Universal Remotes choices

[PaulD]

Trying to sort out my options for a good performing universal remote control via IR as I put my shopping list together for an IR package. I want good all around performance at a reasonable price (don't we all!). Something like the Logitech Harmony 1000 is near the top end of what I am willing to spend.

I intend to use my normal cable TV remote for most TV activity because it is well suited for general TV use. I am looking for an additional remote that can provide good coverage for other IR uses around the house. I intend to have IR receivers scattered around the house feeding into a hub which will likely include an Ocelot so I can write scripts to feed commands into my HAI Omni Pro II.

I would really like the remote to have a display screen if possible to help in using the remote . In addition to the WAF, I don't like the idea of needing to memorize a bunch of non intuitive button combinations to be able to use the remote effectively.

What other remote options should I be looking at where I can hold my cost to around $500?

 

[htsource]

I can shed some lights with you, I'm now using a Harmony 1000 remote for everything. It does everything pretty well Setup is a breeze, and you can customize some buttons.

I have used Marantz RC9200, as well as a Philips 6400, they're all touchscreens. Harmony has a nice feature where it walks you through to make sure everything is working as it should when you start a macro. With other remotes, you just "hope" everything just works, or else you have to run the same macro again.

If you want to drill down to the last programming bit, you can't beat the Marantz or Philips as they allow just about anything you want. I mean you can program a macro to fire certain IR in a sequence, pauses in between, and maybe re-fire some IR's again. You can design the whole touchscreen interface with buttons you like to use, how large or small for each button. Can't do that with Harmony.

But I used to spend over days if not weeks to fine tune the Marantz and Philips, the Harmony takes around an hour at the most. I think the 1000 does Z-Wave lighting as well if you purchase the RF module, don't quote me though

Look for a remote that has common hard buttons like for menu navigation. That's a huge drawback with the Philips 6400, a big screen but no hard buttons. You have to look at the remote for simple functions. The Harmony 1000 has a few which is quite sufficient.

I also have a Harmony 890, but I hate it All the buttons are so close to each other, you can easily hit the wrong button or hit 2 at the same time.

 

[IVB]

$500 is a lot, you could get my MX850 for that. No screen, but look at the pics below to see if the LCD text display would work. Great feel, lots of hardbuttons, and the PC interface is a breeze to use. Make sure you buy via an authorized dealer, though. Mike at SurfRemoteControl.com is a good guy.

It has the concept of "pages", & I set mine up for multiroom control over RF via the optional MRF300:

 

[PaulD]

Thanks ...just the type of feedback I need.

When I mentioned a display screen, I did not necessarily mean that it needed fancy graphics. My main desire for the screen was to allow for a dynamic display that reflected choices in a visual manner. The MX850 shown by IVB appears to meet my essential requirements for an interactive screen. I did a quick review of the various models offered by Universal Remote and many appear to be similar to the MX850 but with different numbers of devices it can control. Other than number of devices controlled, is there any other major differences between the MX-xxx models?

IVB...what do the small overlays such as the "L", "M" and arrows mean?

 

[upstatemike]

MX-500. $67.18 at Amazon. No PC programming but super easy to set up manually (I actually prefer it to programming my MX-700 via software). Does 99% of what the $500 remotes do but you can afford to have more than one. I put them all over the place so there is always one in easy reach. They also use real batteries so you don't have to mess with chargers, memory effect, etc. etc.

 

[IVB]

Thanks ...just the type of feedback I need.

When I mentioned a display screen, I did not necessarily mean that it needed fancy graphics. My main desire for the screen was to allow for a dynamic display that reflected choices in a visual manner. The MX850 shown by IVB appears to meet my essential requirements for an interactive screen. I did a quick review of the various models offered by Universal Remote and many appear to be similar to the MX850 but with different numbers of devices it can control. Other than number of devices controlled, is there any other major differences between the MX-xxx models?

1) Ease of programming via PC, as Mike mentioned.
2) Integration with whole-house/RF receivers. The MX850 works with the MRF250 and MRF300. I got the MRF300 as it's better rated, and has the ability to put in multiple remote MRF150 antennas to improve reception. That way you don't need to run all that IR wiring through your house. I only have the 1 MRF150 antenna that comes with the MRF300 for a 1650sqft footprint, works pretty well.
3) I think the # of pages also - I have 4 different menu pages for each of 20 different "devices". I quote devices b/c I use that for rooms. I have 7 of the 10 "devices" you see on the screen allocated to rooms. There's a 2nd page that you don't see with 7ish hardware devices that I have control over. It's that type of ease-of-programming that makes this cool.

IVB...what do the small overlays such as the "L", "M" and arrows mean?

