My MX-500 is starting to show its age. Some buttons need 2-3 presses to respond. Would the MX-450 be a good replacement for me as a DIY'er? This would be for my home system: TV, Receiver, BD Player, Cable Box.

It appears that the home user level R50 and R40 remotes have been discontinued by URC.

It's likely your only option as an end-user as they do not release their software to end-users.

A few years ago i replaced the MX-500 in the wife's den with an MX-450 (more for me than for her). Her only real complaint about it is that the buttons are smaller and there are more of them and she can't use it by feel like she does with her MX-500, and she's right. It's not a problem for me, but it is for her - and she still prefers her MX-500 no matter how easy i made the MX-450 to use.

But she does like that i created Activity macros on the screen (Watch DVD and Watch Cable and Watch Netflix etc), and placed some "RESET" macros here and there to take her back to "Watch Cable" in case she starts waving the remote around and gets an activity out of sequence. The macro ability of the MX-450 is fantastic.

The MX-450 is a great option if you don't want to go with a CCP remote (like the MX-890) and you can configure it to do just about everything a CCP remote can do. It's leagues better than an MX-500.

That's good to know about the watch TV, etc. macro capability. My daughter suggested I get a Harmony because it can do that. So if that's an additional option on the 450, that's good. After all these years with the 500 I'm concerned the Harmony would feel very foreign to me.

Harmony remotes are OK but the MX-450 has a lot more customization but takes longer to program. Harmony you put in all your devices and it does the Macros. There is no customizing it. Personally, I would look at the MX-780 or higher end models and find a dealer that will give you the software. It is up to the dealer's discretion on whether they provide the software.

The software will have a steeper learning curve but once you understand it, making changes and programming is a lot quicker. You also need a Windows computer to program it. So if you are in the Apple architecture and don't have one of the Windows emulators you are out of luck. Surf Remote Control used to sell remotes online and provide software, not sure if they still do.