Universal Remotes: Anyone in the market?

[big0mike]

The GF is in this club called Buzz Agent and she gets free shit all the time. Usually it's shit I don't care about but when she emailed me and said, "should I join the Logitech Harmony One Buzz," I said hell yeah.

If you don't have one I would highly recommend one. I'd held back because they are typically pretty expensive. This model, the Harmony One, retails right around $250. It's no bigger than most normal remotes and has a touch screen to work the "Activities" of the unit.

http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony1_600.jpg

You start by installing the software for managing it and plugging your unit into a USB port on your computer. The first thing you need to do is add all your devices:
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_01.jpg

Tell it what type of device you want to add. It's actually very good at picking a correct model number if you are a little off. For instance, you might have a sticker saying you have model TV-HD-5001. It'll know if it is in it's database as TV-HD5001 or TVHD-5001.
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_02.jpg

Next, you want to add an activity.
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_03.jpg

If this is the first time setting it up it will automatically add most of the appropriate activities. As you can see, this is not my first time so I'm going through the motions for you.
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_04.jpg

Choose your activity.
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_05.jpg
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_07.jpg

Now, you'll go through a series of questions about the activity in question.
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_08.jpg
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_08.jpg
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_10.jpg
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_11.jpg

Once you've got everything done you finalize your settings.
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_12.jpg

You go back to the main page and hit the "update remote" button. It'll take several minutes to update.
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_13.jpg
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony_15.jpg

And you are done. Now, take it to the proper location and give it a try. Hit the LCD button for the activity you want to try.
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony3_600.jpg
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony2_600.jpg

It will turn the devices selected on and put their inputs to the appropriate settings and then defaults to a standard layout depending on what you are doing. I selected Bedroom TV so it knows I will be using the remote for my Cox Explorer 2000 so it gives me the proper buttons. The screen scrolls left to right for more buttons but what you see below is typically all that is needed.
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony4_600.jpg

If you hit the Devices button on the LCD it takes you to another screen where your Devices are listed.
http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/harmony5_600.jpg

Select the device you want to control and you have most, if not all, of the devices normal controls.

It's got a pretty neat little help utility as well. One by one it'll ask you if your devices are on and set to the proper channels and inputs. If not it will switch them until they are correct.

All in all a very slick unit. I got it and thought, "man, if this works I'm gonna have to drop $250 on another one for the living room." Guess what? Didn't have to. I added both TVs in the living room and bedroom as well as both cable boxes, DVDs, receiver, VCR. Got them all in there so I only need the one remote. Of course, if I want to watch a DVD in the living room and the GF wants to watch TV in the bedroom one of us is SOL. But, that doesn't happen often, if ever.

I did have a good surprise for you all but I fucked up and am too late... I had 15% off coupons to share. The expired 7/31... http://www.wideopenphotography.com/photos/emoticon_conniption.gif My bad... But, if you just happened to have purchased ANY Logitech Harmony remote between April 1st and July 31st you are good. It just needs to be postmarked by August 30th.

[KingGeorge]

SPAM.,..

really long elaborate SPAM.



george
/shouldn't this go to the AV section?

[doughboy63]

You should have this moved to be part of the actual mancave section. I think it would be a good addition. Oh, I'm jealous.

[bigslickwood]

I have the Harmony 890. It was about $400, but it has RF capabilities, so you can setup stuff for multiple rooms, etc.

Very easy to use and setup. It's sweet the way you setup events and then it will turn on and setup all the necessary components.

[Shadow]

I have the Harmony 880. They're a little bit of a pain to set up because there's so much you can change/customize, but once you've got it set the way you want it, they are sweet. One button turns on everything you need to watch TV (receiver to correct output, TV, and cable box) or watch a DVD (receiver, TV, DVD player) or listen to music, etc. Wanna switch? Press the button to the activity you want and it turns off the items not needed and turns on the ones you do, including changing the inputs/outputs to their appropriate settings. No longer need 5 remotes laying around, although for some specialty things like a DVD recorder you might want to have that one handy nearby.

[big0mike]

shouldn't this go to the AV section?
Probably... I didn't think about it enough beforehand apparently.

[antistan]

I've had the 880 for over a year. Once set up (pretty easy, but long if you tweak it to perfection) the thing is awesome!

[Blake]

I have a harmony I picked up at sam's back in March. it's not as fancy as this one but it works very well.

