Home Theater Master MX-500

Manufacturer: Universal Remote Control, Inc. Part number: MX500

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$79.34 - $79.99 at 2 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 29 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: The Home Theater Master MX-500 may not look very futuristic or cool, but it can control every function on every piece of gear you own.

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CNET editors' review

Home Theater Master MX-500

price range: $79.34 - $79.99

The Home Theater Master MX-500 may not look very futuristic or cool, but it can control every function on every piece of gear you own.

The good: Large, well-spaced buttons; 10 keys accept two custom commands each; editable labels; distinct transport and menu-navigation controls.

The bad: Bulky, bland design.

The bottom line: The Home Theater Master MX-500 may not look very futuristic or cool, but it can control every function on every piece of gear you own.

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Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more.

At first glance, the $190 Home Theater Master MX-500 looks like just another oversize universal remote. The nine-inch wand tapers to provide an easy grip for either hand, and a generous amount of space separates the backlit buttons. The control runs on four AAA batteries.

The MX-500's 10 most important buttons are customizable; they flank the LCD, which shows a label for each. Atop those two columns, just below the IR blaster, are two red power keys: one for the entire A/V system and the other for individual devices. Working your way down from the screen, you find the oblong volume- and channel-up/down rockers enclosing the Previous Channel and Mute buttons, the round navigator encircled by intuitively shaped VCR/DVD/PVR transport controls, the numeric pad, and three rectangular macro keys. A backlight toggle lives on the remote's right-hand side.

The MX-500 can control up to 10 A/V devices. The manufacturer preinstalled the codes of more than 1,000 makes and models, but you can also teach the remote up to 530 specialty functions. The customizable keys can actually govern 20 commands, each with its own editable five-character LCD label; you toggle between the first set of 10 and the second with the Page button. And as with all worthwhile universal controls, your gear can share the same volume, channel, and transport commands.

From a features point of view, the MX-500 is about as thoughtfully planned and flexible as a universal remote can be. Within about 90 minutes, we easily programmed it to control an A/V receiver, a cable box, and a VCR that were covered by the built-in codes, plus a plasma TV and a DVD recorder that were new to the MX-500. We punched through A/V volume adjustment, as well as our cable box's channel and keypad commands. We also made buttons trade functions, created macros, taught the remote new tricks, and changed some labels. The IR blaster supplies a generous dispersal, easily encompassing even the most widely arrayed gear collections. The only trouble we had was with the LCD, which can be a bit difficult to read in daylight.

The MX-500's primary drawback is in the looks department: the control's big, bulky body won't win any beauty contests. But cosmetic considerations pale beside the MX-500's impressive feature list and ease of use. This is a great value and a top-notch universal remote.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 29 reviews

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 29

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8 stars

Easy to use, fully customizable, even controls my lights!

by vegcrow on July 16, 2005

Pros: Good backlight, comfortable to hold, tons of memory

Cons: Too powerful when batteries are fresh, no ability to turn the unit off, "up" button wearing out after 2 years

Summary: I used to own the Sony remote that looks more like a cash register than a remote, and the MX-500 beats it by a long shot. I taught it every ...

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Summary: I used to own the Sony remote that looks more like a cash register than a remote, and the MX-500 beats it by a long shot. I taught it every single code from all my other remotes (TiVo, DVD, CD, VCR, TV, Receiver, Satellite). I also taught it the IR code to my light switch, so when people come over to watch a movie, I don't even have to get off the couch to turn off the lights. Its slim design fits well into narrow drawers. The only problem it that the beam is TOO powerful when the batteries are fresh. I have to close the glass door on my entertainment rack or bounce the signal off the ceiling to reduce the strength of the IR signal, otherwise the components are overpowered and cannot read the signal correctly. I wish I could really turn the unit completely off to conserver battery power and to prevent my cats from stepping on it and changing the channel, but the battery life is still very good (6 months?) even though the LCD never turns off. It works great with rechargeable batteries. I keep a set of standard alkaline AAA batteries to hold it over while I'm recharging my NiMH batteries. This combination of 8 batteries total has proven to outlive the remote. The programming has never been lost due to dead batteries, although I never waited more than a few minutes to replace them once I noticed the problem. The "up" direction on the navigation pad is starting to wear out, but I am going to buy the same remote again as a replacement, and use the clone feature to copy all the settings from my old remote to the new one. I am a little disappointed that the "up" button is going dead, but gadgets break for no reason sometimes, especially ones that get dropped on the floor, and I do not consider this a design flaw after 2 years of heavy use.
Updated
In my original review I said the "up" button was wearing out. Well I was wrong. There were a few crumbs under the directional pad, and some focused blowing shook out the problems. Now it works fine again, and I'd like to raise my review from an 8 to a 9 but cnet won't let me.

