The RF version of the One (plus a few changes) it's finally here:

http://blog.logitech.com/2009/08/11/goodbye-clutter-new-logitech-harmony-900-remote/

There's also an early review up at cnet:

http://reviews.cnet.com/remote-controls/logitech-harmony-900/4505-7900_7-33743663.html?part=cnet&subj=Logitech+Harmony+900

Will be very interested to hear opinions as it becomes available and people start actually using in home theaters. Might be going on my christmas list for Santa if it turns out to be as good as it looks.

OK, what's the deal with the mini blasters? Is that stupid idea going to be what keeps me from upgrading my 890? I currently have four zones that I need to control and the unit has three flashers (main and two mini blasters) instead of the previous nine (eight emitters and one flasher). Does the base unit still accept 3.5mm connections for direct IR connections or stick-on emitters? You would think that with the PS3 adapter they would make use if its 2.5mm port with this new remote.

Also, what about Z-wave or zigbee?

Edit: I watched the CNET review. They say the RF system is significantly better, but I don't agree. There are two ports on the back of the main blaster for the two mini blasters. So I would assume you could plug any IR emitter into those ports, but you still only have two ports. If they are so much better then you could probably plug in four mini blasters into the 890's RF extender. The only thing that would be "better" is that you don't have to plug a USB cable into the RF extender for updates.

Also, with the non-stick-on emitter route you lose control of porting IR through individual ports to control devices that have identical IR commands such as multiple DVRs.

How disappointing after waiting so long...

Yeah agree, what if you have 3-4 satellite receivers at one location, how would you control each of those individually using 3-4 harmony 900s...

Does anyone know if the RF technology is more reliable than the current logitech RF repeaters (which are one way and somewhat unreliable). Would be nice if the new RF was bidirectional for confirmation of transmission and had extended range.

Also, can we assume the software on this unit is as solid as the One software and not flakey like the 1000 series software?

With those two items addressed (more reliable RF and solid software), this is a no brainer for me. I'm dying to get rid of the 1000 and had been considering a 890, until now.

OK, what's the deal with the mini blasters? Is that stupid idea going to be what keeps me from upgrading my 890? I currently have four zones that I need to control and the unit has three flashers (main and two mini blasters) instead of the previous nine (eight emitters and one flasher). Does the base unit still accept 3.5mm connections for direct IR connections or stick-on emitters? You would think that with the PS3 adapter they would make use if its 2.5mm port with this new remote.

Also, what about Z-wave or zigbee?

Edit: I watched the CNET review. They say the RF system is significantly better, but I don't agree. There are two ports on the back of the main blaster for the two mini blasters. So I would assume you could plug any IR emitter into those ports, but you still only have two ports. If they are so much better then you could probably plug in four mini blasters into the 890's RF extender. The only thing that would be "better" is that you don't have to plug a USB cable into the RF extender for updates.

Also, with the non-stick-on emitter route you lose control of porting IR through individual ports to control devices that have identical IR commands such as multiple DVRs.

How disappointing after waiting so long...
for devices in one area, the blaster is much better than the RF extender...

can't seem to find it, but one beta tester took apart the new blaster and it has 4 IR blasters inside it firing in all directions...the range/strength is amazing, and it bounces everywhere...

can be problematic for those with two identical devices that don't allow for assiging different IR addresses...

the 900 is compatible with up to 5 'main blasters'...
the back has two 2.5mm mono connections. if you could find/create a 2.5mm to 3.5mm mono cable, you could still connect directly to a device...also, I suppose if you have the existing blaster tip cables, it you get a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter, they should probably work....if you do this, you can once again put one on port a and the other on port b for separate control.

I was very hesitant about the new blasters as well, but in the end I'm quite happy with them.

and no z-wave...doubt you'll see that on a logitech remote anytime soon

Does anyone know if the RF technology is more reliable than the current logitech RF repeaters (which are one way and somewhat unreliable). Would be nice if the new RF was bidirectional for confirmation of transmission and had extended range.

Also, can we assume the software on this unit is as solid as the One software and not flakey like the 1000 series software?

With those two items addressed (more reliable RF and solid software), this is a no brainer for me. I'm dying to get rid of the 1000 and had been considering a 890, until now.
I assume you mean firmware...the software on the computer is the same for all remotes (although the 890pro interface is quite different)...the firmware is pretty rock solid. I've used the 880, One, 890, 510, 1100 and 900....the 900 is on par with stability of the One. We're seeing a quirk right now about the initial IR/RF not firing immediately after an update, but it works fine after that. I'm sure it'll be fixed in the near future.

no bi-directional...that would require a way for the devices to communicate back...and no native IR device has that

Yeah agree, what if you have 3-4 satellite receivers at one location, how would you control each of those individually using 3-4 harmony 900s...
if they're satellite boxes, chances are you can change the IR address for the box itself using the original remote/menu system on the sat box.

once you do that, it's the same for all harmony remotes, just use the 'confirm ir commands' option in the setup, devices tab, settings....

you'll show 3 commands from the original remote (using it's unique IR address) to the harmony remote, and that'll change over the code set being used for that device

as far as the 3-4 harmony 900 comment...not sure why you would have 3-4 harmony 900s trying to work together...but it wouldn't be needed....also, only the 890Pro allows for multiple remotes in one account/setup...because it's the only remote that can communicate with other remotes. so you could setup two 890Pros in one account and have them paired with the same extender and control the same devices...one remote would know what state the devices are 'expected to be in' based on the other remotes current activity

Wannabe - yes firmware ("software" resident on remote).

On bidirrectional RF, I do not mean bidirrectional from the end device; I mean the RF extender confirms to the remote that it has correctly received an IR command for transmission to the end device. Simply put, proper handshaking between the remote and extender. I get the sense that the 1000 with RF simply sends out the RF to the extender and if it gets there, it gets there, if not, not.

as far as the 3-4 harmony 900 comment...not sure why you would have 3-4 harmony 900s trying to work together...but it wouldn't be needed....also, only the 890Pro allows for multiple remotes in one account/setup...because it's the only remote that can communicate with other remotes. so you could setup two 890Pros in one account and have them paired with the same extender and control the same devices...one remote would know what state the devices are 'expected to be in' based on the other remotes current activity

don't wanna get off topic but it's for different zones, I'm putting all hardware in one location, so each zone I would like to have it's own remote, but If you can change the IR address as you said, it should not be an issue....

But would I need a separate RF unit for each h900..or will each h900 be able to connect to that one unit....i'm guessing separate rf units :/

It just looks like Logitech had too many support calls about people not putting the stick-on emitters in the correct location. They should have at least added some extra ports on the back then I would be happy.

It just looks like Logitech had too many support calls about people not putting the stick-on emitters in the correct location. They should have at least added some extra ports on the back then I would be happy.
splitters my man...no one says you can't use an adapter to split the port into two connections each

splitters my man...no one says you can't use an adapter to split the port into two connections each

Does the software allow the two ports to be assigned directly assigned per device?

It also looks like I would need to switch out my Z-wave to IRLinc http://www.amazon.com/Receiver-Control-INSTEON-lighting-wireless/dp/B0013O931Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249996220&sr=8-1

don't wanna get off topic but it's for different zones, I'm putting all hardware in one location, so each zone I would like to have it's own remote, but If you can change the IR address as you said, it should not be an issue....

But would I need a separate RF unit for each h900..or will each h900 be able to connect to that one unit....i'm guessing separate rf units :/
if the devices are shared and sent to different displays by a distribution matrix, the recently discontinued 890Pro is your only bet.

if all the devices are just in one location, but not shared (i.e. each zone has it's own dvr, br player, receiver, etc...), multiple 900 remotes would work fine. each would come with it's own blaster and the pairing is unique...but I would think you would want to get an adapter (2.5mm mono to 3.5mm mono) so that you could still use the old style IR blaster cables.

I have great faith in logitech that they see the need for more precision control and that there will be some sort of accessory pack

Does the software allow the two ports to be assigned directly assigned per device?

It also looks like I would need to switch out my Z-wave to IRLinc http://www.amazon.com/Receiver-Control-INSTEON-lighting-wireless/dp/B0013O931Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1249996220&sr=8-1
software...no
remote itself...yup

the entire RF setup is now a guided walkthrough on the remote itself...I'm using two main blasters. you can first assign a device to blaster 1 or 2 (or 5 if you have that many) and then you can also assign devices to specific ports.

I didn't see it anywhere but is there a release or availability date?

Also, Wannabe mentioned in the Logitech blog that they included a sleep timer...nice addition on top of everything else.

My system setup isnt complicated, everything is in the entertainment center and i think this should work perfect without having to run another cable. The $400 is a bit steep tho!

Square...time for new icons?

I didn't see it anywhere but is there a release or availability date?

Also, Wannabe mentioned in the Logitech blog that they included a sleep timer...nice addition on top of everything else.

My system setup isnt complicated, everything is in the entertainment center and i think this should work perfect without having to run another cable. The $400 is a bit steep tho!

Square...time for new icons?
square has a lot of new icons ready...just not published...we needed icons to beta test ;)

the way logitech typically handles new remotes is announcement = ship date from logitech to the stores...so keep an eye out

The $400 is a bit steep tho!

Well, the 890 is also listed as a $399.95 remote, but it sells for much less in retail ($236 on Amazon right now).

I agree...while the MSRP is $400...when is the last time you paid MSRP for anything (non apple)?

I didn't see it anywhere but is there a release or availability date?

Also, Wannabe mentioned in the Logitech blog that they included a sleep timer...nice addition on top of everything else.

My system setup isnt complicated, everything is in the entertainment center and i think this should work perfect without having to run another cable. The $400 is a bit steep tho!

Square...time for new icons?
i'm updating the site in the next day or two to host the new 900 favorite icons database.
i can tell you already that the screen resolution on the new 900 is much improved and the new icons look fantastic (imho). i've been using the beta product for awhile and the resolution combined with the nice animated screen transitions make for a very sharp user experience.

Hey Square,

Hope all is well.

This only makes the decision easier! Just gotta wait for a nice price from Amazon or another retailer!

i'm updating the site in the next day or two to host the new 900 favorite icons database.
i can tell you already that the screen resolution on the new 900 is much improved and the new icons look fantastic (imho). i've been using the beta product for awhile and the resolution combined with the nice animated screen transitions make for a very sharp user experience.

i'm updating the site in the next day or two to host the new 900 favorite icons database.
i can tell you already that the screen resolution on the new 900 is much improved and the new icons look fantastic (imho). i've been using the beta product for awhile and the resolution combined with the nice animated screen transitions make for a very sharp user experience.

sounds really nice what do you think of it in comparison to the 1100 aside from the fact they are completely different remotes. i need a second rf remote and i was all set on getting the 1100 now i'm debating between going with it and the 900. I assume the 900 still works with the old rf extender as well

no, the 900 only works with the new extender/blaster, not the old
the old remotes can not work with the new extender/blaster

for me, I love having the 1100 in the living room and the 900 in the bedroom for the sleep feature

i'm a huge fan of the harmony one's form factor. i like one-handed, wand-style, remotes and the one's-- and now the 900's-- industrial design is well done and ergonomic.
i would definitely recommend the 900 over the 1100 for those reasons. if you prefer a tablet style remote then i'd stick with the 1100.
the caveat is that the 900 rf sensors are new and i don't believe they will work with the old rf extenders. i'd double check that before your final decision as i don't have older rf in house.

sounds really nice what do you think of it in comparison to the 1100 aside from the fact they are completely different remotes. i need a second rf remote and i was all set on getting the 1100 now i'm debating between going with it and the 900. I assume the 900 still works with the old rf extender as well

no, the 900 only works with the new extender/blaster, not the old
the old remotes can not work with the new extender/blaster

for me, I love having the 1100 in the living room and the 900 in the bedroom for the sleep feature

ok thanks that's what i was worried about. i guess 1100 it is

I've never used the RF Harmonys, but just a question about the new 900 series....