[SVTF]

I just bought a chepo version Logitech Harmony 670 - Where has this thing been all my life?

This Thing is the bomb! Cheap version and it does everything I want.

[bigslickwood]

I've owned a couple Harmony's and they're great. Completely eliminate the wife and kids trying to figure out what receiver input, tv input, etc. everything needs to be set to. The buttons tend to quit working after a couple years. I'm not sure how much longer we'll be able to go before we need a new one, as several buttons on ours are starting to crap out.

[Quads]

I'll open the bidding at two dollar fiddy, and a hook of whiskey.

[Scuba_Dave]

I have the same remotes that came with the cable box or TV
Free...they work
I leave them in the different rooms where the TV's are
Since most of the TV's/VCR's/DVD's/Stereo (one) I own/have owned are Sony I have a surplus of Sony remotes

[jrees]

Have been using Hamrony remotes for years now. Currently using the 880, with the Harmony One coming tomorrow from NewEgg (got it for $150 on the shellshocker deal of the day).

Fantastic remotes.

Logitech is GREAT for warranty work too. If you contact them with a hardware problem (even if out of warranty) they often take care of you. They also give out 50% coupons all the time, so if you're looking to replace your remote, that's an option for exisiting Harmony users looking to upgrade.

[King of the Farm]

I have the same remotes that came with the cable box or TV
Free...they work
I leave them in the different rooms where the TV's are
Since most of the TV's/VCR's/DVD's/Stereo (one) I own/have owned are Sony I have a surplus of Sony remotes

I'll preface this with saying I have a Harmony One and LOVE it. Bought one for a buddy as a gift last year and helped him set it up,... bought one for myself 4 weeks later.

I used to just use the universal remote that came with my DirecTV... I did this for years and was fine with it. I watched DVDs on my Xbox360, no problem, two remotes.

BUT, When I install a home theater, with a reciever that all sound was going through every time I turned on the TV the remote situation got out of hand.

I had 5 remotes

TV
BluRay
Audio Reciever
Xbox360
DirecTV

With the Harmony one, I have ONE remote that can do everything that each of these can do on their own. Not to mention it is one touch to turn on each piece of equipment and configure ports, audio settings, etc. Hell, I have the Audio premanently shut off on the TV speakers now. Everything comes in full surround. Well worth the $200. The other 5 remotes are in a ziplock bag in the hall closet now.

My only complaint is that the Harmony remote is not a "tough" as the direcTV remote. Which means I can't knock my son in the head with it when he's getting on my nerves.

[Charlutz]

The only "problem" with a Harmony is you can't know how awesome it is until you actually own it. It doesn't compare to remotes that can learn codes of other devices and call themselves universal remotes. The Harmony is as different from a Directv universal remote as a good dvr is from a vcr.

[Trouble]

Just picked up a Harmony 880 off of Cragislist for $60. Best purchase I've made in a long time. The "universal" remote that comes with the cable box would not control my TV, or my soundbar, so I had a minimum of 3 remotes at all times. This picked up everything, no problem. Also idiot proof for the wifey. Something doesn't come on (she sometimes fails to realize that you still need to point the remote in the general direction of the components), she just hits "HELP", and it walks her through the problem step by step.

[pikeman56]

I took 3rd Friday night in our poker tourney (A10 suited vs. AA...damn I just needed one more club but that's the way it goes sometimes). I took my profits and bought a Harmony 700. HOLY SHIT how did I not get one of these remotes YEARS ago? The one button activity selection is awesome. It took me about 30 minutes to set up but now it works everything with a press of a button. TIVO/AV Reciever/Xbox/BluRay...the whole shabam. I love it.

[big0mike]

Yes, I it would be a tough change if I couldn't have my Harmony One now. My only complaint is about how it handles my bedroom TV, a Vizio. For it when you push the INPUT button it brings up the input selection and you then hit the input button until you reach the desired input. The Harmony assumes that when you hit input it advances to the next input which it doesn't. So, I plugged in a couple dummy inputs so it would advance properly. The Samsung in the living room doesn't have that same problem.

