PLEASE POST ALL QUESTIONS CONCERNING THE MX-500 IN THIS THREAD UNTIL THE UNIT/REVIEW ARRIVES, AND WE WILL ENDEAVOUR TO HAVE THEM ANSWERED BY HOME THEATER MASTER.

ALSO, ANYTHING YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE ADDED TO THE REMOTE (WITHIN REASON), PLEASE POST AND WE'LL SEE IF THERE IS TIME TO GET THOSE FEATURES ADDED INCLUDED!!!

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Information as received from Home Theater Master:

When will the MX-500 become available?
The MX-500 will become available towards January, 2001 - we have information posted on our website in regards to this remote.

What will the ultimate cost be? - is it expected that the actual ship date will be in December of 2000?
The ultimate cost on the MX-500 will be $179.00 retail, plus $5.00 shipping, and the remote will become available in January, 2001.

Will it be offered through stores, and or web dealers (e.g. Etronixs)?
Availability of the MX-500 will primarily be specialty A/V stores, distributors, and through our website.

Will it be able to command "full secondary functions", such as the type listed for the SL-9000?
It will have all the functionality of the SL-9000, including secondary functions which exist on your original remote controls.

Are all individual buttons "teachable" or "programmable", and with what exceptions?
All buttons on the MX-500 are learnable.

Using the "20 favorite channels" function, will it scroll through a list, or must the fav channels be selected individually via the touchschreen?
The MX-500 does not have a touch screen. It is a re-writable LCD, and the favorite channels can be accessed individually on the LCD. Please note the FAV button located on the lower right-hand side of the MX-500 LCD screen. This is the equvalent of a SHIFT key. Once depressed, the LCD will enable you to access individual favorite channels.

Will Macros be programmable to the remote, or just to the M1, M2 and M3 buttons?
The macro commands can be created on M1-M3, and they send up to 14 commands each. The 20 favorite channels send up to four commands each, and the ten device buttons can be programmed to send out both power on and audio input commands.

Are LCD screen labels user-definable by alphabet and/or graphic images (for example, >> for FF), or are labels chosen from a pre-determined group?
There are no graphic images on the MX-500. The LCD screen is rewritable, so you have the option of creating your own text.

Would you know specifically if the remote can handle Sony receiver Surround and EQ modes directly? This is one area that has befuddled URC designers the world over... including Sony.
In regards to Sony, if their original remote controls were able to handle surround and EQ modes directly, then our remote controls can duplicate the effect.

Will the remote accept so-called "Advanced Codes" to individual buttons, a la the RS-1994, or strictly "learning" from OEM remotes?
This question has not been answered yet, but we will keep you up-to-date.

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NOTE:We also suggest that you read the review of the Home Theater Master SL-9000 that is on this site in order to have an idea what "full functions" and "secondary functions" will be included in the MX-500.


... Mike :-) & Greg :-)