Universal Remote Control MX-850 IR/RF Aeros Remote Control

The MX-850 PC Programmable Aeros Remote Control by Universal Remote Control allows you to program up to 20 different components, program up to 50 favorite channels, memory offers up to 912 potential macros with up to 190 steps each, and features a smart memory back-up feature that can store programmed memory for up to 10 years. Includes MX-850 Windows-based PC editor software that contains over 1500 different brand/model code sets, and enables custom program design. When used with optional MRF-300 or MRF-250, the MX-850 offers expanded RF capabilities with an extended range up to 100', RF routing to allow independent control over an array of identical components, and operation of up to 15 different equipment locations. Uses 4 AAA batteries (Included).

BE READY TO SPEND $$$ ON PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMMING

Review Date: March 10, 2007

Reviewer: G. P., Los Angeles, CA USA

Are you kidding me? The people touting this remote must be professional programmers hoping you will unsuspectingly buy it (like I did) and then have to hire them to program it. I consider myself somewhat tech savvy, but this is ridiculous. If you want to do it yourself, start by downloading the 72 page programming manual (That's right - 72 pages). The programming manual for the MX-850 is intended for professionals (they actually talk about getting the client to approve the cost of reprogramming whenever the cable company makes channel lineup changes). If you can figure out the programming manual, then you have to download the programming software (if you can get it on the internet). Then you realize the device is not USB compatible (Is it 1998 all over again?). So then you have to go out and buy a $35 serial port to USB converter, install the software for the converter and hope it works. Then the fun really begins when you try to navigate the software and get it to communicate with the remote and do what you want it to do. I previously owned the MX-500 which was easily programmed from the remote itself. The product description for the MX-850 is deceiving in my opinion because it makes it sound as if the remote is easily programmable. It is not. Unless you don't mind spending the money to hire a professional, I'm with the other reviewers who say this remote is far more trouble than it's worth. UPDATE: OK, I've calmed down considerably after working with this remote for a week. I was able to download the programming software off the internet (URC still restricts software updates to authorized professionals so you will not be able to automatically install IR codes for the latest equipment). Be prepared to spend some time learning how to program the remote yourself, but it can be done. It is a very nice remote once programmed. Tactile feel is great (I would stay away from touchscreen remotes). The new center select button is a huge improvement over older models. After having used the remote for awhile, I would change my rating from one star to three. I would still stay away from this remote unless you have the knowledge and patience needed to program it using the URC software. And to the reviewers who resort to name calling and giving higher ratings only to counteract opinions of others they don't agree with: grow up.

Outstanding remote; software works, but could use improvement

Review Date: October 21, 2007

Reviewer: J. S. Greenfield, Long Island, NY

Summary: On balance, this is an outstanding remote. Personally, I'm convinced it's the best remote you can buy today. The software could certainly be improved, but you can do what you need to do. Rating as 5 stars, since I can't rate 4.5. 4 stars is too low a rating, given the outstanding core functionality of the remote itself. I'd take off a 1/2 star, but not a full star, for the software and lack of USB connectivity. ***Warning: BE SURE TO BUY FROM A DEALER WHO WILL DELIVER TO YOU THE COMPLETE SOFTWARE, INCLUDING LIVE UPDATE FUNCTIONALITY!*** If the dealer doesn't mention this, then you probably aren't getting the full software. (In that case, you'll have to download a copy from URC's website, and it doesn't include the ability to Live Update the IR database.) Detailed review: I've had an MX-500 for years, and have loved it. It felt heavy when I first got it, but I quickly got used to that, and the ergonomics for the remote are the best I've come across. But the backlight stopped working last year, and this year the wife dropped it so it has an annoying rattle (but still works!). I got a new a TV, and wasn't happy that I had to set up macros with significant delay built in in order to change inputs. Googling I found some reviews for the Harmony 880, which intrigued me, and was significantly less expensive than the MX-850 (even at online discount prices). Found the Harmony 880 unacceptable, though, and had to send it back. At that point, I stopped messing around and got the MX-850 -- which is a slightly modified variant of the MX-500, with PC-based programming. This is an outstanding remote. Pros: 1) An excellent ergonomic design. The most important question for any remote is: Is the remote, itself, designed so that it is easy to use in daily use? At the end of the day, even if programming is awkward, it's not something you're going to do very often. You get past it, and then make changes very infrequently. But the remote, itself, you use every day, constantly. a) The buttons you use frequently should be laid out in a center area of the remote that you can comfortably reach in a one hand grip. b) The buttons themselves should press easily, and should be easily identifiable by touch, so you don't have to look at the remote in order to use them. c) The IR should be strong enough so that you don't have to think carefully about aiming the remote. There should be no IR lag. (The Harmony 880 failed on these accounts, in my book.) The MX-850 addresses each of these beautifully. The most used functions -- including those that are key to modern PVR/cable/satellite box use -- are all grouped together at the center of the remote, with plenty of space between them so that you can easily select the correct button without looking. (Toughest thing is retraining myself for a few keys that have swapped positions relative to my old MX-500.) The MX-850 continues the MX-500 tradition of superlative IR performance. This remote works through heavy blankets. (And if that's not enough for you, the remote supports RF, so you can buy a separate RF-to-IR receiver, and use the remote through walls.) 2) PC-based Programming. The PC programming is far from perfect (see Cons), but it is effective. Easier to use, overall, than the remote-based programming of the MX-500. And a downloadable/updateable IR library including many discrete IR commands, for building macros. (But...BE SURE TO BUY FROM A DEALER WHO WILL DELIVER TO YOU THE COMPLETE SOFTWARE, INCLUDING LIVE UPDATE FUNCTIONALITY!!) 3) The IR library includes discrete on/off commands for most devices, as well as discrete commands to directly select inputs on most TVs. This means you can build macros that allow you, with one button press, to quickly and reliably switch use modes. For example, turn on the DVD player, switch the TV to Component1 input, and put the remote into DVD mode. Now you're ready to watch a DVD. The remote can learn IR commands from your remotes, if you find a function is not included in the IR library. You can save the complete configuration for your remote in a file, making it easy to roll back to an earlier config. Cons 1) Requires a serial port -- no native USB support. This is a mild annoyance, since some new computers may not include RS-232 serial ports (requires USB adaptor), and if you do have them, you may have other devices using them. 2) Programming software not the easiest to use/understand. Once you've figured out how the programming software works, it's fairly straightforward to do whatever you want, though not an optimal design. Depending on how tech-savvy you are, it might take you a very short time to figure out, or it might be a bit more challenging. (This is not wife-friendly software, but then again, it's much easier to program complex tasks than was the Harmony 880's software.) My main complaint is that the IR database for a given device isn't managed well. They've munged together the command and the key that it's assigned to, making reassignment from their default key layouts confusing, at best. (Since the remote supports 20 different devices, I've addressed this for now by downloading an extra copy of each device database to an unused slot, and then reassigning keys in the primary device slot referencing the standard key assignments from the duplicate slot.) 3) Compared to the MX-500, they've eliminated the three macro keys at the bottom of the remote. These were convenient as always-available macro buttons, typically used to switch modes between your three most used devices. The MX-850 supports many, many more macro buttons, but in practice, you'll need an extra keystroke to access them -- first hit the "Main" button, then hit a device macro button. Conclusion On balance, this is an outstanding remote, and the best you can buy today.

