For Harmony Remote owners - how customizable?

[tchapin]

I've been using Harmony 676 remotes for a few years. I really like the remotes. The "activity" concept really makes a lot of sense to me and they are easy to use.

All Harmony remotes access the same site / tool for configuration.

I wish that I could have one account and link my three remotes to it. I'd also like to be able to share equipment between remotes. For example, I have 3 MVPs. I also use Onkyo receivers, which all have the same IR commands. It'd be nice if there was an easy way to configure them across my three remotes.

When you are in an activity, there are the soft buttons up near the screen (or the screen itself if you have a touchscreen remote). The Harmony software will automatically throw all the "extra" commands for the devices in your activity on that screen. And their website for managing the remote button configuration is annoying and slow to use.

I think the complaint that it's only web-based setup is sort of silly. How often do you have to configure the remote, and how likely is it that you'll have to do it when you don't have an internet connection. I would say that if you don't have a home internet connection of any kind, don't get a Harmony.

They are fairly easy to configure, but Logitech has not updated the site / tool in a long time, so it's still very "web 0.75". And they totally need to hire a UI designer. See this example below:

You can configure extra commands to fire at the start of or end of an activity. To do that,

• from the main screen, click the "customize" link for the activity you want.
• Then run the setup wizard again and click through all the settings.
• It'll then ask you to review the settings. Choose "Yes, but I want to add more control of options and devices for this Activity."
• Click "save".
• Click through a few more settings.
• Then you'll get to a screen that says "Please review the actions for your Project DVD Activity:"
• Now you can add any custom commands for when you start or exit an activity.

Overall though, I am very happy with the Harmony remotes, but they are not perfect.

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by stanger89

FWIW, my URC MX880 was much easier to program and much more flexible than the Xbox 360 Harmony I tried a while back. That's not even getting into just the superior quality and feel of the remote itself. Of course the 880 is 4x the price of that Harmony so it better be

OT i know... but how'd you get the software for your MX880?... i am under the impression that URC doesnt want to give the end user the software for their "professional" remotes and wants your dealer to do all the programming...

[CollinR]

Odd the MX880 isn't listed but all you do is go HERE and provide the serial number on the device. Check the box that says you want to DL the software at the same time as registration. The where did you buy it fields are not required.

Also 3 of the ones I have DLed the serial I used was a used remote that had probably already been registered.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

OT i know... but how'd you get the software for your MX880?... i am under the impression that URC doesnt want to give the end user the software for their "professional" remotes and wants your dealer to do all the programming...

My dealer burned me a copy of the SW. That put me off for a while too. But just check with your dealer that they'll give you the software and it will be fine.

Originally Posted by CollinR

Odd the MX880 isn't listed but all you do is go HERE and provide the serial number on the device. Check the box that says you want to DL the software at the same time as registration. The where did you buy it fields are not required.

Also 3 of the ones I have DLed the serial I used was a used remote that had probably already been registered.

I think they might not offer that anymore for the 880, 890 and 3000.

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by stanger89

My dealer burned me a copy of the SW. That put me off for a while too. But just check with your dealer that they'll give you the software and it will be fine.

Originally Posted by Wayneb

URC lets the dealer decide about the software, just ask before you hand over any money. If the dealer refuses to give you the software, find a new dealer.

I had no trouble getting the software for my MX-980, if anybody here lives in So. California, I highly recommend Surf Remote.

Good to know thanks guys... URC is looking more and more fantastic (current harmony owner here...).

[mayamaniac]

I have a Harmony 880 and I don't like the button layout at all. The playback control button layout is not like on standard remotes. The other buttons are also weird shaped. I guess I just like the typical square/rectangular buttons like the ones with the SageTV extenders. Of course with any remote, if you take the time to get use to the layout, then it would be less of a problem.

[stanger89]

But some layouts are just bad. That's one thing I really like about my URC, and honestly is one of the two (well sorta three) reasons I went with URC over a Harmony. Software wise, like noted above, I'm sure I could have gotten where I wanted with a Harmony. But the deal killer for me was Harmony's hardware.

Asside from the One, I just really don't like the layout, but maybe moreso, I don't like the feel of the buttons. So I searched and searched and kept coming back to URC. I kept resisting because of the cost, and the "difficulty" getting the SW, but eventually I broke down and stopped by the local dealer so I could pick up an 880.

And after having one, I agree with some other comments it's about the best programable "DVR remote" out there. The controls very well thought out, and the buttons feel great. They're big, you can find them by touch, or by the motion-activated backlight, and they're in almost the perfect location (though I'd personally have swapped Pause and Stop )

[mayamaniac]

My needs are simple. All I need the remote to do is turn On/Off the TV and SageTV extender with a push of a button and have a standard button layout and button design. The Harmony One seems to have perfect button layout and design. I'm waiting for the price to go down a bit. I just can't justify spending over $100 on a remote no matter how great the design and function. I got a refurbished Harmony 880 for $80 and I thought that was expensive for a remote.