Each "Main Blaster" can only be synced to one remote? Or can multiple 900 remotes be synced to it (not really wanting the remotes to be in sync, just use the same RF "Main Blaster").

Amazon has a couple nice pics of the 900 where you can zoom on the device, but it has not been officially released. It shows the MSRP

http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Remote-Control-Black/dp/B002IC0YL8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1250007623&sr=8-2

i'm updating the site in the next day or two to host the new 900 favorite icons database.
i can tell you already that the screen resolution on the new 900 is much improved and the new icons look fantastic (imho). i've been using the beta product for awhile and the resolution combined with the nice animated screen transitions make for a very sharp user experience.


OK, randy. The big question. Can YOU finally make icons for Activities??
:confused::confused::confused:

no icon uploading/choosing for activities
the selection of icons you can pick for a command is bigger, but still not customizable

The button on the base, wouldn't be? "Find My Remote!" Would it? Do you need a Mobile Me account??:eek:

no icon uploading/choosing for activities
the selection of icons you can pick for a command is bigger, but still not customizable
:(

no icon uploading/choosing for activities
the selection of icons you can pick for a command is bigger, but still not customizable
is your name randy? :)

uhhm... what he said.

I just purchased a Harmony One a few days ago. I plan on taking it back and getting the 900 based on two reasons. I don't like the fact that the lcd screen is not clear enough (for my aging eyes) and it doesn't stay on long enough. These two features are worth it alone for me.

only one remote per blaster
if you need multiple remotes to share an extender is the 890pro

Amazon has a couple nice pics of the 900 where you can zoom on the device, but it has not been officially released. It shows the MSRP

http://rover.ebay.com/ar/1/711-53200-19255-0/1?mpt=662495690&adtype=1&size=1x1&type=3&campid=5336055023&toolid=10001 http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Remote-Control-Black/dp/B002IC0YL8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1250007623&sr=8-2 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FLogitech-Harmony-Remote-Control-Black%2Fdp%2FB002IC0YL8%2Fref%3Dsr_1_2%3Fie%3DUTF8%26s%3Dele ctronics%26qid%3D1250007623%26sr%3D8-2&tag=5336055023-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=9325)

That's odd that Amazon shows four IR ports on the back of the RF extender and also a picture of a stick-on emitter pair. I can see the emitter picture being incorrect, but the four port extender would have to be photoshopped.

That's odd that Amazon shows four IR ports on the back of the RF extender and also a picture of a stick-on emitter pair. I can see the emitter picture being incorrect, but the four port extender would have to be photoshopped.
might be our beta models only had the two and the production version includes four. i used a couple splitters from my neighborhood radio shack to increase the number of leads out and it worked fine too.

would be nice if it's four ports now
would have also been nice if we were told of this change

That's odd that Amazon shows four IR ports on the back of the RF extender and also a picture of a stick-on emitter pair. I can see the emitter picture being incorrect, but the four port extender would have to be photoshopped.

I don't see the picture you're referring to.

I've read that this model doesn't support sequences. I think that's strange, considering that many want the current sequence capability on the Harmony One to be expanded to more than 5 steps.

I don't see the picture you're referring to.

I've read that this model doesn't support sequences. I think that's strange, considering that many want the current sequence capability on the Harmony One to be expanded to more than 5 steps.

That's odd... those two pictures were removed from Amazon.

Edit: The power of "Work Offline" + "History" :)
http://i788.photobucket.com/albums/yy162/bryansj/extender.jpg

it in fact does not support sequences; supposedly because they based it off the 1100 platform, which doesn't support them

Wannabe: Kindly clarify "sequences". I have my 1000 currently programmed to raise the lights on a pause (sequence of raise lights command and then pause command) and dim lights on play (sequence of lower light command and then play command).

Will I lose this functionality?

Can it still be programmed to setup a device used in an activity like a lighting controller (i.e., set lights to DIM on 'Watch DVD').

of course you can still include lights in an activity
you just can't create a sequence that combines a pause and light command into one

No free lunches in this remote game are there?

Finally what appears to be a useful device and the one bit of flexibility for programming is removed. I get it, make it easy to program, restrict advanced features and thus mitigate calls to customer service; but this is too far.

What?! So I cant program it to raise the lights when I push pause? Thats lame!

If you want to convert the extender to handle emitters instead of using blasters, take a look at ths site:
http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062457

It's finally here:

http://blog.logitech.com/2009/08/11/goodbye-clutter-new-logitech-harmony-900-remote/

amorenod, you might as well label the title of the thread "Official" this "one" has the posts going...

I agree, he posts, info, and a few beta testers are here

doesn't get more official than that at this point

I'm too humble to do this kind of things by myself, but since it's been requested... done.

Harmony 900 owners: what RF dimmer switches do you recommend?

Too bad about the sequences, I use them with my One as a macro to navigate my tv's menu to switch from Just Scan to 16:9 and back (soft buttons for both).

Do the master/mini blasters plug in to an outlet or are they battery powered?

Yup, the lack of Sequences is quite puzzling. I use them as short macros for the computer, Minimize Window, Close Window, Shutdown Menu, and on and on. I can just tell my family where I have mapped [Alt], [Space], [Tab], and all the letter keys so THEY can memorize the jumble of keystrokes needed to run the computer.

Or...

Too bad about the sequences, I use them with my One as a macro to navigate my tv's menu to switch from Just Scan to 16:9 and back (soft buttons for both).

Do the master/mini blasters plug in to an outlet or are they battery powered?
the mini blasters connect by a 2.5mm cable into the back of the main blaster

Yup, the lack of Sequences is quite puzzling. I use them as short macros for the computer, Minimize Window, Close Window, Shutdown Menu, and on and on. I can just tell my family where I have mapped [Alt], [Space], [Tab], and all the letter keys so THEY can memorize the jumble of keystrokes needed to run the computer.

Or...
trust me...just like the 1100 beta test...this immediately got brought up...thread was immediately locked so it didn't turn into a 'flame fest'...even though I don't use sequences...I see the need for them and argued that it needs to be included...I just don't see logitech adding them back in

it in fact does not support sequences; supposedly because they based it off the 1100 platform, which doesn't support themThis is truly the worst news about a remote I was really looking forward to...

I have the Harmony One now and love the form factor, and was looking forward to moving the RGBY functions from soft-keys to the new hard-keys, but the lack of sequences has me now waiting for the Acoustic Research xSight Touch. Hopefully one day AR will decide to release it here ...

gang,
iconharmony has been updated to include the new 900 favorites.
the higher-resolution screen on the remote allows for much more detail and legibility in the icons.

gang,
iconharmony has been updated to include the new 900 favorites.
the higher-resolution screen on the remote allows for much more detail and legibility in the icons.
I saw...you rock...already requested a couple of new icons (cable company added channels) ;)

this remote is easily two times the cost it should be. Seems to be a logitech thing lately to have unreal msrp's on everything. Their gaming keyboards are the same way now too. Example, I paid 50 bucks for a G15 keyboard, regular price a couple of years ago. This keyboard has a built in LCD. That same keyboard now, doesn't come with the screen anymore, and sells for 90 bucks. Identical keyboard but with no lcd, G11. I'm in Canada btw. Their new G19, well over 200 bucks Canadian.....crazy. I used to swear by logitech, but the prices and reliablilty is becoming bothersome.

This remote is not worth 499 bucks. Maybe worth 200 imho. It's very nice, but not that nice.

this remote is easily two times the cost it should be. Seems to be a logitech thing lately to have unreal msrp's on everything. Their gaming keyboards are the same way now too. Example, I paid 50 bucks for a G15 keyboard, regular price a couple of years ago. This keyboard has a built in LCD. That same keyboard now, doesn't come with the screen anymore, and sells for 90 bucks. Identical keyboard but with no lcd, G11. I'm in Canada btw. Their new G19, well over 200 bucks Canadian.....crazy. I used to swear by logitech, but the prices and reliablilty is becoming bothersome.

This remote is not worth 499 bucks. Maybe worth 200 imho. It's very nice, but not that nice.
doubt you'll find it for 200 anytime soon, unless you have a coupon for half off somewhere...

but at the same point, the MSRP isn't what you pay in most cases...for instance, the One has an MSRP of 250, but you can find it from 180-200 no problem.

what a remote is worth to YOU <> what logitech should charge. I expect you'll see it more in the $350 range in a month or so and eventually in the $330 area

gang,
iconharmony has been updated to include the new 900 favorites.
the higher-resolution screen on the remote allows for much more detail and legibility in the icons.

OMG, if they translate to the 900 as good as they look online...OMG!
What One? ;)

OMG, if they translate to the 900 as good as they look online...OMG!
What One? ;)
I have to commend randy on his hard work on these...he generated 3 samples for us during the beta test...there wasn't any real agreement on which design we liked best...he then created a 4th design for himself (initially) and everyone fell in love with it...he ended up making that the final design...

it's hard enough to keep up with all the icon requests, but consider the work/design process when creating a new icon design to match the theme(s) of the new remotes...

they do look sharp on the remote screen, albeit smaller. do keep in mind i made these to be double the logitech-recommended resolution so they do appear biggish on the web page (like i do with most of my icons to push as much detail into them as possible). they do still retain much of their clarity when on the remote though.

OMG, if they translate to the 900 as good as they look online...OMG!
What One? ;)

hard to make sure that all the information is in both places...
just in case I posted something there that I didn't here...be sure to check out the thread on the 900 (http://forums.logitech.com/logitech/board/message?board.id=general_remotes&thread.id=34589) on logitech's forums

I'm so disappointed that you can't create sequences. Its a puzzling exclusion for a remote that would seem to be an upgrade path for current Harmony One owners. Its also disappointing that you cannot sync more than one 900 to a single RF hub. I suppose if the blaster is strong enough, you could just stack the multiple RF hubs to hit your components. Since this product took so long to arrive, I went ahead and installed a hard wired IR distribution system. Even though I didn't need RF anymore, I was still going to get a couple of these remotes for the higher res screen and the color action buttons ... but without sequences, I sadly have to pass.

That's cold! Icons are ready but no remotes!

Seriously, thanks again Randy for the icons.

gang,
iconharmony has been updated to include the new 900 favorites.
the higher-resolution screen on the remote allows for much more detail and legibility in the icons.

sequences are essentially a must for two types of users from what I can tell
1. those with IR controllable lighting
2. those who frrequently use closed captions or 'teletext' (something in Europe)

I've found that generally other than that, it's a rare need for sequences

sure, I turn game mode on and off for my 360 activity...but it's just as easy (and even more automated) to include it as additional commands for when the activity starts (turning it on) and ends (turning it back off). All remotes can add actions to the start/end of an activity.

