Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)OVERVIEW: A compact, very well thought out remote, offering more than enough features and versatility than the majority of home uses are likely to ever need. It defaults to IR mode, and can be switched to RF.
If you're a technophobe, want things straight and simple, and expect them to work hassle free right out of the box, then it's probably best you look at other remotes.
Should you be more technologically savvy and don't mind some trial and error and desire a high level of customization jump right in. This remote gets better the more you know what you want and the more you know your equipment.
So to begin, my setup:
*60" HD Sony XBR with 7 video inputs.
*Motorola Digital cable box with HD recording feature.
*Hamon/kardon receiver used for audio input (not video ) switching, and FM radio.
*Dennon DVD for NTSC.
*Phillips DVD for PAL DVDs and other video formats.
*CD player.
*Game console.
***NOTE**** You MUST connect the remote to a PC/Laptop PHYSICALLY located in the same room as your components***************
You certainly can program it in a different room, but you'll have to run back and forth to test any changes.
First, download the software (MX-900 Editor) from the manufacturer website after simple registration. The serial # is a bit tricky to find inside the battery compartment. You connect the remote to the PC via the included USB cable.
Now the fun begins (it sounds more complicated than it is): Almost any button is programmable and assignable to do whatever function you want. The included templates seemed thorough to me; (there was even one for my rather obscure Harmon/kardon.) So you scroll through the templates, find your match. If your specific model is missing in their database then try some of the plentiful generic templates for that brand. Once loaded, you can judge for yourself if you like the default button assignments for that particular component.
Programming the remote is a visual process. An interactive and exact image of the remote is placed in the center of the MX-900 Editor. The right pane lists all possible functions of your component template. You simply click on the button you want to edit, then drag a specific function onto that button and it's done. You can test any settings you've made directly from the Editor before you load it to the remote.
The screen itself is rather small, so you must scroll through different pages to see all the functions for any specific component. For each page there are six buttons on the right of the screen. The good news is that you can change the order of functions as they are listed on any page, so on the first screen page I have only my most used functions listed the way I want. Rarely used functions are set farther down.
Most of the buttons below the screen (VOL, GUIDE, MENUE, EXIT, etc) can also be programmed to do different things for each device.
Best to give EXAMPLES :
One button turns everything ON. The TV defaults to the CABLE BOX input, the RECEIVER switches to the CABLE BOX audio outs, the CABLE BOX turns on a specific channel!
The remote itself defaults to the CABLE page with the most used functions for the CABLE box right there.
Next I want to watch a DVD. I programmed a single button to 1) Change the TV input to DVD 2) Switch the RECEIVER channel 3) Automatically open the DVD tray. 4) The remote defaults to the specific DVD player mode.
I've set it up so that no matter what "page" the remote is on, the VOLUME and MUTE buttons stay assigned to the RECEIVER. This way I don't need to toggle or press other buttons just to get to the audio section.
The above are accomplished via Macros, meaning that several distinct functions from different components are all assigned in sequence to one single button.
And so on. An ALL OFF button does what it says. I've had no problems with any component not receiving the IR signal as I did with the Comcast remote.
QUALITY: Feels sturdy and solid in the hand, with good quality plastic casing. Haven't dropped it yet. The numbers buttons at the end are too small and almost impossible to use with one hand. So it's a bit too long for me. Nice blue backlight. Oh, and you can program how long the light stays on.
SERVICE: The template for my Sony TV was missing the VIDEO 7 (digital) input which I needed. I called Universal and was told that all the included templates are provided from the manufacturers. They did however have a fix and updated template for my model which was emailed to me within an hour.
ADDENDUM: Purchased this few weeks back for $224 through an Amazon seller
Click Here to see more reviews about: Universal Remote MX-900 40-Device IR/RF PC Programmable Remote (418 MHz)
40-device IR/RF PC programmable remote (418 MHz) has activity based macros.
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