That's a screenshot from the programming software.
L = Learned (ie, i pointed the manufacturer remote at the MX850 and learned the code as it wasn't in the URC database).
M = Macro (ie, pressing 777 changes the stereo input, TV input)
Arrows are a little tough to understand if you don't have the programming software in front of you, but basically it means that the button actually performs a function that is for another device.

 

[Rupp]

I own 2 Logitech Harmony 659 Remote Controls and love them. While they do have a small screen it's rarely used because the remote is so intuitive. The Harmony's paradigm is by far the best I've ever seen and the easiest to setup and use. The web based setup is very easy to use and I've yet to not find any of the equipment that I own and I own so really odd stuff. Once setup the movie button for example, turns on the DVD player, turns on the TV, and sets the input mode of the TV. One of the nicest features is the help button. If the kids shut off say the TV manually and you come back later, you can hit help and it walks you through an excellent question and answer session that will reset all devices. The buttons are very logical and large enough to use with easy. I've tried every Harmony remote made and while I liked the look of the 880/890 it at batteries and the buttons aren't as logically laid out.

 

[MStan]

Hi, Is the Universal Remote RF20 like the MX850? You can get the RF20 with the RF receiver for about 150 at Bestbuy.
It looks just like the MX850.

Mark

 

[IVB]

The MX850 is a professional-level product, designed primarily for the Custom Installer market. It's miles beyond what the other remotes have, the question is whether you need that power or not. I know it's got a lot more power than what I need, but I would rather have that than too little and be bummed. I've played that game too many times, I always lose in the end as I have to buy a 2nd more powerful product, and would have saved money by just buying a great device to begin with.

1) (important for me) The PC programming/ease of the MX850 really is awesome, which makes everything simpler.
2) (important for me) The MRF300 RF receiver is designed to be very RF-interference resistant, which was a problem for me due to the amount of equipment I have. I had the MRF200 RF receiver, but it didn't work real well.
3) (important for me) That device looks like it can control 10 devices, but only 1 page per device which allows you the 5 programmable buttons on the right. With the MX850, you have 10 buttons per page, 4 pages per device. For devices like receivers, you have *tons* of commands, and not having to schlep to the receiver itself and using the mfr remote is awesome. Plus, you can seperate the rooms & devices like I did . See the screenshots below for examples of the pages, and how they're useful. I actually end up using the Denon receiver page more often than i'd like to admit, esp when i'm sitting in the living room and am too lazy to get up and go to the CQC touchpanel. I'll pull up the LivRm page (it's L/R:R on the menu), and press the appropriate power-on & source button.
4) Assuming you buy from an authorized dealer, the IR database can be updated for any new products that come out, so if there's a code that's not on the manufacturer remote, you can add it in.
5) Supports multiple equipment locations if you have multiple MRF250/300's. I don't use this, but for IR-heavy houses, I can see it being useful.

FWIW, there are folks who love the MX950 more than the MX850, but i'm sure the same can be said everytime you add another few hundred to the price. There's a huge forum with all this stuff at AVSForum, in the "remote control" section, if you want to see all the passionate debate on either side of the coin.

 

[PaulD]

Thanks all...you have helped me sort out a few foggy spots in my options.

If my interpertation of IVB comments and my web surfing is correct, the following statements are true about the MX850 approach...and I can patch together the approach I want for remote control. Any misconceptions in following?????? (For Harmony advocates, read tail end of this set of comments)

- MX850 can be programed via PC
- MX850 can feed a MX300 via IR and/or RF
- MX300 can feed IR to 6 different "devices"
- A "device" can be a Ocelot Controller, an emitter unit (breakout to muliply outputs) or any individually IR controlled end device (TV, DVD, etc)
- As a "device", an Ocelot can pick up the IR signals via one of the 6 each MX300 IR outputs, process Ocelot macros as needed and then feed commands via serial connection to a HAI Omni Pro II controller for use in HA commands and programing
- Using a "Zone control" approach with the RF side of the MX850, I can send IR commands isolated to one of the 6 zones output from the MX300 (allows me to turn on/off devices such as a cable box in one room without impacting a similar device in a different zone)
- Assumption (by me) - Using the MX850 for stuff like channel surfing would introduce noticeable lags in TV reaction and I should continue to use the standard cable RC for routine TV stuff. WAF is a player here!

If I am on the right track, this allows me to...
- Use RF or IR to issue commands to my Omni Pro II system
- Minimize the use of IR collectors around the house
- Issue commands to any end device (cable box, TV, DVD, etc) in a specific room as long as the end device is connected to a IR emitter...without interfering with a similar end device in a different room
- Continue to use my standard cable TV remote for channel surfing/etc in a room without interfering with devices in another room
- Restrict my remotes to 2 types...the standard cable RC (with each TV) and a MX850 as my roving remote both inside and outside my house (within range)

I know there are a bunch of Harmony advocates out there and I am not discounting the use of a Harmony RC. However, I have not had a detailed look at them yet. For those with good familiarity with upper end Harmony units, how would they compare in doing the above?

