I find this thread interesting.  Lets take a little step back in time, about 24 years ago...

My first real remote, was a CORE, done by Steve Wozniak's company, CL-9.  I bought it about 1987.  It would learn the commands from the other remotes, you could program macros, it even offered variables and ways to define states.  This was done in 1985, built with an 8-bit 6502 processor, and had a LCD Display.  The remote had a clock that could be programmed to kick off different macros at various times.  That remote was the pioneer for all the features of the universal remotes we see today.

Almost 25 years later, the programming interface has improved, but many of the remotes today do this by limiting what is possible with the remote.  The CORE had a fraction of the memory and processing power of todays remotes, yet worked just as well.  I believe the software running in most of the remotes today must be incredibly bloated, and is likely written in some high level language so they get the product out the door, before they've finished debugging.

I believe the CORE was in the $250-$350 range.  I find this interesting, in that with computing power so much cheaper today, flash so much less expensive, that decent remotes still cost this much, 24 years later!  Why has this not given in to Moore's Law?

I really think that URC, RTI, Pronto, UEI, Harmony, have a great deal in common, and really fail to set themselves apart in a meaningful way.  The displays have gotten prettier, and the user interfaces a bit easier to program thanks mostly to USB and WYSIWYG programming interfaces (The Core interface was nearly WYSIWYG even 24 years ago), but there has been a severe lack of innovation, or even the ability to drive down pricing to levels where they are truly affordable by everyone.  There is really nothing in these devices that makes them this expensive.

So, the choice:  RTI or URC...

It's a race of PIGS!  Neither is very good, and they have their own narrow niche of things they are better at.  In the end, I don't think it matters if you pick any of the major universal remote manufacturers, as you can get the job done with any... the only thing that differs is "How does brand X suck less at some small task?"

I've got to think that at some point someone is going to set this industry on it's head.  They will realize that given a set of known connections between equipment, they can design a software program that gives a very useable interface that needs no tweaking.  But for those who want to customize things, they open up control to the lower levels to those who want to customize, and allow for a very special control experience.  Ease of programming, coupled with the ability to customize.  Once the user interface becomes easy enough for most people to get it to work, the device can be mass marketed, and we will see prices on them plummet, and put the companys in this market today, in the museum next to the Dinosaurs.

So, don't sweat it much.  Use what works for the project you have.  The interfaces are similar enough that once you've done several remotes, the others come easily.  It's a race of PIGS, so nobody is much faster or will win by much.

So, don't sweat it much. Use what works for the project you have.

The interfaces are similar enough that once you've done several remotes, the others come easily. It's a race of PIGS, so nobody is much faster or will win by much.

Back to universal remotes... Man im hungry now.

...They are already affecting the companies involved in our industry. And not just the obscure companies like Nevo. They took down pronto. They are putting the squeeze on everyone else.

Uh... that's exactly why I started this thread. I don't see that you're making a point different from the purpose of the thread.

Maybe so, but some pigs run great this year, and some limp, and some run in circles (Harmony). Thus I inquire.

You're also forgetting inflation when you ask why prices haven't gone down since 1985 as they are at the same dollar level.

Damn you. Me, too!

Pronto had been in free fall for years, occasionally throwing something out at the same time it was falling. I think it only landed, rather than was thrown out, during the birth of the smart pads.

I like URC, but only because I feel that I have mastered it. It has been an open architecture product that has seemed easy to master, albeit labor-some, but I was used to that coming from Pronto.

I'd be more willing to try the others if I had more time.

Prodigy was fine, but back when I tried it, their database was so pathetic you had to know System Builder and everything else... so I might as well have started practicing SIMPL. Didn't have time. Have been very busy if it means anything.

RTI remotes look nice and rugged on the outside AND THEY HAVE AN ALL-WEATHER. RTI might be cool/great but I feel it would take alot of work to get back to this point and I don't like having anything out there that isn't done to it's fullest potential.

engineered new up to date solutions. I don't see RTI being around in 5 years. I personally think they have the most comfortable and robust feeling handhelds period.

What makes you think RTI is going out of business???

RTI T2-c and RP-1 all day long.

That was my choice 18 months ago. Now I'm definitely leaning to URC. It looks like it will be the MX900 as the client sees no benefit to the MX980's touchscreen.

Also, the MRF350's the other half to use, right?