I am setting up in the closet the following equipment

Denon AVR 3808-CI AV receiver
Denon DRA-397 stereo receiver
Denon DCM-290 CD changer
Denon D-dock for iPod
Direct TV DVR
OPPO 980-H DVD player

I am thinking of using the Harmony 890 as the remote control, but I am mainly concerned about controlling the Direct TV DVR and the main functions of the OPPO (play, stop, puase, fast forward and rewind).

Is the Hamony 890 a good remote to control the Direct TV DVR and the OPPO? If not, any other recommendations?

Any comments will be appreciated.

I don't know about the Direct TV box but I'm sure it would work fine, Harmony's work fine with everything else. The problem with the 890 is the buttons are flat so it is very hard to use it by feel. I have a Harmony 659 and had recently bought a 890 but returned it because of the button feel and layout. I prefer the feel of the 6xx series but the lack RF capabilities. If you don't need RF you can go with the new Harmony One which is supposed to be fantastic, if you do need RF I would go with a 6xx series and the next generation remote control extender which gives you RF capabilities. I have not tied it but it is supposed to be excellent.

http://www.amazon.com/Next-Generation-Remote-Control-Extender/dp/B000C1Z0HA

I have an 890 and I use it with a DirecTV HD DVR and I've also used it with an Oppo DVD player. It works fine using the RF base with IR emitters. No reason why it shouldn't work for you.

More than likely with your receiver you'll want to utilize the 3.5mm IR direct input and skip the use of the emitter.

I have the 880 and use it with the DirecTV HR21 and AM21, it works great. The 890 is pretty much the same thing so I don't think you will have any problems. Check out this thread to get my delay settings for the HR21 if you want.
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1016794&highlight=delay

There is only 2 real complaints you ever hear about the 880/890. The charging bases are flaky sometimes. The first ones were real bad, but the new ones have a magnet in the center that pulls the remote down into the charger and it seems to work much better. You still need to clean the contacts on the remote every now and then as they are small and recessed, and they can get gunk collected on them and cause it not to charge very well.

The other complaint you hear is the button placement/feel. I personally really like the buttons. I got used to them fairly quickly and now I never have to look at the remote to do anything including using the soft keys at the top. There are a couple of portrusions on the transport buttons to help you locate where your finger is at, just like on a computer keyboard. I actually am more comfortable with my 880 than my Harmony One which most others seem to rave about. I'm sure I'll eventually get used to the hard button layout of the One, but I don't think I'll ever be able to use the touchscreen without looking at the remote which is my biggest complaint about it.

Like Bransj said use the 3.5mm IR input wherever you can as it makes control really slick. For your other components I would recommend using the stick on emmitters as I have heard the emitter on the base station doesn't do the greatest. You might even look into the DirecTV HR21Pro as it is the same as the HR21 but offers a few advantages such as direct IR input.

Finally, if you think you might ever want to use your remote in more than one room think about getting the 890 Pro version as it can work with multiple extenders, and in different rooms. If you shop around it doesn't cost much more.

Good luck.

Thanks for al the inputs and comments. The way I understand it, IR stickers will work best. This means that I should have the following in addition to the Harmony 890 remote:

1. IR stickers for individual equipment
2. An IR emitter connecting block
3. An RF receiver (in the closet) that converts the RF signals to IR signals

Is this the correct interpretation?

For items 1 and 2, I can perhaps buy the Xantech 291KITRP Shelf-Top IR Receiver Kit, or buy individual IR stickers and the Xantech 79000 emitter connecting block.

Any other recommendations?

Also, do I need to get the Harmony RF receiver in order to convert the RF signal from the Harmony 890 to IR signals? I assume that is not part of the Harmony 890 package.

Thanks for al the inputs and comments. The way I understand it, IR stickers will work best. This means that I should have the following in addition to the Harmony 890 remote:

1. IR stickers for individual equipment
2. An IR emitter connecting block
3. An RF receiver (in the closet) that converts the RF signals to IR signals

Is this the correct interpretation?

For items 1 and 2, I can perhaps buy the Xantech 291KITRP Shelf-Top IR Receiver Kit, or buy individual IR stickers and the Xantech 79000 emitter connecting block.

Any other recommendations?

Also, do I need to get the Harmony RF receiver in order to convert the RF signal from the Harmony 890 to IR signals? I assume that is not part of the Harmony 890 package.

If you buy the 890 it comes with an RF receiver and 8 IR emitters (4 cables with 2 emitters per cable). The RF receiver has four 3.5mm ports that you plug the dual emitter cables into or you can buy a regular 3.5mm male/male cable for a direct connection to bypass the stick-on emitters. Also, the RF receiver is an IR flasher so if it has line-of-sight with your components you could just not use the stick-on emitters. In addition to those options the 890 remote can also emit IR just like any other remote. So you have the following options:

Direct connection using 3.5mm male/male cable (use this where possible)
Stick-on emitters
RF extender flasher
890's IR output

You tell the software which way you want to control each device i.e. DVD player on Port A of the RF Extender; TV using Flasher of RF Extender; AV receiver using Port B...

