I love the idea! I'll probably regret asking this and will quickly kick myself after reading your reply... I know how to modify any of the names of the LCD keys that are under the devices (DVD, TV VCR, etc) but how do I modify one of the devices to one called "Power"?

I also have a Marantz 7000. I haven't done anything with the System Off button. I've setup individual macros on each device button on main page which turns on that device, turns on Marantz and switches it to appropriate device, and turns on TV. When I'm done I go back to main page hit macro again and turn everything off. Maybe I don't understand System Off button correctly because if I program all components to it, it will turn on components that aren't on when I want to turn off those components that are on. I guess if I had discrete power on/off codes I could do it differently.

Lee: To modify the DEVICE names while you are in SETUP, you push the PAGE button before you push the DEVICE button you want to change.

... Greg

Thanks! I appreciate it.

OK - this is a little late, but I have a question for Randy.

So are you saying that you have Macros set up on an LCD button WITHIN a device? You have a device called power, and on the first page, you have these buttons with macros on them? I thought you could only assign macros to the main page and those device buttons with the hold for a second method. If you can do what I am saying, that makes this thing so much more usable to me.

I want to use the hard power buttons at the top for the device as well, but I want a discrete on and off macro within each device to set up the system. It is much easier for my wife to learn it that way.

Thanks,
Bryan

Bryan:

You CANNOT put macros on the LCD buttons within a device.

The only places on the MX-500 you can put macaros are M1, M2, M3, POWER, SYSTEM OFF (these do not require the 1 second hold) and the 10 device buttons (which do require the 1 second hold).

Also, keep in mind that if you DO put macros on the POWER and SYSTEM OFF buttons, then they can no longer be used as single device buttons. They are only macro buttons. You have to delete the macro to return them to single device buttons i.e. buttons with a POWER ON or POWER OFF code.

It is the MX-700 that will have full macro capability on every LCD button including FAV (up to 190 steps), but NOT the MX-500.

... Greg :-)

I worded it wrong back last August! The macros themselves were on the main page. I had 5 devices, including TV and DVD. So I devoted two LCD buttons to them, left and right being off and on. Let's let this thread die away and my mistake will finally go away :)

Randy
www.RRDeals.com

OK - Thanks guys. I figured that was the case.

I think I am just going to do what others have done - the "System Off" button is going to be a system macro that turns everything off. The Power Button is going to be a toggle power button within each device. The Macro on each LCD Device will be a turn on and set up macro for that component.
And I will have a Power device that contains the discrete power buttons for all of my components, for the macros.

What would have been nice, is for an option to make the power buttons device specific macros, instead of system wide macros. This makes it easy for anyone else to just hit the "power" button and it comes on for what is displayed in the LCD. However, the way I am going to do it, isn't that bad.

One final question. Everywhere I have read that there are 43 programmable hard buttons plus 20 LCD buttons. But it says you can only teach 53 buttons per device. Unless my math is screwed up, this means you can't learn 10 buttons to a device? Is this correct, or am I misunderstanding something?

And Randy, I promise I will let this thread die! However, because of all of your help, I will be ordering the remote from you, even though I can get it about $10 cheaper elsewhere. That warranty and service are worth it.

Bryan

Here's what I do.

System Off is a macro that powers everything off. System On is a macro that powers everything on.

On my Main LCD screen I have TV, DVD, CD, TUNER, TAPE, VCR & POWER. TV is a learned button that switches my Reciever input to TV. DVD to the DVD input, etc.

I have also programmed macros on each of the device buttons. On the TV device button I have a macro that turns on only the components needed for watching TV (in my case, the Receiver, DISH Receiver & TV). The same is true for the other device buttons (DVD turns on the Receiver, DVD & TV while the TUNER macro only turns on the Receiver).

Now when I want to watch TV, I press & hold the TV device button from the main page. It works great!

Ron

When do you use the System On macro? I don't like to leave components on that aren't being used, as 90% of the time, we are watching DirecTV, and we don't need the VCR and DVD player on as well. So I don't like the idea of a whole System On macro.

I will use the individual device macros, as that does what I want, and also gives a power toggle button on the main power button for each device.

Bryan

I'm not sure where you read that, but there are 53 buttons per device (not including the thumbpad), which include the 20 LCD buttons. Of those, only the MAIN, PAGE and FAV cannot be programmed. I think that on the HTM website, it talks about 43 buttons, but that includes the first screen of LCD buttons.

The system on macro is mostly for my wife. I've only had the remote programmed for a few days now. My previous remote (SL-9000) had the everyting on/off macros, which is what she is used to. Once I get her used to using the device on macros I will probably revert to your solution, an everything off macro and a power toggle for each of the devices (although I'm not sure I would really use this either). Anyhow, I'm sure I will change things the more I use it.

What I like about having the power toggle is if for some reason things get out of sync, you can turn that component on/off right there. Or you can easily go into a device and hit that button to turn it on/off if you need to. And, it makes sense to someone who isn't familiar with the remote. After all, one of the reasons we get these fully customizable remotes is so that those not familiar with the system can operate it as well.

Bryan

The main thing we use our home theater setup for is watching Dish. Therefore, I set the POWER button to be a macro that turns on the TV, VCR(because the S-video from the dish goes thru the VCR and the signal does not pass thru to the TV unless the VCR is on), Dish, and receiver. SYSTEM OFF button turns all of those components off.

To watch a DVD, I set a macro on the DVD device button to turn on the DVD player, switch the receiver input to DVD, and switch the TV to the DVD input. This macro is assumes you've already powered up the system with the Power-on macro above.

Once the DVD is done, a macro on the SAT device button powers down the DVD player, switches the receiver back to Dish, and TV back to Dish.

I set my system off button to control all of the lights in my house using the new mind reading function contained in the beta firmware I am using --- I just punch the button and think 'bathroom' and my bathroom light toggles on or off automatically.

Slick eh? ;)


Bigdog