[stanger89]

Oh yeah, RF. That was why I didn't get the One, it's (stupidly) not RF capable, which means I'd have been stuck with the crappy layout and buttons of the other Harmony remotes.

[mayamaniac]

The Harmony 900 seems to be the RF version of the One.

[xxLJLxx]

Originally Posted by stanger89

Asside from the One, I just really don't like the layout, but maybe moreso, I don't like the feel of the buttons. So I searched and searched and kept coming back to URC. I kept resisting because of the cost, and the "difficulty" getting the SW, but eventually I broke down and stopped by the local dealer so I could pick up an 880.

The URC MX-880 remote looks really impressive. I was going to ask if the software and the programming with the URC remotes were similar or even better than Logitech's? I personally like it and have been using the Harmony 880 for some time now and love it but was just wondering about the others....

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

The Harmony 900 seems to be the RF version of the One.

and the top is a touchscreen which is why that's off the table for me... i wouldn't be able to feel my way around the remote in the dark... Other then that it looks like a very nice layout/etc...

I have a Harmony 880 and after getting used to the button layout it works well for me... although its getting a little long in the tooth (3 yrs) and the volume buttons don't work so well anymore...

[cncb]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

I just can't justify spending over $100 on a remote no matter how great the design and function.

I have a similar opinion. You could buy 2 HD-200s for the price of 1 MX-880 .

[cncb]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

and the top is a touchscreen which is why that's off the table for me... i wouldn't be able to feel my way around the remote in the dark... Other then that it looks like a very nice layout/etc...

I am leaning towards the 700 for this very reason. I prefer none of it to be a touchscreen and I certainly don't see the reasoning in having the small touchscreen.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by mayamaniac

The Harmony 900 seems to be the RF version of the One.

Unfortunately (for Harmony) that wasn't out when I was buying. I remember searching and the lack of an RF capable "One" was a common complaint.

Originally Posted by xxLJLxx

The URC MX-880 remote looks really impressive. I was going to ask if the software and the programming with the URC remotes were similar or even better than Logitech's? I personally like it and have been using the Harmony 880 for some time now and love it but was just wondering about the others....

I think in most ways the URC software is much more straightforward. If you want to do something, you just do it. Of course that does come at a cost, with the Harmony (from what I remember) you pick your equipment and it auto-configures your activities. URC starts you with a blank slate, you have to make your activities from scratch.

The part that's more straightforward though is that there aren't any wizards you have to work around to get the macros to do what you want, you just do it.

[razrsharpe]

Originally Posted by stanger89

I think in most ways the URC software is much more straightforward. If you want to do something, you just do it. Of course that does come at a cost, with the Harmony (from what I remember) you pick your equipment and it auto-configures your activities. URC starts you with a blank slate, you have to make your activities from scratch.

The part that's more straightforward though is that there aren't any wizards you have to work around to get the macros to do what you want, you just do it.

Does the mx-880 (or urc in remotes in general) keep track of the power state for your equipment?... so if im watching sage and switch to watching my comcast dvr (ie changing activities) does the remote try to return everything on again (which with equipment that does not have unique on/off remote codes will turn a bunch of equipment off)...

[Fuzzy]

I find I much prefer using GIRDER for any serious automation tasks, and just map any remote to the events there. This allows me to choose a remote that has JUST the functions I need, in the button layout I prefer (currently, I'm using a Home-Theater Master MX-500 that I got about 5 years ago. Still works great.

[stanger89]

Originally Posted by razrsharpe

Does the mx-880 (or urc in remotes in general) keep track of the power state for your equipment?... so if im watching sage and switch to watching my comcast dvr (ie changing activities) does the remote try to return everything on again (which with equipment that does not have unique on/off remote codes will turn a bunch of equipment off)...

That's up to you, like I said a URC is a blank slate, you build the macros and activities from scratch. They support variables, so my setup keeps track of power state and only turns stuff on if it's not. But if you've got boxes with discrete codes you wouldn't have to keep track. It's up to you.

FWIW, some of the less expensive URCs (like the 810 vs the 880 I have) have a wizard-based programming software that I believe is more Harmony like.

[CollinR]

I on the other hand only have discrete codes and with the massive URC database it's usually easy to find them so I have no need to keep track of state. Unfortunately I haven't found discrete codes for the MVPs, in their case I built an MVP IO button on the pages of the rooms that have MVPs.

Not that that works for sh!t anyway!

[toricred]

I've been using a Harmony 880 for almost 2 years now and I really like it, but it was refurbished when I bought it and it's beginning to develop some problems. I've been looking for a replacement and one of the options I've been looking at is a URC-R50. I'm trying to make sure it has the codes for all of my equipment. I can't find anywhere that has the list of supported devices published. My main concern is my Honeywell TV.

1. Where can I find a list of supported devices?
2. What do people think of the R50?