On 05/25/02 01:03.11, QQQ said...
1) I can see a lot of my customers actually using
the Sidekick. I seem to work with a lot of couples
where one partner is a complete technophobe.
I can overcome technophobes "fears" with a Crestron
or AMX touchscreen, but a Pronto has its limitations
in this regard. The Sidekick offers a great solution
for the technophobe.
Some people will love the SideKick. Some won't. I wasn't all that pumped about it until one of my grandchildren came over and wanted to watch TV, and use my 700. The SideKick was programmed that same day and it works great!
2) Programs MUCH faster than the Pronto, at least
based on the way I do programming. And that was
without ever referring to a manual.
Isn't that what the custom installers want? ;-)
3) Super easy to read with a great backlight.
I'd like to see an LCD with a lighter background, both in the backlight mode and the non-backlight mode.
In non-backlight mode, it is harder to see in dim light and at an angle than the LCD on the MX-500. In backlight mode, the green should be lighter for more contrast between the black text and the background.
4) Fits great in your hand.
We've known that for while with the MX-500! :-)
5) Macros were pretty easy to program but I am
not sure I like how it is done. You program your
macros by pointing to other commands on the remote.
That suggests to me that if the button that the
macro is pointing to changes, so does the macro
- not good. It also suggests that you have to
have a button for each command you want in a macro,
even if you don't need to have the individual
button "shown". But you can "hide" pages (and
therefore hide a button), so it shouldn't be a
problem. I haven't read the manual yet so I could
be wrong about these issues.
I'm not a custom programmer, but I would think that in most cases, this is the way you would want it to be. Notice, I say "most" cases.
6) Like every other similar program I have used,
it lacks the ability to attach any notes to your
programming. This can be done with Crestron and
should be a requirement of all programming software,
IMHO.
Nice feature. URC will see this post and perhaps we'll see it in an update down the road.
7) Overall, it seemed to work flawlessly. No
problems uploading or downloading. I didn't discover
any bugs (knock on wood). Did all of my programming
with the built-in codes.
This is a good thing! :-)
8) When you create a device (lets say an RCA satellite receiver) it automatically throws every command on the appropriate hard button and lists "extra" commands in the LCD window. Then you can easily| delete commands you don't want in the LCD window as well as drag and drop them. Fantastic!
Yes, I was very pleased when they finally implemented drag 'n' drop for the LCD buttons and the devices. This was one of the very last features to be added. Makes customizing the remote a breeze!
9) Takes a little bit long to download.
Huh? A two minute download when compared to all the time you've saved in programming the remote? ;-)
10) I predict a lot fewer failures of the MX-700
than the Pronto, IMHO. We have had a lot of Pronto
failures.
I certainly hope you are right!
Overall rating - 9 out of 10.
Of course this is how I often feel when I use
a cool new product.
I think this rating will hold up, especially after you've created MXD files of your most used components, and when a good-sized library of MXD files is available on this site.
I don't want to turn this into a MX-700 versus
Pronto debate but IMHO many customers find a Pronto
hard to use (yes, even a well programmed one)
and I think the MX-700 will be better in this
regard. I am not selling any more Prontos now
that I have this to sell and I will leave it at
that.
Some will prefer the Pronto. Some will prefer the 700. But it is nice to have a capable button remote for those who aren't into touchscreens!
p.s. Here is a quote from the first page of the
small introduction brochure that comes with the
unit - "Custom programming of a complex home theater
is one of the most challenging tasks wihtin a
home theater installation. It involves an intimate
knowledge of how the components interact and exact
details on the proper sequences of control. Only
a Home Theater Master dealer has the requisite
experience and training to quickly and effectively
customize a remote control for true automated
operation".
I thought it was nice they are trying to support
us with this statement.
It's because they love you! ;-)
... Greg :-)
