Universal Remote Control MX-810

If you are like most Americans, you have a television, DVD Player, stereo, DVR, and other electrical equipment that comes with remotes. All these remotes usually get piled together on the coffee table or scattered about the room. Wouldn’t it be better to just lump all those controls into one remote?

It is time for Universal remotes to save the day. In fact, a new remote control can do that and more. This remote is the MX-810, made by a company appropriately called Universal Remote Control.

The MX-810 isn’t some cheap device bought at a retail or electronics store, but a state-of-the-art technology that plugs right into your USB port. The user can follow easy-to-use instructions for programming what they want the MX-810 to do for their home theater. A user can even save their Universal remote programs on the website, which is good even if the computer crashes.

The programmable remote can be programmed with macros. Several of these settings can include such settings as lowering the screen, dimming the lights, projector to start, and make certain devices are on or off. That means not having to do several things to interface with one device, but simply a touch of a button.

After a user has programmed the remote internally, he or she can use the preprinted labels so that he or she knows exactly what each button will do. All the controls are spelled out in English, so there are no cryptic signs. In other words, Play isn’t some odd arrow, but the word “Play”.

Another unique feature to the MX-810 is the 2 inch Active Matrix color LCD display. It has six buttons with full color icons for different devices. These icons can also be programmed for certain channels, and will display their logos. This screen can be reprogrammed by the user for any type of viewing including television, cable, DVD, and even console games.

Other features include an automatic backlight. All a user has to do move the MX-810, and the backlight will come on. The lithium ion battery life is long and it can be recharged via outlet.

As far as compatibility is concerned, the MX-820 communicates via Narrow Band RF and controls systems using MRF-350 or MRF-260 base stations. It is also compatible with the MSC series of Master System Controllers.

I saw this device being demonstrated at CES 2008 in Las Vegas this year, and it is already available now. I do not know the price, as it does vary.