I went from hating this remote and being really sorry I had purchased it, to liking it. There is truth to all the reviews, I found,and so I hope this one will be useful. While I would not classify myself as being technically inclined, I don't think I am a complete dufus, owning many, many gadgets/ electronics and having had no trouble in the past. Thus, I thought that programming this could not be so bad. How wrong I was. It really was painfully slow for me, with a lot of trial and error, exactly because of the absence of the manual. With hindsight, I think the quick start guide was trying to tell me many things, but in a slightly abbreviated form, and sometimes with crucial or helpful steps missing. Like many poorly written instructions or bad teachers, these assume a certain knowledge, and also that one can fill in the blanks. If you fall into that category of being able to make some leaps without detailed instructions, or you are good at reading between the lines of general instructions, you will have no trouble. Otherwise, take the attitude that the setting up has to be done just once (however slow and painful) and THEN comes the good part. The macros (quick start tries to explain these -- sort of) are exceedingly useful. Buttons are easy to learn, based on their layout and their different shapes. You can teach any button to learn anything within a device category, and you have the capacity to re-label everything also. You can choose the brightness of the color screen. And so on. You end up with a very useful item which is exactly what it is: a Universal Remote Control.
Update: I have added the Roku to the list of devices and have used the volume and channel cut and paste functions, thus one is able to do favorite channels and change volume super easily. Also, when programming macros, make sure to do a practice run and jot down the exact steps, taking nothing for granted, THEN program the macro on the URC.
Universal Remote Control URC-R50 Digital R50 Universal Remote ControlUniversal Remote Control URC-R50 Digital R50 Universal Remote Control
I ended up buying a HD-TV and a new DVD-VHS for the family and set them up just before Christmas. Ended up with 4 remotes just to watch TV in the the evening. I did some background research and found this new remote from Universal Remote that seemed to fit the bill to consolidate all the remotes. there are not many instructions included in the package but it stated the instructions were built into the remote. I was able to set up all 4 remotes into this one within less than 1 hour and I am not experienced in this. The TV code was the first one the "computer" selected in the remote and with some testing it worked fine. The Cox cable box remote worked fine and was able to verify that it worked in getting the "pay per view movies" channel. The TIVO (TM) was also preprogrammed into the remote and had built in all the buttons the same as in the TIVO remote. Impressive. The DVD-VHS remote was also coded correctly and works fine. Each selection of a code the remote provides instruction of how you can test the individual equipment to make sure it has the right code before proceeding.
The one negative is that I tried to program a macro but was not able to do it from the instructions included or those provided in the remote. I knew all the steps I wanted but could not get from one devise to another while programming the remote. I may call the help line when I get a chance.
The button layout to me is fine. With the small screen, and so many other touch screen found in electronics, I am tempted to touch the screen rather than the adjacent button. I'm sure that will be in the next generation.
Impressive and it did work. I'm not an electronic geek so can't compare to other remotes.
I really like this remote control. URC did some really clever things when putting this product together. There are some draw-backs to this product that I will discuss in greater detail, but none of those issues are significant enough for me to not recommend this device to most users. On the whole I'm very glad I bought this device. I replaced a Logitech Harmony 880 with the URC R50, and I honestly believe it was the right decision for me.
Everyone who has ever used a Logitech Harmony Remote knows that programming a universal remote with your computer is quick and easy. For most users the Harmony software gets the job done and they never consider the possibility that there may be a better alternative out there. This class of consumer is willing to accept the limitations that comes with using the Harmony product to program their remote. I am not one of those consumers.
After using the Harmony 880 for five years I learned a few things that are worth knowing about universal remotes:
1) Rechargeable batteries are annoying.
The Harmony 880 uses a table top dock to charge the batteries on their remotes. Over time the connection between the dock and the remote becomes less true, and eventually I had to balance another remote on top of the harmony to weight it down into the dock so that it would charge. The URC R50 uses batteries, and those batteries can be replaced. The R50 also offers 18 hours of continuous button mashing with 4 AA batteries, or months of normal intermittent use. The URC R50 also has a time out kill switch that will put the remote on standby if one button is pressed continually for more than a minute. In other words, battery saving features make this remote a good alternative to remotes with rechargeable battery packs.
