UPDATE:

POWER BUTTON: Functions (with a single press) as either a traditional POWER button for your component and is device specific OR as a macro button with up to 20 commands (non device specific).

System OFF: Functions (with a single press) as an OFF button, and sends out a macro (if configured) of up to 20 commands.

If you want macro buttons for POWER and SYSTEM OFF, and a single button for POWER at a time, you need to create a single button for POWER on/off in the LCD.

I believe we have now established the overall capabilities of this remote, which are quite impressive.

And as I said above, the remote is greatly improved from its original incarnation, and has a multitude of macro functionality built in to it. With some ingenuity on the part of the user, the plethora of macros of the MX-500 will make it a powerful universal remote!

... Greg

Hmm, I'm sorry to hear that the System Off button can not be used as a discrete device specific Off command. This is really a big disappointment for me and not really understandable why URC reduces the functionality unnecessarily. They should simply handle the System Off and Power On buttons exactly the same way: one device specific command or a system wide macro. It must be easier to handle all buttons the same way instead of implementing each button differently?

Why don't they handle ALL buttons the same way? This would be something: short press: one device specific command. Long press: a device specific macro. And this should be the same for ALL buttons. Now this would really be great because of the enormous flexibility for different needs and it sure would be easy for URC to create the software for the remote, if all buttons do exactly the same thing. They would just need a bit more memory, but what can this cost? Frankly, I don't quite understand URC - maybe the next revision of the remote will be better...

Frasier

Have to agree with Frasier on the System Off button. Strongly. But it sure won't keep me from buying this thing. Thanks for digging into this Greg!

Arjen

New question.

Because I am a geek, I am creating an Excel matrix that maps the MX-500 buttons to the functions that I would assign to them, just to see if I will like the setup.

Was wondering...in the MAIN screen, can you only create links to device pages, or can you also assign direct IR commands to the LCD buttons?

Arjen

Re-post of an earlier feature request.

Ability to jump to a particular LCD device page from within a macro. Examples:
- when I assign a macro to M1 that turns my DVD player, receiver and subwoofer off, I would like to include a "Jump to TV" or "Jump to MAIN" command.
- when I assign a macro to a FAV button that concerns a CABLE channel, I want to jump to the CABLE page
- when a FAV button concerns a local channel, I want to jump to the TV page

Greg? Waddayathink?

Arjen: I don't think so, and am 99.9% sure of this. From the information I have, the MAIN page contains only DEVICE buttons, the same as the MX-1000.

The only way to assign a specific function to a DEVICE button on the MAIN page is by creating a single step macro for the PUSH & HOLD feature.

In SETUP, however, you can change the MAIN PAGE LCD button to access a different portion of the pre-preprogrammed codes i.e. change the MAIN PAGE DVD button to be a VCR button, thereby being able to access the pre-programmed VCR codes. Obviously, you would changed the name to VCR, or something similar.

And you can use spaces to blank out any devices you don't have. Similarly, in the 2 DEVICE pages, you can use blanks for unused function buttons.

UPDATE: There will be .25 second macro delays, each contributing to a step in a macro. Changing to another device to access that device's function however will not be a step. The subsequent function obviously will.

However, prudent users who, for example, have a TV that takes time to change inputs, would want to turn on the TV first, then the receiver, etc. and change inputs on the TV last, when it makes no difference how long it takes, thereby not having to use up "macro steps" just to wait for the TV to change inputs.

... Greg

Arjen: The features are pretty well set in stone now. I don't know whether that is possible now or not, but I doubt it, because a DEVICE PAGE press is not counted as a "macro step".

However, it is possible that you could press a DEVICE page button at the end of programming your macro, before you save it, and it will end up there.

I will inquire.

... Greg

Hmmm...if the MAIN page can NOT hold IR commands, why does it have 2 pages for 10 devices?

ARJ! The MAIN page only has one page. The pictures where it shows 1/2 at the bottom of the LCD screen are not correct.

I noticed that months ago, and inquired.

... Greg

I believe there is only one MAIN page, with 5 devices on each side. There are 2 pages per Device however. I would like to set a macro on a Device page to go back to the MAIN page if possible though.

Greg: Has there been a decision made on the secondary buttons; menu,guide etc. as far as their dual use, or did you already post that?
Also since most equipment is powered on and off with the toggle on-off procedure, am I to assume that when you're in a device, the power button would still work the same way? If so, would the system off button just be nonfunctional?

Mike

Greg, mroll.....OK thanks. That settles it then. No more questions from here. I mapped out my functions to the MX-500 yesterday, and I like it. And it looks like the current macro functionality will do the job for me as well.

So...I'll have to exercise my weakest virtue... patiently waiting for the release of the MX-500 and the Acer Phaser. Bring it on!!

Mike,

I think the answers are:
1. No change, it will one or the other function.
2. It seems that the Power button will be system wide if it has a macro assigned to it, otherwise it will send a single IR command unique per device.
3. System Off is system wide, meaning it sends the same command or macro no matter what device you are in.

Mike: Arjen is right. No PRESS & HOLD for the MENU, GUIDE, etc. keys. I think this will be easy to get used to.

IDEA: If you use the POWER button for a system-wide macro, you can easily put the POWER button on the LCD screen.

I would put the DEVICE POWER button on the first page of the device, in exactly the same position as the DEVICE button. That way, two quick presses of the DEVICE button would change to that device and power the unit on. (Get what I mean?) I think that would actually be simpler than selecting the device and then moving up to the POWER button.

You would do the same thing to turn the unit off.

(Some may want the Power button on the top left of all devices and the Input button the next one down, or straight across.)

But what do you all think of that suggestion?

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Your DEVICE macro buttons would be like ACTION buttons. "I want to watch DVD, so I program the DVD macro to turn on the appropriate components, switch inputs, etc."

If you just want to go to another device, like some do, to perform a function on it, you can just press that device button, power it on (if it isn't already), do what you want to do, and go back to the device you were controlling before.

And as mentioned before, any FAV buttons page can be used for SHUTDOWN macros.

...Greg

P.S. Let me know your thoughts on the above scenarios!!! Thanks!

Good idea, Greg.

One push to execute the macro, switch inputs and go to the device page. The second push turns the unit on.
Since virtually all of my devices will turn on and off with the same button push, I wouldn't even need the shutdown macros.

Can't wait to get one to try it out!