& why?

I think I'm going to need something better to keep my girl happy. (one that does macros, like what came with my 950, so she can do 1 button on/off for TV & stereo)

Thanks,
Rick

I use a Harmony remote. They are now releasing a $50 model (Harmony 300) that sounds perfect if I was in the market for a replacement. All of the macros are programable with a usb cable and computer. The software does most of the work and allows you to tweek all settings.

Engadget did a write-up on it last week:
www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/

I also use a Harmony (Model 659) - got it for around 50 bucks a few years ago. If you're willing (like myself) to sacrifice a color LCD display RF capability and/or remote charger base and stuff like that, one of these lower-priced models is about all you need.

I use a Universal Remote MX-850 and it does the job just fine.
Not too expensive if you look on E-bay.
I paid like $150.00 for mine a couple years ago.

I also have the MX-850. My wife and I love it. The programming took a while, but was quicker than I thought (this is from someone who hasn't programmed a remote before)

It's not quite one button, but is is two button for TV/home theater and four button for stereo (to select a local station from the remote's screen).

Alan

I've used several third-party remotes. The first really useful one was the URC MX-500, which was followed by the MX-700 about few years later. Most recently, we switched to the MX-900 almost two years ago for the RF support.

MX-700 for me. In fact, we have two - his and hers. That really helps eliminate fighting over who left the remote where.

It's been discontinued, but it's a really great remote, with plenty of devices and macros, and an extensive library along with learning capability.

Scott

IMO a universal remote is one of the best upgrades you can make to your home theater. Either the Universal or Harmony remotes allow a great deal of flexibility and take away all the frustration with firing up all the equipment for a particular activity. And that's not for just the non- tech folks in the house; I like the convenience as much as they do. I've got the Harmony One and I've been very pleased with it and Harmony's customer service. I had a Harmony 880 before and its buttons eventually died. The Harmony One is a much better design and it looks like it will last much longer.

I also have the 850 and love it but am curious about the above statement. I have macros set up to go from TV/Sat to disc player with one button and back with one button. I can pretty much switch anything with a one button macro. it takes a bit to get the hang of it but once you do no problem.

One problem that has come up is I bought a new computer last Nov. and it only has USB connections. I can no longer connect the 850 to my computer because the 850 needs a pin connection. anyone have any thoughts?

I haven't looked at Alan's remote file, but in some cases you can run into tasks that are hard to get down to a single step because of a lack of discrete input codes.

USB-to-serial adapter should do the trick for you. I haven't tried one with my MX-700 yet, but I will have to at some point since the MX-700 is still in use in the bedroom and our old PC (which had a serial port) went away shortly after I made some changes. The next time I change anything in there, I'll need to use a USB-to-serial adapter to update the remote accordingly.

Hi,

My comment "It's not quite one button, but is is two button for TV/home theater and four button for stereo (to select a local station from the remote's screen)." was made as we do the following:

For TV/990 operation as a home theater:
Push "Main"
Push "TV/990" pushbutton at the screen.

For 990 operation for AM/FM:
Push "Main"
Push "Radio" pushbutton at the screen
Push "Page"
Push "98.1" pushbutton at the screen (or whichever local station you want to listen to)


Alan

Another very happy Harmony user here (model 720).

I have used a USB-to-serial adapater for years. It generally works well but I have noticed that the adapter I used seems to be very inconsistent in picking COM ports (at least it was under Windows XP). The MX-700 software (which as I recall is very close to or the same as the MX-850 software) wants you to configure the COM port (Com 1 2 3 or 4). I find that every time I connect to my laptop, I need to adjust this setting to establish the link. I also recall having to go into Control Panel's devices to adjust the ports. Once it works, it stays connected as long as the remote is connected. I have not tested since I upgraded to Windows 7.

Thanks gonk. Found an adapter on Amazon so problem will be solved (hopefully)

Alan

I understand now. Don't know why but I wasn't counting pushing "Main" as a step which it obviously is. For example if I am watching via the Sat box I need to push "Main" and then the button I have labeled "BD MAIN". I've considered putting a Macro on the TV/Sat menu that would allow me to go straigh to the disc player without hitting Main but haven't gotten around to it yet.

As 99% of the time there is only one radio station I listen to with the tuner (usually use SB for radio stations, much better reception) so when I go to "radio" it is set to my usual station.