Tom,

I have programmed several of both. I have a 5000 in one of my dedicated Home Theaters and a 1200 in my Hearth Room system, so I use them both personally (everyday life) too.

I prefer the 1200 over the 5000. I prefer the actual hard button 10 key of the 1200 and I think it feels better in the hand. I also like the "Lights" button on the 1200 (if applicable).

My only MX1200 quibble: Along with the lack of animated gifs, there is no sound (wav files) speaker on the circuit board (like on the MX980 & MX5000). But the remote does have a beep for button presses (like all the remotes). It's a minor annoyance, but not a deal breaker and for me personally, does not keep from specifying the 1200 and would not keep me from choosing the 1200 over the 500 for personal use.

The WiFi ability of the URC 5000 is simply a bust for me. It doesn't work well enough for me to care about it or sell it with confidence.