[patgilm]

I am in the process of buying a new remote and am having a tough time deciding on which one would be best for me. Right now all of my components are in a tv stand under my tv so RF is not necessary right now but when I decide to do a dedicated theater room I would like to be able hide the components and use RF. I would also like to use the remote for both the theater room and just a plasma/cable box in the room outside of the theater room for normal tv viewing.


I have talked to an online authorized dealer some have suggested on here and the three remotes I'm considering (URC 810, 880 and 980) are all close in price so ignoring price, I need some advice.


I know the differences between the 810 vs. 880 is the use of the wizard software vs. the MX editor and that the MX editor is supposed to be programmed by a professional but paying $250 for programming is out of the question. I have experience programming Harmony remotes which are pretty easy so I think I would be ok with the 810. However, from doing a search here, it appears that the wizard software is kind of buggy and does not let you customize a lot of things. I am ok with programming stuff but not great so I was wondering how difficult it is to use the MX editor software of the 880 or 980 compared to the 810/harmony type programming and whether I would be totally confused and waste my money. I looked at remotecentral.com's programming screens for the 880 and it seems very confusing but in doing a search, it looks like a lot of people here can program these remotes themselves.


As for the differences between the 980 and the 880, besides the charging dock, is there any other major differences that make the 980 $100 better?

 

[eddielives]

If you don't have experience with the MX Editor software, there could be a steep learning curve. Some people say it's not that hard to learn, while others say it's very hard (at first). Obtaining the MX Editor software is the real issue. It's not available to the general public, but if you buy your remote from an authorized dealer, they should provide it to you.


That being said, the 880 Editor and 980 Editor are quite different. The 980 is basically a hard button version of the MX-3000 (more complex than the other Editor software). I have been programming MX remotes (for myself and friends) for years, and I would say that if I first tried with the 980 it would have been very tough. It's a question of what your time is worth.


I always put it to people like this: "So, you've spent 1K-2K on a TV, 500-1K on a receiver, 500-1K on speakers, 300 on a bluRay player etc.. Now is $250 really that much to make everything bullet proof?"


If you're going to go as far as doing a dedicated home theater room, $250 for professional programming to make everything work properly is a no-brainer to me. If it still seems like too much, you might try and pick up an MX-900 for much less and have it programmed. The real differences in the 2 remotes is color screen, rechargable battery, and tilt sensor for the backlight. You should be able to get a 900 w/programming for close to what an 880 costs. Granted the 900 isn't as flashy, but they accomplish the exact same thing and use the same architecture for programming.




Just my $.02

 

[patgilm]

Thanks for your response. I'm not worried about the obtaining the MX Editor software since the authorized dealer I spoke to said it wouldn't be an issue and he would provide me with access to it. He also didn't seem to think it is that difficult to program but since that is what he does, I'm sure he thinks it is easy to program these things. That's why I asked the question and I think you answered my question. It appears the 980 may be too much for me so I will probably consider just the 880 and 810.


While I agree that $250 isn't much to make it bullet proof considering the amount of money I have spent on my tv, speakers, etc., it quickly adds up because when my theater room is done, another $250 will be spent reprogramming it again and then another $250 for any other changes I would have to make, etc. That is why I want to program it myself, to be able to make changes when necessary instead of calling someone, setting up an appointment, and then having them coming over to reprogram. So no $250 is not much but over $500? To me that is a little excessive since it is more than the remote.


I also don't think the 900 is for me because I do want a color screen.

 

[Sailn]

It depends...do you like to tinker? If so the mx-880 is the way to go; assuming that you do not want to spend the money on the 980 and you want a co,lor screen.

 

[captaincondor]

THe 880 is a great remote. You will be able to accomplish all the same functionality for your system that you would with the 980. The MX software is logical. Start in the program drop down menu at the top and literally do each step down. Follow each one and you will be fine.


If you move it to the theatre room later you wont be disappointed either. Add an msc400 and you wont miss anything.

 

[herdfan]



Quote:
Originally Posted by eddielives /forum/post/15505576


That being said, the 880 Editor and 980 Editor are quite different. The 980 is basically a hard button version of the MX-3000 (more complex than the other Editor software).

I think the MX-980 is harder to program than the 3000 because of the IF-ELSE logic for using variables. It does provide a much more powerful platform though.


I say go with the 880. It has variables to let you work around TOADs and the color screen is nice. Limited , but nice.