As usual Gonk has given great advice. I played around with the 850 software for a couple of weeks before the unit arrived, and it made a world of difference in getting up and running quickly. One additional thought -- don't be afraid to save different types of programming styles -- say "device" (DVD player) vs. "use" (Play DVD) that uses the macro ability to launch several devices -- and test them out. The 850 is so customizable you could tweak it for months.