they're not ergonomic....my dish network 722p's remote control is by far the most ergonomic feeling remote, and the buttons are sculpted for easy hitting AND rugged enough for daily use........but by FAR ,the biggest draw , is it's sized to where nearly ANY button is accessible with my thumb...all my other ridiculously long remotes are TOO long for 'one thumb' use...I have to use two hands to access some buttons and that sucks lol.....anything out there comparable in feel and access to the dish network remote?...I need to control a Samsung 50" plasma tv, dish network 722p, Sherwood 100w stereo receiver, apex dvd player and likely soon a WD TV media player....Thanks for any suggestions :)

I think you would find the MX-900 or 880 ergonomic and not elongated.

Vincent

I'm a huge fan of the MX-900. It's a simple, classy remote.

I also happen to have an MX-880 sitting in front of me right now. I'm programming it for a client tonight. It's ergonomic... but not "smooth" or organic. The underside actually has hard edges, however, it does find a way to sit nicely in the hand.

Also, on the MX-880, I would love to see replaceable or customizable "listen" and "watch" buttons like the MX-980. I much prefer the "Activities" and "Devices" scheme... yeah, yeah, I know that's a Harmony thing... so they did one thing right. :)

Oh, and I know URC was probably trying to hit a certain price point with the MX-880, but C'mon, could we please get a cradle? It has a rechargeable battery, but no cradle... kinda sad.

But in the end, the MX-880 isn't bad at all. I would recommend it, but maybe not before the MX-900.

I am sure the things on your "wish list" are simply not there to get to the price point below the MX-980. I think they were trying to offer a more customizable solution than the MX-810 (thankfully) and something that would give 900 fans a color version. The 980 has everything on your list including high resolution which should not be overlooked.

vbova27: Yep, you're right. After re-reading what I wrote, the MX-980 is the obvious answer. I will retract my "wish list" for the MX-880 and just let it be what it is... a replacement for the MX-900, and an apology from URC for the MX-810.

:)

BTW, I've used the MX-980s in quite a few installations and you're right, there is a lot to be said for the higher resolution screen. I always had clients tell me how easy it was to read.

Keith, I have had the same responses as well. I do a lot of my own graphical work for the 980 and I really, really appreciate the look of th screen. By the way, I tried the new 880Z Zigbee version of the MX-880 for a client who was having problems with the MRF-260 and multipe remotes, it was really cool.

That's good to know about the 880Z... I'll have to give that a shot.

One thing I haven't dove into much is creating my own graphics for the MX-980. I have an educational background in multi-media, so I'd love to start on customization.

I'm sure there is plenty of information on that in this forum somewhere, but since you brought it up, do you have any favorite threads or links I could check out on creating and implementing custom graphics for the MX-980?

Surprisingly enough.... there's a real lack of thread traffic when it comes to the 980. The files section here at RC has only two configs I believe...

Fortunately, it's pretty much the same thing as any other graphical remote when creating custom buttons and backgrounds. So if your looking for advice on appropriate SW to use, and methods. I suggest searching for threads based around the 3000. You'll get far more hits that way...

As far as dropping in your graphics into your config. The 980 editor/CCP makes it a fairly simple process.

Thank you very much smokinghot. I'll see what I can come up with.

$350 for a remote control? Now, granted , I know they pack a lot of technology into these things, but imo, ANYTHING over say, 100 bux , is RIDICULOUS overkill for people with more money than brains. Actually, the article on the Sony RM-VL610 convinced me to give it a try....got it today, I like the feel and most things I can use one hand for , hurrah! The buttons are small, but they take a lighter touch too, which is nice. In 30 minutes I had 3 elaborate macro's set , one which opens my dvd drive door among other things! Something I never could get just right with other remotes...

ps - I paid $22 for it. LOL

I've heard this many, many times, and you are perfectly entitled to your opinion. However, IMO, the remote is the interface to your system, and no matter how good your equipment is, your enjoyment of it can be instantly derailed everytime you have to fumble along with a lack luster interface.

Can you get by with a $22 dollar remote...?...certainly. But you could also get by with the collection of OEMs as well.

I paid far more than $350 for just my remote and processor, and couldn't be happier. Why...?...because it does things absolutely seemlessly that you couldn't imagine a remote normally being used for.

Obviously if you content with a $22 universal. You'll never appreciate the user experience even a low cost $100 remote can provide you. There's nothing wrong with that, but you really should experience what a properly designed interface can do before you write off spending $$$ on a quality product as ridiculous, even though you'd never spend that much yourself.

but what kind of 'user experience' am I missing out on, if I can control every aspect of my system already? Do $350 and up remotes do wonderful , magical things like cook you breakfast and tell yer horoscope? ;)...

lol.... ok... ;)

Here's a quick and dirty example of what I mean....

I have developed a little add on to my configuration on my MX-980 that basically is a clock. I can reference this clock with any macro I develop and use it's current state to determine various end results. For example, depending on the time of day the "Watch TV" macro will auto-tune to whatever the predetermined Fav channel is for the user profile selected. I bet it seems like a very minor inconvenience to have to select your channel when you turn on your TV. However I can tell you the other half loves it when the kid is screaming for entertainment and she's burning stuff on the stove...lol.

I'm currently trying to use this same clock reference to adjust my max volume setting on my AVR. So past a certain time I don't need to be concerned with the babysitter annoying the neighbours. These two examples are definitely something that aren't necessary, but very convenient none the less.

...and I know you were trying to make a joke with the horoscope thing, but if you were using the current ProntoPro series of remotes you could use the existing program modules to display a scrolling ticker across you screen that could be directed toward a horoscope website with a RSS feed.

Here's a link to thread discussing the feature development: [Link: remotecentral.com]

Here's a pic from the first post that contains an astronomical template at the bottom premade for your use:


I bet you thought you were being completely unrealistic with your "magical" example, weren't ya.

;)

Ridgekarma, first off, welcome to the board. It's nice to have a collection of opinions here, that's what makes it useful.

Now about these "over 100 dollar remotes"... Yep, that's a lot of money. Most remotes I rely on for systems fall in the 350 to 700 dollar range, sometimes more. In fact, I find that in a lot of typical systems, the control budget works out to be about 10%.

Others have spoken about functionality of higher end remotes, so I won't get into that, but I will mention build quality. Higher end remotes are simply built to last longer, period.

And if something doesn't physically last, well then its functionality goes right out the window as well.

You say you just got the remote today, so, I say use it normally, for a year, and let us know how it's working for you. Are the buttons sticking? Has the lettering worn off?

This isn't a snide remark, it's not sarcastic, I think we all just want to know how long your 22 dollar remote will continue to serve you well.

One last thing... customization.

Let's think into the future a bit. When the next magic box comes out and has features you didn't know about now, what happens to these simple remotes.

Even in the review for the Sony RM-VL610 is says the following...

"I got a Sony RM-VL900 back in 2002 which I still love. But it's long in the tooth and lacking many buttons more modern remotes have. Last year I got an RM-VL600 since it had been modernized, but found it still lacking."

So the two previous remotes became obsolete pretty quick, the RM-VL610 will too.

On the other hand, take a remote with customizable buttons on a touch screen or LCD screen, and now nothing has to be dated.

The new magic box out on the market has a "make me toast" button. No problem, my URC can do it.