I've actually been more picky about remotes than I have keyboards. Part of it is tactile feel too though.
We're back to using the old faithful Home Theater Master (was the consumer brand for Universal Remote Control) MX-500.
I tried out a Logitech Harmony 700, but it felt cheap and I was annoyed by having to plug it in to recharge it frequently. The button layout is improved for Harmony, but remains sub par compared to others. I wasn't impressed by button feel either.
Then I tried the Harmony One. It had a similar button feeland the button layout was virtually the same. Battery charging was easier, since it had a docking station and it had Lithium Ion batteries vs. NiMH in the 700. I probably could have lived with the Harmony One, since it performed well enough. I was able to get the "macros" to work satisfactorily. What I really hated was the touch screen. Every time I wanted to use a non-standard (i.e. non hard button) feature, I had to look at the damn screen. e.g. DVR button. It also felt like it would break if it were ever dropped or sat on.
Our MX-500 is fairly old, and it doesn't work with the newer IR protocol used by some cable boxes. I'm not happy with the AT&T U-Verse picture quality or DVR software in the first place, but of course my MX-500 doesn't work with it either. I've managed to get half the DVR buttons work, through persistence, but that's it. Otherwise, the MX-500 is built 10x better than the Harmony remotes, with a better tactile feel (buttons and layout.)
For now, I returned the Logitech remotes and bought a photo backpack instead. I'm trying to decide between settling for the URC R50 (essentially replaced the MX-500), going for the MX-450 or higher, or simply waiting until a better option magically appears.
