Universal Remote Control MX-500 10-Device LCD Viewscreen Remote Control with Joystick Operation

Customization is very easy, with the ability to edit button labels (on the LCD screen) with the names or types of your equipment, and the ability to program buttons for 50 of your favorite channels (a must if you have satellite or cable service of 150+ channels). The MX-500 also permits macro programming, i.e., the ability to execute multiple commands with one button. For example, the "Power" button can be programmed to power on all your home theater equipment; the "System Off" button can be programmed to turn it all off. Three other macro buttons are provided for other customized, multiple commands.

You can also teach it, like most higher-end remotes, to "push down" certain commands, e.g., the volume buttons can be set to manipulate the volume of your home theater receiver, regardless of which device you are using (DVD, VCR, TV).

The IR range of the remote is excellent: I've changed channels across the room pointing the remote at the wall !! Battery life is also top-notch (it uses 4 AAA batteries) and the user manual is well-written.

The one weakness with this remote is that the "select" button (the black center bezel) is a little awkward to use because it's almost too stiff. I tend to use the joint of my thumb rather than the pad to engage it because otherwise I was inadvertently hitting the up, down, or left/right arrows.

End-user support via discussion forums and dedicated sites like remotecentral is excellent so you can always find an answer to a question you may have that the manual doesn't cover, as well as tips and tricks for using/programming the remote.

If you want absolute customization in a universal remote, then buy the more expensive Philips Pronto (or the costly Pronto Pro) which with available software, permit you to use your PC to edit every aspect of the remote. But if you want near perfect customization at an affordable price, then you can't miss with the MX-500.


It just works!   November 3, 2002
Dan Crevier (Bellevue, WA United States)
34 out of 36 found this review helpful

I gave up on my Sony RM-VL1000 and got an MX-500, and am *very* happy with it. The remote is customizable in all of the ways I wanted. There are several macro buttons that you can hit on the remote without having to go through any menus. The volume buttons can be customized to pass through to your amp. It's got a nice joystick. I found the setup process to be very easy and intuitive (I don't think I'll have to reference the manual to tweak things in the future). There's good feedback on the LCD as you do things. It's easy to customize what's shown on the LCD for different buttons.

It's got a backlit display, and I like the rubberized feel of the remote.

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase.


Almost perfect... I give it 4.5 stars   January 30, 2005
H. Spraggins (Philadelphia, PA USA)
14 out of 14 found this review helpful

OK - I checked all the reviews before purchasing and everything that is said about this little puppy is true.

* It works!
* It controls all kinds of components / devices
* The learning and punch-through features are cool, quick and powerful.
* It is relatively easy to use but has complex features
* Feels good in the handle - feels like high-quality

But there are some key shortcomings (that assuming the Harmony remote works) might make you consider the Harmony remote.

1) More space to name/describe a component or function - The remote limits you to six characters or so -- perhaps pre-2004 six characters or so to describe a function would be OK but with today's complex functions this is a shortcoming.

2) More pages should be provided - each component can contain two pages worth of commands - I have seen other models by the manufacturer and these remotes have up to six pages. I know for $100 bucks or so you cannot have the world but three pages seems to be a minimum.

3) No defined 10+ key -- for skipping to say, track 15 on a CD/DVD quickly (sure you program a key to be 10+ key but all the other keys are suited for other purposes. This may seem like nit picking but wait until you are in the middle of a CD/movie and want to skip ahead quickly. You will then remember this review. ;-)

Truthfully I cannot say enough good things about the remote - one of the best purchases for our home entertainment. You will not be disappointed - I just want to inform you of all the features & limitations the product offers.

Enjoy!


Simple. Versitile. Powerful. Outstanding!   March 8, 2004
Keith C Trinkle (Indianapolis, IN United States)
13 out of 14 found this review helpful

For anyone looking for a truly universal remote control that will allow you to exile your myriad individual remotes to the coffee table drawer, I highly recommend the MX 500. It is absolutely worth the money.

