Universal/Learning Remotes (?)

[willx45x]

Can anyone out there recommend a solid universal/learning remote? I'd like to spend between $60-$100 on this purchase and I'd like to find a remote that will be easy to program and use and one that will accept future upgrades in equipment. Help, please!

Thanks in advance to all the "studs" on this forum!

w

[topspeed]

Try the Sony RM AV3100 or AV2500. I've got the previous gen 3000 and think it works pretty well except for a small glitch where it freezes up and you have to pop the batteries. This was suppossed to be fixed with the new gen so you shouldn't have to worry about it. Best pricing seems to be bhphoto.com. Right around 100 bones or less plus full warranty. I've heard good things about the Harmony remotes too. One thing to keep in mind; touch pad remotes aren't all they are cracked up to be. There's a lot to said about the ability to perform functions using the tactile feedback of a conventional remote, a near impossibility with touch screen based remotes.

You might also check out remote central for reviews.
http://www.remotecentral.com/

Hope this helps.

[woodman]

Wow ... unbelievable! Topspeed recommends some Sony remotes - then, proceeds to tell you about the shortcomings of touch-screen remotes. Don't look now but the Sonys he recommended are just that (at least partially) - which is why I would not recommend them to anybody. Plus the fact that Sony is notorious for providing very short term warranties on their products.

I have first hand experience with literally hundreds of remote controls, and I'm here to tell you that the best one I've ever used is the HomeTheaterMaster MX-500 ... hands down. It can be had for around $100 or a few quid more - do a search for a deal. Check with remotecentral.com for an extensive review, pictures, and links to where to purchase one. Get an MX-500 and you'll wonder why the other remote mfgs. can't put it all together like this company did. It'll do anything you might ever want a remote control to do ... period.

Hope this helps you

[karl k]

Can anyone out there recommend a solid universal/learning remote? I'd like to spend between $60-$100 on this purchase and I'd like to find a remote that will be easy to program and use and one that will accept future upgrades in equipment. Help, please!

Thanks in advance to all the "studs" on this forum!

w
I've had mine(MX 500) for a couple yrs now and I don't even use 1/2 of the stuff this thing will do. When Woody says it will do anything and everything... He means it! :D The only limiting factor will be what "your equipment" won't let it do! Bob Carver and Sunfire use, at the least, the same body/buttons for some of his equipment.(saw one at Ultimate Electronics)

Mine has a little "boss" on the side by the batteries that looks to be a future "AC" adapter hook-up. Would be an excellent idea! Maybe someday...

[IsmaVA]

The MX-500, or any of its "clones", is by far the best remote out there in mi opinion. Besdies the touch screen issue, the MX-500 has the biggest range of frequencies when it comes to replicating learned commands.

Another really cheap, but versatile, option is to go with one of the many PC-based control systems available this days. You can any old computer lying around in your basement and you can programmed it to do anything, from controlling your HT, the lights, even your A/C.

[eqm]

The MX-500, or any of its "clones", is by far the best remote out there in mi opinion. Besdies the touch screen issue, the MX-500 has the biggest range of frequencies when it comes to replicating learned commands.

Another really cheap, but versatile, option is to go with one of the many PC-based control systems available this days. You can any old computer lying around in your basement and you can programmed it to do anything, from controlling your HT, the lights, even your A/C.

i agree on the home theater master being a great remote. do they still only come with LD and not a DVD button?

harmony makes a few that will be a little more expensive (around 200 retail) that will have hard buttons and will have web-based programming. the nice thing about these guys are that they have the ability to do a pretty cool macro that knows how to transition from one activity to another, (ie, most macros are set up to always hit a power button, which may turn off a tv or the like). anyway, worth looking at.

[douglasbjordan]

Check with remotecentral.com for an extensive review, pictures, and links to where to purchase one.
The review says that Home Theater Master has updated the MX-500 remote bit by bit since its initial release. I like all the improvements they've done ("the GS2 fourth revision"). Anyone know how to make sure that when I order this remote I'll get the latest revision? Any recommendations on where to get it from?

[topspeed]

Wow ... unbelievable! Topspeed recommends some Sony remotes - then, proceeds to tell you about the shortcomings of touch-screen remotes. Don't look now but the Sonys he recommended are just that (at least partially) - which is why I would not recommend them to anybody. Plus the fact that Sony is notorious for providing very short term warranties on their products.
I
Wow...unbelievable! Woodman wanting to override a posters right to personal decisions. What if the poster doesn't care about tactile feedback? While touchscreens do have their idiosyncracies, they also have advantages such as superior labeling and layout options. Don't forget the "Wow" factor as well. While this isn't a major factor for me, you're delusional if you don't think it matters to a lot of people.

[N. Abstentia]

I haven't found a good learning remote yet that's DESIGNED to work with a DVD player. By this I mean all the remotes I've seen have the standard play/ff/rev/pause buttons usually in a circular pattern, but they don't have a SECOND set of circular buttons for the navigational buttons. I always have to map those to another function screen, therefore reducing the number of remotes that can be programmed into it. It's a real pain for me, because I use 2 DVD players in my main system (one 300 disc and one SACD/DVD-A) so that takes up 4 of my available 8 slots and I hate having to change 'pages' just to get to the arrows.

Anybody know of one that has BOTH the standard play functions AND the navigational buttons on the face at the same time?

[IsmaVA]

There are many remote out there with the layout that you wnat.

I have the Marantz RC1400 and the RC2000MkII and both have separate buttons for all the play and navigational functions.

[Slosh]

Anybody know of one that has BOTH the standard play functions AND the navigational buttons on the face at the same time?

My Marantz RC2000Mk.II does. I got it in 1999 so I'm not sure it's still being manufactured. It controls ten devices with all of the normal hard buttons you would expect plus it has eight soft keys that can be named anything you want (limited to four characters, though). These soft keys have four pages per device button so you can program up to 32 specialized functions per device! This is a full learning remote with only the RC5 language in it's code library, but five years later I've yet to find a code it couldn't learn (best $200 I've ever spent :) ). The best thing about a full learning remote, as opposed to a pre-programmed+learning model, is you can omit functions you never use such as the repeat function on a CD player. I left out the set up codes for my TV, pre/pro, and DVD player so no one can accidently change my carefully calibrated settings.