No update, no software no new equipment remotes

Review Date: August 6, 2006

Reviewer: Jack L. May, Foster City CA

Universal Remote has changed it policy to force you to spend lots of money to hire a professional installer to program the universal remote. They no longer provide the programming software or access to the codes for the latest equipment. Approved dealers have to supply software and remote codes. Amazon is not approved and a lot of approved dealers have no idea how to support the remote. Find a universal remote from some other company that is not hostile to consumers

good home theatre solution despite some setup quirks

Review Date: November 26, 2008

Reviewer: George Powers,

I just replaced our family's much-abused MX-700 with a new MX-850 and made it work just fine despite some initial difficulties. For the benefit of other buyers, here's my experience. First off, there's the software, which is not included in the box. You have to visit the universalremote.com site, and download it. To do that, you have to register your name etc. and your MX-850's serial number. Pretend you're a "professional" not a "consumer", go to the professional support page, and find your remote. Next to it there's an option to register and download. The trick is the serial number, which is on two stickers under the batteries, but does not work when you plug it into the form in the obvious way. I found a tip on some support forum that worked for me: Select "K" from the dropdown, and enter the second sticker's number in both fields. I'm not sure which part of this voodoo is significant, but entering both numbers from the stickers definitely didn't work. This is bizarre, and demonstrates a strange inconsistency in this company's support for a mostly fine product. At least they should explain this on their download page. Next there's the serial data cable, which is included with the remote, though not noted on this Amazon listing. I have an old PC running XP with a serial port on front that I used to program my MX-700 a couple years ago, but it no longer communicates with the remote, probably because the PC has become misconfigured in some obscure way. So I gave up on that PC and tried an even older ThinkPad T20 running Windows 2000. That worked great, and I was able to download my old MX-700 setup onto the new MX-850. I really love the way they preserved compatibility even if the design and interface are showing their age. After refreshing my memory with their weirdly-constructed tutorial program, I was able to change the TV model to our new Sharp Aquos, and fix the macros for that set. The software seems pretty current, and had a model close enough to our new one that the IR codes work. I didn't have to research any obscure IR codes since the provided codes do the job, even for tricky stuff like power-on and input select. So my recommendation is to buy the MX-850 if you need a home theatre remote with macro features, have access to a PC with serial port and a clean Windows install, and are comfortable with rudimentary programming concepts, like you'd use in a spreadsheet program. Note that getting the required programming software is a gray area, and I can't promise that URC won't slam the door on us prosumers. By way of comparison, we originally had a Philips Pronto, which worked, but I hated the touch screen, and it eventually died of a broken screen after cruel abuse by our kids. They weren't kind to the MX-700 either, but it still worked after I found all the pieces and put them back together. Like virtually every remote ever made, it wound up with duct tape holding on the battery door. I would rate this product five stars if they would switch the programming cable to USB, clean up the registration process, make the battery door from titanium, and spiff up the design a little. And letting you program from a Mac wouldn't hurt, but let's not get carried away.

No help from the maker !

Review Date: February 23, 2010

Reviewer: Paul Kruger, SE Florida

Nice and versatile remote. But don't count on any technical support. The maker of this control says it is not in production and refuses to offer support any more. Personally I believe that if you pay this much for a remote, tech support should always be available at lest for those who already purchased it. I called them today and was outright refused help and told to go back to where I bought it. That is a good example of what has gone wrong with American companies and their customer service attitudes.