re: Need a good universal remote control

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There are URC that "program" similar to a Harmony and are easy to setup but limited like the Harmony. Ther are URC that have to be actually programmed through a computer that are much more flexible in their use. For your application the basic Harmony or URC will do just fine.

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URC is a brand. The type of the computer-programmable remote is called JP1, and the main web site is hifi-remote.com. There you will find a great forum and "device upgrades" for just about everything that uses IR. They let you use "discrete codes", i.e. buttons not found on remotes, and the typical advantage is direct access to something you would otherwise have to navigate menus to get to, or that you would have to press a button repeatedly to cycle through a list. Many manufacturers publish lists of these codes, and unlike the situation with Harmony, you don't have to beseech Logitech to add missing codes.

The RCA RCRP05BR has been a go-to JP1 remote for several years. It's about $15 at Amazon. The cable to program it will set you back $20 or less (it's a USB embedded serial cable). The software (RMIR) is free. The learning curve is not an easy one.

If you have a learning remote you like a lot, you can use a JP1 remote as an intermediary and load it with discrete codes to teach your primary remote. That pretty much turns any learning remote into a Harmony-equivalent but with potentially better layout, ergonomics, code completeness, cost, etc.