In reply to:

You just have to know how to program it correctly.

I think I do. There are many "multiple push" functions that must be placed on the touch screen. For example. when I have it set up to watch a DVD the "hard button wheel area" controlled the menu scrolling for the DVD's menu, but the "search" function was on the touch screen, as was the FF/Rev which, needed multiple pushes to increase speed. And, with the Sony, there was no place to adequately set up scrolling for the monitor's or receiver's menus on the DVD device without using the touch screen. I am not so limited with the MA-700.

What about PIP? Do you have the PIP source, another multiple push function, set up for your hard buttons?

In reply to:

The hard button wheel area controls the scrolling of any piece of equipment I'm currently using.

What if you're using more than one piece of equipment? When watching TV, I can set up the "hard wheel control area" on the MX-700 to control the navigation through the programming guide provided by my cable box, while setting up a few of the hard buttons next to the screen to control navigation through my TV menus (or vice versa). This means I don't have to switch devices all the time when watching TV.

When watching a DVD, I'm using 3 devices; monitor, receiver, and DVD player. If I wish, I can set the MX-700 up so can control the scrolling functions of all 3 without having to change devices.

The Sonys are excellent remotes, but the MX-700 is more versatile, and less limited.

Jack

"People generally quarrel because they cannot argue." - G. K. Chesterton