Home > Consumer Reviews > Universal Remote Control MX-500 10-Device LCD Viewscreen Remote Control with Joystick Operation

I highly recommend the MX-500 for anyone trying to control 4+ devices in a home theater system. You can program it to control almost any device with the built-in codes or use the original remote that came with your equipment to "teach" the MX-500 the necessary codes. I use it to control a Directivo, Zenith TV, Panasonic DVD player, Mitsubishi & GE VCRs, Yamaha CD player and a Sony digital receiver.

Customization is very easy, with the ability to edit button labels (on the LCD screen) with the names or types of your equipment, and the ability to program buttons for 50 of your favorite channels (a must if you have satellite or cable service of 150+ channels). The MX-500 also permits macro programming, i.e., the ability to execute multiple commands with one button. For example, the "Power" button can be programmed to power on all your home theater equipment; the "System Off" button can be programmed to turn it all off. Three other macro buttons are provided for other customized, multiple commands.

You can also teach it, like most higher-end remotes, to "push down" certain commands, e.g., the volume buttons can be set to manipulate the volume of your home theater receiver, regardless of which device you are using (DVD, VCR, TV).

The IR range of the remote is excellent: I've changed channels across the room pointing the remote at the wall !! Battery life is also top-notch (it uses 4 AAA batteries) and the user manual is well-written.

The one weakness with this remote is that the "select" button (the black center bezel) is a little awkward to use because it's almost too stiff. I tend to use the joint of my thumb rather than the pad to engage it because otherwise I was inadvertently hitting the up, down, or left/right arrows.

End-user support via discussion forums and dedicated sites like remotecentral is excellent so you can always find an answer to a question you may have that the manual doesn't cover, as well as tips and tricks for using/programming the remote.

If you want absolute customization in a universal remote, then buy the more expensive Philips Pronto (or the costly Pronto Pro) which with available software, permit you to use your PC to edit every aspect of the remote. But if you want near perfect customization at an affordable price, then you can't miss with the MX-500.

I gave up on my Sony RM-VL1000 and got an MX-500, and am *very* happy with it. The remote is customizable in all of the ways I wanted. There are several macro buttons that you can hit on the remote without having to go through any menus. The volume buttons can be customized to pass through to your amp. It's got a nice joystick. I found the setup process to be very easy and intuitive (I don't think I'll have to reference the manual to tweak things in the future). There's good feedback on the LCD as you do things. It's easy to customize what's shown on the LCD for different buttons.

It's got a backlit display, and I like the rubberized feel of the remote.

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase.

Finally! A remote that does everything it claims. We recently purchased a 55" HDTV set and my wife grew more and more frustrated with the multiple remote controls we've used for a while and even the cheapo "One for All" we've had that never quite duplicated all the functionality of our original remotes.

Take our audio receiver remote for instance. Our One for All 6131 had a code that controlled the volume, power, and several other functions. But it could not switch the input to DVD, although it could switch to VCR1, VCR2, etc. So we had to keep the original audio receiver remote handy. Same thing for the Tivo remote and the TV remote - the One for All could do most, but not all functions.

Well, the MX-500 takes care of all of that and more. Sure, it has built-in codes and those are a decent place to start. But the key difference about this remote is that it can LEARN from your other remotes. And before you think, "gee, plenty of other cheap remotes say that can learn as well" - they don't even come close to having the memory this one has. Some cheapo learning remotes can learn as few as 30-40 total functions, across all your remotes. That might be nice if you only had one or two devices and it missed only a handful of codes for each.

The MX-500 is nothing like that. It can learn several hundred commands - plenty to absorb every single function for all five of my devices with room to spare.

Not only can it learn all of your old remote's functions, you can assign them to virtually any key, including the keys next to the LCD screen that you can customize yourself.

If I sound excited about this remote its because I am - and the coolest thing - so is my wife!

The MX-500 also has awesome macro capabilities. I have a macro for turning everything on or off. I have a macro for taking the system from off to everything switched to play a DVD. I have macros for switching to watch Tivo, switching to HD Cable, switching to play Xbox, switching to play PS2 - you name it.

And the greatest thing? All I have to tell my wife or friends who come over is, "You want to watch Tivo? Just hold the Tivo key down for a second. You want to watch a DVD? Just hold the DVD key down for a second" - and it just works. You'd almost think it was a Mac instead of a remote control.

Trust me - this remote is worth the price twice over.

And speaking of cost, I bought this remote at a slightly higher price and paid for overnight shipping. I checked back a couple of days later and the price had dropped by about $9. I emailed Amazon and asked them if they'd credit the difference back to my card - and they did! That's why I keep shopping at Amazon - good customer service.

OK - I checked all the reviews before purchasing and everything that is said about this little puppy is true.

* It works!
* It controls all kinds of components / devices
* The learning and punch-through features are cool, quick and powerful.
* It is relatively easy to use but has complex features
* Feels good in the handle - feels like high-quality

But there are some key shortcomings (that assuming the Harmony remote works) might make you consider the Harmony remote.

1) More space to name/describe a component or function - The remote limits you to six characters or so -- perhaps pre-2004 six characters or so to describe a function would be OK but with today's complex functions this is a shortcoming.

2) More pages should be provided - each component can contain two pages worth of commands - I have seen other models by the manufacturer and these remotes have up to six pages. I know for $100 bucks or so you cannot have the world but three pages seems to be a minimum.

3) No defined 10+ key -- for skipping to say, track 15 on a CD/DVD quickly (sure you program a key to be 10+ key but all the other keys are suited for other purposes. This may seem like nit picking but wait until you are in the middle of a CD/movie and want to skip ahead quickly. You will then remember this review. ;-)

Truthfully I cannot say enough good things about the remote - one of the best purchases for our home entertainment. You will not be disappointed - I just want to inform you of all the features & limitations the product offers.

Enjoy!

Before buying the MX-500 I tried many remotes. I bought and returned the 1 for all Kameleon.(Far too confusing and not enough buttons.) I then bought and returned the Sony AV 3000. (Again, not enough buttons, no way to label those that are there properly and a touchy touch screen.) I then tried the Phillips Pronto at a dealer. My God - how many screens do you have to go through to find the one you need?

I finally started doing some research on the Internet and decided to try the MX-500. Every once in a great while someone hits upon a design that is so simple and elegant that you wonder why nobody ever thought of it before. The MX-500 is one of these classics. I won't go through all of the things it does so well which other reviewers have eloquently described except to say that I have been able to program every command from every remote I have in such a way that I am able to know which button does what and to access them all quickly. I can also, for example, go to the VCR device and control some necessary TV functions (such as changing the TV input) from the VCR device. And I don't have to guess which button to press because it's clearly labeled. In fact, the MX-500 is easier to use than some of the original remotes which it replaces since some of them had tiny or confusingly placed buttons.

The MX-500's display is crisp with excellent contrast even in dim room lighting. If you have even a dim lamp on anywhere in the room you will be able to read the display. I never use the backlight. In fact,if there's anything bad to say about the MX-500 it's that the backlight is useless except in very dark surroundings.

In short, I think this is the best universal remote AT ANY PRICE.