Now that I've finally got my MX1000 working properly, I find it to be 95% of what I want in a remote. Some suggestions for URC:

1) Better contrast screen. Perhaps it's as simple as making the backround lighter? Black lines and text blacker?

2) The joystick works great except, as Daniel points out in his review, it requires a precise movement to register. But it seems to me that if it only works in four directions, why not constrain it's movement to those four directions? Duh!

3) Better macros. Someone pointed out in one of these theads that this device contains 4 mg of memory. So, why not let the owner have more functions available per macro and have ALL macros function like the precious and few system macros, i.e. deliver you to a page of your choosing? If every common or device macro had, say, 32 functions, you could then make the system macros contain, oh, 48 or so. And they would all let you decide where you end up. Then, you allow the possibility of fine tuning picture, sound, etc. to really set things up the way you like. And, the biggest thing to me: having true one button switching between components (you gotta' end up in the device you're switching to - currently only the three system macros give you that ability!). Why not? Isn't this your high-end product?

3) Give the ability to renumber pages. And to delete them if not necessary; add them back if they are. And let the owner add more pages if they find they need them. Again, why not if all that memory is just sitting there, unused or unavailable?

4) Because the contrast on the LCD screen is so poor (see point #1), the light must be activated nearly all the time to do anything. So why not provide a setup option to make the light motion-sensitive? I would gladly trade off less battery life for this convenience; why not give me the option?

5) Immediately, if not sooner, correct the known bugs in the MXOP software and post an updated version on the URC web site. And let us know in this forum when it's available (or for now, even if it's in the works!) In it's current version it constitutes cruel and unusual punishment. The constant crashes and clones are creating confusion and chaos for your customers. And at least a readme text file in how to operate it would be a nice touch (how was this overlooked??).

To all you remote gearheads out there, have I just described another product? Like, I said, this one is about 95% of the way there...

1) I have another MX-1000 here with a lighter background LCD without any "textured" appearance -- it seems a lot easier to see.

3b) I'd like that as well.

4) It couldn't be motion sensitive with the current hardware, but it could be set to come on all the time (as I pointed out in the review).

Daniel, it seems as though there are different versions of the device out there. As I noticed in another thread talking about the "stickiness" of the buttons, I believe I have one of the MX1000's with harder, less sticky buttons. Is that also a characteristic of the remote with a lighter LCD screen? What exactly do you mean by a "textured" appearance?

Yes, having the light come on with a press of the "main" button would be fine as well. Is is possible to add this function, as well as some of the others I mentioned (like improved macros), with an update to the operating software that could be downloaded from the URC web site?

By grainy: look at the *backing* behind the LCD screen under a bright light. If it seems sort of "grainy" -- a light mottled texture -- it's the former screen design I'm talking about. The other "smooth" one shows absolutely NO change in the surface appearance -- it's 100% smooth even color, no changes. I've seen both "hard buttoned" and "sticky buttoned" remotes with the grainy backing.