Would you be so kind as to send my a file of alpha....it would be much appreciated!..(^_^)

Dale, I think you've just kept me busy for the next six months! Thanks (I mean it!).

shnakz69: Sorry, Bud -- I would if I could but Alpha is the intellectual property of URC, 'cause they paid for it.

Sean

opps....... i thought it was free distribution like the gravity templates are sorry

Sean:

I sure hope Alpha doesn't keep you busy for six months! I designed it to make it possible to program an entire MX-3000 in about an hour. In fact, we have a training class that teaches exactly that.

And that kind of show the difference between Gravity and Alpha: Gravity can be time consuming to customize, but Alpha is set up specifically to reduce programming time while delivering professional-level graphics to your clients.

Dale

Dale,

Is the intention that the Alpha template will only be available to the A/D's & CI's, or are there any plans to make these available to the rest of the owners of the MX-3000 in the future. To date, I am unaware of any new templates that have been released by URC and included with liveupdates. Given your comments, it sure looks like the Alpha would go some way to ensuring the maximum potential of the remote is exploited.

any template can be configured so programming time can be minimized....its all about using the IR ID tags that are asigned to a button then using alaiases for all macro commands and such....theres more but i wont go into all that... i actually have my gravity template modified so i can program a full system in about an hour or less..works great.

Yes, that's absolutely true. I could have taken the time to make Gravity a shippable, standard template, but I didn't because by the time I posted it online, I was already working on its successor, Alpha.

As far as I am aware, Alpha will remain an installer-only template. It works differently from other templates in a few ways, in that there are some ways to customize it that our standard templates don't have, plus it has some macros, favorite channels, and jumps preprogrammed. All of the features that make Alpha different from our shipping templates also come with the assumption that if you have access to Alpha, you have access to the instructor-lead or online training that teaches you how to use Alpha. Our support staff isn't set up to handle the additional technical support load that Alpha would present if it were a mass-market product, so we rely on the experise and training of the folks who handle it every day: our dealers and installers.

Don't get me wrong: I'm certainly not saying that an intelligent end-user would be unable to work with Alpha. But there are costs in both infrastructure and support that would go up significantly if the template were available to everyone, while the price of Alpha (free) would guarantee that it would never recoup those costs. However, professional installers can generate programming revenue by getting versed in Alpha, which was my goal when creating it.

In closing, please don't forget that there are many excellent templates for the MX-3000 right here on Remote Central. I encourage you to look at the file section here. You'll be impressed. In fact, it was originally a perusal of the files here that inspired me to create Gravity in the first place.

Thanks,

Dale Crawford
Instructional Media Designer
Universal Remote Control, Inc.

if anyone wants a copy of gravity just leave a response here or email me and i will get it to you.

Dale - thanks for the response. I have taken a look at almost all of the templates here on the site, but find some of them a bit unpolished (although better than anything I could create myself). The only one I have been impressed with is that from Pollen Software (which I currently use). GuiFX also has some good stuff. Fully understand the URC position on Alpha, although I'd say it is more to give the CI's something to market; as we are not supported by URC directly, but referred back to the authorised dealer. Guess I'll take a closer look at Gravity or stick with what I've got. Thanks for your ongoing input to the site btw.

May I get a copy of Gravity, shankz?

That would be great :)

Its on the its way!!

I would like a copy of the gravity template if you have time to email it to me.

on the way

I would also appreciate a copy, thanks in advance!