I'm so disappointed that you can't create sequences. Its a puzzling exclusion for a remote that would seem to be an upgrade path for current Harmony One owners. Its also disappointing that you cannot sync more than one 900 to a single RF hub. I suppose if the blaster is strong enough, you could just stack the multiple RF hubs to hit your components. Since this product took so long to arrive, I went ahead and installed a hard wired IR distribution system. Even though I didn't need RF anymore, I was still going to get a couple of these remotes for the higher res screen and the color action buttons ... but without sequences, I sadly have to pass.
i share your frustration about sequences. i can't fathom why they would remove a robust feature like that from the 900 and 1100. as wanna has posted i have worked around many of my old sequence commands with 'startup sequences' or commands tacked onto the activitiies' startup commands.
regarding the ir blasters, they are suprisingly powerful. i have one miniblaster subtly placed on the shelf at the foot of my blu-ray player with my dvr stacked atop that. the one miniblaster is powerful enough to control both with ease.
i reserved one for placement just below my xbox360's ir window and now, finally, have complete control of that device too.

you got it.
hope all's well with you too. :)
,r

That's cold! Icons are ready but no remotes!

Seriously, thanks again Randy for the icons.

sequences are essentially a must for two types of users from what I can tell
1. those with IR controllable lighting
2. those who frrequently use closed captions or 'teletext' (something in Europe)

I've found that generally other than that, it's a rare need for sequences

sure, I turn game mode on and off for my 360 activity...but it's just as easy (and even more automated) to include it as additional commands for when the activity starts (turning it on) and ends (turning it back off). All remotes can add actions to the start/end of an activity.

I'll add a third:

3. Those who own devices which lack discrete codes for certain functions. Especially functions that are used multiple times during the same Activity.

Just one example, My Pioneer Kuros lack discrete codes for Aspect Ratio. So if I want to toggle between 'Dot by Dot' mode for 16:9 HD programming and 'Stretch' mode for 4:3 upconverted SD programming (SD on an HD channel). With my Harmony One sequence, I can create soft buttons called 'Stretch' and 'Unstretch'. This eliminates all confusion with the rest of the family (which is the main reason I pay for these remotes).

The sad fact is that Harmony has removed functionality that has been available for at least 15 years on $20 radio shack remotes (even without JP1). In my opinion, that's unacceptable for a $400 remote in 2009.

good point
I'm used to using my HD dvr that has it's own aspect feature

I guess now it makes sense why they would not support "soft key" icons for the RGBY buttons with the 900 having assigned hard keys for those functions.

While I do not have a need (currently) for the RF and "blaster" functionality, being able to do that at some point is attractive.

But, the loss of sequences is an absolute deal breaker as I have gotten so spoiled by this on the H1 with the ability to switch multiple device settings with one key is too much to give up.....:mad:

And, keeping Randy from offering us cool activity icons is just shear torture:rolleyes:

Okay, I'm going back to the H1 thread now....;)

I guess now it makes sense why they would not support "soft key" icons for the RGBY buttons with the 900 having assigned hard keys for those functions.
You can have colored icon images on the LCD screen even though there are the physical colored buttons. I don't see why you would want to, but you can...

Sorry, my reference was in regards to the H1. While some devices (like DTV STBs, for example) allowed colored icons for these buttons, could not find a way to do this for a Oppo BDP-83.... (And, maybe there is a way but I got used to "Blue" for the name of the soft key...).

yeah, sadly the colored icons are only available for certain device/activity types, not yet including BR players...hopefully that will change

new info...official launch date is September 4th...amazon will have stock at that point supposedly and big box stores like best buy should have them a week or so later (has to get shipped to the stores)

Is there any explanation about *why* they removed the sequence support?

This seems even more assinine than when they made it impossible for the "Green" button on my remote to work as the Windows Media Center green button (you know, the selling feature for that remote) :rolleyes:.

we were told something during the 1100 beta test...but our NDA binds us not to talk about non public information for 3 years

Ouch, I'm in a similar situation for this remote...

I was all but sold on it until I read this thread about the sequences being deleted (glad I did read this thread before committing though).

So from what I gather from you Wannabe Actuary is that this feature is most likely not going to be added back for the 900 which, like mentioned previously, made the remote alot more user friendly especially for family members or any one else non-tech savy. Yes, it took a little while to program and a little bit of trial and error to set the sequences to do what you wanted them to do, but once that was finished the remote was a thing of beauty to control.

Ahh well, no choice but to move on. Still, I hate that this had to happen to kill my hopes for the 900 for my setup. :(

we pushed and pushed but didn't get much information on if well see them back on the 900 or other future remotes

so as far as future plans I'm in the dark just like you, but I'm not holding my breath

Ok, well we'll have to wait and keep our fingers crossed.

By the way, thanks abunch for taking the time out to answer all our questions and sharing your info. :)

no problem, for me, it's one of the joys of being in the beta test (other than helping get the problems of the remote corrected)

for anyone upset about sequences, please see this petition
http://forums.logitech.com/logitech/board/message?board.id=general_remotes&thread.id=34758

is your name randy? :)

uhhm... what he said.

I got a question for you two Randy's :)

How good is that RF signal... It says 100ft on the logitech site - is there a guess how much a wall would reduce this with? My HT equipment is on the other side of two drywalls with 60 inches and insulation between the drywalls.

This remote would allow me not to run IR controllers if it works. Just wondering if I should wait or it probably won't work

This combined with the PS3 adapter is going to be sweet if it works

i've been able to control my system from another room, about 30' away thru a wall (also two sheets of drywall)

The RF is good. I can blast mine through two walls and it controls my devices. I was testing only and that is not my normal setup but it did control things.

I was also able to go at least 30 feet away through two walls of sheetrock

my two bed / two bath condo isn't that big...any farther and I would be testing outside
that said, everywhere in my condo the remote works

That was 1) Quick answers and 2) What I wanted to hear which makes them good answers :) (jk)

Thanks guys -- getting this at Best Buy. I hope people understand that a release date of 4th / 5th (can't remember) plus one week = start of the football season. So this thing will get programmed RIGHT AWAY

Thanks

What's the story on direct wireless control for home automation stuff?

I understand they have switched horses to something called ZigBee. Has anyone used or tried lighting controllers or other home automation products based on this standard?

S.

What's the story on direct wireless control for home automation stuff?

I understand they have switched horses to something called ZigBee. Has anyone used or tried lighting controllers or other home automation products based on this standard?

S.
never heard of zigbee...never heard it mentioned during beta testing for the remote

there is, and will not be, z-wave support on the 900.

there is, and will not be, z-wave support on the 900.

Huh?
(BTW, thanks for starting the petition on logitech's site. Signed it.)

Huh?
the 890 (which the 900 essentially replaces) had z-wave lights (dimmers/switches) support...it didn't support z-wave thermostats...I was just being thorough in my answer

My Harmony 1000 and RF extender must be in the same room to work properly. On the other side of a metal stuf double 5/8 drywall theater wall results are intermittent.

Do we expect the 990 RF to be better? Does it use the same technology.

it does not use the same technology
old extender was in the 900mhz range
the new stuff is ECNet protocol, which I think is 2.4ghz

sequences are essentially a must for two types of users from what I can tell
1. those with IR controllable lighting
2. those who frrequently use closed captions or 'teletext' (something in Europe)

I've found that generally other than that, it's a rare need for sequences

sure, I turn game mode on and off for my 360 activity...but it's just as easy (and even more automated) to include it as additional commands for when the activity starts (turning it on) and ends (turning it back off). All remotes can add actions to the start/end of an activity.As a DIRECTV customer I have several sequences to automate feature activation on the DIRECTV DVR. For example, to get to the To Do List: [MENU] [DOWN] [DOWN] [DOWN] [SELECT].

I also created two sequences to simulate the TiVo Style Guide on the DIRECTV DVR, where I could bring up all upcoming programs on a channel and than hit my sequence key to have it go to the next channel and display all upcoming programs on that channel: Sequence A, Activate List Guide: [LEFT] [INFO] [SELECT]; Sequence B, Get Next channel: [BACK] [DOWN] [INFO] [SELECT].

Finally, I have sequences for Closed Ccaptioning (as noted, it's common: [YELLOW] [DOWN] [SELECT]) and for fast access for changing the favorite lists in the GUIDE ([YELLOW] [CH DN] [SELECT]) and for getting to setup ([MENU] [PG DN] [DOWN] [DOWN] [SELECT]) and restarting the DVR ([PG DN] [UP] [SELECT] [SELECT] [-]).

So these are just mine, but talk to some DIRECTV users at sister-site DBSTalk and you'll find we do use sequences quite often. :)

Wannabe - thanks for the RF info - good news.

My choice now becomes the 900 and live without sequences; or the new Crestron Prodigy for double the cost plus programming, but with much greater flexibility and I suspect even better RF.

Has anyone heard if this is coming to Australasia?
Nothing's on the regional Logitech site

We always get screwed like this.... :(

we had beta testers there
also, because of the change to the ecnet protocol, the 900 WILL be allowed there, unlike the 890...and there won't be need for an "i" model like the 1000i or 1100i

I own an H1 now, and although I don't have any real need for RF right now, I can certainly see the need arising in the future.

Without sequences, the 900 won't even be a consideration when I need to replace my H1.

Logitech had better have a hell of a list of reasons to get rid of sequences...

I own an H1 now, and although I don't have any real need for RF right now, I can certainly see the need arising in the future.

Without sequences, the 900 won't even be a consideration when I need to replace my H1.

Logitech had better have a hell of a list of reasons to get rid of sequences...

My best guess (which doesn't amount to much probably) is that since they have access to all of our accounts that they know how much (or how little) a feature is being used. Sequences are probably one of the least used features. I only have one right now and I could live without it, but most folks don't even know sequences exist. It isn't a selling point either. They would rather flaunt slide shows! :rolleyes:

it's not due to usage stats

My best guess (which doesn't amount to much probably) is that since they have access to all of our accounts that they know how much (or how little) a feature is being used. Sequences are probably one of the least used features. I only have one right now and I could live without it, but most folks don't even know sequences exist. It isn't a selling point either. They would rather flaunt slide shows! :rolleyes:


Sequences are nothing but a few extra lines of code... which they already have written..

it would take exactly ZERO effort for them to give the 900 sequence capabilities.

Logitech is going backwards as far as "customizability" goes from what I am seeing, and that is only going to drive more and more customers away...

My best guess (which doesn't amount to much probably) is that since they have access to all of our accounts that they know how much (or how little) a feature is being used. Sequences are probably one of the least used features. I only have one right now and I could live without it, but most folks don't even know sequences exist. It isn't a selling point either. They would rather flaunt slide shows! :rolleyes:

But if including sequences doesn't cost them anything more (how could it since it was already in the ONE), why would they exclude that feature? The only guess I can make is they needed the sequencing programming space for some of the new features (sleep timer, programming of the RF extenders, etc).

Sequences are nothing but a few extra lines of code... which they already have written..

it would take exactly ZERO effort for them to give the 900 sequence capabilities.

Logitech is going backwards as far as "customizability" goes from what I am seeing, and that is only going to drive more and more customers away...

But if including sequences doesn't cost them anything more (how could it since it was already in the ONE), why would they exclude that feature? The only guess I can make is they needed the sequencing programming space for some of the new features (sleep timer, programming of the RF extenders, etc).
you're both making assumptions about an environment (their programming) that you know very little about....all I will do is point to the 1000 as an example and remind you that the 1100 was an update/new version of the 1000...and the 900 was built off the same platform as the 1100....and leave it at that.

you're both making assumptions about an environment (their programming) that you know very little about....all I will do is point to the 1000 as an example and remind you that the 1100 was an update/new version of the 1000...and the 900 was built off the same platform as the 1100....and leave it at that.

