An all review show, with appearances from a Polaraid 32" LCD and the Universal Remote MX3000.

There are a lot of LCDs on the market and prices have come way down. Prices can range quite a bit within a screen size. For instance in the 32 inch range we have seen LCDs as low as $650 to as much as $1800. Today we take a look at the Polaroid 32 inch LCD model number (FLM3232) $1000 (online for as low as $800). The TV has the basic features:

This is a basic TV. The TV did not look or feel well constructed. There was was a real lack of quality to it.  We really did not like how the unit performed. The colors were off, even after calibration. There was too much red. The picture had no detail, even with HD sources. Standard Definition was a pretty bad as well. We did calibrate the TV and depending on what we were watching we could get it to where the picture was decent but as soon as we watched something else it didn't look right. There was no middle ground that did OK for all your content. The TV has a pixel response time of 16 msecs which is on the hairy edge of acceptability for sports and gaming.

Some will say that this TV will provide you good bang for your buck. We disagree. 

Complete Control MX-3000 Review

It seems there's a remote control on the market for every taste and budget level.  Today we're looking at the Complete Control MX-3000 from Universal Remote Control (also called the Home Theater Master MX-3000).  It is Universal's flagship model and has a suggested retail price of $1000 US.  They tout it as the remote that gives you all the control and flexibility of a $5000 AMX or Crestron remote, but for the low, low price of $999.

In general, it is a small touch screen remote with a few hard buttons to either side and a below the screen.  The color screen measures 3.5" diagonal and offers 320x240 resolution and 65K colors.  As a display, it actually looks quite nice.  The animations and button action events are very smooth.  Transitions are seamless.  To the left of the screen are dedicated channel up/down and volume up/down buttons as well as mute and info buttons.  To the right of the screen is a joystick control (up/down/left/right and enter) as well as dedicated menu and exit buttons.  Below the screen are two buttons to scroll through the pages on the LCD display, and a button to quickly get you back to your main page.

Programming the remote is pretty straight forward, but isn't intended for the end user, and it shows.  Don't expect a Harmony-like wizard to get your remote up and running in a few minutes.  Armed with a user manual and some patience, you can probably get your remote working in a matter of hours.  If you buy the remote from a custom installer, they will be able to get it all done for you, so you don't need to worry about it.

There are some features missing from the MX-3000 that are available on some of its competitors.  It doesn't have any WiFi capabilities, so it cannot stream and play content (even though it does have a built in speaker).  It also lacks a programming guide feature, which is available on other remotes in its class.

The MX-3000 works like a standard IR remote, but behind the scenes it's also transmitting RF.  By adding an optional RF base station you can control your theater without needing line of sight.  This can come in very handy if your components are behind a cabinet door, or aren't all in the same location, like a projector mounted behind you.  In addition to home theater equipment, the MX-3000 can be programmed to control any device that can somehow accept an IR or RF command, such as lighting or automatic windows coverings.  And although the programming software isn't easy, it is very powerful and allows you to do just about anything your heart desires.

Overall the MX-3000 is very high quality and very well built.  The programming software could use an overhaul to make it more activity driven and less device driven.  But the remote itself is very nice.  If you want a fancy remote to impress your friends, the MX-3000 is perfect.  If you want a solid, easy to use universal remote, the MX-3000 is probably overkill.  There are a bunch of other remotes out there that will do everything you need at a fraction of the cost.