This isn't really a thread par ce, however I have been wanting to buy a universal remote for some time now. I have already done research on the Philipps Pronto, the Marantz RC5000, and the Harmon/Kardon Take Control TC1000. However I still cannot come to a conclusion on which one is best. Could you please tell me your opinion on which one you think is best and why. If you say that the Philipps/RC5000 is your favorite, please specify exactly which one you mean and why. Thanks a lot.

First off, this isn't really the right forum for this question as this forum is for "One For All" and "Radio Shack" remotes, the general universal remote forum might be a better place to ask.

Anyway, in order to best answer the question we would have to know what it is that you expect from a universal. If you just want to be able to work all of your equipment using one remote, then a $30 15-1994 from Radio Shack will probably suffice. If you want to be able to totally customize the remote and be able to hook the remote up to your PC, etc - then the $399 Pronto is probably the way to go. If your needs are somewhere in between then one of the in-betweeen remotes like Sony's AV2100 or Crisp Solution's uCommand might be the answer.

Regarding the differences between the RC5000 and the Pronto, I don't think there are any, but this part of your question would be best posed on the Pronto forum.

Hope this helps,
Rob
[Link: stormloader.com]

I have a pronto. My wife loves it and will use only it. I also have a ONEforALL cinema7. I have it configured to do 90% of what the Pronto can do, and in a very logical and simple fashion. I prefer the Cinema7 since it is much easier to hold, can be worked with one hand, and the buttons can be found by "feel" without having to look at the remote.

The only way you are going to find the perfect remote for yourself is to but the top 3 or 4 on your list. Spend at least a month programming and using them. Live with them. Keep a list of your likes and dislikes about each remote. When you've played with all four, go back and compare lists. Whichever has the most likes and fewest dislikes is probably the one you should keep.

What to do with the other 3? Give them as christmas or birthday gifts.

Dave

Better yet, keep them for less than 30 days and return the other 3!

Rob.

Rob, you are a baaaaaaaad boy... :-($)

David B: you have a significant other who actually prefers to use the geek-box? Wow, you must lead a charmed life... .... Mike 0:-)

My wife totally digs my 15-1994, but she's glad that I did the programming, not her! She also totally digs our ReplayTV, just last night she said that it's probably the best purchase that we have ever made!

I can tell you right now that the Pronto would never get wife-approval in my house!

Rob.

Same here.

My wife is beginning to get more interested in all the other controls for the ReplayTV. She is usually too afraid to try new things or afraid to break thing. The 15-1994 is so robust, even if it get dipped into the salsa dip, I bet the lights will still work.

Mike... the only way I was allowed to keep the pronto was to convince my wife she could "easily" control my fairly complicted home theater setup with it. It's no geek box to here. She touches the screen and simply picks "watch local TV" from the few buttons there. Or picks "watch satellite channels". Or picks "Watch a DVD movie". You get the picture? From that point the pronto prompts her for whatever additional input her initial request requires.

Yes, it's a geek box. But only from my perspective. She loves it. I program it so she will.

Dave

David B: that really is very cool. I want a remote that I can label "Watch a DVD movie". That might end it all right there. Tell me, do you leave, or can you leave, the Macro screen up all the time, so that when you turn the unit on, those labels display first? ... Mike

Mike. Yes. When my wife first picks up the pronto it is always on the macro panel. It doesn't get there by default, though. When she is done watching anything there is one hard button on the pronto that she presses to turn the system "ALL OFF". This runs a macro that plays a list of discrete OFFs for all my equipment, then returns to the macro startup screen. This button is clearly labeled, but I did have to show it to her and walk her through using the pronto once. It took five minutes, after which she understood perfectly and has never asked me another question about the pronto.

Please remember... My wife has 3 college degrees, and is a doctor. She's no average gal. My MOM mastered a universal X10 remote I got her, but my dad seems clueless about using it. Not everyone is as sharp as the world of universal remotes expects them to be.


Dave