Fair enough.

I'm still going to call it lazy though. May not be the programmers fault... could easily be an executive decision.

I will make the counter point though that just because they have done this before, doesn't mean that it is ok this time. IMO it was wrong to do it in both instances.

But if including sequences doesn't cost them anything more (how could it since it was already in the ONE), why would they exclude that feature? The only guess I can make is they needed the sequencing programming space for some of the new features (sleep timer, programming of the RF extenders, etc).

Not sure about that theory. The 900 must already have sequences internally programmed since switching to an activity is basically a sequence that gets run (turn on tv/receiver->switch receiver to hdmi 1->etc). I have been very impressed with the quality of the software for the H1 and expected sequenced to be supported and was delighted to see they were. I must admit, at its current price, the 900 is not on my to buy list but when the price drops I WILL want it because of RF but will have a small grudge with it for not supporting sequences. Companies shouldn't suppress software that customers want (ie. verizon/apple/logitech?)

you're both making assumptions about an environment (their programming) that you know very little about....all I will do is point to the 1000 as an example and remind you that the 1100 was an update/new version of the 1000...and the 900 was built off the same platform as the 1100....and leave it at that.

I hope this doesn't mean it's not possible to upgrade a One account to a 900 account, like the 1100.

I hope this doesn't mean it's not possible to upgrade a One account to a 900 account, like the 1100.
just like the 1100, the 900 requires a new account/setup

fail

I don't believe it, in just 2 days exciting news have turned into a non-event.

RF, colour buttons and a better display are desirable, but there's no way I would start from scratch again, might as well look for other remotes if one of the main advantages of the Harmony range dissapears.

honestly, you have your existing remote as a guide
when I had to do this for both the 1100 and 900 beta tests, I was upset, but you reach a point where you can have it set up in almost no time at all

I also got my hands on the One slightly early (not a beta test) and when I upgraded from an 880 to the One it really didn't save much time for me vs when I setup the 1100 from scratch

I just did 3 of my four Windows 7 conversions. Two "bare metal" and one Fusion on my Mac. I still have to "bare metal" the PC I'm typing on now. I don't want to hear about setting up a friggin' remote! That's a walk in the park. My main PC is going to be a weekend project. Going from my 880 to the One was mostly a redo with a few things already set up. If you're in this forum, you know what you're doing and just get on with it.
If seeing squareeyes' icons if "Full HD" isn't enough motivation, hell. :p

IMO, this is the kind of conformism that will allow Logitech to get away with lack of sequences and upgrades.

I upgraded too from a 885 to the One, and I don't remember any special problems, only remapping buttons in the activities.

Don't ge me wrong, I love the Harmony concept, but that doesn't mean I have to swallow everything they do. However, there're are no other alternatives in this price range with a feature similar to Smart State, so sooner or later I'll have to swallow my own words.

I have a Xantech IR repeater system in my theater. Does anyone know if I can connect the 900's docking station directly into the IR hub like I have done with previous RF remotes? I know that the base station uses 2.5mm plugs so I would have to adapt to a 3.5mm connector (or actually use bare leads into the screw terminals on my IR hub). Is the IR output standard to work with repeater systems?

I have a Xantech IR repeater system in my theater. Does anyone know if I can connect the 900's docking station directly into the IR hub like I have done with previous RF remotes? I know that the base station uses 2.5mm plugs so I would have to adapt to a 3.5mm connector (or actually use bare leads into the screw terminals on my IR hub). Is the IR output standard to work with repeater systems?
as far as I know the output is just regular IR...just keep in mind that the blaster plugs are not just 2.5mm...but 2.5mm mono connections

you're both making assumptions about an environment (their programming) that you know very little about....all I will do is point to the 1000 as an example and remind you that the 1100 was an update/new version of the 1000...and the 900 was built off the same platform as the 1100....and leave it at that.

I am not making assumptions about anything. Yes, I don't know anything about their programming. I was just trying to hazard a guess for eliminating sequences. It's too bad you can't disclose the real reason, since you seem to be implying Logitech had a very rational reason and it was no oversight. Any rational explanation, might neutralize a lot of the upset people are expressing here. I know Logitech employees lurk here. It is rather surprising they haven't already piped in to this discussion in order to end speculation about what seems irrational or their seeming not to care about what the consumer wants.

Other than the RF capability, why wasn't the 900 built off the platform of the ONE? In more other ways, the 900 is like the One than the 1100. I would love to hear an explanation for that, too, from a Logitech employee.

this was posted by NelsonHarmony on the logitech forums

The physical shell may look like a Harmony One, but a lot of the guts and internal programming are much more similar to the Harmony 1100.

For one, both of these remotes are using a new version of the code compiler, which works by compiling code on the remote itself instead of having our servers do it. This lets the Harmony 900 change settings like Themes and Blaster settings without needing an update. Theoretically the Harmony 1100 could've done it, but it doesn't :smileytongue:

I assume that this is at least part of the reason that the 900 and 1100 require new accounts as opposed to upgrading an existing remote/account to them

as far as I know the output is just regular IR...just keep in mind that the blaster plugs are not just 2.5mm...but 2.5mm mono connections

Thanks for the response. Mono is typical for emitter outputs across all IR systems that I know of. I would think that it would work just fine for me but was hoping that someone had actually tried it out.

See my post #46. I am using these plugs(3.5mm female to 2.5mm male) 2.5mm into the extender and standard emitter cable plug(3.5mm) into the female end. Using emitters on all my devices instead of the mini blasters.

this was posted by NelsonHarmony on the logitech forums


I assume that this is at least part of the reason that the 900 and 1100 require new accounts as opposed to upgrading an existing remote/account to them

I understand. If only Logitech would be so open about explaining some of the less welcomed changes, instead of keeping the reasons in the dark...

I assume the 900 updates faster than the One, then?

the 900 updates very fast, but I can't recall if the one or the 1100 was the first remote to fully utilize the USB 2.0 speed

Can anyone clarify if the RF for the 900 is all new or same as to 1100? (I understand the 1000RF is the older 900mhz tech).

Can anyone clarify if the RF for the 900 is all new or same as to 1100? (I understand the 1000RF is the older 900mhz tech).
this has been answered a few times already....NO, it's not the same
the 890, 890Pro, 1000 and 1100 all work with the same extender using the 900mhz technology.

the 900 works with it's blaster on the ECNet protocol, using 2.4Ghz technology...

the 900 will NOT work with the older extenders, and the older remotes will NOT work with the new blaster

it's not due to usage stats

Sequences are nothing but a few extra lines of code... which they already have written..

it would take exactly ZERO effort for them to give the 900 sequence capabilities.

Logitech is going backwards as far as "customizability" goes from what I am seeing, and that is only going to drive more and more customers away...

But if including sequences doesn't cost them anything more (how could it since it was already in the ONE), why would they exclude that feature? The only guess I can make is they needed the sequencing programming space for some of the new features (sleep timer, programming of the RF extenders, etc).

you're both making assumptions about an environment (their programming) that you know very little about....all I will do is point to the 1000 as an example and remind you that the 1100 was an update/new version of the 1000...and the 900 was built off the same platform as the 1100....and leave it at that.

There is absolutely no way that Logitech excluded sequences due to programming limitations. Sequences/Macros have existed in very cheap remote controls for ages now.

Since there is no valid technical excuse, the only logical reason would be a cost savings effort to eliminate customer support calls/emails related to creating and maintaining sequences. I would almost be cool with that if the remote was $49. But at $400, its unacceptable.

Maybe they could act like Tivo and give advanced users a 'cheat code' to turn on sequences and simply leave them unsupported. Win-win.

you are not listening...it had NOTHING to do with potential support costs

you are not listening...it had NOTHING to do with potential support costs

OK, sorry, I didn't see that you already dismissed that idea. I realize that your agreement prevents you from flat out telling everybody, but the exclusion of sequences is so absurd, I just can't leave this alone. As far as I'm concerned, there is no rational reason to exclude such a basic feature. If it is as simple as "the new codeset is different", then that is just a pathetic design for a remote. I can create macros on any key with my nine year old $20 Radio Shack remote, even without my JP1 cable/software.

Other than the RF capability, why wasn't the 900 built off the platform of the ONE? In more other ways, the 900 is like the One than the 1100. I would love to hear an explanation for that, too, from a Logitech employee.

Probably a long shot here but it makes you hope there's maybe a replacement coming for the Harmony One. Hopefully, a One with a clearer LCD screen and length of time you can set the screen to stay on, amongst other features. At the most, I would pay about $50.00 over the price of the current Harmony One.

Probably a long shot here but it makes you hope there's maybe a replacement coming for the Harmony One. Hopefully, a One with a clearer LCD screen and length of time you can set the screen to stay on, amongst other features. At the most, I would pay about $50.00 over the price of the current Harmony One.
really? I used the One for probably 3/4 of a year before I gave it to my parents and started beta testing the 1100...I never had a problem with the screen clarity...and I swear I remember adjusting the backlight duration in the software...how long do you want it to stay on?

as far as a 'hardware revamp' on the One? I doubt it. with the exception of the 1100 replacing the 1000, there really hasn't been an 'identical' remote replacement. and the One has so few problems I can't see them messing with it at all.

and for those with the arguement that 'a $20 universal can do macros, why can't a harmony do sequences'....this was EXACTLY what I told logitech the response would be. literally, word for word, I said this was what people would argue. the fact of the matter is that your $20 universal is doing a LOT less 'under the hood'...your harmony is doing a lot more 'under the hood'.

we had beta testers there
also, because of the change to the ecnet protocol, the 900 WILL be allowed there, unlike the 890...and there won't be need for an "i" model like the 1000i or 1100i

Oh that's reassuring thanks Actuary!

and for those with the arguement that 'a $20 universal can do macros, why can't a harmony do sequences'....this was EXACTLY what I told logitech the response would be. literally, word for word, I said this was what people would argue. the fact of the matter is that your $20 universal is doing a LOT less 'under the hood'...your harmony is doing a lot more 'under the hood'.

When I'm in an Activity mode, what else is the 900 doing under the hood compared to the One? Are there other new features that I'm not aware of? I understand that the new codeset has moved some of the compile work off their servers and over to the remote ... is that chewing up processing power and memory to the point where they are forced to drop features in the normal operating mode. Once again, I'm fishing here.

you have to stop comparing it to the one
it's nothing like the one internally
recall, internally it's like the 1100...which was built to "correct" the 1000

I can't say anything more

I've been reading the thread here and the one on the Logitech blog -- as an aside Wannabe Actuary seems to know a lot and be everywhere -- and I am somewhat confused as to whether the Harmony 900 is worth the increase in price. the 890 has the RF signal that will go into a cabinet but not the "blasters". Is this the only difference? How important is it? Is the only downside to the Harmony One that it doesn't have RF? Is there a Logitech remote that you can update via Wifi? Is there one in the works and if not, why not?

Thanks in advance! I am replacing an old Sony universal remote and I think it is time...

wanna,
it's kind of hard not to compare the 900 and one especially their sharing the same form-factor. i know where you're coming from with the os comparison, but stepping back and viewing from a consumer perspective, the 900 is, for all intents and purposes, an updated harmony one.
,r

you have to stop comparing it to the one
it's nothing like the one internally
recall, internally it's like the 1100...which was built to "correct" the 1000

I can't say anything more

I've been reading the thread here and the one on the Logitech blog -- as an aside Wannabe Actuary seems to know a lot and be everywhere -- and I am somewhat confused as to whether the Harmony 900 is worth the increase in price. the 890 has the RF signal that will go into a cabinet but not the "blasters". Is this the only difference? How important is it? Is the only downside to the Harmony One that it doesn't have RF? Is there a Logitech remote that you can update via Wifi? Is there one in the works and if not, why not?

