I posted this in the Harmony 1000 thread but didn't get any responses so I thought I would start a new thread and open my question to people using any Harmony remote.

I'm thinking about getting either the Harmony 1000 or the Philips Pronto TSU7500 and I am curious as to how well the 1000 (or any of the other Harmony models) controls the MC-12 especially in regards to the mapping of the 12 inputs and 6 surround modes which all have their own dedicated buttons on the Lexicon remote. I would not want to lose this direct access. From my understanding of all the information I have seen on the Prontos I can accomplish just about anything I want with them but there is no dealer anywhere in my area so getting one is a lot harder and a bit more money than the Harmony 1000.

I also have the Lexicon triggering 3 Bryston amps and 2 of those triggers are manually controlled via the remote at my discretion but in order to activate the triggers I first have to put the remote into a secondary mode via the 'Zone2' and 'Rec' buttons before the triggers can be controlled via the 'Mode +/-' buttons. For example, the 'Zone2'+'Mode +' button combination turns the first trigger on while the 'Rec'+'Mode +' button combination turns the second trigger on. Hitting 'Zone2'+'Mode -' turns the first trigger off and 'Rec'+'Mode -' turns the second trigger off. I was wondering if the 1000 (or any of the other Harmony models) is flexible enough that if I create an activity (say Watch DVD) which I always have all of my channels in use when playing a DVD the 1000 (or any of the other Harmony models) would be able to send the appropriate commands and then in sequence activate both triggers?

Any information people could provide would be very helpful.

Thanks,

Rod

Any remote that can learn commands will be able to imitate the original lexicon remote.

I personally won't recommend the H1000 with that lexicon.

Why you ask? Well, it just doesn't look right. I mean, the lexicon is an awesome piece of equipment. You don't want to go and use a girly looking remote to control it.

I recommend either pronto or URC MX remotes

Thanks for the reply.

Girly remote, thats funny :) What do you think makes it a girly remote compared to the others?

Ideally if money were no object a Crestron or AMX system would be worth a look however I don't have a lot to control, there is my Lex, DVD player, CD player, tv, tape deck, VCR, satellite receiver and I guess my Xbox 360. I have no multi room control happening or remote lighting or drapes so overall it's a fairly straight forward system.

I do really like the look of the Pronto 9600.

Rod

The look is just very weak. I mean, it has a very lightweight plastic feel to it. The buttons arn't very tactile.

I'd recommend the URC MX-700 or MX-850.

The 700 goes for ~$140 online and the 850 for ~$190

The only real difference between the two is that the 850 has built in RF. So the 700 would probably be the best option

I looked at the specs for the MX-700 and MX-850 and they do look like very nice remotes. I'm still being drawn by the allure of a touch screen remote so I'm definitely going to get a touch screen initially. I've read a lot of posts here about people buying touch screens and then returning them in favor of hard button remotes as we are just so accustomed to using hard button remotes that don't require you to look at it to hit certain buttons and they just fit into your hand better. Perhaps that will happen to me as well but I need to try the touch screen approach so I will not be left with the what if feeling after getting a hard button remote.

Thanks,

Rod

Alright. If you want a touch screen then I'll recommend that you get a PDA.

Look for ones with IR emitters.

These can be used as touchscreen remotes.

hmmm, a PDA, I would have never thought of that.

How flexible or powerful can a PDA be, I mean considering they weren't really designed to be a dedicated remote I guess I just don't see how one could compare to a very well designed dedicated remote.

This thread will give you a bit of info and some links to places where you can learn more:

Using a pocket PC as a Remote (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=766134)

-brien

Thanks for the link, I'll take a look.