URC debuts MX-5000 universal remote with haptic feedback
By Donald Melanson 
posted July 20th 2009 3:24PM
posted July 20th 2009 3:24PM
URC has rolled out some pretty impressive remotes in its day, and it looks like it now has another claim to fame with what appears to be the first universal remote control with haptic feedback. That comes in the form of the company's new MX-5000 remote (pictured above with the touchscreen-centered MX-6000), which has a 2.7-inch touchscreen that URC says provides a "'very satisfying sensation" when you press one of the onscreen buttons. Otherwise, you can expect it to pack built-in WiFi, narrowband RF and IR to let you control just about anything you can throw at it, along with an included base station to accommodate various IR and RS-232 components and, of course, a built-in rechargeable battery and charging base. No word on a price just yet, but URC says the MSRP will be "less than $1,500." Yes, fifteen hundred dollars.
and URC continue their trend of making powerful remotes look like crap.
For that price I could hire a girl to operate all my existing remotes. Her "haptic feedback" would be better than this thing, too.
i just taped all my remotes together...works great
and looks about as good as this
what kind of tape did you use?
presume your talking to me,
duct tape of course...
a man's project requires a man's tape.
Do people really buy these things for this price?
I think only home automation installers can afford these and roll them into a total home package. Then they can upcharge the line price to $2000 for 'setup costs', etc.
Short answer = no. You can get a Philips Pronto Pro for less than this and it is a better remote, has quite a few peripherals, and is much more widely used.
people don't pay msrp for URC's
home theater installers know they'd never sell if they tried selling for that much.
I'd give this around 1000 tops (considering most URCs are sold to dealers around half price) even still, it's one of the few (and i mean few) high end companies that knows what they're doing in their respective field
You take a 0 off that price and maybe I could buy the remote without being killed by my wife. Really, I can't justify that kind of money for a remote. I've tried and trust me, she isn't falling for it.
Tell her it vibrates.
URC: When it absolutely positively cannot be Logitech
or when you don't want to use the horrible Harmony software where you have to click through five screens to make a tiny adjustment to a macro.
"...URC says provides a "'very satisfying sensation"..." XD
For that price, I'd want more than a very satisfying sensation.. I'm more likely to get a very unsatisfying sensation when I view my bank balance.
I could by several HDTVs and one kick ass universal remote for that amount. I can live without haptic feedback.
So a full-on PDA/Smartphone goes for $500-1000 (without contract). A full Windows Operating system goes for about $130 or whatever. They're telling me that this remote control is either more expensive to produce than a full-featured smartphone and the software is more expensive than a full operating system?
Even when you consider a significant added cost of low-volume production (relative to the afore-mentioned products), that's a hefty price tag for such a device. Now compare it to anything Logitech is making and you start to wonder if URC isn't actually the love child of Bose and Monster Cables.
it's not anywhere close to bose or monster
see, I thought i was crazy when I bought the mx-800 (RF FTW) computer programmed remote a while back (I do have a $20k home theater). surly a remote wouldn't need that much
now short of web browsing, which I think is pointless, the URC remote I have IS BRILLIANT
it does, EVERYTHING seriously, it does everything. controls the lights, the fireplace, the tv, dvd, blu-ray, ps3, 360, the oven and range (no joke), and it lets me set the temperature of the refrigerator so my beer is just how I like it.
honestly, these things blow the harmony line out of the water.
I have a $50 Harmony with a B&W screen. Like your remote, it controls my tv, xbox, sound system, DVD player all with the touch of a single button. I don't have a smart light switch or fireplace, but it'd control those too from what I understand. I assume that it'd handle the oven range and fridge too, if not with existing codes, then with a five-minute session of custom-programming of the remote. It's a low-end model from the Harmony series and it'll still control something like 15-20 devices.
Other than haptic feedback and a larger, colour screen, I don't see what this offers that I didn't get for $50.
Oops...yours does RF too. That definitely justifies the $1450 difference.
"I have a 20K home theater"
Why do you have a fireplace, and oven, and a range in your home theatre?
What an idiot.
Wow...now I have a remote controller which is almost twice the price of my tv ($850) and probably the same price as my (future) home theater system including the PS3.
I bet they're gonna price it at $1499.95. That is 'less than $1500', right?
