URC RFS200 PowerPak Bundle with MasterControl RF20 and PowerBlaster

Well designed, robust, and works like a charm. This remote will readily implement an intuitive configuration for your unique home theater setup, if you are willing to take the time to design it. It does come with ready-labelled presets on the configurable keys, and will populate a standardized configuration with the appropriate commands, once you put in the right code for your device from the supplied table. But, the real power of the RF20 is the ability to configure it in a way that is best for you and your home theater system. Its easy (and rather fun) to program--and the remote learning feature is fast to implement--but (as others have pointed out), it does take time to do, especially if you go the fully customized route.To address some quirks:1. Others have correctly pointed out that there is an extra step needed to manually erase a button prior toreassigning it. The RF20 has a flash (non-volatile) memory; this step may be to help preserve it (just as it's better to reformat the SD card in your camera rather than just writing over the existing pictures).2. The RF20 has a feature called "punch through" that allows you to dedicate a command to one home theater device (e.g., amplifier, cable box, TV, et.al.) regardless of which device the RF20 is currently set to control. For example, if your sound source is your amplifier, "punch through" will send that amplifier's volume commands only, regardless of which device mode the RF20 is in. This way, you can control the amplifier volume and the cable box channel while on the same screen of the RF20.WARNING: the RF20 has four sets of "punch through" commands--VOL, CH, PLAY, VOD--and each commandeers a collection of buttons (e.g., VOL= volume up/down and mute). The manual does not list all of the commandeered buttons for a given "punch through". Once you assign a "punch through" set, the subordinate buttons will no longer function as originally assigned, and manually erasing and reassigning them will not restore their function. I ran into this problem by trying to creatively assign a VOD "punch through" without knowing all of the buttons controlled by it. If this happens, you can restore functionality by reassigning the "punch through" for a piece of equipment back to itself (don't worry: the manual explains how to accomplish all of this).3. The power-on macro can be customized so that you can turn on everything at once OR turn on individual devices, with a feature called "press and hold". When setting up the macro, you program a delay (as long as you like, in 0.5 second increments). This way, if you just press and release the 'on' button, only the current device will be turned on; but pressing and holding down the 'on' button for the assigned duration (e.g., 1 second) will activate the macro and turn on all of the assigned devices.4. If your equipment is in enclosed cabinets or widely spread out on either side of your viewing screen, the Powerblaster is most worthwhile, and effectively distributes the commands to all devices without having to point the RF20. To be clear: the RF signal from the RF20 is ONLY used to convey the command non-directionally to the Powerblaster base unit. The base unit then reconverts it to an IR signal and relays it by wire to individual IR emitters, which are placed next to the IR receivers of the DVD player, cable box, or what-have-you. The RF20 is NOT designed to directly control devices which use RF remotes (e.g., ceiling fans). Buying the package saves you ~$12 over buying the RF20 and Powerblaster separately.5. Finally (and the manual does not address this), you can assign individual commands to hard buttons (info, guide, menu, et.al.) while on the home ("MAIN") screen, when the RF20 is not set to mimic any one remote. You can use this feature to assign frequently needed commands without having to go back to that particular profile first. For example, I set the "guide" button to bring up the input screen on the TV, to make it easy to choose DVD, cable, etc. for viewing. Also, the "punch through" feature used to control volume did not include the volume and mute controls while the RF20 was on the home "MAIN" screen. Individually assigning them to the amplifier (using the "learning" feature) took care of this.In summary: the RF20 is a well-built hard button remote that, once configured, is easy to use. Configuring it is straightforward; although it does take time, you'll likely be pleased with the result.

This really is a great remote- very functional and inexpensive compared to others especially when factoring in the RF power blaster. Once it is programmed, a flash memory retains the programming- so if you take out the batteries and keep it in a box for several months you need not go through the programming process again. As explained below, this is a very good thing.This remote handles everything I have- cable box/DVR, Pioneer home theater receiver, TV connected to the internet through an ethernet port, blu-ray/VCR (yes- they do make one unit that plays both!). The manual contains codes for each of the components. Entering the right code programs the basic features of each into the remote - once you find the right code. For many manufacturers, the manual contains numerous codes for each device; inputting each one in turn to see which works takes time. That done, you'll probably want to use the "learning" function of the remote to program some of the few buttons that don't program automatically, which is easy, but you'll go through the process for each button and for each component. The one-button on/off macros work well and are easy to program - but may require some tweaking - if you have compenents that do some automatic switching, (e.g. my blu-rau player will automatically switch the receiver to the proper input) you may have to reprogram either the remote or the components to get them synced up properly. In addition, unlike the Harmony remotes, programming the remote from the manfacturer codes does nothing to sync the components to each other - for example, the main menu shows a button for the cable box, but pressing that only changes the remote's functions to control the cable box - if you need to switch your receiver to the cable box input, you have to program a macro to do that as well. With multiple components, you need to program a macro for each one - which takes more time. The "punch through" function is a nice addition - the unit allows you to program certain functions -volume for example -that will remain synced to a button whether the receiver is set to control the tv or the cable box. Once set up, this saves you switching back and forth between settings. Setting it up requires going to each component and entering the macro - which takes more time. Then if you want to set up macros to do more complex things, say switch to an internet radio station that is several menus down on the tv - well, clear your calendar for an hour to set that up through trial and error. I spent the better part of a day - perhaps 5 hours altogether - programming the unit. If your needs are more than basic - and really, there's no point buying this remote over cheaper ones if they are - programming will take at least an hour and a half. The thing to remember is that, unlike the Harmony system, this remote requires you to do all the programming yourself.The good news is that, if you are willing to spend the time, you can program this remote to do just about anything. For example, you can set up a macro that will, with the press of one button, navigate through setting your receiver to play on your outside speakers, then automatcally tune your TV to play your Pandora "modern blues" station and turn up the volume. You can also rename the screen name of the button you program for this to "blues" or whatever else you want. And with the RF function, the button will work from your patio. Because of this, the remote is really handy once programmed. The manual says that it will accept macros up to several hundred steps long (though I shudder to think how long THAT would take to program). You can program it to navigate through menus as well as incorporate pauses into a macro - to accomdate a component taking several seconds to load content from the internet, for example - and literally to do anything that you can do with any of your components' remotes all automatically. This can really be a time-saver once the programming is done.The included "power blaster" RF unit also works well. As others noted, I needed only the main unit installed inside my cabinet to have all the compenents respond properly, even though there appeared to be no sight lines between that unit and some components. And the signal goes travels the exterior stucco walls of my house.One minor issue- those looking for something sleek to match cool looking components may not be able to overlook the clunkiness of the remote and its lack of a color screen.A great buy -just be ready to spend the necessary time to program it.