Best universal remote?

[SDeGonge]

Originally Posted by Oats

I got my URC WR7 yesterday and so far like it very much. I am using it on a PC client however. But it has codes in the back for the MCE remote and the Hauppauge remote if either of those work with the HD200 it should work fine.

I have two WR7s, One for the main PC and the other for my HD200. After a month of use so far I can say that this is the best remote you can get for under $20. Love the backlight & macros!

I attached my configuration & cheat sheet if you're interested.

[CollinR]

Originally Posted by toricred

@stanger I've got an R50 and I couldn't find any codes for Sage. Any clues where to look? I'd much rather do that than use learned codes.

Does the R50 support PC programming?

[stanger89]

No the R50 is through the remote only.

[davephan]

I checked out the Harmony One and Harmony 900 at the best buy store. I did not care for the raised buttons compared to the AR Xsight. The Xslight is programmable directly and some functions and editing through the web site connection. The Xsight can transmit IR and RF and has an RF extender device that is optional.

Dave

[gacevich]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Unfortunately the URC MX-880 is the best remote (by quite a bit) I've ever used. The URC R50 is decent but not quite as good. I really don't like the Harmony remotes, they just don't feel very good IMO and the tiny buttons are horrible. The One might be better but it doesn't do RF which I required when I got my MX880.

Personally I'm lusting for an MX-5000, it's got WiFi And haptic touchscreen

+1 for the mx-800

[KeithAbbott]

Looks like Sony has a new inexpensive universal remote coming out that looks pretty interesting, the RM-VLZ620. Take a look at it here: http://www.remotecentral.com/news/51...uncovered.html

[icon123]

Any reason an urc-r6 wouldn't work as good as a urc-wr7? They seem very similar, but I like the layout better on the r6. BTW, with the wr7, does the remote work right out of the box or do you have to learn each hd200 remote key?

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by davephan

I checked out the Harmony One and Harmony 900 at the best buy store. I did not care for the raised buttons compared to the AR Xsight. The Xslight is programmable directly and some functions and editing through the web site connection. The Xsight can transmit IR and RF and has an RF extender device that is optional.

Dave

First time I heard of this remote, looks really interesting, and priced a lot cheaper than the Harmony remotes. And the non touch screen version is even cheaper. I'm seriously considering the XSight now instead of waiting for the Harmony One price to go down, probably won't until they come out with a new lineup. The optional RF extender is a very nice.

[SDeGonge]

Originally Posted by icon123

Any reason an urc-r6 wouldn't work as good as a urc-wr7? They seem very similar, but I like the layout better on the r6. BTW, with the wr7, does the remote work right out of the box or do you have to learn each hd200 remote key?

WR7 worked for basic control with the default code for the HD200. There were some special keys that I had to learn.

[davephan]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

First time I heard of this remote, looks really interesting, and priced a lot cheaper than the Harmony remotes. And the non touch screen version is even cheaper. I'm seriously considering the XSight now instead of waiting for the Harmony One price to go down, probably won't until they come out with a new lineup. The optional RF extender is a very nice.

The AR Xslight remote is about the same price as the Harmony One. I got it at Best Buy so I could get an extended warranty just in case it breaks. It does require a lot of tweaking to get it setup just right. I have 7 devices programmed. The 'favorites' are nice. You can have about 64 of your favorite channels with the color logos like "CNN" in red.

The favorites on the remote compensate for the crude way the cableboxes are setup with very a very clunky favorite channel system. DirecTV and Dish Network handle favorites better. You remove channels from your line up that you never want to see, including all the pay per view and garbage channels.

The programming is done by entering in the TV, cablebox, etc. The HD-200 isn't listed so you have to 'learn' each key. Some of the programming is done directly, some with the web interface. For example, you setup the favorites with logo graphics with the web interface.

I only use the IR, I don't have any devices that need RF. The cost is pretty high for a remote control, but it really cleans up a lot of remote control clutter.

There are some Youtube videos that demonstrate the AR Xslight.

Corporate promotional video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lhwb6cETh0

Trade show video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H18Zv...eature=related

A guy programming the remote control video (poorly focused):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXsPANC11Uk


Dave

[icon123]

Originally Posted by SDeGonge

WR7 worked for basic control with the default code for the HD200. There were some special keys that I had to learn.

Thanks. BTW, I didn't see a device code for the HD200 in the online manual. Which one did you use?

Edit: Nevermind, I see that the remote has preprogrammed codes.

[SDeGonge]

Originally Posted by icon123

Thanks. BTW, I didn't see a device code for the HD200 in the online manual. Which one did you use?

Edit: Nevermind, I see that the remote has preprogrammed codes.

The default code for AUX worked. I think it is 001. I don't recall seeing a specific code for SageTV devices.

[mayamaniac]

Originally Posted by davephan

The AR Xslight remote is about the same price as the Harmony One. I got it at Best Buy so I could get an extended warranty just in case it breaks.

Dave

Well you are not gonna get anything cheap from Best Buy that's for sure. The best price on Amazon for a Harmony One is $177, and the XSight Touch for $129, or the XSight Color (non touchscreen) for $82. The XSight is a lot cheaper.

