Searched for this topic but couldn't find anything on it: how do the Menu/Guide/Info buttons work? Are these just secondary labels, and you can program EITHER the menu/guide/info functions OR transport control functions? How would this work for e.g. a DVD player, where you want those functions available simultaneously?

It doesn't work, as I complained in another thread. You have to relocate one of the functions to another key. I'm holding out for the next iteration when hopefully someone over there finally realizes the need for a separate menu key (and info). You'll notice that the MX1000 doesn't have a menu key either. Still can't see how the people designing these things can overlook something as basic as that, for 3 designs of remotes in a row. (SLx0000, MX1000, MX500)

The lack of a separate menu key is baffling to me as well. I use the "Previous Channel" button on the MX-1000 for menus, since I use that more than anything with Tivo and DVDs. The other mystery is why you can't program a macro on the "Power" button on the MX-1000, when you can do it on the One-for-All Home or AV Producers, for one third the price.

I'd only see that of use if it could be done -- and maintained separate -- on the MAIN page.

I'm not sure what you mean, Daniel. I'm talking about having a "hard" button for MENU, and the existing hard button for POWER. While it's true that some components require separate on and off signals for power, the majority of them work as a toggle on/off from the same signal. If you could program an on/off system macro on the POWER button, it would work on the great majority of equipment out there. My personal preference is to have hard buttons cover the commands you use most of the time, and touchscreen buttons to cover everything else. The MX-1000 comes the closest to achieving that of any remote in its price range, but falls a couple of buttons short. It's still my favorite though.

I mean I'm not sure of the point of a POWER button macro that controls absolutely everything. Do you really want to have each and every device come on all the time? TV, CD, DVD, tape, receiver, DSS? Then, there's the problem of what if you just want to turn one device on or on separate from the rest? Your "power" button couldn't do it.

But I was thinking such a feature would be OK on the MAIN or MAIN1 screen -- you can't do anything with the hard buttons there anyways. But under each device page?

Daniel: The MX-500 will no doubt work the same way as the SL-9000 as far as the cursor keys are concerned. Do they not change what they do depending on device? I'm assuming the |<< key will be Guide when in DVD and >>| will be Menu when in DVD, and the red dot will be Exit in DVD, etc. And the other side of the keys will be on the LCD.

Anway, I'll try find out. I don't like it that way and I'll talk to URC.

Greg :-)

That stinks, especially for TiVo/Replay and DVD users. They will no doubt want to be able to use both the transport and menu/guide functions under one device key. The quickest way to fix this (adding hard buttons is unlikely) would be to assign a SHIFT function to one of the other keys, or let you program a SHIFT key on the LCD that can shift the functions of the double-labeled buttons.

This shortcoming (shared transport and navigation keys) will keep me from buying it. Do these remote designers not have DVD players at home that need seperate transport and navigation keys? If any of them tried to use their remotes on even simple systems, they would realize what we are talking about!

Bryan

Bryan,

There are separate transport and menu buttons.

Daniel -
I don't want to turn everything on at once, but I do want to turn more than one device on. It just seems logical to be able to do that with a hard button labeled POWER.

Here's what I would like to do with a POWER button macro: Turn on my receiver, TV, switch receiver input to "Satellite Receiver" and go to the first page of that device. I currently do this with a power button on my MAIN page, but it would be more convenient to be able to do this with the POWER hard button, since I wouldn't have to activate the touchscreen (and backlight at night) to do so. Each other device in my system is powered up and goes to its 1st page through other MAIN page macros.

With respect to the MX-500, I suspect you will need to use one of the M1,2,3 keys to power up more than one device at a time. However, the button labeled "System Off" is intriguing. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

On the MX-500, as opposed to the SL-9000, we have to remember that the difference is there are both TRANSPORT and CURSOR control "buttons". The cursor navigation is the black area in the middle of the transport buttons, a black rocker mechanism.

The problem we don't like is that 4 of the TRANSPORT buttons are used for MENU, GUIDE, EXIT and INFO on certain devices, instead of separate buttons.

Greg :-)

Will the MX-500 be able to learn ALL commands from a Loewe remote control? The SL-9000 could only learn some of the commads, making it useless.

It's impossible to tell right now if it will learn ALL commands from a Loewe remote control. It can learn up to 530 commands, but whether they have changed the way the remote learns in the MX-500 remains to be seen.

When it is closer to release date, I'll ask URC if anything has changed in that regard. Most any Universal Remote seems to have problems with some IR signals, notably Sony's stuff, but that's another story.

Greg :-)

Am I missing something? I see this remote on etronix as shipping next day. Appears to be available now.