Ok, I just wrote a nice long post but apparently I took to long and when submitting it wouldn't take. Came back and... post gone. Argh.

Summary: LCD touch-screen remote have only an initial wow-factor. none of them are ideal or well suited for controlling visual media (mainly because there's no tactile feedback and you have to look at them, taking focus away from what you should be concentrating on).

The Home Theater Masters are some of the best built and feel really good in the hand despite their slightly larger size. They can be programmed (albeit very manually via software) to work in an all-activity method. No state tracking like Harmony, so it's best if your devices have good discrete code support or can use work-arounds to achieve specific starter-states (it supports pretty long macros which are easily set up via software). It's missing a few keys which are fairly important for some devices/activities. Its transport controls are not well organized. Great direction pad on the 850 (one of the best around) and also the best feeling buttons of any remote I've used (again only the 850, previous versions used awful clear-coated "gem" finish).

I use a Harmony 880 as my primary remote right now. I think the best Harmony is likely the newly released model under the Harmon Kardon brand. I have yet to see the screen in person but in press shots it looked like it was going to be a lot better than on the 880 and the button layout is definitely better. The remote shape loses the peanut shape like the 520 and XBOX remote which will weaken its comfort level in the hand, but it still looks attractive and usable.

All the remotes in my list have varying levels of deficiencies. Unfortunately so do all the other products out there, regardless of price. So it becomes a question of finding one that is best balanced for your usage requirements.

I touched on a number of other points in my original message, but I'm way too tired to rethink and re-write it all right now... Sorry.

Bruno