On March 1, 2006 at 20:31, chazcdc_54 said...
I have owned a Home Theater Master MX-500 for
some three years now and have been quite satisfied
but I find the center "touch pad" is now wearing
out a little. This was the ONE design feature
I always hated about it this remote - very poor
design and usability in my opinion. I hope the
880's navigation pad and enter button aren't built
on a single toggle!!!
I agree with the center touch pad on the MX-500. Hated it. Loved the rest of it, for the most part.
I've been thinking of a replacement and I'm not
sure the MX-500 is still in production and have
been thinking about the Harmony 880.
I'm looking for some personal takes. Any one
familiar with the MX-500 and how it would compare?
There is so much on the plus side for the 880
that I can see that I won't belabor it.
Have a look at my post a bit further down on this page for my perspective.
On the (possible) negative:
1) the recharging feature seems a sticky point
for some people.
No issues here. I just dock it at night. Have also run for a couple of days without issues. I suppose if you forget to dock it might be a pain.
2) Some of the hard buttons are awfully small
- particularly the activity buttons - any real
problems for users?
The buttons are a bit finicky. MX-500 is better in this respect. I'm getting used to it, but it's not ideal. That said. the MX-500 was also a bit larger and more ungainly.
3) Can one set up "macros" or comparable "activities"
to switch "between" components, i.e. swtiching
from watching TIVO TV to watching a DVD? Also,
to power up the whole system and power down after
finishing an activity?
The web interface basically sets up activities for you based on your devices. It's pretty easy to get the basic activities up and running. Powering up and down components is handled with activities, as well as a universal "off" button that turns everything off (except those devices you have defined as "always on").
4) Confirming - this is a programmable AND learning
remote, correct? I found that with the MX-500
I had to end up "learning" the majority of the
functions of my components as programming only
programmed "some" of the functions and often to
the wrong button or to an non-intuitive button.
I corrected by using the learning function -
time consuming but worth it in the long run.
Can the 880 do this?
Primarily a programming remote (via activities) but you can also change the function of buttons and learn commands. I haven't tried any learning myself, as I am able to do everything through the web-based UI so far.
A lot of questions, but whatever feedback from
someone in the know with time on their hands could
offer would be appreciated!
I went with this remote primarily because of its ability to control my DVD changer by selecting specific DVD tiles on the display (which is pretty darn cool). But, in general, I am happy with the move up (sideways?) from the MX-500. It will require an investment of time, but I think you will find that it is a bit more flexible than the MX-500.
As I noted, you can check out my previous post for more detail.
