Need help selecting a new universal remote

It has been a few years since I have been in the market for a new remote and I'm sure some things have changed. I have an older model URC MX-850 that I think I've about had enough of.

Let me explain what I need to run:

1 Dtv HR34/700 + 3 Dtv H21/200s all in the same cabinet
2 panasonic 32" flat screens + 1 Polaroid 23" flat screen all on the same wall
1 Epson 8100 Projector
1 Marantz audio receiver that controls video and audio switching between the Projector, PS3, and a Roku
Bonus - Roku and PS3 but I don't really mind using different remotes for these

With the MX-850, I was using an older model base station and IR flashers to all 4 Dtv receivers, as well as to each of the Panasonic TVs. Obviously I could not control any of the identical components with RF as they would all respond, so I had to move to the IR flashers.

Well, my base station seems to have crapped out. And I'm sick of all of these damn wires running everywhere, the flashers falling off the front of my components, etc.

Not to mention the URC software interface is clunky and outdated, and I don't even know if I can run it on Windows 7. Every time I need to add a device or change something it is a major ordeal and half of the time the updates don't work anyway.

I would like to move to something wireless, if at all possible. Can I do that? What device(s) might work? It would also be great if I didn't have to hook up to a PC every time I wanted to update/program something, but browsing around here it seems like that may be asking too much.

I'm not married to URC, or Harmony, or anything. I just want something that fits the above criteria and will let me control all of my devices.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

-Baboon

Any help?

I can't even download the latest MX-850 software apparently so right now my remote is a brick.

Thanks for the response Edmund. If I can teach the remote for four distinct addresses, that means I can do it without a base station and flashers, correct? Can I do the same with the identical Panasonic TVs?

Based on poking around a little more, it appears that even if I were able to get a copy of the MX-850 editor software, it would be useless, as they stopped making it so it won't support Windows 7. So esentially my remote is a brick right now and when I am trying to watch 4 basketball games at night I have to crawl up to my component cabinet, point the stock Dtv remote at each individual IR window and pray when I need to change a channel. Sucks.

I would pull the trigger on the URC MX-980 if I could get some understanding of how to program each Dtv receiver individually using RF so that I don't need to use a blaster and a million wires. And of course, the same for the TVs. I would also pull the trigger on a Harmony but I get the sense from reading this forum and others the past few days that URC makes a superior product.

Ok fellas thanks.

It appears from what you all are saying that so long as a remote has a certain number of addresses or is "teachable" for more addresses, I can do what I am desiring to do with my Dtv boxes WITHOUT a base station and IR flashers, correct?

So let me ask these follow ups:

1. Does the same hold true for the identical Panasonic TVs?

2. Will most of the higher end universal remotes these days allow me to do the same? Will a Harmony 1100 do this? Anyone know how many addresses it holds for DirecTV? Same question for the URC MX-980.

My frustration level right now is such that I will hightail it to BB before closing and pick one up if it will do what I want it to. I'm not going to invest any more time or money into the MX-850 at this point.

Thanks again.

No, the desired result would be that I could select "TV 1" and then press Power and only control that TV while the other one remains off.

I can live with it if my only option is controlling both at the same time as they are just my side TVs and I rarely have one on without the other, but it would be nice.

Thank you. I think I'm going to buy the 1100. I'll check out that thread. If anyone has any particular insight into how my situation might work with the Harmony 1100 and wants to add it here I would appreciate it.

I think it does, maybe. In my case it will be like this:

Dtv DVR
Dtv 2
Dtv 3
Dtv 4
Epson
Tv Top
Tv Mid
Tv Bot

Well no, I think you're exactly right. They won't.

To clarify, only 2 of the 4 TVs are the same brand/model (TV mid and TV bot for this purpose). But it would seem from what I've come to understand here that unless those 2 TVs can have separate channels on the remote, or alternately be hooked up to IR flashers via some sort of base station, I will just have to deal with the fact that they are both going to respond when I try to command either of them. Correct?