HOW, pray tell, does it "provides a "'very satisfying sensation" when you press one of the onscreen buttons" which is any different than using a buzzer to buzz the touchscreen when you touch it?
I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm guessing something similar to the Blackberry Storm (clicks when you press on the screen).
I really don't understand why URs are so darn expensive. If only my iTouch had an IR emitter. :-/
that would....suck.
i have an iPhone and i love it, but there are limitations, first off you don't want IR. RF is where it's at and wi-fi COULD substitute.
say you were using the remote app (figuratively) and then you browse on safari, what happens when you want to change the volume, exit safari load remote go to main page and change volume.
nothing will ever replace a few key physical buttons
V Langs:
Wi-Fi _is_ RF.
Anyway, I agree with Rick V. The touchscreen on the iPod touch/iPhone is just great and would make a great remote control interface. A far cry from my Harmony 1000, to say the least.
add to he ever growing list of thing i want, but don't need and can't afford
It also doesn't cost as much as your t.v....
Honestly... Less then $1500?
The top of the line Harmony remote is like $500...
U.R.C. can kiss my A.S.S.
I don't know what scares me more, that there's people who would actually think about buying one of these or that's there people out there who would maybe buy several. At some point common sense has to kick in & tell you that this is a complete waste of your money.
I actually believe the first remote with haptic feedback was the Sony Navitus:
http://bssc.sel.sony.com/Professional/navitus/index.html
So, where's Bluetooth connectivity?
For "under $1,500" I'd want at least every over-the-air connection standard built-in
I think I'll just blow $600 on a set-top computer with LinuxMCE and an N810 and have something far better...
now someone just needs to make some USB 3.0 devices D:
Wrong article :D
For far less than this price you could use a hacked DS, with a small computer or hacked router to act as an IR transmitter. It'd look nicer too.
I sell high end home theaters for a living 10k+. I would be doing my customers a disservice selling them a Harmony. You're very limited in what you can do with the programming if everything is done using an online wizard.
I can understand if everyone reading this doesn't see the need for a high end remote. When you're controlling a cable box and a HTIB yeah a Harmony is fine. If you try meeting the needs of MY customers with that product you'll want to shoot yourself.
And to the guy that wants Bluetooth? WTF are you going to control with that besides a PS3?
BTW I own a Nevo S70 that retails for about the same as the MX-6000. I can watch live video from my door bell camera on it, control my whole house lighting system (and see which lights are on on the screen), and get all the meta data from my Escient Vision media server on it. Try that with even a top end Harmony.
It's funny that a lot of people who use Harmony remotes are the first in line to call out noobs on Live or PSN.
In the world of home theater and automation, Harmony is the equivalent of "noob-level." People should make a note of that when they need to adjust the volume on the television while they are acting like dicks online.
Wow you must live in a rough neighborhood to need a doorbell camera. WTF? Does it then open a special tap door to feed anybody you dont deem worthy to pirannahs?
This over the top overppriced electronic BS is just that. Get up off your fat ass and put down the cheetos and answer the door. It just amazing how people can sell crap like that.
Mini fridge in the sofa? You got it,
Remote light control? Yes sir.
Massage chair built in to keep the fat rolls comfy and do not form blood clots or pool blood in your extremites? Most defintely sir all you need to do is sign here and we will take care of the rest.
Very Wall-E esque and people buy right into it. Most of the time its just some sort of "I have too much money to spend on useless crap.
Now if you excuse me I have to go to bed and turn off the lights as I leave the room.
I agree with most that 1500 is a lot to pay, but then again I paid a lot for a harmony 1000 in both $ and time stuffing around with the software, thinking it would do everything. Boy was I wrong. The activity based control is completely counter intuitive. Press 'Watch TV' to turn on the PVR, Surround Sound, and TV and then watch the whole thing unravel when the PVR is already on recording something! Harmony remotes are only good in very simple environments. Even the remote functionality is dodgy on the 1000 ... the number of times it would miss turning on a device where you would then have to answer a million questions via the help interface to turn it on! Bizzare.
If these guys spent the time and effort getting their software right 1500 is probably worth it even without haptic feedback.
To ZeitgeistXIII ... it's not just laziness that drives the need for these remotes, convenience plays a part ... being able to see who's at the front door and interact with them remotely is handy if you live in a large house ... a microphone and speaker would be great.