 

[IVB]

If my interpertation of IVB comments and my web surfing is correct, the following statements are true about the MX850 approach...and I can patch together the approach I want for remote control. Any misconceptions in following?????? (For Harmony advocates, read tail end of this set of comments)

- MX850 can be programed via PC
- MX850 can feed a MX300 via IR and/or RF
- MX300 can feed IR to 6 different "devices"
- A "device" can be a Ocelot Controller, an emitter unit (breakout to muliply outputs) or any individually IR controlled end device (TV, DVD, etc)

yep.

- As a "device", an Ocelot can pick up the IR signals via one of the 6 each MX300 IR outputs, process Ocelot macros as needed and then feed commands via serial connection to a HAI Omni Pro II controller for use in HA commands and programing

I dunno anything about the Ocelot, but if it can pick up IR, then you can setup the MX850 to send it IR.

- Using a "Zone control" approach with the RF side of the MX850, I can send IR commands isolated to one of the 6 zones output from the MX300 (allows me to turn on/off devices such as a cable box in one room without impacting a similar device in a different zone)

I'd need more info here, but you may need multiple MRF300's, one for each equipment location. I'm not too savvy about running wires for the IR emitters to equipment in other rooms than the MRF300, as I opted for a centralized equipment solution.

- Assumption (by me) - Using the MX850 for stuff like channel surfing would introduce noticeable lags in TV reaction and I should continue to use the standard cable RC for routine TV stuff. WAF is a player here!

No, I believe that's a wrong assumption. The MX850 is no slower than the cable remote; it's the device placement that's the issue. If the cable box is in the same room, then it's just as fast regardless of remote. If the cable box is in a different room than the remote, than you'll either have the same lagtime or better - the MRF300 is pretty damn fast with my direct Denon control, which is in a different room.

If I am on the right track, this allows me to...
- Use RF or IR to issue commands to my Omni Pro II system
- Minimize the use of IR collectors around the house
- Issue commands to any end device (cable box, TV, DVD, etc) in a specific room as long as the end device is connected to a IR emitter...without interfering with a similar end device in a different room
- Continue to use my standard cable TV remote for channel surfing/etc in a room without interfering with devices in another room
- Restrict my remotes to 2 types...the standard cable RC (with each TV) and a MX850 as my roving remote both inside and outside my house (within range)

Other than the zone bit which i don't have experience with, and the standard cable remote which I mentioned above, you could be down to 1 remote. Of course, then there's the issue of "where the hell is the MX850", so you could *choose* to go with 2 remote types, but that's your choice, not a constraint.

 

[PaulD]

Thanks IVB. I still have some kinks to work out in my plans but your info has helped a lot.

You may want to check out the zone bit...might be useful to you somewhere. According to Universal tech data, you can use an MX850 RF command to issue a MX300 IR command which is restricted to a single MX300 output line (zone) vs blasted to all MX300 output lines as would occur with a MX850 IR command. This is useful to allow control of a specific device even if there are multiple devices around the home (such as cable boxes).

 

[gatchel]

I use a Logitech Harmony 880 and like it very much. I used to have a Pronto Neo but it died and I moved to the 880. It feels good in the hand, it has a rechargable battery, and it is simple to use and set up.

It doesn't have some of the flexibility as some of the Macro capable remotes but it works well. My buddy purchased an 890 and he loves it also.

There are some quirks but overall it has served me well.

The only issue is when using it, if you are trying to press some of the lower buttons 7,8,9,0, etc you have have good manual dexterity to keep the remote in your hand.

 

[Herdfan]

$500 is a lot, you could get my MX850 for that.

Make sure you buy via an authorized dealer, though. Mike at SurfRemoteControl.com is a good guy.

You can get an MX-900 for around $300 give or take and I love mine. In fact, if it weren't for the recent addition of an MX-980, the 900 would remain as my Media room remote of choice. But instead it is going to serve me in the MBR.

I second the recommendation of Mike at SRC. You will get a good price and the updateable software.

Harmony's are fine, but they are a consumer grade remote. Not necessarily a bad thing, but the URC's are meant to be installed by professionals and are, IMHO, of a much higher build quality. I have one Harmony left in my house and it is my daughter's. When it dies, she will get a URC.

 

[jwilson56]

I also have a Harmony 880 and like it. I have a MX-500 laying around here and never liked how big it was. It didn't feel right in your hand. The 880 is nice to use and I love the recharging base.

John