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Post by creimes on Apr 15, 2021 9:05:40 GMT -5
Just ordered another 665 just in case. All this talk about how fragile Harmony remotes are, I’ve dropped my Elite/665/650 countless times and never broke them. Looking for the 665 and seem to be sold out everywhere, I may have a lead on some pretty close to me so I'm gonna get my co-worker to grab how ever many they have there, these Logitech remotes may turn into the new Oppo price platform hahaha |
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Apr 15, 2021 9:30:49 GMT -5
I love my Harmony remote, but I always thought it annoying how over priced they were given how fragile they are. I agree. Drop them once. Done! It is amazing considering Logitech's Swiss Asian reputation for quality. I have had many remotes. Again from the class A felony weapon metal Emotiva metal remotes and the like to the plastic made of glass parts Harmony remotes. Yeah you got to be nice to them, but they do break easily. URC remotes are much more durable. The new Control 4 remote looks good too. Many remotes out there, but I am done with remotes. My tablet and smartphone from this point forward are my everyday carry. I've been careful with my old "One" and it's still going strong. I do have a question....I haven't paid much attention to phone and tablet apps when it comes to controlling a home theater system....what is "best" and are there singular apps that do this? In other words, is there an app based replacement for Harmony and if so, how does it work? |
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Apr 15, 2021 9:59:19 GMT -5
I'm afraid I haven't kept up to date on that. (I guess sadly) most people I know who use multi-remotes seem to really like the Logitech Harmony.
It was relatively simple to create a "universal IR remote", because virtually all IR remotes use the "Pronto code set". (And even the protocols underneath the old RS-232 control system were actually standard.)
However, since no such equivalent universal standard exists for network-based control, it's a lot harder to make something that works for everyone. One hardware/app combination called iRule looked promising several years ago... However they seem to have disappeared.
That seems to be THE place where all things remote control are discussed. I'm sure there will be even livelier discussions about the best alternative now that the Harmony is going away.
LET'S MOVE FURTHER DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS TO THE NEW SECTION UNDER: (NEW) Audio Technologies
I agree. Drop them once. Done! It is amazing considering Logitech's Swiss Asian reputation for quality. I have had many remotes. Again from the class A felony weapon metal Emotiva metal remotes and the like to the plastic made of glass parts Harmony remotes. Yeah you got to be nice to them, but they do break easily. URC remotes are much more durable. The new Control 4 remote looks good too. Many remotes out there, but I am done with remotes. My tablet and smartphone from this point forward are my everyday carry. I've been careful with my old "One" and it's still going strong. I do have a question....I haven't paid much attention to phone and tablet apps when it comes to controlling a home theater system....what is "best" and are there singular apps that do this? In other words, is there an app based replacement for Harmony and if so, how does it work? |
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Post by millst on Apr 15, 2021 12:23:20 GMT -5
I'd love to hear of a good alternative. Given my reqs, I could find none recently. Phone and/or tablet only is a non-starter. It's a great add-on, but physical buttons are so much easier/quicker for small changes (e.g. tweak volume or fast forward).
URC, Crestron, and Control4 remotes look promising, but they seem to have no interest in consumer retail. Having to go through shady means to obtain unsupported software is not appealing.
Caavo looked intriguing, but doesn't fit. The rest of the remotes seem geared toward more basic setups. I have multiple zones and various smart devices to control.
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KeithL
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Post by KeithL on Apr 15, 2021 12:33:14 GMT -5
That's been my impression.... I just plain don't like touch screen remotes.
My cat does like them... which is part of the problem. And, no, I don't want a remote that I have to unlock by showing it my face (and hoping it recognizes me). And, no, I don't want to wave my hand around in front of the TV and hope it interprets my gesture properly either.
