Harmony 880....my mini review.

[N. Abstentia]

Some of you may have been following the remote threads recently and I just thought I'd share my thoughts on the Harmony 880 remote I just got in to replace my aging and outdated Home Theater Master.

When it came time for a new remote, I didn't actually need too much more than what my aging Home Theater Master SL-9000 was giving me. Basically, if the 9000 had seperate play function buttons and directional buttons I would really have no reason to upgrade. It's a great remote that just simply does not have the buttons needed for todays equipment. I looked at Home Theater Master first, at the MX-500 and MX-700. They also did not have quite enough buttons, but they could be programmed on the LCD screen. However I wanted real buttons down with the rest of the buttons where they belong.

So the next step was Harmony remotes which seemed to be all the rage. After researching, the choice came down betweeen the 676 (because of button placement) or the 880 (the King Daddy). I was all ready to go 676, but in the end reading that the 880 lights itself up when you pick it up is what sold me. It didn't take much, as I really was leaning that way because of the extra function buttons and rechargeable battery but couldn't justify the cost for those things. But the auto-light and the fact that I found it for $175 at hifeflifestyle.com (contact me for the coupon code you need for that price) sold me on the 880.

So, could it replace all these remotes? Even with my Home Theater Master I had to keep a couple of them close by. We'll see.
http://www.chuckamuck.com/ht/remotes.jpg



Well without dilly dallying, the short answer is YES. The 880 is amazing. I can throw ALL those remotes in a drawer. The web based programming is ingenius, especially since I was prepared to make it learn every button manually, as I had to do with my 2 previous remotes. The setup is a snap, the activities (which at first I could care less about...all I need it to do is switch the inputs on my receiver) are really nice and even though my setup does not require a lot of changing to be done I could see how the novice user, or someone who just wants to 'watch a movie' could really appreciate this aspect of it.

It took me a total of about 4 hours to totally program it with a Tivo, 3 DVD players, a DVD recorder, a projector, and the receiver and most of that time was actually spent tweaking it to my tastes and specific needs, plus changing the graphics and labeling of the LCD buttons. I could do it again in half the time now that I know how everything works :)

The 880 simply works like a charm. It controls everything perfectly, the illumination is awesome and it's so nice to no longer need 6 remotes laying around. In a word, I freaking love this remote. Do not hesitate to get one if you're looking for a good remote.

But, is the 880 perfect? No. Nothing is. It does have some things that I think could be improved. The first thing I noticed (and could tell by the pictures) is that the upper function buttons, the channel buttons, and the volume buttons are tiny. Even though I have fat fingers I dont' think it's going to be a major problem, but they could stand to be bigger.

I've also read about the poorly designed charging cradle...and they were right. I don't know who came up with this but it's a crap shoot to get it to charge in the cradle. Again, not a deal breaker as the a charge should last close to a week so missing a nightly charge is not a big deal.

I also noticed that the volume control seems to get 'stuck' sometimes. Like if I turn the volume up, then immediately turn it back down it still goes up even though I'm pushing down. It might just need a little more tweaking.

I also think the software could be slicker. It would be nice if it would show you on the screen where the custom LCD buttons would actually be on the screen.

But I consider all of these minor issues and I would not even consider returning the remote for any of those issues. I had a blast setting it up and making custom labels for the upper buttons. I would not hesitate to recommend this remote to anyone. If you know how to surf the internet, you can set this puppy up the way you want it in a couple of hours if you have a simpler system.

[GMichael]

Thanks. Mrs Santa will have my list by morning.

[HAVIC]

N. Abstentia, I feel the same way about the remote, its not perfect but pretty close. I agree that they website should allow you to place the programmable buttons anywhere on the screen you want.

Also I had a sticking button issue at first, I called them and they told me that the after using it for a week or 2 it should go away and it did, not problems since. They also said if it didn't to call them back.

I found even after my initial 4 or so hour setup that I needed to make changes. I recommend you to write a list of what you want to change as you use it. I did that initially and I got things tweaked real nice. However as I've continued to use it every now and then I realize something is missing, but I forget what it is because it isn't something I use all the time. The result of this is I had to pull out the real remote 2 or 3 times in 3 months. Not horrible but I just wish I had a list of the changes and put the other remotes away for good.

