Good suggestion Greg. Makes me wonder what I will do with the physical power button :-)

For me, the "hard" power button is to turn on my most used setup, which is a receiver and TV (90% of the time). It could be as simple as just turning on your audio source. The advantage is executing the operation without even looking at the remote, and it also meets the "wife acceptance" test, since she's looking for something that says "Power" or "On".

Is there any reason why you couldn't put the power button on the first page like Greg says, but still use the hard power button also to power up each device? You would have your choice which one to use and other family members might not be confused with it's operation.
By the way, I picked up a Cinema 7 today as per your suggestions, but I hope this doesn't mean I develop symptoms of this remote-itis you all seem to be infected with.

I'm afraid getting a Cinema 7 as an interim remote is a definite sign of the early stages of remote-itis.
Quick! Run fast and far away!

I don't know if it's a European thing, but most TV's and STB's over here have four coloured buttons, (red, green, yellow and blue, in that order) which control a lot of the funtions. From images of the MX-500, it doesn't seem to have these buttons. They may be linked to the screen, but for ease of use (and wife acceptability) it would be nice to have little coloured rings around 4 of the screen buttons. It would be much easier to work at a glance that reading colour names from the screen. My vote would be for the bottom 2 on each side, like this:
R B
G Y

Mike,

Yes, no doubt you can use both Greg's suggestion and the device specific power button simultaneously.

BTW, you show clear signs of remotolism and remotitus. Sorry dude, no cure. It will only get worse.

:-)

Mike: Yes, you can still use the POWER button for each device. The only time you can't use the POWER button for each device is if you assign a Macro to it. Otherwise, it functions as a normal POWER button.

But, don't forget you have the M1, M2, M3 buttons for macros, as well as numerous other places for macros. The POWER button macro was provided for convenience at user's request, but doesn't have to be used.

... Greg

Okay, Gotcha!This Cinema 7 is fun to play around with but definitely limited. You guys have me reaching for the sky now, so where's my MX-500!

Mike

I just wanted to post something about the menu and guide buttons not being seperate from the transport keys. I just bought the Denon AVR 3801 and the remote that came with it had this same setup. I was trying to figure out why they would do that when it controlled my Denon DVD changer and found out how they got around it. (The crappy manual didn't talk about it, I found it by accident). You simply hit the DVD device button (to put the remote in DVD mode) twice. The mode then switched to DVD Setup (that is what it says on the LCD at the top). Now the transport keys turn to the navigation keys and you can navigate the DVD. When you are done, you hit the DVD button again and it goes back to DVD mode. Basically, they just added another "device" for the DVD navigation controls. I thought this was a pretty good way of doing it. Maybe they could implement something like this (or you could do it by creating another DVD device - DVD2 perhaps?).

Just a thought.

Bryan

Bryan: That is a good thought. It's great to share ideas with each other.

Personally, I'm just going to put the Title/Chapter change buttons on my CHANNEL button. Same for CD.

Or, you could use the bottom two LCD screen buttons for title changing. How often do you title change?

Just a thought!

Keep the ideas coming!

... Greg

Brian,

Pretty good, but for the MX-500 the button assignments are unique per device, not per screen/page. So, the second button press would need to make you switch/jump to another device - which in this case would simply be the a copy of the DVD device, but with the remote "in Setup layout". And I don't think that "jump-to-device" feature is implemented right now.

Arjen: No, it isn't, but the second DVD device idea would work. I still think using the Channel buttons is the easiest way to go.

Like on my MX-1000. I use the Channel Buttons for Menu and Display. Up for Menu.....down for Display. Works beautifully!

... Greg

I am sure that there are many buttons that you can put these on - I just like to put the functions on the button that already have the label on it - this is more for the wife - because to her - why have it labeled menu if it is not really the menu button and we spent $200 on this remote when our $30 radio shack remote didn't have this problem? I am sure many of you know what I am talking about! :)

The one thing my new Denon remote doesn't do well is macros - it has plenty (8 macros with 29 functions), but I have no buttons left to put them on. And it doesn't leave you in the mode that the macro last executed in. It goes back to the mode that you were in when you ran the macro - pretty lame. But, my new remote is pretty user friendly without the macros, and my wife prefers it to the rs 15-1994 - as the buttons are labeled more clearly.

Does the mx-500 leave you in the mode last executed when you run a macro. I am sure it does, just wanted to make sure.

Bryan

Bryan: First of all, it isn't labelled MENU, it is labelled |<<. The MENU is a subfunction in any other device that doesn't required a MENU function.

And your RS-1994 assigns commands to buttons that have no resemblance to what they are doing, as do a lot of remotes. Such as changing disks is assigned to the right and left cursor keys (unlabelled keys). Is that easy to understand? Not for me. And then track change for CD (equivalent to our Title/Chap change is assigned to the up and down cursors (again with no labels). We are much farther ahead than that on the MX-500.

For wife acceptance, have the buttons on the lower part of the LCD. Bottom left for |<< and bottom right for >>|. Label them TTLBK and TTLFW or CHPBK and CHPFW, or since she knows she's in the DVD device, just name them TTL- and TTL+. You get the idea, I'm sure.

And, I don't know where the MX-1000 leaves you after a macro. We'll find out.

I too have the "wife acceptance factor" and need the same things you do, so I understand where you're coming from. Let us all know how you assign your functions once you get the remote. It's great to share these ideas, especially when we have more than one person using the remote i.e. our wives.

All in all though, we have a great remote here.

By the way, the 3801 remote isn't a bad little remote, is it.? Tons better than any other Denon remote I've seen, perhaps with the exception of the Denon 8000 touchscreen (which, incidentally, hasn't received great reviews.)

... Greg

Greg,

I see what you are saying - but doesn't menu appear by the button? I think my wife is getting tired of learning new remotes. I do agree that the MX-500 is better than the RS-15-1994 - but it only cost me $30! If I didn't get the new Denon remote, I would probably be buying the MX-500. But the Denon remote controls everything, and it is labeled pretty clearly - and has more than enough learning memory and capability. Also, learning on the Denon remote was very simple - the LCD told you what to do - I didn't have to learn cryptic codes and sequences and wait for light blinks like on my RS remote.

Yes, the Denon remote is a pretty nice remote. It has a few quirks, but I actually like it a lot. So for now, I am sticking with the Denon remote. By the way - the receiver itself is an incredible receiver! I have it paired up with Klipsch Reference series all the way around and it sounds awesome! (Waiting for the rest of my Klipsch speakers, but it already sounds great with my old speakers!)

Bryan