I have a nasty feeling that, in a few years, the only options are going to be touch screen and voice control. I really hope I'm wrong...  I'd love to hear of a good alternative. Given my reqs, I could find none recently. Phone and/or tablet only is a non-starter. It's a great add-on, but physical buttons are so much easier/quicker for small changes (e.g. tweak volume or fast forward). URC, Crestron, and Control4 remotes look promising, but they seem to have no interest in consumer retail. Having to go through shady means to obtain unsupported software is not appealing. Caavo looked intriguing, but doesn't fit. The rest of the remotes seem geared toward more basic setups. I have multiple zones and various smart devices to control. |
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cawgijoe
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Post by cawgijoe on Apr 15, 2021 12:55:52 GMT -5
That's been my impression.... I just plain don't like touch screen remotes. My cat does like them... which is part of the problem. And, no, I don't want a remote that I have to unlock by showing it my face (and hoping it recognizes me). And, no, I don't want to wave my hand around in front of the TV and hope it interprets my gesture properly either.
I have a nasty feeling that, in a few years, the only options are going to be touch screen and voice control. I really hope I'm wrong... I'd love to hear of a good alternative. Given my reqs, I could find none recently. Phone and/or tablet only is a non-starter. It's a great add-on, but physical buttons are so much easier/quicker for small changes (e.g. tweak volume or fast forward). URC, Crestron, and Control4 remotes look promising, but they seem to have no interest in consumer retail. Having to go through shady means to obtain unsupported software is not appealing. Caavo looked intriguing, but doesn't fit. The rest of the remotes seem geared toward more basic setups. I have multiple zones and various smart devices to control. I agree with Keith that voice control seems to be the way things are going. Definitely has it's ups and downs. Caavo looks interesting....however it's all HDMI and it's only four inputs....that's limiting....will need to read up on it. |
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Post by Pioneer on Apr 15, 2021 13:59:01 GMT -5
I just placed my order for a Harmony 665. Seems like everything physical, like movies on disc, remotes, "people that actually work at work" etc. are going away.
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Post by doc1963 on Apr 15, 2021 14:10:07 GMT -5
Many of the YouTubers have referred to the SofaBaton U1 as the “ Harmony Killer”, so I just purchased one through Amazon just to try it out. First, $50 buys you… well… what you’d expect from an inexpensive, but advanced, programmable remote. Light weight plastic, rubberized buttons that require a firm “mashing” to work and with no backlighting behind them, and a plastic protruding "scroll wheel" (used to scroll through your devices) that may inevitably break. Programming is straightforward, but requires a smartphone or tablet to download and use the “programming” app (there's no desktop app). Once you're done, all programming is stored on the remote. There is no backup of your remote's programming like there is with a Harmony. If your remote somehow "forgets" its programming, you start over from scratch. Macros, however, are a different story… The macros (or what us Harmony users would call “activities”) are based upon “button pushes” rather than device commands. Any button on the remote can be programmed as a macro, but requires careful and strategic “remapping” of vital functions (like “power”) for each device you’re intending to use in a macro. You can reassign the vital functions for those devices to any key on the remote (on a “per device” basis), but you’d better keep a log of what function and which button you’ve mapped them to. You’ll need it… Then, once you’re finally ready to program the macro, you pick the device and select the button on the remote upon which you want to execute the macro (which in my case was the “Power” button) and then enter the series of button pushes for each device used in your macro. You can also set a delay between each “push”. Once you get through all of the frustration of setting it up, it does work. But for systems with many devices requiring many “activities” (macros) and/or in an environment where backlit keys are a must, this remote is a non-starter. I have no problems using this in my living room to actively control four devices (three macros) and I must say that it works well with both my AppleTV and Nvidia Shield (Bluetooth), but there’s no way it could ever replace my Harmony in my media room. My TiVo is somewhat of a problem simply because this remote is absolute “line of sight” with very little “wall bounce". Since the IR emitter appears not to be very robust, an IR repeater would be beneficial in some cases. Is it halfway decent $50 multi-device programmable remote… maybe. Is it a “Harmony Killer”… absolutely NOT. So, if anyone is looking at the SofaBaton U1 as a replacement for your Harmony, maybe don’t bother… At $60 (ten bucks more than the SofaBaton), the Harmony 665 can never be replaced. Get them while you still can...  |
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Post by red5ive on Apr 18, 2021 2:32:08 GMT -5
Put 3 665s in the cart from Best Buy. Then I remembered I had $90 in rewards. So I used it and added a 4th. <bows his head in shame>
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Post by creimes on Apr 18, 2021 19:20:44 GMT -5
Put 3 665s in the cart from Best Buy. Then I remembered I had $90 in rewards. So I used it and added a 4th. <bows his head in shame> I purchased three of them from a store an hour and a half away from me, was a smaller city so prob would have sat anyhow so I bought all three of them, backup for me and the other two I will see if any friends or family want them, if not I will put them up for sale, $70 CAD plus taxes and cost to go get them I would prob ask close to $100 for what they cost me to buy them and pick them up, I mainly wanted one to have new in case mine ever dies I don't want to be without one haha. Chad |
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Post by carbonsummit on Jul 7, 2021 14:30:22 GMT -5
I've got an old Harmony One remote. Has anyone owned the "One" and upgraded to the Harmony Elite?