The 890 PRO doesn't come with the RF extender, but you would buy it separately.

Thanks again to Bryansj and others for all the answers to my questions. I bought the Harmony 890 online today at a very good price ($219). Glad I asked questions and waited for answers before making the decision. The price I paid is at least $40 lower than what I would have paid just a few days ago!

If you use the stick on emitters, make sure you tape them in place as well.

Maybe my equipment just runs hot, but I found that I needed to tape the emitters in place to keep them from falling off.

If you use the stick on emitters, make sure you tape them in place as well.

Maybe my equipment just runs hot, but I found that I needed to tape the emitters in place to keep them from falling off.

Try hot glue it gets tacky very fast and leaves no residue when you need to remove it. You just yank it off. I use that exclusively now. I just put a bubble on the end of the emitter and quickly put it where it goes. Hold it for a second and you are done. You can easily pull it off and redo it if you need to.

Here is a rather lousy image of mine ... this emitter is a little smaller, but demonstrates the idea. Since some people asked, I'll just answer it here. I built those emitters and run them in "quads". Four emitters in series wired to one input on the IR hub. If the signal overloads the sensor, then I flip them over and let the device pick up the signal from the back of the emitter. BTW, these are side emitting diodes that measure about 4mm square and 2mm thick. In quantity they are very cheap, maybe a nickel or so.

http://thumb10.webshots.net/t/68/168/5/93/91/2799593910103500730EMcNxG_th.jpg (http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2799593910103500730EMcNxG)

Two Question - I have a Harmony 890 and I'm having a hell of a time figuring out how to control the volume on Zone 2 of my Denon 4308CI receiver. Any suggestions or where else I can go to ask?

Also, I have a Pioneer Inno hooked up to the receiver for XM satellite radio. I can't figure out if and/or how the Harmony 890 can change the radio channels? Any help here would also be appreciated.

Thanks,

Brian

Two Question - I have a Harmony 890 and I'm having a hell of a time figuring out how to control the volume on Zone 2 of my Denon 4308CI receiver. Any suggestions or where else I can go to ask?

Also, I have a Pioneer Inno hooked up to the receiver for XM satellite radio. I can't figure out if and/or how the Harmony 890 can change the radio channels? Any help here would also be appreciated.

Thanks,

Brian

Brian -

I don't have the Denon, I have a Yamaha but the principle should be the same. When I added the Yamaha with three zones I see the AVR-Zone X three times under devices. I have activities setup that associate the specific zone with the activity.

In activities that use multiple zones I created a sequence to control the volume for both or all three zones.

Hope that helps. If not, I find the Harmony phone support to be awesome.

Approx. what is the range on the RF signal from the 890?

My living room is in the center of my house and its only approx. 30' from the farthest wall - wasnt sure if I would actually need extenders to control devices in other rooms if desired.

Does the Harmony 890 send IR along with RF?

I'd like to use it to control my components that will be inside furniture, but my tv will be exposed and it would be tough to run the emitter to the tv (plus I don't want it to be seen).

Could I just point the remote at the TV and have natural IR control the TV and the RF will control the other components?

Thanks.

Approx. what is the range on the RF signal from the 890?

My living room is in the center of my house and its only approx. 30' from the farthest wall - wasnt sure if I would actually need extenders to control devices in other rooms if desired.

I believe that Harmony says that it it 100'. I regularly use it out by the pool for volume which is 50' away and behind a concrete block wall.

Does the Harmony 890 send IR along with RF?

I'd like to use it to control my components that will be inside furniture, but my tv will be exposed and it would be tough to run the emitter to the tv (plus I don't want it to be seen).

Could I just point the remote at the TV and have natural IR control the TV and the RF will control the other components?

Thanks.

When programming the 890 you select whether the device receives commands with RF or IR.

Brian -

I don't have the Denon, I have a Yamaha but the principle should be the same. When I added the Yamaha with three zones I see the AVR-Zone X three times under devices. I have activities setup that associate the specific zone with the activity.

I have an H/K and did it the same way. My "primary zone" is one Device (AVR 347); my "secondary zone" is another Device (AVR 347 - 2). Each Zone has a 3.5mm input on the back, so each one is hardwired to a separate input on the RF receiver and controlled separately to avoid accidentally controlling the wrong (or both) zones at the same time. If your receiver has separate IR code sets for each zone, you could go the IR route and set it up that way, but I still think hardwiring it is cleaner when it's available.

Good luck!

--Mav

When programming the 890 you select whether the device receives commands with RF or IR.

Got it, so I would say my TV gets IR and all others get RF and then when it sent signals to the TV it would send IR signals. Thanks.