What universal remote do you like??

[69Mustang]

I am in the market for a universal remote to handle my 5 pc home theater system. I'm leaning towards Logitech Harmony 880's. I have heard some pro's and con's about the 880's though. Like numbers/lettering wearing off too fast, hard to program for some and charger contact. True?

If there is something better?

Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[VinceT3]

880 is the best one I've found to date.. I agree the charger doesn't always sit well.. but I just make sure I hear the beep before I walk away..

I'm tempted to get another one for the bedroom.

 

[NightRyder]

Home Theater Master MX-500 - Best remote for the money, period. Harmony remotes are relatively easy to program but that's about their only virtue, their build quality leaves a lot to be desired. IMHO

NightRyder

 

[jvc]

I'm not familiar with the 800 series Harmony, but I have the 628 Harmony, and we like it a lot. Very easy to program online, and very wife friendly. They also have excellent customer service. You can't go wrong with a Harmony.............

 

[byseven]

Universal Remote Mx900 is the best and it is stronger.

 

[NightRyder]

I You can't go wrong with a Harmony.............

I respectfully disagree. I owned a 659 (wifes) and it was in the trash before it was 18 months old. My heavily used, less expensive, 5 year old MX-500 still looks and works like new. My wife now has a Universal URC-200 and is much happier with it.

I'll never own another Harmony remote.

NightRyder

 

[NightRyder]

Universal Remote Mx900 is the best and it is stronger.

I agree, the MX-900 is one of the best remotes out there but it's more $ than most people want to spend.

NightRyder

 

[allargon]

I'll give props to the Harmony's.

I have a Universal Remote R7 which does an adequate (but not great job).

Universal Remote Control Model R7

However, it was $35 for a backlit, learning remote. That was enough for me.

 

[Ilya]

I have been using Harmony remotes for years. Very happy with the quality and features!

Unlike other remotes, Harmony remotes remember the state of all equipment components. So, the switch from, say, watching Satellite to watching DVD can be made very quickly with a single button. No need to program any macros and everything works even if components don't have discrete codes! Try that with other remotes.

 

[csschrot]

I have used a Philips pronto TS1000 for 7 years. Works great and still going strong.

 

[navychop]

I'm very happy with my 880. And I can tell you from experience, the MX-350 isn't worth owning.

 

[NightRyder]

I have been using Harmony remotes for years. Very happy with the quality and features!

Unlike other remotes, Harmony remotes remember the state of all equipment components. So, the switch from, say, watching Satellite to watching DVD can be made very quickly with a single button. No need to program any macros and everything works even if components don't have discrete codes! Try that with other remotes.

That's all fine and good unless another remote is involved. I have my remote and my wife has hers. Simple macros work perfectly, throw a Harmony into that mix and it's a flippin mess. Add to that replacing batteries every month, having to connect it to a computer for the simplest of modifications, losing programming, cheap flimsy buttons that quit working, a battery door that wouldn't stay on (probably from having to change batteries so often) and way too much hand holding for my taste made for a very disapointing experience.

If Harmony's product is someones cup of tea that's great, but there are other remotes out there worth considering that may be a better fit or superior product in any given application.

NightRyder

 

[Ilya]

Hmm. We must have a very different experience with our Harmony's. I only change batteries two-three times a year (some models did have this issue, as I remember, but I believe it was fixed with a firmware update or something), no problems with the door or buttons. And I would take the Harmony's wizard-style PC-based configuration over the traditional macro programming any time!

As for multiple remotes, no problems here either. We have several remotes laying around, including a couple of Harmonies and they all coexist peacefully. If one of the remotes ever gets out of sync, a simple click (either one of the activity buttons, or the Help button) quickly takes care of that. Of course if your equipment doesn't have discrete codes, then you may get out of sync if you mix several remotes, but that problem is not Harmony specific.

 

[Andrewwski]

MX-900 is great. MX-350 is great if you have another remote to teach discretes.

Harmony is terrible.

 

[NightRyder]

Hmm. We must have a very different esperience with our Harmony's.

Also different wants, different needs, different expectations. I bought into the hype and came away completely unimpressed, but that's why it's good to have choices. One size or one company does not fit all.


NightRyder

 

[navychop]

It takes a long, complicated time, to program the MX-350. I'll take the Harmony (or other similar) approach any time. Just tell the system what you have, and it sets it up. Well worth the money.

 

[haertig]

I just ordered an MX-500 no more than an hour ago ($79 at Surf Remote Control - Universal Remote Controls - an authorized dealer) I've been researching remotes to death. A big big factor for me is the layout, and the MX-500 won out IMHO. If you buy a Universal remote like the MX-500 (the Universal company, not the generic term) be sure and buy it from an authorized dealer or else you will not get any warrantee. Amazon has the MX-500 for a few dollers cheaper, but they are not an authorized dealer.

If you want cheaper, I also have a Sony RM-VL600 ($14.95, with free shipping, refurbished direct from Sony). The 600 is an excellent remote for the money. Full learning capabilities and macros ("full learning" means you can learn anything to ANY key, something you normally don't find on inexpensive remotes, which usually have only a few keys you can learn to). No backlight on the 600 however.

Check out a detailed review of the MX-500 at RC: Home Theater Master MX-500 Remote Control Review (1)

Check out a detailed review of the RM-VL600 at RC: Sony RM-VL600 Remote Control Review (1)

I have had my VL600 for about a week and really like it. My MX-500 will be here later this week and I'm greatly looking forward to it.

 

[Andrewwski]

Good place to buy from. Surf Remote is an awesome dealer.

The MX-500 is a tad bit outdated and doesn't allow for PC programming. I'd reccomend the MX-850. If you don't need PC programming (you have another source of discretes), the MX-500 works nice.

 

[haertig]

I saw the 850 ... $199 ... and compared it to the 500 ... $79. The 500 won. Getting me to spend more than $100 on a remote would take some pretty good convincing. The MX-500 should do everything I need. I don't need the PC programming part. I have all my original remotes and can learn from them if necessary. I have discretes for all my components (except the A2 HDDVD player, but "play" works fine as a stand-in for "discrete on".) And I have an older JP1-capable remote that I could use as a middleman if necessary (highly doubtful in my case).

I can't wait for this MX-500 to get here. I'm really hoping I'll like it as much as I'm thinking I will!

 

[NightRyder]

I saw the 850 ... $199 ... and compared it to the 500 ... $79. The 500 won. Getting me to spend more than $100 on a remote would take some pretty good convincing. The MX-500 should do everything I need. I don't need the PC programming part. I have all my original remotes and can learn from them if necessary. I have discretes for all my components (except the A2 HDDVD player, but "play" works fine as a stand-in for "discrete on".) And I have an older JP1-capable remote that I could use as a middleman if necessary (highly doubtful in my case).

I can't wait for this MX-500 to get here. I'm really hoping I'll like it as much as I'm thinking I will!

Sounds like you've done your research and have all the pieces in place. Check out the FAQ below, especially the topic on Best Way to Program the MX-500. Enjoy!

BlueDo

NightRyder