Thanks in advance! I am replacing an old Sony universal remote and I think it is time...
increase in price from which remote? the 890 or the One?
the 890 is several years old, so current price isn't a good indicator
the One price lacks the rf hardware, so you have to decide if it's worth the cost for you

as far as differences in operation of the 890 and 900, the 900 has a sleep timer and many more settings can be changed on the remote itself, requiring less updates...bub both can reliably control ir devices without line of sight to the remote

my 1100 and extender works just as well as my 900 and blaster


I know nothing of future remote plans, but if I did, I wouldn't be allowed to disclose anything
as of now, there are no harmony remotes (can't speak for other companies) that can update via wifi

the new blaster updates via rf from the remote, but the remote still has to be connected

given that this is possible, I suppose a future step could be something that's left plugged into the computer that then pushes the update to the remote and blaster like the remote now does with the blaster

increase in price from which remote? the 890 or the One?
the 890 is several years old, so current price isn't a good indicator
the One price lacks the rf hardware, so you have to decide if it's worth the cost for you

as far as differences in operation of the 890 and 900, the 900 has a sleep timer and many more settings can be changed on the remote itself, requiring less updates...bub both can reliably control ir devices without line of sight to the remote

my 1100 and extender works just as well as my 900 and blaster


I know nothing of future remote plans, but if I did, I wouldn't be allowed to disclose anything
as of now, there are no harmony remotes (can't speak for other companies) that can update via wifi

the new blaster updates via rf from the remote, but the remote still has to be connected

given that this is possible, I suppose a future step could be something that's left plugged into the computer that then pushes the update to the remote and blaster like the remote now does with the blaster

Thank you for that prompt and detailed response. Can you elaborate a little on the settings that can be changed directly on the remote itself? If the sleep ability is the main difference, I think I would go with the old outdated and cheaper model rather than being a first adopter for once. I almost can't even believe that I was able to write that last sentence... ;)

themes, the entire rf network setup is done on the remote, choice of favorite channel icons or commands showing first for activities that support them...those are some examples...I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting at the moment
keep in mind that the 890 lacks colored buttons that are common for BR players and sat boxes, which means assigning them as labels on the display
it also lacks LCD screen images for anything other than favorite channels
the 900 has a pretty good assortment of images that you can assign for commands on the LCD (note activity images are not customizable on any harmony)

having had the 880, 890, one and 900, I can say that the screen quality is the best on the 900...it really makes the 800 series screens look terrible (and I thought they looked great back in the day)

as far as the sticky ir blaster tip cables from the old extender, those can be plugged into the back of the new main blaster with the correct adapter (the old blaster cables are 3.5mm, the ports on the blaster are 2.5mm mono)

I do highly recommend the 900 with two caveats
1. the 890 supports sequences and the 900 does not
2. the 890 supports the uploading of a csv file for display of a media list for things like a DVD jukebox....the 900 (and any harmony lacking a physical "media" button) lack this feature....there is a nice harmony model comparison here that has images of all the remotes so you can see which ones have the media button and which ones don't

http://bevhoward.com/Misc/IR/HarmCompare.html

if those two features are needed by you, go for the 890...otherwise I would suggest the 900

Sorry if this has been answered, but I can't find clear information. What is the situation with using RF light switches and the Harmony 900.

If there's a 1000w dimmer I can buy that will take RF commands from the 900 then I'm ready to upgrade my 520 and get rid of that ugly emitter wire hanging off my current IR dimmer.

Thanks

as of now, there are no harmony remotes (can't speak for other companies) that can update via wifi



I tested and reviewed the ESPN remote, for Amazon. Which at the time cost more than The One. It does all it's magic via WiFi. I wrote in my review that I wish Logitech had bought this company to merge the WiFi news features of the ESPN Remote with the excellent remote capabilities of The One. The ESPN Remote's price eventually dropped like a rock as The One just settled in on a nice discount. I still say it's a great concept, but now I'd base it on the 900 because of the better screen.

In the last two months, I've replaced my television, CD player, and A/V receiver, and purchased a Blu-ray player. I was looking around this morning to see about purchasing a Harmony remote control and ran across this amazing Harmony 900 discussion.

From reading this thread, it seems Logitech picked up a gun and proceeded to fire it between its eyes with this new and "improved" Harmony 900. Guess I can press the "Off" button on buying a Harmony 900. :rolleyes:

Sorry if this has been answered, but I can't find clear information. What is the situation with using RF light switches and the Harmony 900.

If there's a 1000w dimmer I can buy that will take RF commands from the 900 then I'm ready to upgrade my 520 and get rid of that ugly emitter wire hanging off my current IR dimmer.

Thanks
no, the 900 can only send RF to it's blaster...nothing else.

from reading this thread, it seems logitech picked up a gun and proceeded to fire it between its eyes with this new and "improved" harmony 900. Guess i can press the "off" button on buying a harmony 900. :rolleyes:

+1

In the last two months, I've replaced my television, CD player, and A/V receiver, and purchased a Blu-ray player. I was looking around this morning to see about purchasing a Harmony remote control and ran across this amazing Harmony 900 discussion.

From reading this thread, it seems Logitech picked up a gun and proceeded to fire it between its eyes with this new and "improved" Harmony 900. Guess I can press the "Off" button on buying a Harmony 900. :rolleyes:

+1


assuming you guys are referring to sequences...be sure to hope over to the logitech site and sign the petition...I've received confirmation from logitech that feedback from THAT thread will be passed on to the development team. it might not change the 900's or 1100's lack of sequences, but it definitely will be taken into consideration on future remotes...

for anyone upset about sequences, please see this petition
http://forums.logitech.com/logitech/board/message?board.id=general_remotes&thread.id=34758

Has any of the testers posted what the button on the base station does yet? :confused: EMW2K

Has any of the testers posted what the button on the base station does yet? :confused: EMW2K
button on the base station?

there is no button on the base station/charger...there is a white light, just like the base for the One.

interestingly, many people liked that there was a 'switch' on the base of the One that allowed the light to be turned off...there is no such switch on the base of the 900...the light on the base is always on.

you have to stop comparing it to the one
it's nothing like the one internally
recall, internally it's like the 1100...which was built to "correct" the 1000

I can't say anything more

I understand what you are saying (and that you can't say more), and its unfortunate that CNET didn't note this in their review. The CNET review seemed to portray it as a One with RF+Extras. They didn't even mention the lack of sequences in their 'cons' section. If the CNET reviewer assumes its an upgrade from the One, then I'm guessing 99% of consumers will also make that same assumption.

I understand what you are saying (and that you can't say more), and its unfortunate that CNET didn't note this in their review. The CNET review seemed to portray it as a One with RF+Extras. They didn't even mention the lack of sequences in their 'cons' section. If the CNET reviewer assumes its an upgrade from the One, then I'm guessing 99% of consumers will also make that same assumption.
sadly, I learned long ago that most reviewers at CNET are general reviewers and not necessarily 'experts' in any one category...

quite simply, in terms of progression...it has to be thought of as:
880 -> One
890 -> 900

but remember, the 900 is built off the basis of the 1100 (in the 'starting' body of a One)
quite confusing, but that's how it is

All things being equal I would buy the 900 but for less than half of the price I think I may go for the 890 or just wait 6 or 8 months for the 900 price drop.

themes, the entire rf network setup is done on the remote, choice of favorite channel icons or commands showing first for activities that support them...those are some examples...I'm sure there are more I'm forgetting at the moment
keep in mind that the 890 lacks colored buttons that are common for BR players and sat boxes, which means assigning them as labels on the display
it also lacks LCD screen images for anything other than favorite channels
the 900 has a pretty good assortment of images that you can assign for commands on the LCD (note activity images are not customizable on any harmony)

having had the 880, 890, one and 900, I can say that the screen quality is the best on the 900...it really makes the 800 series screens look terrible (and I thought they looked great back in the day)

as far as the sticky ir blaster tip cables from the old extender, those can be plugged into the back of the new main blaster with the correct adapter (the old blaster cables are 3.5mm, the ports on the blaster are 2.5mm mono)

I do highly recommend the 900 with two caveats
1. the 890 supports sequences and the 900 does not
2. the 890 supports the uploading of a csv file for display of a media list for things like a DVD jukebox....the 900 (and any harmony lacking a physical "media" button) lack this feature....there is a nice harmony model comparison here that has images of all the remotes so you can see which ones have the media button and which ones don't

[url]

if those two features are needed by you, go for the 890...otherwise I would suggest the 900

my recommendation would be to wait...the difference in screen quality alone makes the 900 worth so much more

interestingly, many people liked that there was a 'switch' on the base of the One that allowed the light to be turned off...there is no such switch on the base of the 900...the light on the base is always on.

Yet, one more reason to pass on the 900.

I agree with the Cnet review comment about the 900 being a souped up One.

really? I used the One for probably 3/4 of a year before I gave it to my parents and started beta testing the 1100...I never had a problem with the screen clarity...and I swear I remember adjusting the backlight duration in the software...how long do you want it to stay on?

my recommendation would be to wait...the difference in screen quality alone makes the 900 worth so much more

After you stated to me that the Harmony One was enough screen resolution? Maybe, for your eyes. Not for mine. Then, you make the second comment. Puuuulllleeeeeze!!

After you stated to me that the Harmony One was enough screen resolution? Maybe, for your eyes. Not for mine. Then, you make the second comment. Puuuulllleeeeeze!!
you do realize that the second comment was in reference to him passing on the 900 in favor of the 890. The difference between the screen quality of the 890 and the 900 is amazing.

the difference between the One and 900 is there, but not nearly as noticeable.

for the record, I'm 26 with 20/20 vision

Does anyone know how long the cables are that connect the Main Blaster to the mini blasters?

Also, is there any mounting provision made on the bottom of the blasters in case you want to mount them on the underside of a shelf, facing downwards?

Does anyone know how long the cables are that connect the Main Blaster to the mini blasters?

Also, is there any mounting provision made on the bottom of the blasters in case you want to mount them on the underside of a shelf, facing downwards?
well, the only ones that would know would be the beta testers ;)

I approximated the mini blaster cable length once before, but in case you missed it...I would guess about 8 feet. I'm 5'7 and the cable is considerably longer than my wingspan.

As far as the main blaster and mini-blasters having a mounting provision...not the units we got. We pointed that out as something we were disappointed with, but we were informed that (at least as far as the remote goes - and I assume that meant the blasters too), there would be no hardware changes from our beta test...so our feeback was welcome, but wasn't going to be considered for hardware changes to the 900.

I read on the blog that "Precision IR Cables" will be availible for those who want stick on emitters. Any word on price and availiblity? Also, how much is an extra main IR blaster going to cost?

well, the only ones that would know would be the beta testers ;)

I approximated the mini blaster cable length once before, but in case you missed it...I would guess about 8 feet. I'm 5'7 and the cable is considerably longer than my wingspan.

As far as the main blaster and mini-blasters having a mounting provision...not the units we got. We pointed that out as something we were disappointed with, but we were informed that (at least as far as the remote goes - and I assume that meant the blasters too), there would be no hardware changes from our beta test...so our feeback was welcome, but wasn't going to be considered for hardware changes to the 900.

