OK - thanks again.

He was pretty set on doing this Saturday, but it really seems like we'll have to put it off if he can't find that cable. I don't mind ordering the new one, I just don't want to make the drive out to Long Island twice (especially if once is just to program the remote).

You guys have been super helpful, I appreciate it. if I run into any snags once everything is in place, I'll report back.

EDIT: does the 850 have a button-to-button learning feature? maybe he'd be satisfied without macros, but with the ability to at least turn the dang TV on and switch inputs for now...