I should receive my new mx-600 (needed RF ability or would have purchased 500) today any general suggestions or tips before I begin programing. Is the manual as straight forward as Outlaw products.

The manual is pretty good. I would recommend starting out by sketching out some idea of how you plan to set up the screens for each device. There are a couple good templates to aid in this at Remote Central .

Gonk, I searched around the remote site and didn't see the templates you were refering to could you give me a little more direction. thanks Brad

Check out this page for some different planners. There are two in Excel format and one in Word format. I'd suggest the Excel templates first, but you might also check out the Word template to see if it works well for you.

I got the 600 shortly after I got the 990 and am absolutely thrilled with it. The programming is very straight forward and extremely flexible. Because each device has 20 soft buttons available, you can do some really innovative programming. I haven't as yet found any need for using the macro capability, because within each devices soft buttons, I program one button from the 990's input selection for that particular device, one button to change my front projector's aspect ratio, one (or more if the device has multiple output connections) for selecting the projector's input connection, etc.. The only minor complaint I have with the unit is that the thumb pad center (select) is a little bit touchy about how you press it, and sometimes takes multiple tries to get a response, so for each device I program the next to bottom hard button on the right side to also perform the select function. One very sgnificant advantage over the 990's remote is that the 600 has a discreet button for turning the backlight on, versus having to make a blind stab at a button on the 990's to light it up.

Gonk, I tried to open your remote mxd files link
and my computer said to download Arc GIS mapping software ($248.00). My computer must not be picking the right software. Where else can I find 3 digit remote code for the Velodyne sms-1 and oppo DVD.

I went back to remote central and found other codes but windows xp professional will not open them and tells me to down load Arc Gis software again. Went to OPPO site found listing for codes. Won't open those either.

The .mxd files only work with the software for the MX-700, MX-800, and MX-850 - unless you have that software installed, Windows won't know what to do with it. Since the MX-600 doesn't support a PC interface, you won't be able to use these files even with the right software.

You might try Aux code 203 for the SMS-1 (that's the only code I saw in the MX-600 manual for a Velodyne product). I don't know if there is a code for the Oppo, so you may need to manually learn all the commands. That's not as difficult a process as it may sound like, though, and with a little planning it ends up giving you a more intuitive setup (you put the commands where you want them, not where somebody else decided to put them). As Bill B. points out, it is also often handy to learn commands from other devices onto the soft buttons for a device - such as settings for TV or processor inputs, TV aspect ratios, and so forth. I even have some basic controls for my DVD-R on my cable box device.

Thanks again all. I am astounded at what the MX-600 can do for the average HT control. This is the first time in 52 years on this big blue marble that I have been able to access all of my remote capable equipment with one remote.
With the push of a macro button I can power up five pieces of equipment and have me wife's first channel she checks be on the screen. Some times it's the small things in life that are most satisfying.
There is one thing that I have not figured out how to accomplish and don't think there is a configuration for it.
I want to use DVI from my HD sat receiver to the TV because the picture is much better than running DVI through the 990 then to the TV. Running component to the 990 and component to the TV is close but not as crisp.
I can use DVI or component to the TV for DVD and component for DVR and VCR through 990 which is OK since they are not HD anyway. The problem arises because on the TV the DVI signal is through one video input and I must use another video input for component, so who ever the operator is must switch the video input from 7 to 4 or 5 on page 1 for TV on the remote to switch signals.
I tried to set up a second macro with video 4 on it but it would not change the TV from 7 to 4 skipping 1, 2 and 3. The button learning would only advance one at a time.
I know having implied that the MX-600 is better than sliced bread (and it is )this is a very small thing to deal with (my wife thinks a mono AM/FM radio is OK but is understanding of my obsession). Just trying to make things as simple as possible for her and guests.
Any suggestions how to get the TV to change video input?
I may just have to print instructions, but nobody ever reads them and they push every button available and leave me to sort it out saying your equipment isn't working.
Even this will be way easier with the MX-600 because before they could push buttons on 6 or 7 remotes and I would spend half an hour figuring it out and swearing I would never let guests watch TV in the HT again.
When my wife gets home from taking care of our nephew and pushes M1 and everything turns on , I may even get lucky.
Thanks for all help.

I can relate entirely to the "better than sliced bread" reaction to a good universal like the MX-600 - my wife still considers our old MX-500 the best single upgrade we ever made to the system, with the MX-700 a step up from there.

I may be a little shaky on how the input control on your TV works, but I think I have a solution that might help. On my current TV, I have discrete input codes, so it works very nicely, but I have a "standard" on my devices that I established at my wife's request back when we had the old TV: a button on each video source labeled "FIXTV" that would send the TV the "INPUT" command (either a discrete code for the appropriate input or a global toggle command). This way, if she switched to a source and had the wrong video input, all she had to do was press "FIXTV" until she had what she wanted on the screen. It wasn't as transparent a process as a macro using discrete inputs (which is what my MX-700 does with my Zenith C32V37), but it is still pretty user-friendly for a setup with a global INPUT command - and it's a trick that I have Mrs. gonk's full approval to share to anybody who might benefit from it.