The directional pad on the XSight is too small for my taste though. And I read the software to program it is really a pain to use. I still like the layout of the Harmony One better, but if I have to get a remote right now, it would have to be the XSight just for the price.

[nebulink]

I personally purchased 5 urc-1056 remotes. They work perfect. I can do everything plus default volume control to tv. This remote is JP1 enabled. So it can be programmed from the pc. Very easy to do.

Here's a pic.
http://www.urcsupport.com/images/upl...OCAP_Front.jpg

You can buy these remotes for $10 off ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Atlas-1056-DVR-P...item5883f66c0b

Hope this helps.

[tyke]

Originally Posted by nebulink

I personally purchased 5 urc-1056 remotes. They work perfect. I can do everything plus default volume control to tv. This remote is JP1 enabled. So it can be programmed from the pc. Very easy to do.

Did you have to program these via the PC or can it be done from the remote?

[davephan]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

Well you are not gonna get anything cheap from Best Buy that's for sure. The best price on Amazon for a Harmony One is $177, and the XSight Touch for $129, or the XSight Color (non touchscreen) for $82. The XSight is a lot cheaper.

The directional pad on the XSight is too small for my taste though. And I read the software to program it is really a pain to use. I still like the layout of the Harmony One better, but if I have to get a remote right now, it would have to be the XSight just for the price.

The AR Xslight was about $200, which is a lot to pay for a universal remote, but not a lot compared to all the equipment it controls. Here's a link to it:

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Acoustic...rsal&cp=3&lp=2

That's true, a lot of people complain the remote is a pain to program and they don't like the web site. It takes something to get used to, or put up with! But it is possible to get it programmed so it can control many devices.

Dave

[briands]

Originally Posted by nebulink

I personally purchased 5 urc-1056 remotes. They work perfect. I can do everything plus default volume control to tv. This remote is JP1 enabled. So it can be programmed from the pc. Very easy to do.

Here's a pic.
http://www.urcsupport.com/images/upl...OCAP_Front.jpg

You can buy these remotes for $10 off ebay
http://cgi.ebay.com/Atlas-1056-DVR-P...item5883f66c0b

Hope this helps.

How is the backlighting? Looks like most buttons do NOT have back light.

[davephan]

The AR Xslight only has back lighting on the on screen buttons. I never watch TV in the dark though, so seeing the buttons isn't a problem.

The urc-1056 remote is dirt cheap at $10. Does it have macros and is it a learning remote? I use the macro to turn on and off the TV-SageTV-Amplifier by pressing one button. The 'learning' function is absolutely necessary. It looks like it is also called an Atlas remote too. I looked around a bit for a user manual for the urc-1056 remote, but couldn't find one yet. Could you post a link for the manual or the PDF file?

If the urc-1056 remote can replace all the other remotes for the other TVs and their associated equipment, then it would be a cheap solution. Since it is so cheap, several extra could be ordered, so when the remote gets lost, you have more of them, it till the other remote is found.

I would want to check out the manual first, then order one to check it out.

Dave

[scat]

For those that want a Harmony 880 and don't like
paying the current retail price of about $120.00 usd
I recently bought a pair of (2) Harmony for $119.95 and free shipping, they are in brand new condition, they have just been opened and returned.
this is the link: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...:X:AAQ:US:1123

Scat

[TwistedMelon]

For Stanger89 and anyone else with a current pro-level URC remote...

Are the codes in the URC software (CCP or MX-880 Editor) for the HD200 clean (of high quality)? Do you know how they were added?

I know the HD200 uses a pretty standard RC5/6 protocol which is easy to learn/understand and if the codes are already in their DB that's good news. I was expecting to have to add them myself and was just about to write to Sage requesting a code list.

The "general" part of the message...

$200 is what I consider "cheap" for a high quality universal remote. Do suppose you have to factor in the cost of the components that are going to be controlled of course. But if you have $2000-$5000 invested in other equipment, I think $200 on a remote is more than reasonable.

I haven't picked up an MX-880 yet, but I've used (and own) a number of other pro URC products, including the MX-700 and MX-850. URC makes solid respectable remotes. The pro models require a lot more knowledge to program than a Harmony, but if you know what you're doing you can easily achieve very nice Activity-based control. I haven't used the older URC remotes as my primaries simply because they lacked the right set of hard buttons to make them DVR-friendly.

Harmony remotes are unfortunately, very disposable, regardless of their retail price. I've owned a number of these as well (a few prior to Logitech's acquisition) and currently the 880 is my primary remote. There are now two button failures, a couple of small cracks and paint chipping. The remote is also super-finicky about how it's placed on the charging base. The Nokia-style rechargeable battery doesn't last very long. And the screen is of terrible quality. Do I need to mention that the button layout/arrangement and tactile design are bad? Horrible in fact. I've always felt this way, but for some reason used this remote anyway.

The 500-series can't generally go longer than one year without button and paint wear and is just as susceptible to button failure because they use the same clicky button assemblies.

If I have to recommend a Harmony remote, I am now recommending the 700, 650 and 600. I don't like that their front ends are thin, but they have softer button, they're the first Harmony remotes besides the One and 900 with sensible button arrangement and they take AA batteries. The 700 takes 2 NiMH AA and can be recharged by plugging it in (no dock). They're also much cheaper than the other current models.