evatar's Full Review: Universal Remote Control SL-9000 LCD Remote Contro...
After buying our first ever home theater sound system, we reached critical mass with eight remote controls on the coffee table. My wife and I were baffled over which remote was the correct one to use for each component and mode desired and in which order to use them. Blah, blah, blah... If you're reading this you're probably already there. So for the first time I found myself considering a universal remote. After a lot of internet reviews, especially at remotecentral.com, I ordered the MX-500 from www.bludo.com and when it arrived I prepared myself for a couple days of programming. Except... it didn't take a couple of days to program the MX-500. In fact, after clearing the remote of its pre-programmed codes--a solid half hour, the longest part of the job (They're not kidding when they say it's got up to 530 commands)--I pretty much had all the major codes learned from my old remotes in another half hour. Days later, after getting used to it and figuring out where I really wanted certain things, I reprogrammed a few buttons, fine-tuned a few macros and it's been running like a dream for the last several months. I didn't find the manual that bad, and coupled with the step-by-step instructions online at bludo.com I didn't have any confusion programming the remote. Being able to hand label each page button allows you to really personalize the remote. BTW when I fine-tuned button placements I used the excel spreadsheet available online, as well as the MX-Editor for the MX-700 at the Home Theater Master Website; It doesn't allow you to program the remote from your PC but you can use the layout functions to figure out where you want your codes to go. Very handy. I read complaints about discrete codes, but I learned all my codes from the original remotes and didn't have a problem at all. BTW use fresh batteries in your old remote during learning modes--it makes a HUGE difference.
What more can I say? When I was reading online reviews I saw where people had described it with "pride of ownership" and "high wife acceptance factor," and I feel as strongly. Not only does my wife love using it as well, she even commented that it was the first electronic device I'd bought that she hadn't heard me swearing at while I was getting it setup. Really, it is that great a piece of equipment. While it looks chunky, it actually feels pretty good in our hands. The LCD is clear and the backlight is very good. The Punch Through function-where, for example, no matter what component I'm commanding, the audio control will automatically adjust only the home theater volume--is fantastic. And yes, I know that sounds dumb. But I cannot communicate to you how utterly frustrated and stupid the both of us felt when we had eight remotes lying around; we were accidentally pushing the wrong button constantly. With this remote we no longer feel intimidated by our home theater system. And that, my friend, is worth each and every penny we spent on the MX-500.
Some minor quibbles: I've found some macro functions only let you enter a function once--i.e. To change video modes on my television to watch component out on my DVD player, I have to press a button 3 times to cycle through Video modes 1 thru 4--It won't let me do this. However, I could just be doing it wrong. Everything below the joystick is just a little hard to access with your thumb; although I have all my favorite channels programmed so I don't use them that much. Oh, and we've found that once you've programmed the System Power and System Off macros, you really need to keep pointing the remote at the telly until the entire sequence completes. Otherwise we've found it will sometimes miss the last one or two components. It's surprising given that the emitters are so strong that we frequently don't even point the thing in the direction of our audiovisual components. I mean, the thing will change channels underneath a blanket. Seriously.
Like I said, minor, minor criticisms. I love this thing. All of our other remotes are in a box under the television and we haven't gone back to them once since the MX-500 arrived. Now I look like an idiot trying to convince other people to buy one of these things, and to tell you the truth, I kind of felt like one for coughing up $112 for a television remote. But on the bright side I don't feel like a retard whenever I try to use my home theater anymore. It's a terrific piece of equipment.
Pros: Hard Buttons. Turbo charged emitters. Easy to program, super easy to use. Customizable page keys. Punch Through function is awesome.
Cons: There should be a better way to clear all the buttons out of the box than hand entering AUX155 over and over. You have to juggle the remote in your hand to use anything below the joystick. The joystick enter command is a little too firm.
Controls up to ten devices Preprogrammed for over 1,000 audio/video components Learns up to 530 commands via infrared from device remotes Send out mul...More at Amazon Marketplace
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