Ladies and gentlemen: Here is the transcript of the email I have sent to Mike Gifford of Home Theater Master.
I hope that this accurately portrays your suggestions and concerns about the MX-500 and I hope that all, or at least a significant number of our requests can be incorporated.
Please give me feedback on your thoughts of this email that I prepared and sent! Thank you!Also, if you would like the original email sent to you, just request it by clicking on my email icon. It has many bolded items to accent what we are looking for in this remote!
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Dear Mike Gifford:
Here is an overall listing of requests and concerns with reference to the upcoming MX-500. They are listed in what I have discerned as the most important (pay particular attention to MACROS), coming from emails and posts on RemoteCentral. We hope that these concerns can be weighed by your engineers and incorporated if at all possible. The Macro Implementation, I think, will spell a huge difference between users choosing other remotes with greater macro capabilities and the MX-500. And they will not necessarily move up to the MX-1000, because we are dealing with Button People here!
And although some users might disagree with me, moving back the ship date of the remote if needed would benefit all of us in the long run, if we can incorporate the bulk of these changes.
I will start with suggestions and then with questions that we have for the way we understand the MX-500 is configured now, according to your website and according to your posts.
Also, as you have been doing, reading the MX-500 Questions & Answers thread at RemoteCentral may help to clarify some of the suggestions below.
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As in the SL9000, we are glad to see it contains all the Secondary Functions of our original remote controls, such as PIP, Menu and Sleep in TV, surround sound level adjustments in Audio, On Screen and Favorites in Satellite, Timer and Tracking in VCR, Disc and Track Selection in CD, etc.
DEVICE and MACRO OPERATION:
Quotes from users:
>>>> ? If someone is putting a home theater system together today, it is a very good chance that a high definition TV and HD STB will be part of the system. The HD video signals (RGBHV, VGA, etc.) cannot be switched by the audio receiver.
As a result it takes more than a power and receiver input command to switch video sources. What?s wrong with these remote control manufacturers? Put another $20.00 into the mfg cost and give the device buttons full macro capabilities.
Had they done this it could have been the best remote on the market.?
>>>> ?I use my TV to plug in my video sources and send the audio output of the TV to my receiver, as my receiver doesn't have component inputs (or s-video for that matter). I would need to turn on the TV, select a component from the TV, turn on the receiver, and select my TV input. This cannot be done with a 2-step macro.?
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We would MOST DEFINITELY like the ability to accept ADVANCED CODES, including DISCREET CODES, like the Radio Shack RS-1994, which can do this at $30. We feel this capability is PARAMOUNT!!!!!!!!!
With regard to the Power Button, it should be able to power on multiple components through a power macro. Also, the reverse for the System Off button. Ideally by programming in Discrete Codes. Without Discreet Codes, this ability would be almost useless.
We would like to see a Device Button being pushed once, and then the screen for that device come up, where the user can select the appropriate commands that are not programmed to the actual buttons; and also use the actual buttons that are programmed for that device. This would not change the input on the receiver, just allow us to control the particular device selected.
We would like to see a double-press of a Device Button allow the input on the receiver to be changed to that device OR the power sent OR both, with these options user selectable.
We would like to see a continuous press (hold for 2 seconds) of a Device Button switch to that device and send out a user-definable macro up to 14 or 20 steps.
We would also like to see more than the 3 system macros: M1 - M3 that have the capability to send out the 14 commands that they do now. Perhaps the FAV button could be changed to MACRO or something similar and allow those 2 pages of 10 commands each to be used as macros (which could include your channel favorites). Currently the FAV button has those 20 commands, but only allows for 4 steps. A minimum of 14 should be incorporated. (Some may not agree with this. They may want to keep the 20 FAV buttons and have a separate macro page as mentioned below.)
We feel that a minimum of 10 system-wide macros is needed.
Alternately, a double press of the Main Page button could bring up Page 2 and a list of 10 user definable system wide macros, while still allowing the Device Button continuous-press macros ability.
We would like to see all macros have the ability to hold up to 20 commands, as in the MX-1000.
We would like to see all macros have the facility to be remote-wide and not just device specific.
The capability to adjust the interval between commands sent out in a macro. .5 seconds can be very, very slow. In other words, probably 14 seconds to send a 14-command macro, when a .5 second interval is not always needed. At the very least, a choice between .25 and .5.
As in the SL9000, the buttons should have enough tactile resistance that they won?t accidentally be activated by resting fingers, but aren?t so firm that you?ll have to consciously press hard to get a signal out.
Again, as in the SL-9000: The SL-9000?s small IR cover really belays the powerful spread of the transmitter beneath. A small LED next to the screen lights up when a signal is transmitting. We would like the same power in the MX-500.
As in the SL9000, one of the best physical features of the SL-9000 is great backlighting. Every single button ? plus the LCD ? lights up on the press of a single large button at the bottom of the remote. All buttons glow an even bright blue for 7 seconds at a time. Each press of a button extends the timer by 7 seconds. One thing sure to please listeners with sensitive ears is the completely silent backlight operation ? there?s no annoying buzz or whine here!
I see no specific LIGHT button on the remote. One cannot turn on the backlighting without pressing a button, which would send a command. This drives users crazy on other remotes that don?t have a specific LIGHT button somewhere on the remote.
We are glad to see that ALL buttons on the MX-500 are learnable.
Display DATE and TIME.
Beeps on button pushes and ability to turn the beeps on/off.
OTHER USER SUGGESTIONS:
Macro interruption.
Activate backlight and give beep from macro.
Adjust repetitions/sustain of IR signal per button.
Write a little Windows based program that can capture the IR commands from the MX-500 via an infrared port, to backup and restore the programming.
Adjust LCD contrast.
Adjust backlight sensor.
Motion/tilt sensor, ability to specify what happens upon motion (LCD on, backlight on - only if dark).
QUESTIONS and ADDITIONAL COMMENTS from users:
If you select each device to turn the power on, what would the separate power button do?
Will the device keys only learn Power On and Audio Input, or could the Power command be replaced by another command, say the TV video input code? (Comment from Greg: This could be accomplished with device macros).
By the way, is there a physical button for TV/Video? There doesn't appear to be one from what I can tell. Probably too late to fix it, but for those of us with multiple video sources, it would be a help.
Down by the numeric keypad, what is the DIS button for?
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We really do feel that the incorporation of our suggestions will result in a significant increase in sales, since this remote is not priced for the average home user with a TV and VCR, but for those that are starting or are fully into Home Theater. This is the type of user served by RemoteCentral and where users go to find this type of remote. RemoteCentral will also be an indispensable place for your buyers/users to have their questions answered, especially by those of us enthused with this new remote!
We thank you for you consideration of our requests and look forward to your comments and answers!
Sincerely yours,
Greg Mitchell (GregoriusM)
[email protected]