The MX 500 had all the features I wanted. Every button is backlit (and you can customize the amount of time the remain lit, from one to ten seconds). The function of almost every button can be programmed by learning a command from another remote. The LCD button labels for each component can be renamed to match whatever command you use them for. In fact, the main menu, which lists ten individual components (does anyone really HAVE then different components?) can also be edited. I changed VCR1, which I use to control my Replay TV unit, to RPLAY. As for macros, there are three dedicated macro buttons. Additionally, almost every additional button can hold a macro. While I use this only minimally (to turn on the TV, Replay TV and receiver with a single button push, for instance), more sophisticated users could do much more.

The MX 500s versatility is incredible. You can control any "box" yet made. I use mine to control my HDTV, Replay TV, receiver and DVD player.

On opening the box, my first impression was that this remote is a monster. Despites its size, its shape conforms comfortably enough to my hand. My only ergonomical complaint is that I do have to shift the remote in my grasp or use a second hand to reach the full spread of buttons. Compared to juggling the aforementioned four remotes, though, this is the smallest of inconveniences.

The MX 500 is a dream to set up. Its "on screen" menu makes the task unbelievably easy. Setup could be streamlined a little by combining editing of LCD button labels with command to learn a function from another remote. I found myself constantly bouncing back and forth between the edit and learn menus.

Once the setup is done, should you ever buy a second MX 500 (Why you would need a second is beyond me), you can simply clone your existing MX 500 to its new brother, which will become an exact...well, clone. I'm sure this is a favorite feature of custom electronics installers, but the average user will probably never use it.

Using the remote is if anything anti-climactic. I've had mine all of a week, and already I take it for granted. The layout of the buttons is intuitive and easy enough to pick up. The thumb pad is a little "squishy", I would prefer that it be more firm, or than the remote use four individual directional arrows, but it works just fine, so I can't complain too much about it.

All in all, I would recommend the MX 500 to anyone. You may want to wait a bit, though. Universal, the maker of the MX 500, will soon release a new family of remotes that offer most of the same functionality but in a smaller, and one would assume more ergonomic, package. If you wait, you could select to get the new model, or probably pick up the MX 500 at an even better price.

Enjoy! I certainly did.


Wife Acceptance Factor - 100%   October 1, 2004
John M. Stanley (Knoxville, TN USA)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful

Finally! A remote that does everything it claims. We recently purchased a 55" HDTV set and my wife grew more and more frustrated with the multiple remote controls we've used for a while and even the cheapo "One for All" we've had that never quite duplicated all the functionality of our original remotes.

Take our audio receiver remote for instance. Our One for All 6131 had a code that controlled the volume, power, and several other functions. But it could not switch the input to DVD, although it could switch to VCR1, VCR2, etc. So we had to keep the original audio receiver remote handy. Same thing for the Tivo remote and the TV remote - the One for All could do most, but not all functions.

Well, the MX-500 takes care of all of that and more. Sure, it has built-in codes and those are a decent place to start. But the key difference about this remote is that it can LEARN from your other remotes. And before you think, "gee, plenty of other cheap remotes say that can learn as well" - they don't even come close to having the memory this one has. Some cheapo learning remotes can learn as few as 30-40 total functions, across all your remotes. That might be nice if you only had one or two devices and it missed only a handful of codes for each.

The MX-500 is nothing like that. It can learn several hundred commands - plenty to absorb every single function for all five of my devices with room to spare.

Not only can it learn all of your old remote's functions, you can assign them to virtually any key, including the keys next to the LCD screen that you can customize yourself.

If I sound excited about this remote its because I am - and the coolest thing - so is my wife!

The MX-500 also has awesome macro capabilities. I have a macro for turning everything on or off. I have a macro for taking the system from off to everything switched to play a DVD. I have macros for switching to watch Tivo, switching to HD Cable, switching to play Xbox, switching to play PS2 - you name it.

And the greatest thing? All I have to tell my wife or friends who come over is, "You want to watch Tivo? Just hold the Tivo key down for a second. You want to watch a DVD? Just hold the DVD key down for a second" - and it just works. You'd almost think it was a Mac instead of a remote control. <g>

Trust me - this remote is worth the price twice over.

And speaking of cost, I bought this remote at a slightly higher price and paid for overnight shipping. I checked back a couple of days later and the price had dropped by about $9. I emailed Amazon and asked them if they'd credit the difference back to my card - and they did! That's why I keep shopping at Amazon - good customer service.