Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Solid Remote, December 7, 2005
This remote is a solid performer. However, there are some cons that would make this remote a hands-down 5 star winner.
1) No PC interface. It would be nice to setup / edit remote settings via a PC interface which would also allow real-time access to the latest device codes.
2) No ability to edit macros. Macros can be very powerful and can contain up to 190 lines (commands). However, there is no way to edit your existing macro. The options are erase and rerecord (start over). A PC interface could fix this issue.
3) No way to turn off the remote. It continues to display data on the screen 7 x 24. Would be a nice battery saving feature.
4) No way to set a device as a default. As a result, you must select the device (TV or Cable) every time to operate your preferred device (e.g. TV).
5) Documentation could provide more details and examples. The website does not provide any additional help and the FAQ page on the site is still under construction. No user forum available either.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good value for the price, December 5, 2006
I bought the URC300 to replace the learning remote that came with my Kenwood A/V receiver mostly for its customizability. It does not disappoint there, with editable soft-button labels, complex macros and the "punch through" feature. All well and good.
Where it disappoints - drives one damn near crazy - is its ability to learn from other remotes. Not its capacity to do so, which it indeed possesses, but the process itself. As others have noted in posts on various remote control Web sites, it is a very particular beast. I found myself contorting my hands to find just the right angle to get a button learned. And it takes two attempts to succeed (or fail, as is far more often the case). This, according to the manual, is by design. More intrepid reviewers have noted a possible design flaw.
An even bigger concern, and the reason I can't rate this unit higher (in fact, the less generous of you out there would probably give it 3.5 or 3 stars) is that at least one remote (Philips DVP-5900) could not be learned. After 15 minutes (enough time for any decent learning remote to learn all six I was trying to teach it) I gave up on trying the original and switched to the already-programmed Kenwood remote. For whatever reason, the URC300 liked that one, so it served as the perfect foil to its finicky replacement; so perfect that I often resorted to using it when other originals proved troublesome.
I should qualify this by stating that I intentionally erased ALL stored commands using the "AUX 155" trick. Since the URC300 claims to be the "Customizer" I thought I'd put it to the test. I did look at the pre-programmed settings for the Philips DVD player, but didn't like the layout. Less picky folk could probably live with it and other pre-programmed device settings (which can be altered by first erasing a button's function - another nice feature - and then teaching that button from the original).
So, great patience is required for those intent on teaching the URC300, esp. if starting from a blank slate. Without my old learning remote, I'd have been sunk.
Once all the buttons are as you want them, the URC300 is a fantastic device. Very sturdy construction and more than enough flexibility make it a very good (almost great) buy for the price. I've read, but cannot verify, that a newer (and so, more expensive) model (the MasterControl RF-30, I believe) does not have the learning issues of the URC300.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great remote!, October 2, 2006
After being terribly dissappointed with the performance of my Sony remote commander av-3000, I took a chance with this one after reading all the reviews submitted by other buyers. This truly is the nicest remote I've bought to date!
The set-up is very easy either with the manual or the dvd. I programmed my Sony big screen, vcr, receiver, and dvd player in 10 minutes with the simple code entering program. I also was able to program my JVC karaoke player(which is very complicated) in about 15 minutes with the learn function. The instructions are very simple to understand in the manual.
Some of the nicer features are the touch screen display, the punch thru macro, and the ability to rename and reprogram the buttons even with already having programmed the remote with other codes. You can rename and reprogram as much as you want! The remote has a nice feel to it. Not too heavy or awkward at all. Very easy to use with one hand. Also, the backlight button is the best! It not only lights up the display screen, but also ALL the buttons on the remote(very handy in the dark!)
The only drawbacks that I see are the fact that you cannot turn the remote completely off (but since the display is a regular black lcd, it shouldn't take too much juice from the batteries) and I noticed a similiar complaint that the backlight only works best completely in the dark, not in a semi lit room (but there are backlight adjustments built into the unit so I think you could work something out)
Overall, I'm very happy with this remote.
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