Hi,

I read a lot about bypassing the RC5 (toggle/parity bit) problem on this forum. Beside the usual macro workaround, some of the posters proposed that 'micro-macros' should be used i.e. two buttons pressed very quickly one after another when learning, so that both are stored under the same MX button, one of which is the proper command and the other is the blank do-nothing command to reset the parity counter. All's fine so far. I read that this applies to MX-500 and MX700 - although this feature is not listed in manuals. I have a question: has anyone tested this on the MX-1000? I have a RC5 remote for my KISS DVD and before spending $200-something on a universal remote I thought it'd be nice to know if it will support this, as macros in MX1000 cannot be stored under rubber buttons (which are exactly transport and menu commands most often used in dvd players and which MUST be learnable for my DVD player if I am to buy the uni-remote). I am perfectly aware that the micro-macros may NOT work with my particular equipment, but has anyone tested this successfully with MX-1000 on ANY equipment whatsoever? I'd be really grateful for any comments.

Also, someone on the reviews board for MX1000 said something about MX-1000 not supporting buttons chaining but did not elaborate any further. Does this mean an answer to my doubts here or is it something different the guy was complaining about? Perhaps that the remote won't support two quick presses of already programmed buttons (needing a short gap between any two key presses)? The latter would not affect my decision concerning this remote, but the former certainly would.

Thanks for your feedback!

The downside to micro-macros and the "device flip" macro work-around is that the keys will not repeat when you hold them down. Getting these tricks to work is also a painful and needless process.

You're much better off purchasing a remote that can learn these codes correctly. If you're sold on URC products, have a look at their Consumer Line remotes such as the URC-200 or URC-300. They handle the alternating toggle bits by learning each key twice. Some other manufacturers have sorted out the toggle bit problem as well.

By the way, before you purchase the MX-1000, you should also keep in mind that its technology is getting a bit old...

Greg

Hey, thanks Greg, frankly I did not expect a reply this fast. Anyway, I don't really care about key repeating. It's not like the dvd player has any real functions that need repeated signals, in the same way that a TV's volume/channel functions do. I am aware that the new UCR line manages to cope with the toggle-bit factor but those remotes are not sophisticated enough for my needs, I'm afraid. UCR-300 is close but still falls short - it's got too many hard buttons and too small and primitive touchscreen display to make my day. Still, I certainly am considering it. You mentioned some other manufacturers managed to work around the problem. What are those? I hope you don't mean Philips (BTW: they SHOULD be the ones to cope with the problem being the ONES that CAUSED it in the first place ;). I hate both the Pronto Neo design and ergonomic qualities - I like to have more hard buttons than Philips remotes usually feature. That said, I certainly appreciate the enormous programmability and flexibility. Are there any other companies that managed to overcome the RC5 obstacle?

And my previous question still stands: any of you folks had any experience with micromacros on the MX1000?

What exactly can button chaining mean in this case and why should MX-1000 lack this feature?

Thanks!

Yes, RC5 and its cousins (call them RCx) are an annoyance, especially if your device tracks the toggle bit and your remote does not.

As for those that can deal with these codes, we have (of course) the Pronto, the HTM MX-3000, the URC Consumer line, and the old HTM SL line. Others include (I believe) AMX, Crestron, Xantech, the RTI T2 (and probably the upcoming Sonance TS2), Lexicon, and some of the Sony remotes to a limited extent. Hopefully someone like Daniel or Eric Johnson can confirm this list.

I also recall that some of the older Pronto's had bugs that made *learning* RCx codes unreliable.

I'm not aware of any others that can actually learn RCx codes correctly and I don't think that there are any remotes on the market that can handle all toggle bit codesets perfectly.

Greg

One more thing: you said that MX1000 is dated now. What exactly do you mean? It will not be able to learn more recent equipment? Or is age in this case connected with some other predicament I should know about?

Thx

The MX-1000 was discontinued about eight months ago. Even then, its software hadn't been updated for years. You'd be hard pressed to find anything but a used one these days. Make sure you call before buying one anywhere on the net.

The MX-1000 was never originally designed to be PC programmable and that ability was an add-on. As a result, there was never enough memory allocation to do a lot in the way of custom graphics. It's learning capabilities are pretty much equal to the rest of the MX series, but if you have any software problems, there's not much you can do.

Mike
www.SurfRemoteControl.com

Mike, well said.

As for other vendors that can handle toggle bits properly, I just found an authoritative answer in an old post: [Link: remotecentral.com]

Greg

Not something that I would rely on, but I've heard that the MX-500/600/700 remotes are capable of sending RC5 (parity) bits if the device is in its preprogrammed database. This may be the case for the MX-1000 as well. But like Mike said, the technology is dated, and the software even moreso.

I'm not so sure what your love is with the MX-1000. If you're about to fork out $200, I would give the URC-300 another look.

Hmmm... first off, its looks. It may sound silly, but I just like MX1000's appearance a lot more. It's sleek, orderly and sophisticated. Plus the button layout - there are quite a few hard buttons to use, but they do not seem to be so scattered and messy as on the URC300. I just like order. I know I sound a bit fussy but still it's over $200 we're looking at - and that for a stupid remote! The touchscreen is my other gripe with the URC300. It's tiny, cramped and doesn't look very clear to me (I didn't get a chance to actually try out the URC so that's just secondhand talking). And only eight smallish LCD buttons available on one page - that will certainly send you into a page-flipping frenzy, if - God forbid - your original equipment remote has more special functions (that do not belong on any of URC's hard buttons) than just 8. And LCD button sizes can't be changed. Plus if the possibilities to edit and import graphical elements and PC connectivity options on the MX1000 are limited, they are infinitely more so on the URC300. Frankly, they are probably zero - as the manual fails to cover that issue. That said, the URC300's RC5 learning capability is really impressive (Is this confirmed with HTM? Because there doesn't seem to be any actual mention of RC5 in the manual and the doubletap learning may be there only to make sure the URC300 got the code right in the first place - pretty much the same as you change your password on a website - you have to enter it twice to make sure you got it right. Any does anyone know exactly how this RC5 code works once learnt? Does the universal remote actually send 0 and 1 codes interchangeably, like the original one?). Out of the other remotes you mention that have it (BTW: a BIG THANKS for the list guys!), aside from Pronto Neo and some Sonys, all are far more dated than the MX1000 and I couldn't find virtually any vendor to carry them (I'm talking about Lexicon or AMX).

P.S. I tried ebay and to my surprise found a decent looking MX1000 for just over $100. But before I had the chance to come to terms with the seller, some other guy came up and bought the damn thing ;) Unlucky me, I guess ;( Well, considering how rare these beauties are, I'll probably end up settling for the URC300 instead... Tough chance...

And of course I know that MX series will handle RC5 once preprogarmmed in a "hard way" (via codes). But they can't be learned those and that's fact. Many other remotes can send RC5 codes on a "vendor programmed" basis. But that's not what I am looking for - my device has never been listed in any IR databases and will sure not be listed for long - it's just a very small and very rare Danish brand - that's why.

I can't believe there's no one out there with an MX1000 and some kind of an RC5 problem. Maybe there's at least someone who has this remote and could check the micromacro thing for me on a regular remote (trying to teach Play and then say FFwd on one (hard) button and then to execute this merged function)?

Anyone?

Please?

Pretty pretty plizzz?

;)

I have a MX-1000 and love it... Software works perfectly with Windows XP. Got it used on eBay for cheap

Heh, I bet you got the one that was to be mine ;)
But seriously, could u check the micromacros function for me?