I have been reading about every thread on every remote and home theater forum out there for about 2 months to try and pick out a new universal remote. I currently have a Sony AV-2000 and am looking for something less bulky and with more power. I had purchased a Harmony SST-659, but had the backlight go out on 2 different units. I am done with their poor quality control.

I have narrowed my choice down to the MX-500 & the new URC-200. I have yet to read a bad review on the MX-500 and it has been around for a long time. There are very few reviews on the URC-200 since it just came out so I am a little leery until more reviews pop up. I am leaning towards the MX-500 because I have yet to read anything bad and the larger LCD offers more buttons per page. Also, the MX-500 seems to have a more "solid" look to it based on pictures...the URC line to me has a cheaper look to the buttons and set up. There is not a large difference in price and both are of similar size. I will be operating the following equipment:

Samsung 46" DLP set
Onkyo 601 Receiver
Panasonic F-85 DVD Player
Motorola High Def Cable Box
Sony VCR
(yet to be purchased DVD recorder)

I did love the activity/macro set up on the Harmony and it worked well for my wife. Would one of these remotes have an edge when it came to setting up activities or macros? Also, I like to tweak my equipment but don't plan on spending hours setting up a remote. Is ease of setup pretty similar on both of these?

Any and all opinions would be appreciated and thank you.

The mx-500 isn't known for its code database. In fact the code databse sucks. The preferred method of programming is to teach, each and every command. There are no discrete commands in the mx-500,and discrete commands make macros alot easier. That's where a cheap remote like a one-for-all remote comes in, they accept advanced codes, 3 digit code for individual functions( PIP-098, PLAY-123).

The MX-500 and URC-200 likely come with the exact same database. Of the two, and only from brief use so far, I prefer the ergonomics and overall "feel" of the MX-500. But the URC-200 is newer, has a brighter backlight, and lots of stuff to make it easy to program.

The MX-500 has the reputation behind it and is quite capable of handling the equipment you mentioned. You can also upgrade it with IR-Clone MX to encorporate a computer interface and get easy access to valuable discrete codes.

The URC-200 is made by the same reputable company and has more macro capabilities, but is relatively un-tested in the consumer market and can't be computer interfaced yet. I suspect IR Clone will be able to be used with the URC line, but not for some time, so you would be stuck using an OFA remote for discrete codes. The other benefit to the URC is the built-in RF interface, allowing you to purchase a separate RF extender to use the remote from greater distances.