Rating: 
Summary: Excellent Universal Remote with Great Functionality
Review: After performing a great deal of research, I recently decided on purchasing the MX-500 over an Intrigue universal remote. I couldn't be happier with my choice. This remote does everything that it claims and I was able to replace four of my remotes with about 30 minutes of programming. I have a Toshiba big-screen TV, a Pioneer audio receiver, a Sony DirecTV receiver, and a Sony DVD player and this remote works all four of them flawlessly. After entering the pre-programmed codes for those manufacturers, I still had to "teach" the remote a handful of functions from the other remotes. The MX-500 learned every "foreign" command without hesitation. So far, everything works as advertised and I am very pleased with the remote's capabilities.
Rating:
Summary: Best remote I've ever had
Review: As a victim of countless remotes I tried in vain to consolidate as much as possible to the "universal" RCA remotes that come with satellite TV or DVD players. Unfortunately this left me with at least 2 remotes on the coffee table. I did some research but because of the hefty price, waited for someone to buy it for me as a gift. Now that I've had it for 2 months I wish I'd bought it for myself a long time ago!I can easily say this is the best universal I've ever had. The preprgrammed codes as well as the learning feature means you're going to have this baby doing everything you want and in as little time as possible. Starting with preprogrammed codes and editing to my liking, it took me about 3 hours to program nearly EVERY BUTTON from my 5 other remotes, including macros. I currently have the remote controlling my TV, VCR, DirecTV satellite with TiVo, audio receiver and 300 disc DVD player with ZERO problems. As you can imagine, each of these remotes has a few dozen buttons and they're all stored in the MX-500. I've even set up a macro to turn the entire system off/on with the touch on ONE button as well as a macro to switch the audio input and turn the DVD player on/off to easily watch movies. To get around the permanent labels for the non-lcd buttons I've used a hand-held labeler and overlayed the new text. Some of the LCD buttons can be a stretch for smaller hands but that is minimzed by the majority of often used buttons being assigned to the "hard" buttons. There's also the issue of re-learning what buttons are where but this is a problem with any new remote. Fortunately, the problem is minimized here by the similar layout to the most common universal remotes packaged with electronics these days. After two months my wife is still commenting on how great a purchase this thing was. If you have the money and the relatively small amount of patience to program it, it's DEFINITELY worth every penny. It will take some logical thinking and know-how to maximize your benefit but the result is worth it. Pros: highly customizable, good mix of "hard" and "soft" buttons, pass through function, macros
Cons: price, limited space for lcd labels, permanent labels for "hard" buttons, ergonomics not ideal for smaller hands
Rating:
Summary: Best Universal at Any Price
Review: Before buying the MX-500 I tried many remotes. I bought and returned the 1 for all Kameleon.(Far too confusing and not enough buttons.) I then bought and returned the Sony AV 3000. (Again, not enough buttons, no way to label those that are there properly and a touchy touch screen.) I then tried the Phillips Pronto at a dealer. My God - how many screens do you have to go through to find the one you need? I finally started doing some research on the Internet and decided to try the MX-500. Every once in a great while someone hits upon a design that is so simple and elegant that you wonder why nobody ever thought of it before. The MX-500 is one of these classics. I won't go through all of the things it does so well which other reviewers have eloquently described except to say that I have been able to program every command from every remote I have in such a way that I am able to know which button does what and to access them all quickly. I can also, for example, go to the VCR device and control some necessary TV functions (such as changing the TV input) from the VCR device. And I don't have to guess which button to press because it's clearly labeled. In fact, the MX-500 is easier to use than some of the original remotes which it replaces since some of them had tiny or confusingly placed buttons. The MX-500's display is crisp with excellent contrast even in dim room lighting. If you have even a dim lamp on anywhere in the room you will be able to read the display. I never use the backlight. In fact,if there's anything bad to say about the MX-500 it's that the backlight is useless except in very dark surroundings. In short, I think this is the best universal remote AT ANY PRICE.
Rating:
Summary: Believe the praise! Simply fantastic!
Review: Believe the raves for this already offered by other reviewers. This device is easy to use, yet offers flexibility of very advanced programming options for more adventuresome users. The A/V receiver, TV and cable box remotes that I had been juggling (three remotes..three different colors, and *never* the correct one closest at hand!) are now stashed out of sight.
I originally planned to buy a Sony (at 2x the price), but selected this after reading the mixed reviews for the Sony devices. This thing rocks, and I'm a hero for reducing the electronic clutter in the room where it lives...
Rating:
Summary: The Absolute Best for ReplayTV
Review: Bought this remote several months ago and can't imagine watching TV without it. I have tried so many universal remotes, and this is definately The One. And you can't beat the price! Put all those indivdual component remotes into storage--you won't need any of them again. I use the MX-500 to operate a Daewoo plasma, Pioneer A/V receiver, Samsung Directv receiver, Zenith DVD player, ReplayTV and Lutron lighting. All of this works on cue, no problem, and can be activated with the press of one button. I walk in to the den, press a button labeled M1, and my lights do down, my audio/video equipment turns on, and the remote is left in the mode that I want it. I doubt I could be happier with any remote regardless of price. The initial setup was somewhat lengthy but fun. The remote is fairly easy to customize if there is no pre-set code for one of your components. I ended up making changes to the pre-sets anyway. The programming and editing options seem endless, yet basic configuration for the non-techie is straightforward. The huge plus for me is how well the MX-500 integrates ReplayTV. In fact, it is the only universal remote (that I have found) that matches up button for button. Also, a word about signal strength: A lot of the remotes that came with my components didn't seem to put out a strong enough infrared signal....so you would have to hit the button again or hold it down until it got through. Not so with the MX-500....it emits a powerful signal that works first time, every time. We hid some of our components behind a black fabric screen built into our entertainment center, and the signal gets through no problem. The MX-500 is not only the best universal remote, it may also be the best overall electronics value on the planet.