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9 out of 9 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Everything I Could Want in a Remote

by pfastfoot on August 8, 2005

Pros: Real buttons combined with LCD screen

Cons: No PC connectivity

Summary: I love this remote (and so does my wife). I've been able to program it so with one button click, everything is on, and the remote is prepped to ...

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Summary: I love this remote (and so does my wife). I've been able to program it so with one button click, everything is on, and the remote is prepped to take my Tivo directions. I don't know why people harsh on its design so much, because I think it actually feels comfortable. The only reason I don't give it a 10 is because it would be nice to have PC connectivity, even though programing the MX-500 is a breeze.

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7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Better than Harmony? Time will tell

by on February 4, 2005

Pros: Even though I have only had this remote for a little over a week I wanted to say how much I am enjoying it so far. It is very easy to use and program. I had everything loaded into it and it was running my system in very little time. My choice was between

Cons: I would have liked to have a couple more macro buttons. But for the most part I have no complaints with this WONDERFUL remote. Go and get one you will love it!

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5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Too bad they don't update the codes...

by on January 12, 2005

Pros: Design perfection

Cons: They do not provide updated codes on their website and it was unable to learn to control my Dish HDTV.

Summary: null

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3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

love this remote

by natureboy92135 on March 7, 2006

Pros: good price, great features

Cons: no online set up

Summary: I would recommend this remote to anybody as long as you are willing to take some time to set it up right. Completely customizable and it is pretty easy to ...

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Summary: I would recommend this remote to anybody as long as you are willing to take some time to set it up right. Completely customizable and it is pretty easy to figure out once you get into the set up menu. Learns very easily from other remotes so you never get stuck missing codes (unless you lost the old remote) Backlighting works great, fits well in your hand, macros seem to work but I kept screwing them up and i kinda gave up.I wouldn't give this up for anything now.
For people who don't know a ton about audio video it might be easier to get a Harmony because of the online setup wizard and the support(im going to plug Harmony Cust service here, they will sit with you until the end of time customizing a set up and they haven't outsourced yet as far as I can tell). For people like me though this is a better choice.

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

BEST Remote, AT ANY PRICE

by on July 15, 2004

Pros: I spent hundreds of Dollars over the years looking for a remote that could handle all my equipment. The MX-500 is it...! I liked it so much that I bought 3 of them, one for each area of of the house where I have electronics. Its also programmed to contr

Cons: NONE

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Excellent basic remote

by jgoehring on December 27, 2005

Pros: Well spaced buttons, easy to program, highly programmable

Cons: BULKY, display can be hard to read when not using the LIGHT feature

Summary: The first thing that caught my attention with the remote was it's size. It's big and can be uncomfortable to flip through the channels given the fact that ...

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Summary: The first thing that caught my attention with the remote was it's size. It's big and can be uncomfortable to flip through the channels given the fact that it is top heavy. But once you get past the bland and bulky design, you will find it easy to program and very versatile. You can program it to control devices or do 'tasks' i.e. Play a DVD.

For 81.99, I'm satified.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Does it all, easy for all to use

by on February 9, 2005

Pros: Easy to configure, easy to customize, pleanty of programmable buttons that match all my remotes (tivo, cable, satellite, HD,tv,dvd,audio). Easy for the wife to understand. Works in the dark

Cons: Somewhat large, not very sleek looking.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Totally Awesome Remote

by on June 2, 2004

Pros: This thing can do everything. You can program it easily with the standard remotes for your A/V products.

Cons: It took a little bit to get use to the remote, especially with programming the new words for the LCD screen; after a week or so of use it became second nature so it was no longer a problem. It also takes a couple weeks to remember to program everything,

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Getting older but still King

by on May 11, 2004

Pros: You can control everything, and you can control it the way you want to. It is also great for a spouse who doesn't want to learn how to work all the remotes. Being this well organized and sophisticated is one of the marks of maturity of a home theater o

Cons: none

Summary: null

Summary: null

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 29

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Universal Remote Control, Inc.
Part number: MX500

General
Device Type Universal remote control
Width 3 in
Depth 1.3 in
Height 9.1 in
Weight 7.5 oz
Enclosure Color Dark blue
Enclosure Material Plastic
Localization English
Remote Control
Connectivity Technology Infrared
Supported Device Qty 10
Supported Devices Web TV system, AV Selector, Camcorder, Home control, MD player, DVR, Satellite TV system, Preamplifier, TV, Cable box, LD player, CD player / changer, Cassette deck, DAT deck, Projector, VCR, DVD player, AV receiver
Input Device Joystick, Keypad
Buttons Qty 42
Max Operating Distance 60 ft
Features Memory backup, Multi-brand compatibility, Learning, Back-lit buttons, Programmable, Macro function
Display LCD display - Monochrome

Power
Battery 4 x Standard battery - AAA type - Alkaline
Included Qty 4
Capacity 6 month(s)
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 1 year warranty
Service & Support Details Limited warranty - Parts and labor - 1 year

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Manufacturer info

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