Thanks Wannabe,

I was going to ask you directly, but I see you’ve been quite busy here and at the Logitech forum, so I thought I’d let you get some sleep!

The length of the cables suits my purposes fine, but my components are fairly close to the front of my cabinets, so there is not a lot of clearance between them and the doors when closed. The option of positioning the blaster above would have been nice, but from what I’ve read, they have a pretty wide IR spread so it may not be an issue. Worst-case scenario, I would just have to experiment with their placement and then find a way to mount them in a spot where they work.

Pretty sure this is the remote I've been waiting for.

So I hate to keep coming back to this. I just want to make sure I got it right. If I want to control lights, the only option is to find a dimmer with IR support and position one of the blasters to hit the switch. Correct?

No direct RF interaction from H900 to dimmers.
No direct IR interaction from H900 and the dimmer (must go through the blaster).

Any idea why they dumped Z-wave? Just the change in freq? (edit: noticed Wanna's earlier reply re: change to Ecnet in 2.4 GHz band to allow use in Australia and other markets)

So I hate to keep coming back to this. I just want to make sure I got it right. If I want to control lights, the only option is to find a dimmer with IR support and position one of the blasters to hit the switch. Correct?

No direct RF interaction from H900 to dimmers.
No direct IR interaction from H900 and the dimmer (must go through the blaster).

Any idea why they dumped Z-wave? Just the change in freq?

You should be fine with a compatible dimmer and just the remote as it has IR.

So I hate to keep coming back to this. I just want to make sure I got it right. If I want to control lights, the only option is to find a dimmer with IR support and position one of the blasters to hit the switch. Correct?

No direct RF interaction from H900 to dimmers.
No direct IR interaction from H900 and the dimmer (must go through the blaster).

Any idea why they dumped Z-wave? Just the change in freq? (edit: noticed Wanna's earlier reply re: change to Ecnet in 2.4 GHz band to allow use in Australia and other markets)
as truck said, if the dimmer is in line of sight to the remote, you could let the remote control it via IR directly.

as far as dropping z-wave, I don't think it was the change in the frequency, as they also decided not to put z-wave on the 1000 or 1100. what the reason was, only logitech knows. it's actually something I don't know...I just kind of accepted it for what it was

you do realize that the second comment was in reference to him passing on the 900 in favor of the 890. The difference between the screen quality of the 890 and the 900 is amazing.

the difference between the One and 900 is there, but not nearly as noticeable.

for the record, I'm 26 with 20/20 vision

Agreed. The 890 color screen is horrible compared to the One. If the 900 screen is even slightly better than the One, then that's a noticeable and huge benefit over the 890. I had a few 890s and was willing to go through the effort of running an IR distribution system in order to move to the One. Personally, I decided the benefits/form factor/button layout of the One outweighed the RF capabilities of the 890.

There is absolutely no way that Logitech excluded sequences due to programming limitations. Sequences/Macros have existed in very cheap remote controls for ages now.

Since there is no valid technical excuse, the only logical reason would be a cost savings effort to eliminate customer support calls/emails related to creating and maintaining sequences. I would almost be cool with that if the remote was $49. But at $400, its unacceptable.

Maybe they could act like Tivo and give advanced users a 'cheat code' to turn on sequences and simply leave them unsupported. Win-win.
Give it up, man, sequences aren't happening with this remote. As much as I enjoy these esoteric bitch fests, the prospect of another 100 comments on sequences don't inspire. Maybe the next version will have it (but you'll probably have to reprogram everything again).

I understand what you are saying (and that you can't say more), and its unfortunate that CNET didn't note this in their review. The CNET review seemed to portray it as a One with RF+Extras. They didn't even mention the lack of sequences in their 'cons' section. If the CNET reviewer assumes its an upgrade from the One, then I'm guessing 99% of consumers will also make that same assumption.

If you feel strongly about it email CNET and tell them they missed it. They have revised reviews before - many times. Adding that in a revision will get more logitech interest than a petition signed by a few people.......

sure, I turn game mode on and off for my 360 activity...but it's just as easy (and even more automated) to include it as additional commands for when the activity starts (turning it on) and ends (turning it back off). All remotes can add actions to the start/end of an activity.

I hope you guys will bear with me since I have never owned a Harmony remote and trying to figure them out from reading about them is to say the least a bit complicated.

So I get that sequency is building several steps into one you press one button and something that is hidden in the menu system comes out - is this correct? Say you have to press Menu, Setup, Controller Setup to do something then you press a pre-programmed button and you get right there.

So while this is gone you can still set up activities that have multiple actions is this correct? Say I press power on it turns on the projector, turns on the AVR, Cable box etc (just a simple thing I thought off)

Is this correct or am I completely missing what I can and cannot do? Not judging or speculating in why how etc just trying to figure out what the remote can do. Personally the RF is pretty much enough for me to buy it, but want to make sure

I hope you guys will bear with me since I have never owned a Harmony remote and trying to figure them out from reading about them is to say the least a bit complicated.

So I get that sequency is building several steps into one you press one button and something that is hidden in the menu system comes out - is this correct? Say you have to press Menu, Setup, Controller Setup to do something then you press a pre-programmed button and you get right there.

So while this is gone you can still set up activities that have multiple actions is this correct? Say I press power on it turns on the projector, turns on the AVR, Cable box etc (just a simple thing I thought off)

Is this correct or am I completely missing what I can and cannot do? Not judging or speculating in why how etc just trying to figure out what the remote can do. Personally the RF is pretty much enough for me to buy it, but want to make sure
absolutely correct. and for the record, you can still add a sequence of commands into an activity's start up command set. you just can't apply a sequence to any buttons within each activity.

mhdiab, what you are talking about is activities, and they are in fact alive and well
sequences appear to be dead for now

Cool thanks for the replies - good enough for me getting it

"you can still add a sequence of commands into an activity's start up command set. up just can't apply a sequence to any buttons within each activity."

I am thinking this statement will become clear to me once I get the remote :) -- either way it should be a positive so I am ok waiting to understand it...

So while this is gone you can still set up activities that have multiple actions is this correct? Say I press power on it turns on the projector, turns on the AVR, Cable box etc (just a simple thing I thought off)

All Harmony remotes function like this. However, you don't press "power on" as you state because that is controlled by an activity. Instead you press the "Watch TV" activity which would turn on your projector (if it was off), turn on your AVR (if it was off), turn on your cable box (again if it was off), switch your projector to the proper input, and switch your receiver to the proper input. The remote tracks the state of each device to know if it was turned on during another activity. If you hit "Watch DVD" after your "Watch TV" activity then it will only turn on your DVD player and switch the receiver's input to DVD.

When you are finished you will hit the "Power Off" button at the top and it will shut everything down.

What is missing from the 900 (and 1100) are sequences. This would be where you map a button on the remote to do multiple commands such as your example "Menu, Setup, Controller Setup". The workaround would be to add additional commands to your activity. For example, "Play XBox360" could turn on all the devices, switch all the inputs, then execute on the TV Menu, Down, Enter, Down, Enter to select Game Mode. If you had a sequence you could name it Game Mode and hit that button to do the same thing.

Thanks Bryan -- I have heard activity over and over again, but that was the best description of it that I have read (haven't looked around for a definition, but either way that just there does it perfectly)

Sounds good - $400 is a lot, but nothing is cheap these days :)

Give it up, man, sequences aren't happening with this remote. As much as I enjoy these esoteric bitch fests, the prospect of another 100 comments on sequences don't inspire. Maybe the next version will have it (but you'll probably have to reprogram everything again).

Actually, I did give it up. Sorry Boss! (To the guy who digs up 3 day old posts just to complain about them)

Could someone with a TiVo (either S3 or the the old HD DirectTiVo) verify that they fixed the problem the 890 had where up or down arrow would double up unless the remote was very close to the RF receiver?

I.e, just check that going up and down through a list of recordings one at at time works even when the remote is, say, 20 or 30 feet away.

I've still got that problem with my 890. Problems with doubling of directional commands (up, down, left, right, scroll up, scroll down) with my TiVo S3 and directional and volume commands for my Denon AVR-3808ci. I used to tweak and work on my 890 often, but I got tired of constantly unhooking the rf base station and just learned to live with the minor annoyance. If anyone in this thread knows a fix, please point me to the proper thread/forum. Thanks

directional and volume commands for my Denon AVR-3808ci

I have not noticed that but perhaps I don't use the same commands.

But, as I alluded to, the doubling up happens only when the remote is fairly far from the receiver. Try, as an experiment, moving the remote to a foot or two from the RF receiver and see what happens.

no, the 900 can only send RF to it's blaster...nothing else.

Thanks, that answers it clearly (but not what I was hoping to hear)

my bedroom tv died the other day, so I went out and got a new one
guys came today to deliver it, not that they really needed to, it's only a samsung ln40b640, but I needed them to haul away the 50" dlp
the guys from BB were drooling over my 900

[as far as dropping z-wave, I don't think it was the change in the frequency, as they also decided not to put z-wave on the 1000 or 1100. what the reason was, only logitech knows. it's actually something I don't know...I just kind of accepted it for what it was

A couple of potential reasons are first, Z-Wave is an entirely closed system controlled by a single vendor, Zensys. They control everything from the silicon on up. Ecnet, on the other hand, is a proprietary Freescale Semiconductor protocol based on the 802.15.4 mesh networking standard. They probably licensed it for considerably less than the cost of Z-Wave.

Second, it's interesting that they chose a little known protocol compatible with nothing ( afik ) .. however, Freescale is one of the major Zigbee Alliance members, Zigbee is also based on 802.15.4, and the upcoming RF4CE protocol is now a Zigbee standard. The RF4CE protocol, which was based on Freescale's BeeStack, has a lot of consumer AV manufacturers behind it. Zigbee, in general, is used by many of the high / mid end controller manufacturers like Crestron and Control4. Zigbee is also competing with Z-Wave on lighting and other enviornmental control ( Zigbee has the lead in commercial applications, where Z-Wave is ahead in the consumer space ).

While Zigbee is a propriety protocol, it's controlled by an alliance of companies rather than a single source. It's also based on a standard hardware / radio / networking platform that is multi-source and license free.

Since the basic radio and networking protocol ( 802.15.4 ) is the same for Ecnet, Zigbee, and RF4CE, it would be possible to make the H900 compatible with RF4CE with only a software change ( provided they have enough hardware resources to support the Zigbee/RF4CE stack )

All this together makes me think that this was a very forward thinking change for Logitech. If RF4CE does get some traction with the major AV manafacturers that are part of the RF4CE group, including Samsung, Sony, Philips, Pioneer, Panasonic, NEC, Mitsubishi, and Motorola, this would potentially give the H900 hardware the ability to directly communicate with, including feedback, consumer A/V gear via RF.

Personally, I think this would be the holy grail. All just speculation on my part of course.

Jonathan

speculation indeed, but it would be very cool
I doubt we would see any serious move in that direction from av companies in the next 5 years though
consumer ir seems to be working just fine for them

Does anyone know if the Harmony900 will finally allow one to use personalized icons (much like the 'favorite icons' that one can create for channels) for activity/device actions?

For instance, when I'm in my 'Use HTPC' activity, I want to have a softbutton icon on the touchscreen that shows an image of the MicrosoftWindows icon that I can touch to bring up my MediaCentre, rather than just the text of the word 'mediacentre' which I have now on my old Harmony 880. This would be a huge buying point for me! Having all the nice customizable favorite channel buttons is nice, but it would be wonderful if all the other custom commands on the screen could also be iconized into touchable images... I just went through the Harmony900 manual that is online and it's unclear if that is possible...

