Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Highly customizable, but know what you're doing, October 22, 2007
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
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Warning URC will not update Software for Consumer!!!!!, December 7, 2007
I purchaed this remote in August 2007. I installed the software and did a live update all was fine. In October 2007 after purchasing some new equipment I did the live update and got a message saying URC was no longer supporting this software. How can this be. URC stated when I called them that if I purchased it from and Authorized Dealer to contact them to get the updates. Well I did and Amazon sent me to 6th Ave and 6th Ave sent me to URC.
Why? Well they will only let PRO Installers have the updates what am I going to hurt myself?
I feel that AMAZON and 6TH AVE should not be selling these unless they inform the customer up front that they are purchasing an expensive piece of soon to be obsolete equipment seeing as you can not get updates.
I guess I should have checked on the live update before the thirty day return policy expired.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Remote I've Owned, July 30, 2007
After struggling between purchasing various programmable universal RF remotes, I finally settled on the MX-900, and I'm glad I did! This is a well thought out product that does its job extremely well. I was somewhat annoyed at having to register to download the programming software, but once I did download it, it was an extremely pleasant experience to get the remote programmed and running smoothly. I was relieved to see an extremely straight-forward, yet powerful, interface for getting you up and running smoothly. The software was written with installers in mind, and it shows. (For anyone even slightly technically inclined, this is a very good thing!) Button and screen function programming are easy and flexible, and macro programming is a breeze. Learning codes from obscure remotes not available in the large provided database was also easy. Additional codes can be downloaded from various websites and imported easily as well. (I was pleased to find a discrete power off code for one of my more unusual components which made my setup much more reliable thanks to this feature.) And, perhaps my favorite feature is the ability to download the configuration from the remote onto the computer and save or modify it. This is a huge benefit for those times when I lose my configuration file and want to add a new feature without starting from scratch.
I wouldn't hesitate to buy this product again. In fact, I may just have to get another one for my parents this Christmas just to avoid having to rescue them several times a year when they accidentally change the video mode and can't figure out how to get their system working again. With a couple simple macros, almost any component setup can be made nearly bulletproof.
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