Rating: 
Summary: Had to send it back
Review: Disappointed. None of the codes worked with my Onkyo receiver. I tried the "learn" feature but became frustrated (said "good" to imply it learned the command, but for some reason still would not work.) Looks nice...fairly straightforward design but again could not use it with my system.
Rating:
Summary: Too Easy. . .and IT WORKS!
Review: Easy to program. Instructions are great. It works with all of my stuff (some high-end, some low end, some old, some new). I cannot imagine an easier remote to program and use. Well worth the money!
Rating:
Summary: Simple. Versitile. Powerful. Outstanding!
Review: For anyone looking for a truly universal remote control that will allow you to exile your myriad individual remotes to the coffee table drawer, I highly recommend the MX 500. It is absolutely worth the money. The MX 500 had all the features I wanted. Every button is backlit (and you can customize the amount of time the remain lit, from one to ten seconds). The function of almost every button can be programmed by learning a command from another remote. The LCD button labels for each component can be renamed to match whatever command you use them for. In fact, the main menu, which lists ten individual components (does anyone really HAVE then different components?) can also be edited. I changed VCR1, which I use to control my Replay TV unit, to RPLAY. As for macros, there are three dedicated macro buttons. Additionally, almost every additional button can hold a macro. While I use this only minimally (to turn on the TV, Replay TV and receiver with a single button push, for instance), more sophisticated users could do much more. The MX 500s versatility is incredible. You can control any "box" yet made. I use mine to control my HDTV, Replay TV, receiver and DVD player. On opening the box, my first impression was that this remote is a monster. Despites its size, its shape conforms comfortably enough to my hand. My only ergonomical complaint is that I do have to shift the remote in my grasp or use a second hand to reach the full spread of buttons. Compared to juggling the aforementioned four remotes, though, this is the smallest of inconveniences. The MX 500 is a dream to set up. Its "on screen" menu makes the task unbelievably easy. Setup could be streamlined a little by combining editing of LCD button labels with command to learn a function from another remote. I found myself constantly bouncing back and forth between the edit and learn menus. Once the setup is done, should you ever buy a second MX 500 (Why you would need a second is beyond me), you can simply clone your existing MX 500 to its new brother, which will become an exact...well, clone. I'm sure this is a favorite feature of custom electronics installers, but the average user will probably never use it. Using the remote is if anything anti-climactic. I've had mine all of a week, and already I take it for granted. The layout of the buttons is intuitive and easy enough to pick up. The thumb pad is a little "squishy", I would prefer that it be more firm, or than the remote use four individual directional arrows, but it works just fine, so I can't complain too much about it. All in all, I would recommend the MX 500 to anyone. You may want to wait a bit, though. Universal, the maker of the MX 500, will soon release a new family of remotes that offer most of the same functionality but in a smaller, and one would assume more ergonomic, package. If you wait, you could select to get the new model, or probably pick up the MX 500 at an even better price. Enjoy! I certainly did.
Rating:
Summary: Best remote around!
Review: I am a remote control addict! I have tried them all, and this is the best one yet. It has the most important features that I need:
1) Custom buttons with programmable labels.
2) Learn feature.
3) Backlight that works!
4) Buttons that don't wear off. This was a problem with my previous remotes where I could no longer read the labels.
5) NO touch screen business, only REAL buttons.
6) Easy programming.
7) My kids can operate it.
8) Macros that control multiple devices.
Trust me, you don't need the PC interface. Programming this remote is a breeze. I am buying another one as soon as it goes on sale so that I can backup my current one! I like it that much.
It's got a few weaknesses.
1) 4 AA batteries! Get rechargeable batteries.
2) Price.
3) The "joystick" is a bit hard to use. No biggie.
4) I hardly ever use the keypad. I would have reversed the layout and put the screen and other buttons at the bottom and moved the keypad on top.
All in all, I simply love this remote. My search for the ultimate remote is done.
Rating:
Summary: Simple, yet does it all...
Review: I beleive for most people this remote will do what they want it to without being overly complex. I got the remote out of thebox and within one hour I had it programmed and ready to go. It does all the functions I need for all my componets (inlcuding all the advanced features on my Tivo and Reciever). I was also impressed with the build. Other remotes with similiar features (yet are cheaper) feel cheaper. This one, although not heavy, has a solid feel to it. I also prefer the hard buttons to LCD buttons. I find the LCD buttons not as accurate (I noticed this most when flipping channels). My wife likes it to and to be honest she is the deciding factor. she wanted a remote that simplified my ausio/video system. She likes the Macros plus the favorite channel screens (no more turn TV on, turn satelite on then turn amp on and put remote in satelite mode). My only negative would be it only controls 10 componets. Not a problem for me but with larger systems this could be a problem. I also wish you could delete or add pages as needed. I know more advanced remotes can do that but they also cost much more...
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