**Update: Hmm, I found this on page34 of the manual - perhaps this will allow customized icons for each softbutton action? From the way it reads, it's as if the text for an action would go on the left column, and a customized icon image would end up on the right (ie. they would not be allowed to overlay each other):

Adding icons to your Activity commands
Icons can be added to your Activity commands so that they stand out on your Harmony 900 remote’s screen.
To add an icon to a command an Activity go to your account in the Harmony Remote Software:
Select the 1. Activities tab.
Select 2. Customize Buttons.
Select 3. Soft Buttons.
Select the 4. Select Image button for the command you want an icon attached to. It will appear in same row to the far right.
Select 5. Done when you’re finished.

"I just went through the Harmony900 manual that is online"

Where did you find the manual - got a link?

Here you go:

http://images.harmonyremote.com/EasyZapper/Downloads/UserManual/900_amr/enu/900_amr_UserManual.pdf

"I just went through the Harmony900 manual that is online"

Where did you find the manual - got a link?

the 900 does not allow for any image uploading for anything other than favorite channels
the 900, much like the 1100 allows for the assignment of certain images included in the software to be placed on the remote in place of text for a command only

there is NO way for activity icons to be changed

the 900 has the biggest assortment of any remote yet, and so far some are only available for the 900 hopefully they'll be made available for other remotes

once my wife is out of the computer room, I'll open up the software and see if I can get screen caps for all the available 900 command images

Thanks in advance Wannabe - even just being able to link some of the included 'command' icon images to a custom command would be great. Looking forward to seeing some of them... it's a shame one can't take that extra step and edit/customize some of these command images...

sorry it took so long, had to go run some errands...I'm putting them over on imageshack so they can be seen on the boards and not as attachments...

here are the available images for the 900 commands

http://img188.imageshack.us/img188/5909/900m.jpg

by comparison, here are the available images for the 1100 commands...you'll notice that there wasn't even enough for me to scroll so far on the 'second page' to not overlap the bottom/top row from the two cut/pastes...

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/8921/1100j.jpg

you'll notice the 900 has an additional 13 images you can choose...some nice ones for common commands like 'aspect ratio', 'DVR List', 'Live TV'

no windows logo...probably a licensing issue...wonder how much they paid for the tivo logo?

Thanks for posting the pictures of the icons. Can't wait to get my hands on the 900. I hope the "Precision IR Cables" will be out at the same time. There is no info on them on the website yet.

Thanks for posting the pictures of the icons. Can't wait to get my hands on the 900. I hope the "Precision IR Cables" will be out at the same time. There is no info on them on the website yet.
yeah, we saw them mentioned in the manual (they also had us 'proof read' the manual), and we asked about them...they got a little red in the face...

they didn't plan on telling us about them at that time...but since we knew about them at that point, they fessed up.

we don't know much details about them, but our assumption is that they'll be somewhat like the old IR blaster tip cables that allow for more 'precision' on the placement and control over identical devices. obviously they'll be different because the old ones were 3.5mm and the new blaster is 2.5mm. the precision cable may also include two splitters (we hope, since the new blaster only has 2 ports in the back while the old extender had 4)

oh, they said they planned to have them available at launch...but I doubt that will be the case since it's getting close and they haven't announced them yet.

Lol I just bought a Harmony One. I knew I'd get screwed.

Lol I just bought a Harmony One. I knew I'd get screwed.
nah...if you just bought it, you can always return it

What is the justification of getting a 900 over "The One" other than a slightly nicer display and the RF functionality (which I don't think I need in my particular setup)... ?

If I am going to spend 400$ for this remote, I think I'd just spring for the 1100 instead. I really only have a TV, AVR, and BluRay in my main room - although I have a separate game room with a different TV, Xbox, and PS3 in an upstairs loft.. maybe with the RF functionality I could be downstairs, click the "Play Games" button and it'd turn on my TV and game system upstairs before I walked up there? :P That might be useful..

(Trying to talk myself into buying one of these 3 remotes... having a hard time deciding - any opinions? the 'cool factor' with the 1100 is slowly winning on me i think.. i like the tablet design.)

What is the justification of getting a 900 over "The One" other than a slightly nicer display and the RF functionality (which I don't think I need in my particular setup)... ?

If I am going to spend 400$ for this remote, I think I'd just spring for the 1100 instead. I really only have a TV, AVR, and BluRay in my main room - although I have a separate game room with a different TV, Xbox, and PS3 in an upstairs loft.. maybe with the RF functionality I could be downstairs, click the "Play Games" button and it'd turn on my TV and game system upstairs before I walked up there? :P That might be useful..

(Trying to talk myself into buying one of these 3 remotes... having a hard time deciding - any opinions? the 'cool factor' with the 1100 is slowly winning on me i think.. i like the tablet design.)
keep in mind that no matter what remote you get, you'll need an IR adapter to control the PS3...you can thank Sony for not including an IR receiver.

the 900 comes with the main blaster (i.e. wireless extender) and two mini blasters that plug into the main blaster...

the 1100 does not come with the extender.

the One will not work with any logitech wireless extender...but would work with a 3rd party IR repeater system

another advantage of the 900 that I love is the sleep timer. it actually executes the 'off' button functionality after a certain number of minutes (you have several choices)...so the need for your devices to have a sleep timer is irrelevant, and the harmony smart state technology doesn't get confused. also, as I mentioned before, the 900 is easier to setup, as a lot of the settings, including the entire RF setup, is done on the remote itself and not on the computer....

not that any harmony remote is that hard to setup

nah...if you just bought it, you can always return it

Sorry, by just bought it I mean like 2 months ago.

yeah, we saw them mentioned in the manual (they also had us 'proof read' the manual), and we asked about them...they got a little red in the face...

they didn't plan on telling us about them at that time...but since we knew about them at that point, they fessed up.

we don't know much details about them, but our assumption is that they'll be somewhat like the old IR blaster tip cables that allow for more 'precision' on the placement and control over identical devices. obviously they'll be different because the old ones were 3.5mm and the new blaster is 2.5mm. the precision cable may also include two splitters (we hope, since the new blaster only has 2 ports in the back while the old extender had 4)

oh, they said they planned to have them available at launch...but I doubt that will be the case since it's getting close and they haven't announced them yet.

I read on the blogitech site that the IR cables would have 4 emitters on each cable. I wish the blaster had more ports since I want to use one port straight to the PS3 adaptor. As of right now 4 emitters and cable for the PS3 would work out. I also could just point the blaster towards the PS3 adaptor to control it.

I read on the blogitech site that the IR cables would have 4 emitters on each cable. I wish the blaster had more ports since I want to use one port straight to the PS3 adaptor. As of right now 4 emitters and cable for the PS3 would work out. I also could just point the blaster towards the PS3 adaptor to control it.
you could always get a splitter

How would I connect this remote to my PC? Right now I have a Dinovo Mini but am looking to switch.

Are there RF recievers for the PC or would I have to use a IR Blaster? Would one be better than the other?

What software would I need to use on the PC to map out controls for programs/system controls?

How would I connect this remote to my PC? Right now I have a Dinovo Mini but am looking to switch.

Are there RF recievers for the PC or would I have to use a IR Blaster? Would one be better than the other?

What software would I need to use on the PC to map out controls for programs/system controls?
so you're not looking to connect the remote to the PC (as in connecting it by USB to update the remote), you're looking to control the PC via the remote.

there are no existing RF receivers for the harmony remotes that connect directly to the PC, so you would have to use either the main blaster or one of the mini-blasters.

as far as software, all the programming for the remote, including button mapping for the remote, would be handled via the Logitech software

if your pc already has an ir receiver for another remote you can just use that receiver.

if your pc already has an ir receiver for another remote you can just use that receiver.
correct...I should clarify that I was under the assumption that the PC wasn't in the same area as the rest of the setup, meaning it needed non-line of sight control...

if it's in line of sight, then any USB based or built in IR receiver on the PC would work for allowing it to see the commands....and the remote itself, or the main/mini blasters could send it commands

you do realize that the second comment was in reference to him passing on the 900 in favor of the 890. The difference between the screen quality of the 890 and the 900 is amazing.

the difference between the One and 900 is there, but not nearly as noticeable.

for the record, I'm 26 with 20/20 vision

I wanted to say that I'm sorry for sounding like a jackass earlier!

Overall, taking a lot of your valuable time to help out Forum members is much appreciated! :)

I wanted to say that I'm sorry for sounding like a jackass earlier!

Overall, taking a lot of your valuable time to help out Forum members is much appreciated! :)
we've all been there before...no worries

correct...I should clarify that I was under the assumption that the PC wasn't in the same area as the rest of the setup, meaning it needed non-line of sight control...

if it's in line of sight, then any USB based or built in IR receiver on the PC would work for allowing it to see the commands....and the remote itself, or the main/mini blasters could send it commands

Thanks for the replies!

So if I get an IR reciever, will any do or are there one's that will work better with the harmony emitters? Do any of them (the IR reciever for the PC) not allow the PC to be turned on from sleep mode? That is one key for me.

Thanks again.

Seems like had they provided a plug in on the receiver main unit with a blue tooth repeater for the ps3 they'd sell a ton of them.

Thanks for the replies!

So if I get an IR reciever, will any do or are there one's that will work better with the harmony emitters? Do any of them (the IR reciever for the PC) not allow the PC to be turned on from sleep mode? That is one key for me.

Thanks again.

The Harmony is not the limiting factor here. You need to find an IR receiver that will do what you need. Any universal IR remote will be able to control an IR receiver, but if your IR receiver is limited in its abilities then the 900 isn't going to fix it.

I'd stay away from any iMon IR solution and look into a USB-UIRT and use EventGhost or any EventGhost compatible MCE IR receiver.

Seems like had they provided a plug in on the receiver main unit with a blue tooth repeater for the ps3 they'd sell a ton of them.

Logitech already sells this. The "plug in" is a 2.5mm port on the back of the IR Blaster and the Harmony IR to BT converter.

we've all been there before...no worries

So where's this petition again? Tis high time i signed it....

Cheers

Thanks for the replies!

So if I get an IR reciever, will any do or are there one's that will work better with the harmony emitters? Do any of them (the IR reciever for the PC) not allow the PC to be turned on from sleep mode? That is one key for me.

Thanks again.
this (http://bevhoward.com/Misc/IR/HarmonyAdvFaq.html#Media) might help...

So where's this petition again? Tis high time i signed it....

Cheers
it's over here (http://forums.logitech.com/logitech/board/message?board.id=general_remotes&thread.id=34758)

Any word on when the 900 will be available?

so any word if we can connect multiple to one extender? IE replacement for the 890Pro

Here's a dumb question-

If the 900 operates on RF, how would it control the TV which is normally sitting out with a convenient line of sight to its IR receiver? Does the 900 also emit an IR signal along with the RF? Point is, I'd rather not have to have a blaster sitting out somewhere in front of the TV...

Here's a dumb question-

If the 900 operates on RF, how would it control the TV which is normally sitting out with a convenient line of sight to its IR receiver? Does the 900 also emit an IR signal along with the RF? Point is, I'd rather not have to have a blaster sitting out somewhere in front of the TV...

yes i'm pretty sure it uses both ir from the remote as well as rf.

i assume you can choose to send commands as ir or rf depending on the device. someone else may need to confirm.

also it sounds like the blasters have pretty good coverage so it may not be an issue to have the blasters control the tv either.

