what do you guys think my best choice on a remote under $200 would be. it needs to control a mitsubishi tv and vcr technics reciever and a direct tv unit? my local store is pushing the rotel unit. plus tweeter is pushing the sony for $179. thanks for your help.

Try calling the online stores. I found the Marantz RC2000 Mark II for $198 shipped.

Check out my thread on the Palm Pilot. For $205 ($165-Palm + $40 for the hardware/software, you can have a remote which functions just as well as the Pronto.

www.cnet.com has the current prices on the palm.

www.computability.com will sell you the Sony for $109, www.etown.com will sell you the SL9000 remote for $102 including 2nd day shipping. Both should do what you want and the choice is "do you want buttons or a touch screen" ? If you can find the Marantz RC2000II for less than $200 it is a nicer unit. You can find the MS H/K Take Control for $250 and the Pronto for $289 or so. It is somewhat a case of you get what you pay for. More money, more or less equals more macros, programability, and flexability. I would think any of them would actually be able of running your equipment. It just comes down to how much you want to spend or how much "ease of use" you want. If you already own a Palm Pilot you might want to play with the Palm Pilot software as well.