I need recommendations on universal home theater remotes..

GeorgeVT · 07-10-2003, 12:58 PM

I currently have 4 remotes for my home theater:

1 for Toshiba 51H83 HDTV, 1 for digital cable box, 1 for Onkyo DVD changer, and 1 for my Sony STR-DE845 reciever.

What are some recommendations for universal remotes that would replace these 4 that are 200 dollars or under...I've been reading things on the Sony RM AV3000...any thoughts?

Thanks

Curt Jett · 07-10-2003, 01:15 PM

I have been using a Home Theater Master MX-500 for a couple of years now and would not be without it.
Go to the link below for info on it and many others.

www.remotecentral.com

pradike · 07-10-2003, 01:24 PM

The budget tends to drive the answer here....remotes central is a good place to start for homework.

If you want a fantastic remote...Marantz makes 2 of them...

The RC9200 (color, which I own, $1100) or else the RC5200 (black & white, $600).

Both have great icon=based touch screens, can run virtually any equipment (up to 14 devices), and can be programmed via a PC to customize the screens...up to 1400 macros. They both come with the software & cable to do this.

The Sony unit (about $179) is another touch-screen model which works OK.

Cliff Olson · 07-10-2003, 01:27 PM

All I can say is, stay away from Harmony's remotes! I had no luck with the SST-768. I wasted a lot of time with the remote and trying to run down their customer service for help, which never did any good. I ended up selling it for much less than I paid for it. "Live and learn"

JamesCB · 07-10-2003, 01:39 PM

I like the "Home Theater Master" remotes. I.ve had my SL-9000 for about 6 years and still works great. I recently upgraded to the MX-700, an extremely powerful remote. The HTM remotes are of an exceptional quality and take a ton of abuse. If you have cable TV, the remote was (most likely) produced by "Universal Remote Control, Inc.", the makers of the HTM line. The largest remote supplier on the planet.

I have no affiliation with this company. Just really excited about their products. That's my two cents. Good luck hunting.

James

**HTF Ads**

JamesHl · 07-10-2003, 01:41 PM

You can find unsold TSU2000 prontos for under $200. Mine's been great for two years now.

Andrew Pezzo · 07-10-2003, 01:43 PM

Another vote for MX-500. Its so easy to use my mother had no problems operating my HT when she came to visit. Literally one touch anything.

MikeSRC · 07-10-2003, 03:29 PM

Well, most people usually have a strong preference one way or the other between hard buttons and touchscreens. You're usually either a "button person" or a "touchscreen person". Assuming you don't have a preference, I would recommend the MX-500 for the best all-button remote under $200 and a Pronto TSU2000 (new or refurb) for the best touchscreen remote under $200.

The Sony AV3000 is a nice remote, but you can't relabel most of the touchscreen buttons and it's too big for my tastes.

Vincent_S · 07-10-2003, 09:56 PM

I would stay away from the Sony touchscreen. I can't remember the model #. I have an older one (approx 2yrs) and I have had to assign things different names and then try to remember which button does what

Good thing about it is it's powerful.

Vincent_S · 07-10-2003, 10:00 PM

I have also heard of the Pronto's melting there base

Leo_P · 07-10-2003, 10:27 PM

Yet another vote for the HTM MX-500.

I got it to replace a Sima LCD touch-screen remote (a very nice remote BTW) after ruining it with Windex.

FWIW, I had a Pronto NEO for about a week and HATED it. Maybe the higher-end Pronto's are better, but I'd stay away from the NEO.
Good luck!

Chuck Kent · 07-10-2003, 10:45 PM

George: If you do a search over the last month or two on this forum, you'll find a few threads with other users that faced a similar dilemma as yours. Some of those discussions may be helpful to you...

I agree with Mike in that you should try to determine whether or not you would be happiest with a touchscreen or a button-based model.

In my own case, I ran the Sony 3000's older brother, the 2100, for several months. While it had a great cool factor to it, I just got tired of having to look at it whenever I needed to change something other than the channel or the volume. Button-based remotes suffer from this problem much much less. The tactile feedback of buttons just works better for me. For many, this is not a concern. But it is something that's worth figuring out before you spend your $$$.

If you stay touchscreen, I also agree with the Pronto recommendation. IMO, the Sony just does not have enough labels to cover all the keys that most of all of our remotes have. (The 3000 is better is this regard than the earlier 2100 was.) The Pronto is pretty much sky is the limit on customization. And the Pronto is easier to hold too.

If buttons are something you decide to go with, I also agree with the Home Theater Master MX-500. It's my main remote of choice at this point. It can handle up to 10 devices and fits really well in 1 hand. Easy to program/teach, keys easy to label/read, backlit and good on batte