Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners mx500 remote vs harmony remotes

have been considering either remote. i do realize there is a price difference between the two. the harmony seems like it's upgradable by connecting to their site (for codes), but require a usb port on a pc. my older dell laptop does not have a usb port. harmony tells me it's easily obtainable, but i know zip about them, and it also adds to the bottom line. i also read where several people use a ratshack universal remote too. looking for plain english suggestions not being terribly computer literate. and, i would rather suggestions from this board rather from someone pushing product.
thanks
dan

I also seriously considered those 2. The MX500 is at Costco for $99 and the Harmony is online for ~$270.

Here's my 2 cents. I have a Pio 45TX, Proscan VCR, Apex 600A DVD, Sony SAT-T60, and Zenith 27" tube. I'm running it w/ a M22's, VP150, QS8's and VTF-2 (not that the speakers matter here, just bragging...)

MX500 - I have some unreasonable bias against this, probably because my in-laws have this at their house and it's not configured intuititively. BTW, their HT consultant did it, not me... I also use by Sony SAT-T60 DirecTV/Tivo a lot, and the MX500 didn't (for me) seem intuitive for Tivo. Others love it, I don't.

Harmony SST-768 - I played w/ their online demo and like the concept of their remote. It's functional based, not button based. Different concept but seems to implement macros w/o having to be aware of how to do it. The web-based programming looks cool and much easier than having to "learn" each button. I almost got this, and looked for authorized sites, so I could have the warranty. Didn't see any cheap ones on ebay, those that were for sale were almost the same price new.

Now I say I almost got this. Almost because shortly before I was going to buy the Harmony, my 1 year old dropped my new 45TX remote and the top half of the display doesn't come up. A curious 1 year old and a $270 remote don't mix well. So I went to Circuit City and bought a $18 One for All Remote (6131) that has PVR functions built in. If she drops it, I can buy a new one...

If I ever do buy universal, I will buy the Harmony.

Which one are you looking at? They just released a new one which is similar in form factor to the TiVo remotes (the best remote I've ever used) and similar in function to the Marantz RC2000 type. It doesn't have the wheel thing that the 768 and 748 have, but other than that it looks pretty cool. It's also $100 cheaper than the 768.

At $270, there's nothing better than the Pronto TSU-3000. It still has a few quirks, but it's absolutely the best remote I've ever owned.

http://www.remotecentral.com/tsu3000/index.html

OK, here's an bad example of a compulsive gadget addict. After writing this, I went to ebay and saw a 768 in box for $140, closing today. Got it for $150+ shipping. I also noticed the new "Family" remote which is more button focused, w/ no wheel for $199. Also looks good for the non-techies in the house. I'll play around w/ the Harmony and post feedback if others are interested.

Yes please! If you have a TiVo, I'm especially looking for feedback on that.

I have the MX-500 and love it. Everything in my HT is set up in a macro that my wife and children can use. So far no complaints.
It was very intuitive to program. If I find a function that is not on the remote already I take 15 sec and program it in. I went from 5 remotes to 1.
I do not have tivo, I have a DVR from Comcast. The MX-500 works better than the remote that came with the box. I will not be in the market for a remote until they come up with something that attaches to your brain...That is a little creepy, so maybe not...Just my .02

just started looking at both, the mx500 was suggested here. may be a while, just bought a new dvd and cd player. need to allow the cash level to rise again. my rxv1300 remote works for the display, dvd, vcr, and avr, but when i program it for the yammi cd player, during set up it's okay until i leave the programming mode. it also will not power up the cd player, neither will the cd player's remote. bummer, figured with a yammi avr, its remote was a sure bet. one more reason to stay away from casinos.
dan

yikes, that's more than i paid for the cd player and dvd player (each).

While I've got a JP1 Radio shack remote that I can program from my PC, it's not intuitive for non advanced PC users. I much prefer real buttons to touch screens like the pronto. I watch my TV in the dark and don't want to be looking at a remote to do stuff. That being said, the MX-500 seems to be the choice for functionality and price in many of the audio-video forums.

I'd get one but have a back up rat shack JP1 remote when my current one dies.

Frank