MONSTER MCC AVL300-S Home Theater & Lighting Controller 300 With Omnilink | List Price: $399.95
Discount Price: Too low to display
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Brand: Monster
Binding: Electronics
Release Date: 2006-04-16
Features: - Model NO. MCC AVL300-S
- Omnilink Rf To Infrared Bridge Translates Rf Signals Into Infrared Signals So User Can Control A/V Equipment From Anywhere In The Home
- Controls Wireless Illuminessense Light Switches & Dimmers Throughout The Home
- Customizable Lifestyle Activity Buttons Simultaneously Set Illuminessence Lights & Send Commands To A/V Components
- Controls & Integrates Up To 64 A/V Components
The good and the bad after six months [Posted on 2008-05-27]
Hi, let me preface this by saying I also have a Phillips Pronto Pro TSU6000 remote. It is a similar but more expensive unit than the Monster. Many of my opinions are based on comparing the two devices. They differ considerably with both having strengths and weaknesses. I've owned both of them for over six months now. I suspect a lot of the people saying this is the 'best remote ever' have not tried anything else in the same price range.
Overall I'm pleased with the AVL300. It is very feature rich. The inclusion of an RF module is an example. With the Pronto RF is an expensive option.
The physical size is also nice. The Pronto is much bulkier and cannot be operated with one hand. It also slips out of your hand easily and you shudder when the $600 device hits the floor. Conversely the Monster is easy to grip and many of the functions can be accessed using only one hand.
The Pronto makes extensive use of 'soft' keys whereas the Monster does not. By 'soft keys' I mean the touch screen rather than actual buttons. It sounds cool and high tech but is over rated. Pressing the touch screen is by nature imprecise. You don't get any tactile feedback so you often miss the key you want and hit the wrong one. The Monster uses true buttons AKA 'hard keys'. It's much easier to tell when your finger is on the button and far less error prone.
The software for programming the two devices is vastly different. I won't try to go into all the details here but here are some highlights.
The Pronto software is very powerful but requires considerable technical savvy. You have to create the entire user interface for the touch screen buttons and panels from scratch. You also have to manually create all the macros to turn on groups of devices. It takes days to setup a moderately complicated home theater. On the bright side there is a big user community that shares what they have created. That can give you a big head start.
The Monster software is wizard based and guides you through the process. The basic setup is pretty straight forward and easy. While it still requires time and technical savvy it's nothing like the Pronto. Fine tunning things is more challenging. Also, the list of home theater components they support is remarkably extensive. They have the codes for just about everything it seems. They have game systems, lighting controllers, stereo components and even had the codes for my Escient Fireball media server. Not having to learn codes from the original remotes saves so much time. One disappointment is they don't take full advantage of discrete codes. These are special codes for A/V devices that typically can't be accessed via the OEM remote but do exist. The discrete codes are huge assets when controlling home theaters.
The software is not without issues. First, it is very slow and clumsy. For example when you click the forward and back button in the wizard there is a noticeable delay before anything happens. Also, you frequently have to go back to the very beginning when configuring multiple settings and devices. It gets tedious. The software could be more intuitive as well. Worst of all you always must have a live internet connection and login to their site to configure the remote. What the heck is that for?? You can't even change the text label on a button without logging into the web. Maybe that's why it's so sluggish going through the wizard.
I hate the charging base for the remote. The remote doesn't snap into the charger it just lays loosely on top. It's very easy to not get it seated properly, or knock it out of position. When that happens obviously it doesn't charge. Many people have reported problems with it.
As compared to the Pronto Pro I would say the biggest strength of the Monster is the hardware. The greatest weakness is the software. It needs more customization capability and an 'advanced mode' so that I don't have to go through the wizard all the time.
Last but not least I have to mention that my unit broke. It recently decided it was not going to charge at all anymore. The support people at Monster were very helpful and I'm in the process of getting it replaced.
Happy remote controlling!
Major hassle - does not consistently work [Posted on 2008-05-31]
I have programmed and reprogrammed this device to watch TV, DVR, DVD with a stereo for sound. I choose the radio signal option instead of the infrared and it DOES NOT WORK with any consistency. My family no longer uses it. I have been on the phone with support at Monster. They are nice but the problems do not get fixed. It works for awhile for some things and then other times it just doesn't turn the volume up, turn the TV off, etc.
After about 12 hours of time spent on it over a few days, I have come to hate the thing.
Thank Goodness For This Monster! [Posted on 2008-07-04]
My husband and I were about going crazy with all the remotes. We did not even look for a "one size fits all" because we thought we would have to spend a thousand dollars or more. Low and behold, I found the Monster when I decided to shop for one to give to my husband for this past Christmas. We have now used it for 6 months and we love it. It is definitely user friendly. This is the only remote we use. Be prepared to spend some time setting it up, but after all that, we have had only one issue with it: after we shut off the system subsequent to watching a DVD, when we go to turn the system on for just regular TV viewing, the right video number does not come on. We then have to turn the system off and then turn it back on. Everything is great after that. A minor inconvenience when we think about all the frustration we experienced with the handful of other remotes. We simply have not had time to reconfigure the settings and after all the reviews regarding the customer service, I am very encouraged to contact them and feel confident that this minor problem will be fixed. I highly recommend this remote.
MCC AVL300-S [Posted on 2008-07-14]
Not being a techno wiz, I had someone program the remote for me. While it may be somewhat pricey, it does everything it's supposed to do, and I finally put away 6 other remote controls. What a joy to have this item on my theater armchair.
AVL 300-S [Posted on 2008-08-15]
I like this remote and it works very well. It looks and feels like a quality piece of equipment. I set it up in about an hour and it worked
without a hitch! Pretty good for the first day of ownership.
The next day, I wanted to tweak some settings. OOPS! That is when frustration set in. The Omnilink quit communicating with the remote control because I pressed the connect button, go figure.
As I tried to find answers in the supplied user guide and in the on-line software it became very apparent that Monster had dropped the ball.
It took about an hour of trial and error to resolve the RF network glitch and the remote works great.
Unlike all of my home theater components the AVL300 does not come with a comprehensive user manual. What you get is a quick start guide that could almost fit inside a CD jewel case. The guide has absolutely zero information about lighting control. Now that is pretty sad considering what you pay for this remote.
If the supplied users guide was more robust and contained advanced information on setting up and troubleshooting a system I would have no problem giving this product a 5 star rating.
I would recommend that if you purchase this remote control and have a problem that you cannot solve with the on-line troubleshooter the first time around, call the support line to avoid prolonged frustration.
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