is no way to tell the TV to just select "Component" input. I was able to overcome this as described above, but it still is not exactly what I wanted. But, I am not sure if my TV even has discrete codes for this function, so I might be wasting my time even talking about it.
Also, the device buttons cannot be remapped to other locations. So, TV is always in the same location - this is really stupid, in my opinion. Finally, the text size is limited to only 5 characters - I find this very limiting and quite annoying.
Overall, I am happy. The trouble with stuff like this is that you often don't even know what you want until you have a product in your hands and then you realize what makes you happy. But, the reviews here really helped (MX-500 seemed to have highest ratings and most reviews).
I called HTM for help and they were great. Also, they suggested that if I wanted access to discrete commands that I should get the MX-700.
BTW: My wife loves the MX-500. She can now turn stuff on/off, etc. with one button and it is not confusing. And she really likes the fact that it lights up. We have shelved all our remotes, so it was like we got a new coffee table with all the space we got back.
In general, you can't go wrong with this remote. There are other remotes out there that would probably work just as well (I held them all at Best Buy and Circuit City) but this one feels good in your hand, lights up, has a jog, and macro buttons. I bought mine on Ebay new for $99 plus $20 overnight shipping.
Good product and would buy again. If I had more money and time to research and customize I'd probably get something fancier. But in about one hour I eliminated all my remotes with this MX-500 - cheap, quick, and easy. And customer service was great. Good luck. |
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