First off, I want to say that I have done a search for "MX-980" and that I have read a good portion of this 2008 thread - www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/complete/thread.cgi .  I am considering purchasing an MX-980 from my local dealer, Magnolia A/V in WA state (NOT the Magnolia in Best Buy, the one on Roosevelt) and I possibly would also get the MRF-350.  Is it even possible for me, as an end user, to program the MX-980?  I understand that I would need access to URC's Complete Control s/w and that it is sort of up to the dealer to provide me the s/w, if they see fit.  The salesmen that I spoke to said that as long as I new of the RC forums that I would probably be OK, so I'm not sure if they would provide the s/w to me.  They did say that a programmer would charge around $300.

I'm only asking b/c I have seen the MX-980 for as low as $380 on Buy.com (Magnolia wants $600) and the MRF-350 is available for $150 at Buy.com (Magnolia wants around $300).  If I could program the 980 myself (with some help) then that would save a big chunk of change.  But if this would prove to be too big of a hassle then I would reconsider. 

Btw, with all due respect, I don't really want to get into the issue of the 980 being a Professional product that was intended to be programmed by a Pro for a price; I accept that.  I'm just asking about DIY programming b/c I've just moved into a new house, purchased a new TV (Samsung UN46C8000 - LOVE IT!), new receiver (Denon AVR-2311CI) etc.  I am also remodelling some rooms.  The point is that my funds are a bit pre-allocated at this time.  Who knows - I may find it completely impossible to program the 980 (unlikely)? 

Thanks!

i can help you program your remote... there is an expansion pack for the mx980 you might be interested in getting too.

Its not too hard to do it yourself... makes you that much more wiser.

Unfortunately when you have issues with the remote you bought on buy.com you're s&*t out of luck for warranty.


That's funny!

Is programming hard? Depends, I have people look at the programming and shake their heads while others see the light. I would consider buying the remote from a URC dealer so you get warranty. Murphy's law says if you have no warranty the chances are you'll need it.

there is always a risk when you buy off ebay, buy.com, craigs list... etc. or sites similar...

sometimes you get a quality seller that will accept returns, most times you wont... i assume that a person purchasing from those sites are aware of the risks involved and assume them knowingly.

And if not... Im sure he knows now :)
Here is a helpful link... pay attention to the bottom finely.
[Link: universalremote.com]

I got a huge discount on my remote from best buy... so thats pretty much authorized. My suggestion for the OP is get the best deal from an authorized dealer as possible, then DIY.

I was lucky enough to get best buy to match an online price... so I got a mx6000 for 999.

I get this question all the time and the answer is that there's no way to tell whether any particular person will be able to program the MX-980 (or any other URC remote) themselves, without knowing their capabilities. Here are the questions I always ask:

1. Have you ever programmed any PC-programmable universal remote before? (Harmonys excepted, URC or Prontos preferred).

2. Do you have the patience to spend hours learning how to program it and more time spent actually programming. Will you read the manual?

3. If the answer to #1 is No and #2 is Yes, then go to the "Files" section of this website and download the MX-900 or 880 programming manual and read through it. If it sounds like Greek to you (and you don't speak Greek ;-) ), then forget it and hire someone to program it for you.

Yes, you will not get warranty coverage if you buy from anyone offering the MX-980 for sale online. Perhaps you could return if if it craps out fairly soon, but what happens six months down the road?

Mike

Can you figure out how make it work? Probably, but you may find that other users in your home (if there are others) have a difficult time using it. In other words, will what you can figure out on your own get your money's worth out of the remote? Probably not, that is UNLESS you become enthusiastic about it, continue educating yourself, nurturing yourself in these forums, and playing around with it for the next, ummm, couple of years.

Would $300 be too much to pay to have it done by pro: having it operate efficiently, reliably, and extremely user friendly. Nope, but who's to say who you would get for a programmer. A seasoned programmer could completely blow you away, but if you get someone without much experience or just enough experience to be dangerous, again, many of the remote's best features would become a total waste.

These remotes aren't programmed, they're configured and you write macros.

Mike's qualifying questions are good, but I'd add a few more:

1) Have you ever figured out how to use Microsoft Word or Excel or similar complex application?

2) Did you ever create your own macro in the product for the purpose of customizing or making a repetitive task easier?

3) Do you pick things up without having your hand held? Can you learn from scant documentation and online posts?

Of course an MX-980 can be configured by a hobbyist/DIYer, and when you're done you'll have something that works the way you like, the way your family likes and you'll actually be able to maintain it when you add something new, or decide you want it to work a little differently.

And of course it will take a time investment to master as all hobbies do.

Whether that time invested is fun or drudgery is completely up to you.

You can do it!

I have both the MX-980 and the MRF-350 and with a little time you can master it. I'm not a pro installer but I like tinkering. With some carefully thought out macros your family will love the MX-980. I set up macros to all of my mother-in-laws favorite channels that turn everything on for her and she loves it.

Just do it!

thats what im talking about! i did my whole home theatre myself (all that stuff in my sig), also built the HTPC myself. programming my mx6000 to work with the msc400, mrx1, mrf260 in conjunction with my devices was the funnest part of the whole process. :0)

i enjoyed the learning curve, and yes.... it made me that much wiser. threads here and on avs plus nice people like bryansj, jbworks, and Audiophiliac were key factors in my success.

As I was reading this thread, I was taking a break while I was "programming" my brand new 980. I also did the same with the 900 a few years ago and am replacing it becuase, we've pretty hard on it and it is falling apart.

So my $.02 is that only buy it from a reputable Authorized Dealer who will provide you a valid copy of the software. The latest versions of the software has an auto update function. So once you have it, you are set for updates, too.

I can recommend highly http://www.surfremotecontrol.com/ I bought both the 900 and now the 980 from them. Their price is good. Not the best but very good. The day after your order ships, they send an email with a link to download your software.

All good responses. Not to say you can't program the basics in a 980 but to get it's full potential, training or using a professional programmer is best.

DB

As stated above get the remote from an authorized dealer so you can obtain the software. Also, two thumbs up for Surf Remote. They have a huge presence on this forum. Just give them a call.

Bought mine from Surf Remote as well. Heck, you can even get him on the phone and ask him stupid questions and he doesn't even treat you like an idiot. :)

SOOooo glad I had a human to talk to about deciding between the 880 and 980 and glad I went with the 980. Awesome remote.

I have 2 MX-980s and an MSC-400 that I setup myself. It's not trivial but if you have experience tinkering with similar things (I had an MX-850 and MX-700 before that) then you should be able to manage it. I should note that I've only ever used the MX Editor software which works well enough but can be cumbersome at times. I've never used the new CCP software since I don't have access to it but I've managed to get by fine with the basic MX Editor.

for the intuitive... programming this stuff is easy, especially when you have help. for the beginners, the curve isnt so steep once you dive in and start soaking up knowledge.