i would have to disagree as i had no programming experience whatsoever and am confident my end result if FAR superior to anything any programmer could have done for me, purely for the reason i know exactly how i want things set up. $450 may very well be a bargain if you just dont have the time to spend, or care enough about customization to do it yourself. i just dont think its fair to say a person shouldnt have bought it if they dont want to pay for programming. as i dont think being able to afford it is an issue as i doubt anyone speant their very last $800 on a remote! ; ) (at least i hope not! lol)