written by Mike Shea on 8 March 2003
The remote is one of the forgotten components of a good home theater system. Professional installers know how important good control is, and regular users do too. Too often good home theater systems have a pile of remotes that only the purchaser understand. They have to press 30 different buttons on four different controls to get the whole thing to work right. Home theater usability is in a sorry state, but a solid remote control can help significantly. The Home Theater Master MX-500 universal remote can radically improve your home theater system assuming you are willing to spend $120 and a good couple of hours programming it. Once the pain in the pocketbook and the headache of initial setup is gone it fits perfectly into a good easy to use home theater environment. I would recommend the Home Theater Master MX-500 for any home theater system.
The MX-500 has all the features you would expect for a good remote control. It has excellent ergonomics (more about this later), programmable macros, preset codes, learning on any button, 16 custom buttons per device with five letter labels, and a simple uncluttered design with good tactile buttons.
My previous remote control was a Philips Pronto. Because of its ability to be programmed through a PC, it was as universal as a remote could get. It had a couple of problems, however. One, it was missing the tactile feedback you get from a hard-buttoned remote. Two, it was very complex to set up. When people consider the flat custom touch-panel model of a remote like the Pronto, what they don't recognize is how much easier it is to use a remote where you have the feedback of touching a real button. I can recognize the stop, play, pause, forward and back keys without looking. On a touch panel this is impossible. Having a remote that is too customizable could end up taking hours of time to set up an unusable screen design. People have the urge to set up a "cool" interface instead of an easy one. The MX-500 has a lot of features but not so much that you forget its a remote control and not the bridge of the USS Enterprise. The MX-500 costs 1/3 the price of a Pronto.
Setup is probably the hardest part about owning a universal remote. In order to set up a universal remote properly one must have a detailed understanding of each component, some technical knowledge on the system specifics, and a basic sense of usability.
The most important thing when setting up this remote is to read the manual. Really read it. There are two ways to set up the Home Theater Master MX-500. Per device or per function. I found a functional design to be far more usable, setting up the remote per task instead of device.
Setting up the remote takes a few steps. The first is to select your device from a preset list included with the remote. This gives you about 90% of the device capabilities without having to do any learning. Step 2 requires learning individual presses for those functions you couldn't get from the preconfigured settings but still need. Step 3 requires setting up custom commands and macros.
There were a couple of tricks I found out while setting up my remote. First, I set up a new device that was actually all the basic commands for all my devices. This let me put the most common commands onto a single screen including aspect ratio switching, receiver input switching, receiver volume, DVD basic controls and menu, and system power. This way I could control all common aspects of my whole system without jumping from device to device. Another trick was to fake dedicated power on and off for my DVD player by using "play" instead of on, and "play, pause 5, power" to fake a dedicated power off. My TV and receiver had dedicated power on and off buttons.
Macros are the real power of a good remote. Setting up a "power on" macro that will turn on your display, amp, and DVD player and then switch to the right inputs on all devices, right modes on the amp, and start playing the DVD. This can be done with the MX-500 without much work. The on-screen menus and prompts help a lot with internal programming.
With all of this power comes a difficult level of complexity. While I was able to set up the remote in an hour to control my whole system, someone without all of the understanding I have may have a hard time. The key seems to be gaining that understanding and working with the manual to get the result you want. Right now the only way to not have to be an expert and still have a usable system is to hire someone to do it for you. This causes a lot of bucks. The only advice left is to simply learn as much as you can.
Within daily operation is where this remote shines. With solid macros and a good setup the remote becomes transparent. Powering up and down the system, navigating pain-in-the-ass DVD menus, and performing basic functions on a complex system becomes easy. The remote's ergonomics, including the powerful backlight, are very good, allowing you to easily control your system even without the lights on. Good control requires a good easy setup, but once it is set up well, the remote is as good as you could want.
The Home Theater Master MX-500 has become a staple for any home theater recommendation I make. For $100 to $120 one can get a remote with every capability they could need. It is a big step towards making a system easy to use. Unfortunately, another required step is to become an expert in your own theater so you know how best to use this tool. That takes something more than money, it takes time. If you are a fan of movies and are willing to spend the huge amount of money a home theater costs, you should also be willing to sacrifice that time as well. The Home Theater Master MX-500 is an excellent product.
From: psorr ( j@j.com ) on 7 August 2003
Subject: Love this remote!
I've been using this remote for over a year, and absolutely love it. I like the feel of 'real' buttons while also having customizable button labels. I've used the macro functions extensively. For example, by holding down ONE button I put my HT in DVD mode: The TV turns on & switches to digital input, the receiver turns on & switches to DVD audio in, and the DVD player turns on and starts playing. The 'system off' button then kills everything when I'm done.
From: James ( j9928@cox.net ) on 14 July 2003
Subject: GOT ONE !!!
I finally found one at Jerry's audio in Phoenix. This remote is so simple to program, and ergonomic, that I had no problem ! Once you get used to relabeling the text, and use the learn function, you can have alot of fun ! For instance, when my girl was not home, I used my MX500 to learn her remote in about 45 seconds, and when she was not looking started to change channels/volume on her LOL. All in all, this is the best remote, and I love the backlighting, hard buttons, etc. I returned my Sony remote commander 3000. JUNK ! Get the MX-500
From: James ( j9928@cox.net ) on 2 July 2003
Subject: Cannot find one
I would love to own this, heard nothing but good reviews on this remote but CANNOT find one in a store here in Arizona. I am using the Sony AVR-3000, and it is a pain in the ass to program, about to get a refund.....anyone know a store where I can get an MX-500 ? Please no online dealers.
Thanks
From: Andrew ( atpezzo@hotmail.com ) on 1 May 2003
Subject: I got one!
After much debating I decided to get the MX-500. I needed a remote that would be easy enough for my wife to operate when I wasnt home but could do all the functions I needed. The one that came with my Denon AVR-3803 just wasnt doing it for her. I had no problems with it but was getting tired of the cell phone calls asking how to turn the TV on. Another big factor was that the corporate headquaters for the manufacturer is located in the same building I work in so I was able to get one for very little. Before I had it I didnt want to shell out the $110+ it would cost new but now after seeing all of its featurese its worth every penny even if I paid full price.
I have to say that this is one truly customizable remote. You can make any button do just about anything you want it to. There is a total of 15 macros which is more than enough for my applications. Any text on the LCD screen can be edited to read what ever you want it to. For example, if you want a button labeled "fart" you could do it, just make sure you have one saved up in case someone pushes that button.
All in all the best universal remote I have ever used. It does take a lot time and effort to setup (I cant stress this enough) but its very much worth the effort. I only wish I had more gear to use with it.
From: Andrew Pezzo ( atpezzo@hotmail.com ) on 22 April 2003
Subject: More info on remote
Mike, I was wondering if you could give some more info on the 2 methods to set up the remote (per device or function). The per device method is simple enough but what about the per function? Wouldnt macros make the function method redundant?
I am thinking of getting one mostly because my wife cant opearte the current remote to save her life even though its fairly simple. I currently use the remote that came with my Denon AVR-3803 receiver. Most dont like it but I think its very usable, especially compared to earlier Denon remotes. It does have a lot of buttons though.
Based on your review I am seriuosly considering getting one. If it means the wife can operate the HT without me being there (or a call to my cell phone when I am not) then I am all over it.
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From: Mike ( phonyname123@aol.com ) on 15 October 2004
Subject: Great remote
I have had the MX-500 for more than half a year and can endorse it without reservation. It seamlessly integrates devices and functions that seemed hopelessly mismatched before, and in many cases works better than the original remote it is replacing.