Good luck with it

[N. Abstentia]

Yep, that's exactly what I'm doing..writing down stuff that was missed the first time :)

[snodog]

N.Abstentia, That is quite an HT room you have! How many times have the neighbors been over? Also, you know you could put up the little posts with the ropes outside leading into the place and take tickets at the door (or just cash)

I agree with the review of the remote and wrote a bit about it myself.

[N. Abstentia]

I have neighbors, friends, and family over constantly. They all know the admission price...10 hot wings. I have my price :)

[oldsmoboat]

Can you or have you programmed the PIP function with this remote?
I have had two different Universal remotes and neither would work with PIP.

[EdwardGein]

The biggest plus over the Harmony 676 which I have from what I've read is the automatic lighting up/glowing part & recharging system (assuming the cradle will be improved from the problems you guys had). The biggest negative, and I may be misinterpreting some posts here is, on the 676 There is a single button on top for TV, another one for music & another one for DVD & all I have to do is press one if those buttons and I can do an entire operstion with one push- I.E., The TV button turns the TV on in the right input/composite setting, turns the receiver onto the TV function & turns the DVR/Cable Box on. The DVD button turns the DVD & receiver on the DVD function. The Music button turns the receiver on & the DVD player on. It sounds like on the 880 you have to go through the device menu to do that. If I'm wrong correct me. As I got Harmony to program any button touch to make the remote glow, that major problem I had is gone. I'm not saying the Harmony 676 is better then the 880, if I didn't have the 676 I'd buy the 880 but it doesn't sound like its worth getting rid of my 676 remotes for.

[N. Abstentia]

No you don't have to go through the device buttons, just press one of the activity buttons. The difference with the 880 is that there are 8 of them (maybe more, as you can add pages of commands) instad of 4 on the other Harmony remotes. Plus with the 880 you can label them anything you want. For instance with my 880 I have one called 'Play Xbox', one for 'Play SACD', and so on. With the 676 you are stuck with those buttons they give you.

[EdwardGein]

No you don't have to go through the device buttons, just press one of the activity buttons. The difference with the 880 is that there are 8 of them (maybe more, as you can add pages of commands) instad of 4 on the other Harmony remotes. Plus with the 880 you can label them anything you want. For instance with my 880 I have one called 'Play Xbox', one for 'Play SACD', and so on. With the 676 you are stuck with those buttons they give you.

Thanks for explaining Right now I'm limited to 3 basic activities anyway. The other thing I don't quite understand is if you have 2 different TV brands. Can you use the TV activity on both of them or in your case, can you have 2 TV activity buttons? I'm assuing you have Tv's in different parts of your house including your masterpiece. Are you using just the one remote for the whole house or did you buy several like I did?

[N. Abstentia]

I only use the Harmony on my main system, the Tivo remote handles the other TV.

If you have two different TV's you want to control with the Harmony..let's say for instance a Samsung and a Toshiba, you would just make 2 different activites. You could label one 'watch Samsung TV' and one 'watch Toshiba TV'.

[topspeed]

Elaborate on the "Activities" button, if you don't mind. I'm guessing these are macros that do multiple functions with the touch of one button (i.e. turn on the tv, turn on stb, turn on avr, switch the avr to satellite, etc.) correct?

When programming, is it done by hooking up the remote to your computer via firewire or what? Is all of the programming done on your computer an then downloaded to the remote? I guessing you still need to "learn" some functions from the original remote, correct?

The reason I'm asking is that for some reason my Sony RMA3000 refuses to turn my new set on with the macros. It will turn it off, but not on. Not a big deal, but annoying nonetheless. However, before I go through the hassle of programming another master remote (a process I cherish about as much as getting an enema), I want to make sure it's worth my while.

[eisforelectronic]

is there an ir repeater for the Harmonys

[evil__betty]

Elaborate on the "Activities" button, if you don't mind. I'm guessing these are macros that do multiple functions with the touch of one button (i.e. turn on the tv, turn on stb, turn on avr, switch the avr to satellite, etc.) correct?

When programming, is it done by hooking up the remote to your computer via firewire or what? Is all of the programming done on your computer an then downloaded to the remote? I guessing you still need to "learn" some functions from the original remote, correct?

