I'd really like to get more information on the current crop of URC remotes. I've been looking for a replacement for my aging MX-500, which I bought when it first came out (after reading a favorable review here). I've been very happy with it, even if making changes to existing programming is a bit of a pain, but now things are starting to fail, and it's time to move on. Unfortunately, URC doesn't seem to have much information on their web-site on anything newer than the MX-450, and the information here in the forums is usually specific to one issue or another, and sometimes contradictory, depending on how much the poster loves or hates URC products in general.

I'd like to know how the MX-780 and R40 compare to the R50 and MX-450 specifically, or even to the older MX-500, since they seem to be the top contenders right now. I like the design, button layout, and OLED screens on the new models, but how does the R40 compare to the MX-450? Do the new OLED screens improve power consumption over the old LCDs? How about durability and longevity? This could be worth knowing for anyone moving from a B/W to a color device. Does the R40 have on-screen macro editing like the MX-450, or is it more like my old MX-500, where you need to enter it all in from scratch when you make a change? If it does, it could be the perfect replacement. If not, I'll be looking at something more like the computer programmable MX-780. Are there any other things that a potential buyer should know before deciding?

If I decide that the R40 isn't enough, and I set my sights on the MX-780, URC's sales prevention department has put a number of obstacles in my path. First, I live in Canada, and they apparently don't want to sell their products here. I had to order my original MX-500 from the US because there were no Canadian distributors at the time, and now Amazon doesn't seem to want to sell certain URC models to Canadian buyers either.

Then there's the pro vs. consumer model issue. If memory serves me, the MX-500 was intended for the pro market originally also, even though it was ridiculously easy for me, as an end user, to set up. I'm not a custom installer, but I do have an electronics degree, and I've set up every other piece of electronics in my home, without any outside help. I'm not going to pay a custom installer to set up my remote when I'm perfectly capable of doing it myself. And if I decide I want to change a macro at 2:00 on Sunday morning, I'm not waiting for a custom installer to make a house call to do it. I know they want to protect their pro market, but I'd never be a customer for them anyway, so it seems a bit counter-productive in my case. If they won't sell me the model I want, I guess I'll need to find another brand, which is a shame, since they pretty much had me as a loyal repeat customer after my experience with the MX-500.

Anyway, Daniel, if you're reading this, it might be time for another of your invaluable reviews, or maybe even a head to head showdown between some of these new models. What features will a former MX-500, 650, 850 user love or hate when upgrading, and what, if any, alternatives are there, that can provide the same sense of satisfaction the originals did?