2) With the Harmony software comes certain limitations.
Using the Harmony software means you have to follow their rules. Don't get me wrong, I like the simplicity of the Harmony software, but I never felt like I had complete control over what is displayed on the remote. The URC R50 isn't a perfect solution, and it too has limitations in what it will allow you to do, but in my opinion, being able to modify my remote configuration without having to turn on my computer is nice. All my macro setup and testing was done in my living room so there was no running back and forth from my computer to my entertainment center to test the remote's configuration. It may be a bit more time intensive to setup the URC R50, but the pay-off is worth the time investment.
3) Hard Buttons vs. Soft Buttons.
This is a personal preference issue that you won't know you have an opinion on until you've used a remote for more than a year. But I learned after using the Harmony 880 for four years that I really HATE hard plastic buttons on remotes. The Logitech remote may look very sleek and stylish, but in your hand it's just a button mashing device, and those hard buttons aren't finger friendly. The URC R50 has soft rubber buttons the conform more the interaction with the human hand. The surfaces aren't smooth and sleek like the Harmony, but it gets the job done. After a few years of using the Harmony 880, I also discovered that hard plastic buttons don't "wear" well over time. After three years many of the buttons no longer triggered their programmed function. I don't know about the longevity of the R50, but Universal Remote Control has a stellar reputation for making good devices. I guess I'll know more in three years.
4) The weaknesses in the URC R50:
-- The R50 doesn't come with verbose instructions or a detailed manual containing a code library. All configuration is done on the remote full color LCD display. There are tips and hints built into the remote, but the lack of comprehensive instructions might be challenging for the average user. As a tech savvy user, I saw this as a challenge which ultimately I over came. If you are stifled by a lack of detailed instructions, this may not be the remote for you.
-- Because there is no Make/Model code guide, you have to run through a series of trial and error to test which code works best with your devices. The good news is that this process is relatively painless, but as I said before... it can make setup a bit time consuming. My advice: Don't accept the first code that comes along and happens to work with your device. Keep testing until you find one that is a really good fit for all the features and functionality of your device. This can mean reconfiguring the remote a number of times until you find the "right" code kit, but it's not difficult to make a change, so there's no reason not to play with the settings until you find some that you really like.
-- Macros require that you know all your desired device settings prior to intitiating the "Recording Mode" for setting up a new macro. Essentially you start the Macro setup process, then run through the process of clicking the functions you want executed as part of the Macro. When you're finished you click the "Done" button, and the functions you clicked are saves as a Macro. This can mean multiple attempts to setup of a particular Macro if you have fat fingers, or make a mistake half way through. I didn't find it too difficult.
-- Unlike the Logitech Harmony remotes, the URC R50 does not have "last state memory". It simply executes macros as you programmed them. This means that if you have 2 s-video inputs on your television, and two different devices are hooked up using S-video from your receiver, when you use the macro to switch between the two devices you will switch inputs on your TV from S-video 1 to S-video 2... (or any duplicated input on your display). I solved for this by simply putting a source selection button configured into every device on my R50. If the incorrect input is selected, I can correct it with my pre-programmed source select button. Harmony wins on this point because they have a built in "Help" feature that will auto-correct issues for you. That was a very nice feature, but with the solution outlined above, I don't feel like I will miss it.
-- The above lack of "state memory" also applies to power state. This means that when you switch from your Xbox360 to your Blueray player, your Xbox may not turn off without programming that into your macro for the switch. Otherwise you will have to turn off ALL devices before you switch to a new device. This is a configuration issue that can be resolved with clever macro programming, but it is a bit tiresome.
After all these consideration outlined above, I still think that the URC R50 is a great device that, with the proper amount of patience and clever macro configuration, can result in a powerful remote that can control every device in your entertainment center. It has a very powerful IR blaster that works really well under almost every living room condition I've thrown at it. At the end of the day I prefer the R50 to my old Harmony 880. - Learning Remote - Remote Control - Programmable - Universal Remote Control'
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