The remote sends both IR and RF. The receiver(Extender) converts the RF to IR and sends the IR to the blasters to control the components. With TV being in LOS it would receive the IR and act on the command. It sort of defeats the purpose as with the RF you don't have to hit a component with the IR signal. No LOS is needed.

i have my 900 blaster sitting just below the bottom edge of the tv. very inconspicuous and the tv receives every command shot out from the thing. the main blaster and the mini blasters all have excellent range and don't have to be in front of each component. my minis are all right at the base of my components with their wires running back underneath and out of sight. one of them is just below 2 components stacked on top and it still hits them both.
this is all in an open shelf console so the ir signals aren't even bouncing off any doors.

Any word on when the 900 will be available?
it's supposed to start shipping out September 4th...so it should be in stores shortly after that
so any word if we can connect multiple to one extender? IE replacement for the 890Pro
only one remote per blaster...but up to 5 blasters per remote
the 890pro has been discontinued and only
logitech knows if there will ever be a replacement for it

I think they made a public statement about it on the logitech forums when they announced the 890pro being discontinued, but it may not have been in th public area, so I'll refrain from commenting on future product plans

i have my 900 blaster sitting just below the bottom edge of the tv.
same for me. but the wallmount for the new bedroom tv is arriving later this week. much smaller "rack" for the components is probably a week or so behind that in shipping. so we'll see how the blaster placement goes

i have my 900 blaster sitting just below the bottom edge of the tv. I must be missunderstanding what you guys are saying. Our 1000 directly (IR) controls the TV, and the RF extender handles all the components in the next room. Why do you need a blaster sitting under the bottom edge of your TV?

So sequences are the best thing for having a button go straight to CC and teletext is that correct (and since I am European I miss teletext living in the US).

Well if sequences are the best thing for that (only?) then how come they added those icons to a remote that don't have that function anymore.......

Sounds like the one department isn't talking to the other department

I must be missunderstanding what you guys are saying. Our 1000 directly (IR) controls the TV, and the RF extender handles all the components in the next room. Why do you need a blaster sitting under the bottom edge of your TV?

I have my 890's RF extender under my TV as well (and all of the emitters going into my cabinet). The reason is to completely do away with line-of-sight issues.

If there was some sort of routing issue from the RF extender to the TV then I would probably skip it and just use IR from the remote.

I have my 890's RF extender under my TV as well (and all of the emitters going into my cabinet). The reason is to completely do away with line-of-sight issues.

If there was some sort of routing issue from the RF extender to the TV then I would probably skip it and just use IR from the remote.
exactly, I don't have to have the blaster controlling the tv, but eliminating all line of sight/need to point the remote is complete freedom....

especially for things like long power on delays so that the input commands get seen

exactly, I don't have to have the blaster controlling the tv, but eliminating all line of sight/need to point the remote is complete freedom....

especially for things like long power on delays so that the input commands get seenI understand now. ;)

With the components in another room, I guess I'll be pointing at the TV for some time to come.

I understand now. ;)

With the components in another room, I guess I'll be pointing at the TV for some time to come.
the 900 supports up to 5 main blasters, so you could always pick up a second blaster ;)
I'm using 2 main blasters

the 900 supports up to 5 main blasters, so you could always pick up a second blaster ;)
I'm using 2 main blastersDoes the remote control each of five main blasters via RF signals?

I don't see extra main blasters at Logitech's web site when I read about getting on a preorder list for the 900.

yes, communication with the main blasters is via RF...the mini-blasters plug into the main blaster (so they're indirectly controlled by RF)

I assume the blaster will be for sale separately either by the time the 900 is actually available, or shortly thereafter...but it WILL be for sale separately as far as I know...

yes, communication with the main blasters is via RF...the mini-blasters plug into the main blaster (so they're indirectly controlled by RF)

I assume the blaster will be for sale separately either by the time the 900 is actually available, or shortly thereafter...but it WILL be for sale separately as far as I know...Thanks. :)

Just got an email flier from Amazon stating that the "New Harmony 900 Remote Control--Now In Stock", but when I click on the link it takes me to the Amazon Harmony 900 page that still says "This item has not yet been released."... Maybe the date is getting closer.

Just got an email flier from Amazon stating that the "New Harmony 900 Remote Control--Now In Stock", but when I click on the link it takes me to the Amazon Harmony 900 page that still says "This item has not yet been released."... Maybe the date is getting closer.
9/4 was when I was told that amazon would have it in stock

9/4 was when I was told that amazon would have it in stock

Got the email too so they must have screwed something up....

Wannabe Actuary,

Just to confirm on mhdiab's question:

With the 900, if you are already in an activity which activated multiple devices like "watch movie", can you program the play button to emit the "play" command to the dvd player and also to emit the "dim" command to a IR light controller?

Wannabe Actuary,

Just to confirm on mhdiab's question:

With the 900, if you are already in an activity which activated multiple devices like "watch movie", can you program the play button to emit the "play" command to the dvd player and also to emit the "dim" command to a IR light controller?
on past remotes, you would create a sequence of the two commands and assign that to the button...however, the 900 does not support sequences

you could try to use both the original remotes and learn them in raw format as one new command and then assign the new command to the button...but results will likely be mixed at best

now in the OLD days, the button mapping for an activity would show a separate column for each device in the activity and a row for each button...nothing stopped you from assigning a command from more than one device...sadly that went away quite some time ago

so in short, you MAY be able to do that by learning both commands as a new raw format single command, but probably not as well or reliably as if sequences were supported

Wannabe Actuary,

Well the multiple columns for each button is what I've got for my two 890pros controlling my setup with one RF receiver (grin).

I will sign the petition but seems like I will be waiting a few product cycles before getting a new remote. A shame because the ergonomics of the Harmony One / 900 are perfect.

Thanks for all your effort in this thread.

Cheers,

no problem
just doing what I can to help

Just received this from Amazon regarding my order


"Logitech Harmony 900 Remote Control (Black)"
Estimated arrival date: September 02 2009

Just received this from Amazon regarding my order


"Logitech Harmony 900 Remote Control (Black)"
Estimated arrival date: September 02 2009
I guess it's possible things are moving faster than originally planned, but logitechs official statement was 9/4

/ShamelessPlug On
I want to let all of you know that our own, squareeyes, is going to run in a charity race event. If you'd like to sponsor him I'm linking to the sight so you can learn about the event, and a little more about Randy. If you love those icons for your Harmony remote, maybe you can help sponsor his run.
http://www.active.com/donate/lv09sandiego/randycohen
Thanks for your time, carry on! ;) //ShamelessPlug Off

I was checking the date on the Best Buy computer. Shows a "in-stock" date of 9-6-09. I didn't see anything else related to the remote other than mock-up units for display.

I was checking the date on the Best Buy computer. Shows a "in-stock" date of 9-6-09. I didn't see anything else related to the remote other than mock-up units for display.

some best buys should already have them, 3 came in on our truck Tuesday and i couldn't resist. looks like my 1100 is getting returned

well amazon says in stock, just ordered one with prime overnight shipping, says it will be here tomorrow

you're right...amazon now shows it in stock
again, if you don't need sequences, it is an amazing remote

I just got mine today at my local BB store.
:)

I think we have our first review

http://www.i4u.com/full-review-582.html

I just got mine today at my local BB store.
:)

Did you pay the MSRP?

I'll wait a few weeks. Or at least until the price comes down after several retailers get them and the novelty wears off. I'd also like to wait until I read a couple of (in depth) reviews.

I think we have our first review

http://www.i4u.com/full-review-582.html

a pretty terrible review at that. guy didn't even know about discrete on/off commands! maybe i'm being too harsh? he did give it a good score after all :p

so any news on the extenders working with more than one 900? I love the ONE but can't replace my 890pros unless I can have one extender in place.

Although it hasn't been released yet, I'm personally holding out for the Nevo C3 which trumps the 900 in many respects (including macros/sequences). HERE's (http://www.remotecentral.com/news/441/one_for_all_reveals_new_xsight_remotes.html) a blurb it's European cousin, the One-For-All Xsight.

so any news on the extenders working with more than one 900? I love the ONE but can't replace my 890pros unless I can have one extender in place.
I've answered this at least twice in this thread
one remote per blaster
up to 5 blasters per remote

and as far as reviews, you're better off just asking me or squareyes, as we beta tested the remote and are here on a regular basis

we're also more knowledgable about harmony remotes in general than most people reviewing the remotes

we're also more knowledgable about harmony remotes in general than most people reviewing the remotes

amen to that!

and as far as reviews, you're better off just asking me or squareyes, as we beta tested the remote and are here on a regular basis

we're also more knowledgable about harmony remotes in general than most people reviewing the remotes

Fine, but my understanding was that you guys could not, currently, give us a "ful detailed" review because you "might" be restricted by an NDA. (given that the remote has not been "officially" announced). If this is no longer the case, could you give us a blow by blow review comparing the 900 to 1100 and to the One. I'm very interested on details of the mini blasters and on how close to the IR components they need to be placed to work properly. I also have several IR components in an open cabinet that my wife would like to hide. This includes an RF controlled Vudu box which I'd like to control directly from the 900 if that is possible.

Did you pay the MSRP?

I'll wait a few weeks. Or at least until the price comes down after several retailers get them and the novelty wears off. I'd also like to wait until I read a couple of (in depth) reviews.

Yes, I used a $275 BB gift card. Still, I will be looking at the price at BB for the next 30 days in case is on sale. I doubt it will happen this soon, though.

thansk wannabe - guess stock like chuck till they get around to replacing the PRO

given that the remote has not been "officially" announced


Isn't being on the logitech website and in stores pretty official?

the remote was officially announced earlier this month
our NDA prohibits us from disclosuing non public information
and while I would have to check the wording I believe we can't officially review the remote for a 3rd party (IMO they mean vendor like amazon)
but I see no problem in answering questions provided the answers aren't nonpublic information that any user will find out

I'll double check the wording on the NDA

I called my local BB in Cleveland to see if the 900 was in stock. I was told yes, they had 3 of them. When I asked to have one of them saved for me, the girl came back and told me, "I am sorry, but we have just received an email that these units need to be removed from our shelves and can't be sold. Theye are being recalled. The reason is there are software updating issues that need to be resolved."

I then checked with another BB in my area, and was told the same thing.
Whether the unit is being recalled or just being delayed in its release remains to be seen. Perhaps, logitech doesn't have the 900's software officially in place?

I just saw a post about a possible recall of the 900 on the logitech boards. Any truth to this?

We'll see, my amazon order looks like its about to ship, and my long experience with them says its already past the point where they would try to cancel the order.

I just read that post, I think it's bull
we've been using the 900 not just on the beta servers, but also the production servers for weeks now

I just updated my 900 less than a week ago when I got a new tv for my bedroom

here is the wording from the NDA that would apply
"the Logitech Materials , including their existence and features, and any Feedback You provide to Logitech, are the proprietary and confidential information of Logitech. You agree not to disclose or provide any portion of the Logitech Materials or Feedback to any third party or any confidential information you obtained while testing the Logitech product for a period of three years following the receipt of the Logitech Materials."

I interpret that as non of the beta testing feedback can be shared and no nonpublic information can be shared, but that a review would be allowed. furthermore, I believe after the 900 was announced, the person running the beta test said it was now ok to talk about the remote (at the very least on their site)...