Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Universal remote, December 27, 2008
Universal Remote Control URC-R50 Digital R50 Universal Remote Control
I ended up buying a HD-TV and a new DVD-VHS for the family and set them up just before Christmas. Ended up with 4 remotes just to watch TV in the the evening. I did some background research and found this new remote from Universal Remote that seemed to fit the bill to consolidate all the remotes. there are not many instructions included in the package but it stated the instructions were built into the remote. I was able to set up all 4 remotes into this one within less than 1 hour and I am not experienced in this. The TV code was the first one the "computer" selected in the remote and with some testing it worked fine. The Cox cable box remote worked fine and was able to verify that it worked in getting the "pay per view movies" channel. The TIVO (TM) was also preprogrammed into the remote and had built in all the buttons the same as in the TIVO remote. Impressive. The DVD-VHS remote was also coded correctly and works fine. Each selection of a code the remote provides instruction of how you can test the individual equipment to make sure it has the right code before proceeding.
The one negative is that I tried to program a macro but was not able to do it from the instructions included or those provided in the remote. I knew all the steps I wanted but could not get from one devise to another while programming the remote. I may call the help line when I get a chance.
The button layout to me is fine. With the small screen, and so many other touch screen found in electronics, I am tempted to touch the screen rather than the adjacent button. I'm sure that will be in the next generation.
Impressive and it did work. I'm not an electronic geek so can't compare to other remotes.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
No pain, no gain!, May 23, 2009
I went from hating this remote and being really sorry I had purchased it, to liking it. There is truth to all the reviews, I found,and so I hope this one will be useful. While I would not classify myself as being technically inclined, I don't think I am a complete dufus, owning many, many gadgets/ electronics and having had no trouble in the past. Thus, I thought that programming this could not be so bad. How wrong I was. It really was painfully slow for me, with a lot of trial and error, exactly because of the absence of the manual. With hindsight, I think the quick start guide was trying to tell me many things, but in a slightly abbreviated form, and sometimes with crucial or helpful steps missing. Like many poorly written instructions or bad teachers, these assume a certain knowledge, and also that one can fill in the blanks. If you fall into that category of being able to make some leaps without detailed instructions, or you are good at reading between the lines of general instructions, you will have no trouble. Otherwise, take the attitude that the setting up has to be done just once (however slow and painful) and THEN comes the good part. The macros (quick start tries to explain these -- sort of) are exceedingly useful. Buttons are easy to learn, based on their layout and their different shapes. You can teach any button to learn anything within a device category, and you have the capacity to re-label everything also. You can choose the brightness of the color screen. And so on. You end up with a very useful item which is exactly what it is: a Universal Remote Control.
Update: I have added the Roku to the list of devices and have used the volume and channel cut and paste functions, thus one is able to do favorite channels and change volume super easily. Also, when programming macros, make sure to do a practice run and jot down the exact steps, taking nothing for granted, THEN program the macro on the URC.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Remote, but no user's manual, January 22, 2009
Physical Quality: Excellent - the weight, feel, and balance, all make this a great remote.
I purchased the R50 remote by Universal because I already own the R5 remote that they used to make and I was very pleased with the value of that remote. I purchased a new HD TV and a new Home Theater system and wanted to make it easier for my other family members to work the equipment. The R50 is advertised as a remote that would do what I wanted.
I was a little concerned (as were others I talked to) when the remote came with no User's Manual. All you get is a "Quick Start Guide", which is nothing better than a sales brochure. I guessed that they assumed the On-Screen Display (OSD) help would suffice. So I forged ahead. I was able to set up my brand new Vizio TV using the pre-defined codes in the remote. But when I tried to add my older Toshiba DVD-R (DVD Recorder), the code wasn't available. This is why I like the Universal brand of remotes. They can learn.
So I decided to use the learning mode to add this device. The learning screens are not very intuitive. This is where a user's manual would come in handy. It's not that the learning mode doesn't work. It's just that it takes a lot of trial and error to figure out what you're doing and how to navigate the screens correctly. I'm very good with technical things, but this was confusing at first. I eventually figured out how to work the screens, but I can only imagine how difficult it would be for anyone that claims to have no techincal skills. Now that I know how they've set up their screens, navigation is very simple. But some examples in a manual would go a long way in letting a new user know what to expect, screen by screen.
Also, there are always features of any device that are less obvious, but provide great help and enjoyment to the user. Who of us know all the features that Microsoft Excel provides. We'd never know many of the features if someone didn't tell us about it or we didn't read about the feature in a book somewhere. Now I have a remote that does the few things I want it to do, but because there is no user's manual, I have no idea what other features it could possibly provide me if I were aware those features exist. And now that I have my remote working, I don't want to search for those features or use it to practice.
The only complaint I have about this remote is the lack of a User's Manual! If they didn't want to pay the price to have User's Manuals printed, they could have at least provided a User's Manual (or a book of samples of setup routines) on their web site as a PDF file.
All in all, this remote does as it claims. I'm happy I bought this remote over the X10 Icon Remote, as it was not going to do what I wanted. This remote would have gotten my very highest score if it had only come with better instructions. If you're not real good with technical things, then I suggest you purchase this product from a Brick and Mortar store rather than on the web. Because if this remote doesn't have the codes for your equipment, you may want to take it back. But it is worth buying. Probably the best value out there in universal remotes. If your needs for a universal remote are very simple, try the R6 by Universal. For under $20 (at Best Buy), you get a very good remote that works great.
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