UNIVERSAL REMOTEMX-990 Complete Control IR/RF Remote with Color LCD Screen, Black (MX990)

I bout the MX990 from Amazon and the URF350 on Ebay. Purchased the CCP software from the internet for $37.00. I have experience programming the Harmony Remotes and thought I could do this - I pulled my hair out and banged my head against the wall but it was no help; I could NOT program it. It was difficult finding somebody who would do it for me and wound up going thru Magnolia A/V (purchased by Best Buy a few years back and only available at certain Best Buy Stores). They sent a Geek who programmed my remote. It cost me $300 to do it. But the MX990 is AWESOME! Definitely fills the shoes of my old Harmony and more. In order to get Magnolia A/V Geeks, you must deal with a Best Buy that has a Physical Store inside Best Buy. I you simply call Best Buy, the Geeks have no idea how to do it

I bought this remote because I had one from URC that is an excellent product. The problem started when I added the 'Expert Setup' for $97. So, Amazon scheduled it and the 'installer' (yeah, quotes) showed up and was from a construction company. He freaked out and said, 'I don't know how to do this'. So, he left and I called Amazon and they said, 'So sorry, we will get you an installer that can do the job'. Cut to: the next appointment, a guy from HelloTech. Shows up and says' Where is the programming software they sent with the remote?', I say, 'his is URC, they don't give out the software to consumers, only to their authorized dealers.' The guys says 'I can't do this. I don't have the software.' Okay, so two appointments and it can'rt be done. When you buy the remote and the expert setup it says "Setup of 1 customer-supplied remote and connecting up to 5 devices'. Wrong, wrong, wrong. The software is NOT supplied with the remote and a URC person has to have the software or you've got an $500 paperweight. Amazon is no help and does not understand this whole process. They are offering Expert Setup for something they have no knowledge of. My advice: Unless you have the programming software (and know how to use it) DO NOT buy this remote from Amazon (and, really, it's NOT Amazon who is selling it, it's third party sellers, in my case Go Go Electronics, now it's Audio Visual Guy, both are not authorized dealers and therefor UNC will not honor any warranties or give any tech help) because apparently none of their 'experts' have the software or know how to use it. Ater four attempts to find someone to set up my remote, I cacelled the setup and am returning the MX-990 to Amazon for a full refund and buying it from Surf Remote Controls for less than they are selling it on Amazon AND it comes with the programming software! I plan on learning to do the programming myself. If you don't want to do the programming, then get it from an authorized dealer in your area and have them do the programming. The URC website has a 'Contact' button and you can write them and ask about dealers in your area. It's more expensive but ultimately will save you money in the long run.

NOTE: THIS DOES NOT COME WITH SOFTWARE TO PROGRAM IT. Make sure you have a copy first - I doubt any of the amazon sellers will offer it. URC will not give it out except to their custom installers. I am not an installer or pro, just a DIY guy who originally bought a remote from a seller willing to provide the Complete Control software needed. Fortunately, that software continues to be updated including support for the MX-990. My 980s were getting a bit old and wanted to try out the 990s.Physically, the 990 is a much better design. it is much lighter and thinner and the contours on the back allow the remote to sit much better in the hand.. It is more modern looking in all black instead of the grey/black from the 980. The LCD screen has been noticeably improved.Its button layout is slightly different with the shuttle controls (play/pause, FF, REW, etc.). There are also some new ones including the 4 color buttons AND a record button. All of these are well welcomed. The only loss for buttons is a single "Main" instead of the "Listen"/"Watch" pair. This I actually liked! I always hated having to explain to other the difference and I always put the icons under the watch button to avoid confusion.Programming this was mostly the same. You can even import an existing 980 profile but I actually started from scratch as an opportunity to clean things up. The 990 comes with a new set of Icons which are nicer and up-to-date.If you have never programmed urc, there is a bit of a learning curve. Its not like you are writing raw code but you are given a blank slate that you have to fill-in using the GUI. URC has provided some wizards to speed things up but there is still a significant time investment needed even to do a basic setup. You have a very complete IR database if that is all you need. There is also an RF and Serial database if you are using their companion base stations for more advanced setups. Note that "RF" does not mean you can control non-URC devices like Fire Sticks and Roku directly that do not have IR.Turns out you can use the charging cradle from the 980 with the 990. Looks like URC made the back contour of the 990 compatible so it drops right in. Voltage and amperage are the same along with the contacts. Nice touch. Note that the dock from the 990 is actually narrower so the 980 remote will not fit it.Battery (NP-60) is the same which is great since I already have extra. I strongly recommend ordering replacements directly from URC rather then buying aftermarket on amazon or ebay. I have tried many different ones both cheap and pricey and they all fail within a year depending on usage. Now I just call URC directly and pay the $40 each. Expense but they last for years and I dont have to worry about unstable voltage locking/crashing the remote.So, overall, its a great upgrade. If you looking at this as your first URC make sure you understand what it is your are getting into. But, assuming you do, there isnt much this thing cannot do.

This is our third one of these remotes. Great to sync several rooms’ speakers, but I wish the average homeowner could program it, it took two professional video/audio folks almost four hours to get it working properly.

I purchased this product without knowing a consumer can not use it out of the box. URC requires the consumer to utilize a trained and approved 3rd party to program the remote using their computer software. I fond someone who could do it and had to purchase the unit from them.The 3rd parties can charge up to $1,300 to purchase and program the remote. So beware!I returned this product for a refund and got lucky in finding someone who did the programing for much less money. The remote? It is fantastic. It controls a 65" TV, SONOS system and a DVD player. Highly recommend the product. Just be aware of the need for programing.