I'm curious how they compare overall. Home automation isn't really important to me, just wondering if I should upgrade while a guy can still find them out there.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jul 7, 2021 16:23:24 GMT -5
I've got an old Harmony One remote. Has anyone owned the "One" and upgraded to the Harmony Elite? I'm curious how they compare overall. Home automation isn't really important to me, just wondering if I should upgrade while a guy can still find them out there. Ha, me again! I like the Hub based remotes (like the Elite) for my 'big system'. For one thing -- with your new RMC-1 😁 -- you can run a cable directly from the Hub to the RMC and not have to worry about IR line of site. They're also fairly easy to program on a iPhone or iPad, you can also control your system from those devices. I bought an extra Harmony Companion (Remote & Hub) from BestBuy for $150 in case my Ultimate Home dies (probably should open and test it). I do use the Home Automation features, and also have the Hub extender controlling switches and plugs with ZWave, but would still use the Hub remote without it. It probably depends how many sources you have, etc. I think its worth it, but maybe the Companion would be enough for less than the Elite (and some don't like the Elite touch screen, it is sensitive) I also have an IR based Harmony (like the One) in the bedroom, and it works fine, they're simple and do the basics. We have a Harmony Remote thread too: emotivalounge.proboards.com/thread/58886/harmony-remote-discussion |
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Post by carbonsummit on Jul 19, 2021 11:15:22 GMT -5
I tried this on the Harmony Remote Discussion thread, I'll try it here too:
Does anyone here have a Fire TV? All FireSticks and Fire TV work with Bluetooth instead of IR. I can get my FireStick to work with the Elite w/ hub but it treats the Fire TV like a FireStick ie: no way to change inputs, etc. No TV functionality.
I've found a replacement remote for my TV and then tried to add other models that also work with that remote but none of them are working with the Elite. I called Harmony this morning and she wasn't really any help, she just wasn't getting that I can get the TV to pair with the hub via Bluetooth but its not giving me the functionality. I might try calling back later and see if I get someone else who maybe is more fluent in English.
So if anyone uses a Fire TV with their hub let me know if there is a trick I'm missing or let me know the model of TV you are using and I'll try that. I think its just a matter of finding a model that Harmony recognizes as a Fire TV.
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jul 19, 2021 13:59:07 GMT -5
I tried this on the Harmony Remote Discussion thread, I'll try it here too: Does anyone here have a Fire TV? All FireSticks and Fire TV work with Bluetooth instead of IR. I can get my FireStick to work with the Elite w/ hub but it treats the Fire TV like a FireStick ie: no way to change inputs, etc. No TV functionality. I've found a replacement remote for my TV and then tried to add other models that also work with that remote but none of them are working with the Elite. I called Harmony this morning and she wasn't really any help, she just wasn't getting that I can get the TV to pair with the hub via Bluetooth but its not giving me the functionality. I might try calling back later and see if I get someone else who maybe is more fluent in English. So if anyone uses a Fire TV with their hub let me know if there is a trick I'm missing or let me know the model of TV you are using and I'll try that. I think its just a matter of finding a model that Harmony recognizes as a Fire TV. In my opinion, the other thread will keep the discussion in the right place. |
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