DVR Chatter

jganyard · 01-12-2007 10:28:09 AM

Okay y'all I need help... I really can't decide which Harmony to get. Why a Harmony when there are other cheaper universals?

Very high WAF
Easy PC programming
Colorful blinking things (ooOOOooooOOh)

What do you folks have?

ghoofie · 01-12-2007 10:49:33 AM

I have the 659. Last year model I guess. It's pretty basic. I think the most basic they had at the time. It was $125. It does the job for us with great success. Yes it might have been great to have a color screen. Yes a few more already labeled buttons would have been nice. But we programmed a few functions on buttons we don't use as supplied, so it does the trick. After a few short weeks we got used to the position of buttons pretty easily.
It DOES go through the batteries.... I think about every 7-8 weeks maybe ?

I LOVE OURS...

jganyard · 01-12-2007 11:09:38 AM

Thanks for the input ghoofie...

Right now I am leaning towards the 880, 720 or 550.

ghoofie · 01-12-2007 4:14:30 PM

These things are so expensive. People think we are crazy to have spent $100 on a remote..but we love it.

Put all the original remotes away and only one remote floating around the room.

Last edited by ghoofie (01-12-2007 4:15:05 PM)

Georgia Guy · 01-12-2007 4:19:01 PM

Nothing wrong with the Home Theater's MX-500 and it's fancier big brothers, either. Harmony is the remote-de-jour, and I'm sure they are great. But, check out some of the others, as well. I like the MX500's so well, I have 3 of them, but you can no longer get the iclone device and software for them (that I use for pc set-ups). The fancier MX models have all the cool online programming stuff, tho.

http://www.surfremotecontrol.com/Mercha … y_Code=HTM

andyross · 01-12-2007 4:26:22 PM

If you like a more technical challenge, you can do quite alot with the OneForAll remotes and the JP1 connector. The silver Comcast remotes are OneForAll's, and the latest software now supports the JP1.2 connector they use.

jganyard · 01-12-2007 11:21:42 PM

Thanks for the input guys...

Georgia Guy: I did consider the URC MX line as it looked like it was a much better developed product. However I ruled it out because of this: http://www.remotecentral.com/wn060801.htm

I just cannot give my $$ to a company that would screw end-users like that; regardless of where the end-user bought their product.

Andyross: I also considered the JP1 remotes including the existing silver Comcast remotes we have. Unfortunately they have two huge hits against them: 1) The silver Comcast remote only handles 3 devices (I have 5 now - TV, Receiver, DVR, DVD and Xbox 360). 2) It just doesn't pass the WAF test like I know a Harmony would. While the geek in me loves the opportunity to "hack" something. I need something that will make the little lady happy too.

So that essentially is why I came to rest on the Harmony series....

Of which I'm now considering the 670 in addition to the 880, 720 or 550. Logitech sure doesn't make it easy. Time for them to simplify their product line.

Frank- Surprised you've been silent.. don't you have a Harmony?

Last edited by jganyard (01-12-2007 11:23:00 PM)

Frank · 01-13-2007 1:22:11 AM

I figured my experiences and opinions of the Harmony 659 (also known as my love affair) are fairly well known and were close to being seen as "shilling" (albeit for free) and figured I'd let the discussion develop without stating yet again how deeply my affection for it runs.

You press a button telling it what you want it to do, it turns on what needs to be turned on and puts the keys where you put them. You choose another activity, it turns off what doesn't need to be turned on anymore, turns on what does, and your buttons are what you need them to be.

I haven't yet seen a remote discussion that didn't have at least one "buttons are too small for my fingers" or "Buttons are too close" I applaud Harmony for their dedication to variety.

LowLight21 · 01-13-2007 10:18:09 AM

I just received my 670 yesterday, and so far I love it. I had gotten pretty used to the Comcastic-issued remote, so it's going to take a while to get used to a new button setup. It seemed that every time I wanted to have the remote do something for me, I could find it. For example, when I first programmed my "Watch a DVD" button, it would turn off my 6412 because it wasn't used by the "Watch a DVD" activity. I decided to figure out how to get my 6412 to stay on all the time, and found an exact option that won't ever cause the Harmony to turn off the 6412. Also, when I listen to music, I turn on all channel stereo, so I've added that as part of the startup options for my "Listen to Music" activity. It's just awesome.

andyross · 01-13-2007 11:03:01 AM

For a JP1 remote, consider the URC-8910. Supports 8 devices, and has a simple LCD display. With an extender, you can add features such as separate long keypress codes (I use it on the device keys. Holding them down runs a macro that turns things on and set the proper ports.) You also get access to the full memory. Normally, only a small amount is available for programming. Half is set aside for learning, even on remotes without learning! With the ability to create your own device codes, you usually don't need to learn codes.

RoadHazard · 01-15-2007 12:34:22 PM

I, too, sprung for the Harmony 670 remote and I'm reasonably happy with it.

Like most everyone else, I think the buttons are too small, particularly the Play, Rewind, Pause, and FastForward. In other words, the buttons you use the most :-(

I chose the 670 over other "Har-Money" models because its layout most closely approximates the TiVo remote (the gold standard, in my opinion). And it would have, if the %*(^(#! buttons were just a bit bigger.

I'm quite pleased that it operates my obscure NEC plasma screen with no problems. That right there was worth the price of admission. The setup software is a bit weird and was apparently developed by non-English speakers, but you get used to it. Logitech's default setups work pretty well right out of the box, but you'll spend weeks tinkering with them anyway to get things juuuuussst right. Like LowLight, I taught it to leave my 3416 DVR on all the time instead of turning it off when it's not needed.

All in all, pretty slick. Just pay close attention to the button layout, because that's the only thing you can't change.

DVR Chatter

#1 01-12-2007 10:28:09 AM

Which Harmony to get?

#2 01-12-2007 10:49:33 AM

Re: Which Harmony to get?

#3 01-12-2007 11:09:38 AM

Re: Which Harmony to get?

#4 01-12-2007 4:14:30 PM

Re: Which Harmony to get?

#5 01-12-2007 4:19:01 PM

Re: Which Harmony to get?

#6 01-12-2007 4:26:22 PM

Re: Which Harmony to get?

#7 01-12-2007 11:21:42 PM

Re: Which Harmony to get?

#8 01-13-2007 1:22:11 AM

Re: Which Harmony to get?

#9 01-13-2007 10:18:09 AM

Re: Which Harmony to get?

#10 01-13-2007 11:03:01 AM

Re: Which Harmony to get?

#11 01-15-2007 12:34:22 PM

Re: Which Harmony to get?

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