[Doctor_XXX]

Yes, I it would be a tough change if I couldn't have my Harmony One now. My only complaint is about how it handles my bedroom TV, a Vizio. For it when you push the INPUT button it brings up the input selection and you then hit the input button until you reach the desired input. The Harmony assumes that when you hit input it advances to the next input which it doesn't. So, I plugged in a couple dummy inputs so it would advance properly. The Samsung in the living room doesn't have that same problem.
Are you sure the TV doesn't have a "direct" command to each input, and not just the "scroll through the list" variety? My last TV had the same setup, but buried deep in the code were the IR commands to go directly to each input selection, even though the manufacturers remote wouldn't do it, itself.

Sounds like you found a work-around, but maybe do some research and see if the Vizio model you have might have other commands that aren't apparent. My old one (Mitsubishi) did.

BTW...Harmony remotes, FTmfW! ;)

[big0mike]

No, I guess I'm not sure... :) The Vizio remote worked the same way so I just figured out the workaround. I'll have to check...

[tele_pathic]

Does the cheaper Harmony Logitech 300i control the directv dvr? I searched the interwebz and couldn't find the answer for this specific question.

And would it be able to control my Sony blu-ray player when I access netflix online?

[Pete Rod]

Harmony remotes are the only one's I use now. I have 6. The 880, 590, 1100, 900, Xbox, 690. The 900 is the same as the One as far as I know but for the RF options. Great remotes. In my HT I use the 1100.

[Charlutz]

Does the cheaper Harmony Logitech 300i control the directv dvr? I searched the interwebz and couldn't find the answer for this specific question.

And would it be able to control my Sony blu-ray player when I access netflix online?

Yes to both. They will control anything that uses IR signals. Just about every possible device you can buy is in the Harmony database, and if it isn't, the remote can learn the commands from the remote that came with the device you are controlling. The directv dvrs are in the database as are all Sony products, I am certain, without actually checking. Just pick a Harmony based on the buttons you use. E.g., for the directv dvr, if you use the red green blue yellow buttons, make sure the harmony you buy has them. If it doesn't, you can still add them to the "soft buttons" on the lcd screen, but it's nicer if they are on the hard button layout. Same thing for all of the trick play buttons on the dvr: ff, rew, skip forward, skip back, etc.

[tele_pathic]

I may have to pick the cheaper one up from Walmarts then if it'll work. I can slide by on $30 for a remote, but have a hard time justifying $100-$300. I just need something that will turn the dvr on, swith the home theater surround on without having to first change audio inputs. Then click "movie" or "blu-ray" to get back to the home theater/blu-ray and netflixer. It will do all that?

[nuzbim]

I may have to pick the cheaper one up from Walmarts then if it'll work. I can slide by on $30 for a remote, but have a hard time justifying $100-$300. I just need something that will turn the dvr on, swith the home theater surround on without having to first change audio inputs. Then click "movie" or "blu-ray" to get back to the home theater/blu-ray and netflixer. It will do all that?

woot.com has a universal on sale today, you should check it out.

[tele_pathic]

Thanks for the heads up. It's an Acoustic Research ARRX18G XSight 18-Device Universal Learning Remote Control, here:

http://www.amazon.com/Acoustic-ARRX18G-18-Device-Universal-Touchscreen/dp/B002N1J7DU%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAJTHW6EN6CC2GJ3SQ %26tag%3Donsalepatiofurniture-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165 953%26creativeASIN%3DB002N1J7DU

$39.99 shipped. I hope it does all I need it to without the need for another remote. Reviews state that it's hard to program. Hope not. Hope I can use it to control my streaming netflix blu-ray player. Or else I'm gonna hear it from the wifey.

[tele_pathic]

Just an update, here:

http://perfectmancave.com/forum/showthread.php?t=27180&page=48

[big0mike]

Looks like it's on Yugster, or a very similar remote:

Daily Deals at Yugly Prices - Yugster.com (http://www.yugster.com/default.aspx)

[getatjbrown]

Got my Logitech Harmony 600 from eBay brand new for $40 shipped....
Spent about 30 mins figuring out the set up while synced to my laptop...... and WALAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!


I am absolutely amazed at this invention.....I now have 5 remotes sitting in a drawer with no need to ever use them.

[Wedge Rock]

Harmony 650 remote, refurbished, $40.

Daily Deals, 1 Sale A Day (http://1saleaday.com/)

[airskeeter]

Using the redeye remote ststem which works over wifi and makes any ipad, ipod touch, or iphone a wireless remote.


RedEye: control for the whole family (http://thinkflood.com/products/redeye/)