I'm considering a new remote and the mx-700 seems to be well liked.Are their different models out there that you use and like?I only need something to control 5 pieces of av equipment so it's a small job for the remote to handle.The stock 990 remote works all but my sony projector.

Like several other posters here I have the MX-700. I had an MX-500 for several years before upgrading to the MX-700 and for the money may it be the best investment I have made to my system.

Easy to program thru your PC and controls everything. I even have it set to remote control my iPod when it is hooked up to my sytem and also a Squeezebox 3.

I will be using Philips Pronto TSU 3000 with my 990. It can have a huge learning curve, but I like them and find them easy to program. I have been using Pronto remotes since TSU 1000 days. There is tons of stuff available on the remotecentral.com site for base layouts and codes.

I went from a Pronto TSU2000 to a Harmony 880. I liked the funcionality of the Pronto better, but the Harmony is definitely more ergonomic, and does everything I need it to do.

Like mzpro5, my wife considers the MX-700 to be the best purchase we ever made for the home theater, although she may actually give the MX-500 that title and lump the MX-700 in with it. The MX-700 is a great choice.

My family really likes the Harmony 880. My goal was to find a "friendly" remote that the entire family would feel comfortable using. The Activities functions of the 880 met that goal. I found the web based programming a little odd at first but a little practice fixed that. I'd recommend the Harmony 880 for use with the 990.

I second the 880 . Very family friendly . It makes the entire system easy to use even when I'm away. Nothing more frustrating than the wife complaining about not being able to control the system .

Makes buying more gear that much easier

I use an 880. It seemed quriky at first but after isntalling the latest software it was a breeze. I find it easy and my family can use it too (not necessarily a plus!).

The 880 is ready for a test run, just got it. Hoping it will allow for a retirement of about 7 other remotes. And perhaps my wife will feel like using the stuff. But won't hold my breath, she's the one who wonders what was wrong with the RCA 27" tube...

MX-850 - couldn't be happier with it.

I have used Harmony, Sony, Pronto and just about every remote out there but I keep coming back to the MX series. Currently I use the MX-700 and am completely satisfied with it. IMO, if you know how to program it well enough you can make it just as simple to operate for the family as any Harmony remote.

MX-800. We wanted the RF capability to be able to handle volume/mute from the kitchen.

If your looking for a solid universal, but don't need top off the line. Check out:


http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=1090227&CatId=358

It is the Harmony 659 for sale at tiger direct for a $89. All in all about the best deal out there.

Bluedo.com had the MX-500 for $84 the last time I looked.

Etronics has the MX-700 for $190.00

MX-700

Surf Remote also has a good price on the MX-700 - $175 .

New Egg has this unit for $155.99 w/$4.99 shipping. Just ordered 1 for myself.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16880100602

I ordered the mx-700 from newegg.com lastnite also.I liked the remotes layout and with my room being kept dark,i need the raised buttons and display.

Darn, newegg is out of stock on the MX-700.....

I just ordered the MX-700 from Surf Remote which is an "authorized" reseller; important if you want product & tech support along with waranty I am told. I also found out that the MX-700 is being discontinued so if you are thinking about one you might want to act quickly. I have no experience with this or any Universal Remote and am going on recomendations only.

I really liked their high end "touch pannel" product but you can buy an entry level laptop for the same price! With all the software out there I would think this would be a better option.

Wow, discontinued... I guess the MX-800/850 are taking its place. Makes me wonder if the MX-500 will follow suit.

The MX-850 looks pretty sweet. I was going to get a pronto, but my wife thought it was too bulky.

Has anyone compared it to the higher end Harmony remotes? The cost is about the same ($200-300).

Cheers,

My understanding is that the MX-850 and MX-800 are direct descendents of the MX-700. Both the 800 and 850 offer RF capability, which the 700 lacks, and the 850 uses a different nagivation keypad (the select button in the center is a separate button from the four-way navigation pad around it). The navigation pad is probably the biggest complaint with the MX-500/700 from my wife and other family members. (My first DVD player was a Panasonic A310, and after getting the hang of the joystick navigation control on its remote the 700's pad isn't a big deal to me.) The 800 and 850 use the same configuration program and data files as the 700, so there's an abundance of files available (including some for Outlaw gear ).

I got suckered into an impulse buy on the Harmony 880 today at Best Buy. 8-) It was remarkably easy to setup, though I haven't done anything fancy with it yet. The simple web setup had all the settings for every piece of gear (including the Outlaw 990), downloaded the new config to the remote via USB, and it seems to just plain work. It even passed the wife test. 8-)

I use the Harmony 880. Good WAF and has some decent abilities. Even my parents are able to use it while babysitting!

Ritz,
I don't know if 'suckered into' fits here. Sounds like someone at Best Buy gave you some good advise, and lucky for you, you took it! :-)
Enjoy!


Lonster

The only pertinent conversations you can really have at Best Buy are with the cashier. 8-) They had a pile of 880 remotes sitting there next to the all the theater gear. I was looking for sturdier wall mounts for my surround speakers. None of those passed the wife test so it looks like I'll be headed to HomeDepot to construct a totally overengineered bracket to convince her that even Bigfoot won't be able to tear this off the wall (long story).

Cheers,

I can't say much better for our local Good Guys which is inside Compusa. Just don't get it! Unless you know exactly what you want and need no info, I'd never buy there.

Ordered the mx-700 from newegg around Christmas. Couldn't be happier with its performance. Paid 155.?? shipped.

I ordered the MX-700 from Surf Remote, earlier in the week - supposed to arrive on Friday. I've seen alot of words about Surf Remote - ALL positive. The head guy is a regular (and I think a mod) at avsforum.com. I missed out on the $155 deal, but oh well. I paid $174.

As of now newegg is still shipping this item at the $156 price. I just received my unit and I am customizing the programming for my gear. Hope there are some experienced programmers to bounce questions off of. I have two questions right now. First, I went to remotecentral.com to get a headstart with my 1050 codes and the file is in a .mxd format. The editor wants it in a .mxf format? What's the difference? Secondly, can I import just one device into the editor without overwriting the other devices when I load the datafile?

.MXD files are individual device files. To use them, you'll need to right-click on a device under "Home" on the left side of the screen and choose "Import Device" to bring the configuration file into your file. You'll also need to pick the slot where you want to put the device before the program will let you actually import the data.

Thanks for the quick reply got my 1050 loaded and working. Lot to learn on this one.

Why use other remote?
The Outlaw 990 remote is JP1 compatible.
You can program it with whatever device you like.
I program my remote with Oppo DVD and Panasonic PT AE-900 which are not listed on the included list of devices.
Regards
Kris