The reason I'm asking is that for some reason my Sony RMA3000 refuses to turn my new set on with the macros. It will turn it off, but not on. Not a big deal, but annoying nonetheless. However, before I go through the hassle of programming another master remote (a process I cherish about as much as getting an enema), I want to make sure it's worth my while.
When you get the remote home and after the battery is initially charged, you have to install some Logitec softwware onto your computer and connect the remote using a USB cable. For this next step you will have to know all of your model numbers for your hardware and what settings they have to be on in order to operate properly (example: to watch a DVD, the TV must be on, tuned to input 2, receiver must be on and turned to DVD, all other devices off). You can check this process out on the Harmony website here (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm?CRID=2078&PAGE=products/features/harmony&countryid=19&languageid=1). Once that has been done, you test out your remote to make sure that the simple macros are working properly.

If everything is working fine, then the fine tuning of the remote begins. Obviously, there are going to be buttons on the original remote that are not on the Harmony (the 'eject' button, for example) - this is where you need to start taking notes! When you hit 'Watch a DVD' activity function - and everything turns on - you will be left with a blank LCD screen. If you want to add the 'Eject' button to the remote, here is where you have your chance. You will have to connect the Harmony to your computer, load the software and enter that you want the 'eject' button on the LCD when you select 'watch a DVD'. Same thing if you want to add the 'Angle' button, or the THX button (if you have a THX receiver), or even just the dimmer button (again, for your receiver). Now this sounds kinda complicated, but it really isn't that bad once you get going on it. Eventually, you will have the remote set up so that everything you need is in front of you on one remote.

Once the activity is working, and you want to access just one feature on your receiver that you haven't made into a hot key, you will have to press the 'Device' button and select which device you want to control. This will bring up absolutly every button that is on your original receiver (or whatever you want to control). There will be many, many pages of options so you will never have to 'teach' your new Harmony anything (y'know, the old point each remote at one another and hit the function that you want it to learn while at the same time pressing 4 other buttons for the code to work).

Whenever you want to change anything on your remote, you will have to plug it in to the computer and do everything there. It will then download all the changes that you have made onto your remote. This step is kinda a pain especially if your computer is on a different floor in you house than your theatre system is.

I reccommend buying it - you won't be dissappointed in what it can do!

[evil__betty]

is there an ir repeater for the Harmonys
You can just buy any IR repeater and use it. That way you can keep your gear in a different room and still control everything.

[topspeed]

Thanks for the link Evil. The fact that every button is downloaded via USB is very appealing. I'll do some more research, but this could very well be what I ask for Christmas from Mrs. Claus :).

[N. Abstentia]

Elaborate on the "Activities" button, if you don't mind. I'm guessing these are macros that do multiple functions with the touch of one button (i.e. turn on the tv, turn on stb, turn on avr, switch the avr to satellite, etc.) correct?



Yeah the activites are basically macros. The main difference is that if it misses a step you can press the 'help' button and it will try to figure out what didn't happen and will retry just that command.

The programming is done via USB connection to your computer. It downloads everything from the internet and setup is a snap. You just tell it what components you have and they're ready to go. You can also manually teach it some buttons if you need to, which I needed to do a few times.

[EdwardGein]

Basically the way Harmony 676 & 880 Remotes (maybe all of Harmony I'm not sure) work is you get a screen name & password from Harmony/LogiTech's web site. From there you fill a check list out on all the devices you want the remote to work on & the model namer. You also list what devises need to be on to do what is called an Activity such as listen to music, watch TV & watch a DVD. For instance to watch TV, your Tv set has to be on say Component 2, your receiver has to be on TV & your cable box/DVR has to be on as well. With Harmony once you press the TV activity it does all that. At times for whatever reason, the TV or PVR might not go on when you press the activity. You then press the Help button on the remote & its asks you a few questions & gets them back on right away. Anyway, everything you put on under your screenname, you download into your remote. It takes 2-5 minutes. From their you'll probably have to fine tune it, either by yourself or if you call up customer service they will do it for you & you again download what they did off the computer. Your remote is attached by USB. They can change the order of the commands (I.E) on my TV function I have PVR list as one of my first items) etc. Basically everything you'd like done, they can do with a phone call. The key thing is for you to write everything done what you want it to do & they can do it for you with one phone call. If money is no issue, buy the 880 If you want to save $50-$75 buy the 676. They might have some cheaper models too that do the same thing. The best thing about the Harmony Remotes is it just gets rid of clutter of have a bunch of remotes around to do things. I'd also suggest, if you have your stuff in 2 or 3 different rooms like living room, bedroom & den, seperate Harmony Remotes in each room. On a single Activity button , you can not have say 2 TV brands on (You would need 2 activity buttons).