» URC MasterControl RF20 Universal Learning Remote w/ RF Capability

URC MasterControl RF20 Universal Learning Remote w/ RF Capability Reviews

Customer Rating:
Summary: Awesome!
Comment: This is my first universal remote and I am very impressed. For years I've lived with over 10 different remotes, about 4 of which I use regularly (TV, satellite box, DVD player, A/V receiver), so there are always at least 4 cluttering my coffee table. I never believed a single remote could replace all the functionality of my many others, so I never considered getting one of these. This one, however, actually does everything I can do with my other remotes. The key feature that makes this possible is the set of programmable buttons with editable labels on the LCD display. You can scroll through 8 pages of custom labels for the 5 buttons, giving you up to 40 custom-labeled button functions for each device you want to control.

Another great feature that improves usability is called "punch thru" where you can set the volume/mute (and some other) buttons to control one device (like your TV) even while the remote is being used to control another device (like your DVD player), meaning you don't have to switch the remote from DVD back to TV just to quickly mute the volume.

The editing of button labels, the programming of button functions using the "learn" mode, and other setup operations are all pretty easy. Once you've done it a couple of times, it's simple to do again without referring to the instruction book. Speaking of the instruction book, I am very impressed with how clear it is (how unusual that is!) with easy-to-follow, illustrated steps. There is an instructional DVD provided, but I didn't watch it as I had no need to do so.

When I started to set up this remote, I found that the automatic programming using the numeric codes for the different vendors' devices wasn't very complete, and trying to use the programmable buttons as they are labeled by default was confusing. I made much faster progress, I was less confused, and I ended up with a much more usable remote, when I realized I should just fully customize the buttons by using the ability to edit the button labels and using the "learn" function to set the button functions (which is surprisingly fast and easy).

I'm a quality assurance professional and I view software, hardware, and documentation with a critical eye, and I am usually exasperated with what I see on the market, and often frustrated in my personal use of complex devices. But this remote control is extremely well-designed, clearly documented, and highly usable.

The only thing I don't understand is why the manufacturer has such a poorly-chosen generic company name! The manufacturer is Universal Remote Control, Inc., based in Harrison, NY.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Good remote, no RF without base station
Comment: Good remote, no RF without base station

I know some of the other people mentioned that there was no RF in some other reviews, but they were either not believable to me or they were not clear enough for my liking. The Product is called 'RF20', so I assumed there was RF. I was wrong. In fact there is no RF support, well at least not the kind used to control RF devices. Instead it can talk RF to the base station, which in turn will talk IR to all the devices. So neither device apparently actually controls ANYTHING via RF. Now I read a lot of reviews before purchasing this remote and though I am happy with it as an IR universal remote I am disappointed to learn that it controls NONE of the RF devices I have.

I use an HTPC, which had an ATI Remote wonder until all the buttons got too squishy to work anymore. I also have an RF keyboard and a few gamepads. This can not replace any of this. It does not talk to any of the RF recievers no matter what I try.

I should have known after reading other people say it did not do RF, but you never know what they really know. So let me give you a word of wisdom. If you are planning to use this for an HTPC be sure to have/get an IR receiver to pair with this (USB-UIRT for instance, or an old IR receiver from an old remote). It is nice that you can use the RF-to-IR capabilities to get extra range, but you still need IR and it seems there is no way around it. So good luck.

The moral of the story is that this is not much good for replacing RF remotes especially HTPC remotes like ATI. It does however seem to work well enough as a normal remote for IR devices with decent range and button firmness, etc.

Enjoy.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Solid Remote, Fully customizable, works flawlessly
Comment: I purchased this remote almost a year ago and have nothing but good comments about it.
It is a remote that is fully customizable.
If there are no pre-programmed codes already stored in it, all you have to do is point a remote (say for the tv) press a key and this remote will learn the command. EASY!
For those people that say it is difficult to use, go back to school, seriously...
I programmed the TV, DVD, Sound system, even my Electric Fireplace!
I keep the Cable box, dvd and Sony playstation in the closet so this remote was exactly what I was looking for.
I highly recommend it, perhaps there are better and more expensive remotes out there but for the $80 I paid it was money very well spent.

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Exactly What I Needed!!! Great Bargain!!
Comment: This is such a great deal. DVD that comes with the package is very helpful. Keeps from trying to understand the manual. Program codes worked great for Panasonic TV and Scientific Atlanta cable box. Program codes didn't work for Phillips surround sound DVD system. Used the Learning function and worked great. Have never had a universal remote work with the Phillips DVD system, so I was extremely satisfied. Would highly recommend this remote!!!

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Customer Rating:
Summary: Doesn't control other RF devices
Comment: I bought this to replace a DISH Network RF remote in our bedroom. But it wasn't until I read the direction book that I found it won't control other RF devices. It requires its own radio receiver. So I returned it. (Thankfully Amazon has a very good return procedure.)

Otherwise, it worked well for the main functions, and the directions are well-written. I have an off-brand TV, (Digital Lifestyles), which didn't have a code number, so I had to program each button individually. Not every function was able to be programmed.

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