Unfortunately, nothing I've tried thusfar has eliminated the lag. Even if I turn off the beep, reduce the repeat count to 1, and set all devices to use IR only, the lag exists. I've also tried creating a new device and learning codes directly from the original Tivo remote without improvement rather than importing from the IR Database. It would appear that this is just a how the 900 and the 950 are (I tried many of the same things with it when I tried it out). Again, I may never have noticed it had I not been a 700/800 user for so long but that's unfortunately unavoidable at this point.

Jeff

Well, I sent the 900 back last week. I think it's a great remote with several useful improvements over the previous 700/800/850 generation. However, the lag issue was too much to ignore.

One thing I did notice was the actual button design. While testing and re-testing with a 700 and 900 side by side for a while, I noticed a differnce in the tactile feel of the buttons. It was almost as if the buttons on the 700 were slightly easier to press which made repeat presses slightly easier. This may account for some of the problem with repetitive button commands. On the other hand, during times when I had the beep on as well as separate times when I was looking at the LCD's display indication of what button was just pressed (the area right at the bottom), both seemed to indicate that the remote did recognize each press in a sequence. So, I'm still not sure what the root cause was, but it could be a combination of things.

I'm thinking I may just pickup an 850 instead. The improvements are minimal, but I do like the select button and improved backlighting. I'm also assuming that this lag issue isn't present since it is of the previous generation. From what I read on the forums here, there are sometimes pretty good open box deals to be had from the various sponsors. Anyways, thanks to all for the suggestions and the help.

Jeff

It looks like rgbyhkr is even tougher than I am when it comes to choosing electronic devices. I am an Electrical Engineer and I am extremrly picky about quality and how something performs.
But, I believe I understand why he returned the MX-900.

However, the need to triple press a button very quickly is probably something that most users will ever have a problem with.

I own a Sony RDR-HX900 DVD recorder with a 160 Gig harddrive and also have the single, double, and triple fast forward and reverse search buttons. Although I rarely use the triple search because it is way too fast, there is no need to depress it three times very fast. It still works pressing it three times at a moderate rate of speed.

I also tested every remote I own to see if I could input three very fast button pushes in a row. None of my remotes could register more than two hits when performed very fast.

In conclusion, I do not feel that the slower reaction time of the buttons on MX-900 will be a problem for most users.

And that's fine for other people. I was only concerned with my impression of it under my circumstances of use. What others need or want doesn't impact my buying decision as they may be very different from my own requirements. So, my comments weren't a broad condemnation, just a report on what I experienced. I was actually hoping someone might have a solution, but it appears that this is a fundamental way the 900 and 950 operate in a manner different from the 700/800/850.

I will say though that other Tivo users might benefit from my nitpicking. If nothing else, it's a heads-up that they can test for themselves to see if it bothers them. All that matters is if they notice it or if they think it's an issue.

Jeff