hey guys, i've heard alot of people talk about the mx500 remote, and it looks pretty cool, but has anybody heard of the Sony RM-AV3100, it can be bought for the same price as the mx500, and to me looks like alot more remote for the price, has anyone compared the two ?

I used a Sony RM-AV2100 prior to getting my Model 950. The disadvantages I found with the Sony were the size (it will take two hands to operate most functions except volume control, even for someone with big hands) and the limited customization capability of the touchscreen (each button space had between one and three labels to choose from, and in many cases none of them quite fit with my needs). Plus the cats tended to walk across it and change things very easily (input, volume, mute, ...). We actually preferred the SL-9000 remote that came with the Model 950 to the AV2100, and the MX-500 was a nice step up from the 950's remote.

Never used the Sony but I did use a Pronto for about 2 years. To this day its always been my favorite remote, but unfortunately I could never get used to it not having hard buttons. Its so nice to be able to use a guide or tivo without having to look at the remote first. I originally switched to the mx-500 and eventually moved to the mx-700. The mx series, IMO, is the most functional line of remotes I have ever used, but if touchscreen is your thing I would whole heartily recommend the Pronto.

i guess by "alot more remote" i was mainly looking at the size of the touchscreen, kinda laptop-esque, plus from what i've read the 3100 has upgraded alot of features since the 2100 and 3000, mostly with the customization, (you can actually create your own labels with whatever you want them to say, and then teach them whichever function you want. I haven't checked out the pronto, i'll had to look at that one. thanks for the replies.

The Pronto offers a lot of customization for the touchscreen - you can draw your own buttons and arrange them any way you like. If you aren't thrown off by the touchscreen in lieu of hard buttons, Pronto's are from all reports great remotes (although a lot of people had trouble with the Pronto Neo, as I recall). My household tends to run smoother with the hard buttons of the MX-500 and MX-700, however.

thats good info. thanks again for the replies. anyone elso please jump on in with your experience.

I made a quick stop over at Remote Central to see what their reviews might tell me. I heartily recommend that site if you are remote shopping - it's a great resource for information and files. The labels on the 3100 (and the 2500) are still somewhat restricted - Remote Central has pages showing all of the labels options available for both the 3100 and the 2500 . The MX series has different limitations, of course, since the labels for its buttons are restricted to five characters or less, but a little creativity can make that go a long way.

I owned a sony Rm-AV 3100 briefly and had to return it because it ept freezing up for no apparent reason and the only way to unfreeze it was to remove the batteries wait a while and reinsert.Extremely inconvenient.According to several consumer reviews a lot of people have had this problem including freezing up when the volume control is pressed with the result that the volume goes haywire which might be rather unhealthy for the equipment.I now have the MX-500 and am quite happy with it.
Hope this helps.

I use a pronto, and I really like it. As it has been said in another forum, it was the best upgrade as far as my wife is concerned. We have it configured to control all of the tvs in the house and even the ceiling fan in the bedroom. So....it is very useful. The only "down side" is that with all the custom stuff that you can do, comes a learning curve. After having taken a look over at remote central, I was able to have my pronto working in about 4 days. I am sure that some get it done faster, but for me about 4 days to get things really where I loiked them.

I recomend the pronto series..

nemos, how does it control your ceiling fan ? do you have a infrared remote on your fan ? my universal learning remote that i have now, will not control my fan because my fan uses rf remote instead of infrared.

I'll chime in as another VERY satisfied Pronto user. I have the TSU 3000 as I've also heard of Pronto Neo problems.

As was mentioned, there is a learning curve. But, if you are a dedicated tinkerer (which I am), you can do just about anything with the Pronto.

RemoteCentral is an excellent source for information and support. There is very little in the way of instructions that come with the Pronto. It's great to download someone else's icons and 'borrow' their format and navigation ideas. RemoteCentral also has a good database for discrete codes for your gear.

Believe it or not, I have made this remote 100% (ok 99%), wife-proof! If she gets stuck or confused, all she has to do is return to the home page and 'start over'. Works every time!

As for the lack of hard buttons, it is something to get used to, but if you are consistent with how and where you place buttons on the touchscreen, you can learn to 'feel' where buttons are without looking.

Good luck deciding on your remote purchase. I think it's obvious that folks have strong feelings about their favorite remotes. If only you could audition them in your home for 30 days like an Outlaw product....

readster, yes, there is an IR thing that I got for the fan...

I had been using an MX-500 for a while, then got an RM-AV300. I thought that it would be a cool remote and it was very versatile. I tried to like the Sony, but I just didn't. It seemed cumbersome, and I had to look at the remote to make most changes. With my MX-500 I can control everything without having to look at the remote. It is just so much more convenient to use. I've come to the realization that I much prefer hard buttons to a touch screen.

Jeff

I bought a Pront 7000 and broke it in 1 week.. Ouch! A little to much pressure on the screen. You guessed it...I cracked it! Called Philips and told them I exerted too much finger pressure and caused the problem,,,said the cost to repair was $260..But, since I just bought , they would repair it free of charge! Now thats the kind of service that wins me over...I will not hesitate to buy a Philips product...

After using the Pronto for the last two/three years I finally switched to an MX-700 this past week. I'm still tweaking the macros but I don't think I could ever go back to the Pronto LCD screen now. LCD buttons offer a lot of neat programming options but it gets old having to stare at the buttons and not having the tactile feedback of hard buttons, especially sitting in a dark HT.