Bleh, not mac compatible.
They are beyond compare in every way shape and form. Harmony remotes are cool and work well for what they do, but they are no where near as configurable as a URC remote.
Unfortunately URC is now VERY DIY unfriendly. They market these specifically to the CI market and actively discourage DIY'ers from using them (READ: you can't even get the software to program them).
Warning: The following is a rant. If you don't like that kind of thing, move along....
First off, no-one pays MSRP for anything ever. The only time that gets charged is when a Custom Installer has a million $$ client who doesn't care about money. There is a healthy trade of new and gently used URC products for better than 50% off of MSRP, and sometimes WAY less than that. MSRP on my MX-3000 was $1000. I paid $200, new.
Second point: these are not meant for general public, unfortunately. In the past, it was possible to get URC products and pull the software right off of their website. In order to get the software these days, you have to be a certified URC engineer and have a login to their private access dealer-only site. Their products are great, but these days they are making them for CI's only.
Finally, you have to realize is that this is not meant to replace a Harmony and is not even in the same league. This is meant as an alternative to uber-expensive control systems such as AMC or Crestron. When you compare the price of a Crestron system ($15k-$100k) with a URC remote plus MSC-400 controller ($1500-$2500) that gives you about 75% of the same functionality, you can sort of see the niche they are going for.
Then again, if I am having to explain all of this to you, you're probably better off sticking with the Harmony One and wondering why people would be "crazy" enough to blow that kind of scratch on a remote.
-aedile-
Aedile, thanks for your support.
For anyone who thinks it's crazy to spend $1500 on a remote control, that's cool. URC isn't in the business of trying to sell people solutions they don't want or need. And generally, on a site like Engadget, the population is very tech savvy and can probably devise their own solutions to their home theater needs. That's totally cool. Hey, I'm on the MX-5000 design team, and I know perfectly well that the Engadget audience is mostly not our target market.
But again, for those who think it's "crazy," just remember that there are people who pay a million bucks to have their website designed and built. There are people who pay the computer store to install their OS and applications. And there are people who spend $100K having a home theater built, and they want it all to work flawlessly, without having to be trained on their own gear, with a user interface that is suited to THEIR way of thinking, not how some designer at the factory thought it should work.
That's what URC offers: control systems that are not just programmed for, but are integrated into the very design of your home theater. Sure, it may not be worth it to tech savvy gadget lovers (and hey, I'm one), but there is a very large market of people who'd rather have a pro do it than do it themselves. (Remember, not everyone is like us: to most people, tinkering with gadgets is about as fun as poetry class in high school.)
So if you have to be convinced as to why it's worth it, then I can say right off the bat that you're not our customer. You're gonna do things your own way and find a solution that you enjoy building or programming yourself. We're totally cool with that, because most of us here at URC are gadget folks too. But try to remember that we're not the majority, and that just like most people prefer to pay someone else to work on their car, a huge percentage of the market prefers to pay someone else to build them a totally seamless, kick-ass home theater experience.
Best regards,
Dale Crawford
Universal Remote Control
Hello All,
As an audiovisual professional with 20 years of experience I would like to add my two cents.
If you're a consumer looking forward to replacing your individual remotes with single remote, I have not seen anything that is easier to set up and use than the Harmony line. You can get the basic model for $99 dollars and use the web interface to get it up and running your home theater in about 20 minutes. It is unbeatable in comparison to the competing solutions.
If you either want to brag or need to control something that is too complicated for the basic Harmony, the three best options are: 1) the ultimate Harmony model which is currently the 1100 which sells for $499. 2) the ultimate URC which is currently the MX-5000 which sells for $1500 or 3) The entry level Crestron model called Prodigy, which sells for $700.
With all of these remotes you can control, AV, HVAC, Lighting, Shading, Security. The only difference with the URC is that it provides feedback from devices that are able to provide feedback and the ability to use some PC functionality. So here is my opinion, if you have a decent home theater, and you live in an apartment or small home the Logitech solution will control everything that you could possibly want to control for a very reasonable price. If you have a more advanced home theater and live in a larger home, I would recommend the Crestron system. There is no limit to its expandability and ability to control devices. The only reason to buy the URC would be for the feedback feature which will only appeal to a techie control freak who wants to be aware of the state of each device that they are controlling.