The deal is dead. :(

When I look at my button setup (by going to DEVICE-MORE OPTIONS-CUSTOMIZE DEVICE MODE) I see all the buttons that the remote learned (raw mode). Then when I go to the activity that uses this device and I look at the button setup (by going to ACTIVITY-CUSTOMIZE ACTIVITY BUTTON ACTIONS), a lot of the buttons are missing.

When I look at my button setup (by going to DEVICE-MORE OPTIONS-CUSTOMIZE DEVICE MODE) I see all the buttons that the remote learned (raw mode). Then when I go to the activity that uses this device and I look at the button setup (by going to ACTIVITY-CUSTOMIZE ACTIVITY BUTTON ACTIONS), a lot of the buttons are missing.


If they were learned after the activity was created, you may have to delete and recreate the activity.

I have the following setup: Motorola (Comcast) Cable-box 34xx connected to Sony KDS-R60XBR1 HD-TV via HDMI cable. When I turn the two devices at the same time (using original remotes), I often get a big green square. The problem apparently stems from the two devices taking time to get in sync. Before I got Harmony 880, I turned the TV on first, Motorola box second after several second delay.

I'd like to set my Watch TV activity the same way, but can't figure out how to do it. The software won't let me change the order of device power on, nor insert a delay function between them.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

I have the following setup: Motorola (Comcast) Cable-box 34xx connected to Sony KDS-R60XBR1 HD-TV via HDMI cable. When I turn the two devices at the same time (using original remotes), I often get a big green square. The problem apparently stems from the two devices taking time to get in sync. Before I got Harmony 880, I turned the TV on first, Motorola box second after several second delay.

I'd like to set my Watch TV activity the same way, but can't figure out how to do it. The software won't let me change the order of device power on, nor insert a delay function between them.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

You have to call Harmony and have them set it up for you. Most likely, the first person you talk to won't understand and you'll have to ask for the next tier of support.

I have the following setup: Motorola (Comcast) Cable-box 34xx connected to Sony KDS-R60XBR1 HD-TV via HDMI cable. When I turn the two devices at the same time (using original remotes), I often get a big green square. The problem apparently stems from the two devices taking time to get in sync. Before I got Harmony 880, I turned the TV on first, Motorola box second after several second delay.

I'd like to set my Watch TV activity the same way, but can't figure out how to do it. The software won't let me change the order of device power on, nor insert a delay function between them.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Under Device, look for the power-on delay setting and try increasing that. I have a Motorola DCT6200 (PO delay set to 200 ms) and a Sony KDS-R50XBR1 (PO delay set to 500 ms). It's been working fine for me.

ok, tried searching the thread, but couldn't find what I was looking for...

how can I attach specific actions to the "Off" button?

My use:
I have an electronic Lutron drape for my HT. I have each of the activites (Watch Movie, Watch TV) set to open the drape, and originally I had it set so that exiting the activities would send a "close drape" function. However, that caused issues when switching from one activity to another.

as such, i removed the close drape action from each activities exit macro, and would like to assign the close drape action to the OFF button. Can this be done?

thanks.

I have the following setup: Motorola (Comcast) Cable-box 34xx connected to Sony KDS-R60XBR1 HD-TV via HDMI cable. When I turn the two devices at the same time (using original remotes), I often get a big green square. The problem apparently stems from the two devices taking time to get in sync. Before I got Harmony 880, I turned the TV on first, Motorola box second after several second delay.

I'd like to set my Watch TV activity the same way, but can't figure out how to do it. The software won't let me change the order of device power on, nor insert a delay function between them.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Most users in the Motorola DVR threads here strongly advise leaving these on all the time - fewer problems and assorted bugs develop as a result. I've always left mine on and it has generally performed very well. With the Harmony I added the option to always leave it on and have operated it this way for two years. I don't worry about escessive wear & tear because it's just a rental and Comcast will replace it if it ever does quit working.

ok, tried searching the thread, but couldn't find what I was looking for...

how can I attach specific actions to the "Off" button?

My use:
I have an electronic Lutron drape for my HT. I have each of the activites (Watch Movie, Watch TV) set to open the drape, and originally I had it set so that exiting the activities would send a "close drape" function. However, that caused issues when switching from one activity to another.

as such, i removed the close drape action from each activities exit macro, and would like to assign the close drape action to the OFF button. Can this be done?

thanks.

I do a similar thing with my electric projector screen. I agree activity start/end commands are no good as the screen goes up then down when you switch activities.

I suggest you go to "Power options" for the Drapes device, and select "I want to turn this device off when not in use"
Then select "I have a button for ON, and a seperate button for OFF"
When it asks for the ON command, select "DrapesOPEN"(or whatever you have called the command), and for the OFF command select "DrapesCLOSED".
Next, add the drapes device to all the activities you need it in.

This is what I did for my screen, and it works a treat. Screen comes down when the first activity is selected. Change activities and screen stays down. Press OFF and screen goes up.

Has anyone used the 880 or 890 with more than one Pioneer component where you've enabled the SR+ feature offered by Pioneer (which allows you to point your IR remote at the IR sensor on one component but control other Pioneer components). I am setting up a new system, with a Pioneer Elite Plasma at the center. The Plasma will be the only component of the system in line-of-site. Everything else will be hidden in a cabinet (Pioneer Elite receiver, Oppo DVD, DirecTV HR10-250.

I'm sure I can probably get away without connecting the Pioneer components with the SR+ cable (isn't that the point of a universal remote), but I'm wondering if utilizing SR+ would offer any performance improvement with respect to things like the various delays that people tweak. One feature that SR+ provides is that you see the volume of the speaker on the TV display (for any input - not just the input that the receiver is connected to (not that I will not be using the receiver for video switching)).

Thanks!!

just FYI, dell deal is back but at slightly higher price

Has anyone used the 880 or 890 with more than one Pioneer component where you've enabled the SR+ feature offered by Pioneer (which allows you to point your IR remote at the IR sensor on one component but control other Pioneer components). I am setting up a new system, with a Pioneer Elite Plasma at the center. The Plasma will be the only component of the system in line-of-site. Everything else will be hidden in a cabinet (Pioneer Elite receiver, Oppo DVD, DirecTV HR10-250.

I'm sure I can probably get away without connecting the Pioneer components with the SR+ cable (isn't that the point of a universal remote), but I'm wondering if utilizing SR+ would offer any performance improvement with respect to things like the various delays that people tweak. One feature that SR+ provides is that you see the volume of the speaker on the TV display (for any input - not just the input that the receiver is connected to (not that I will not be using the receiver for video switching)).

Thanks!!
I have a Pioneer 1120 Elite Plasma hooked up to a Pio VSX-1015TX receiver via SR+ and have no problem controlling everything with the 880.

To your original question though, I don't know if there is any performance improvement over not using the SR+. I like being able to see the receiver volume change and the selected sound field on the plasma, so I left it all connected.

Thanks Nuzy - that makes me feel a little better. I won't get everything set up for about a month when we move into our new home, but I'm trying to get it all planned out now. Like you, I want to be able to see the reciver's volume control displayed on the monitor as well as the listening settings.

On the other hand, I've noticed that if SR+ is enabled, you supposedly cannot control the receiver if the monitor is OFF, which might pose a problem. I would like to be able to control the receiver using the Harmony even when the Plasma is turned OFF. Have you been able to do this with the 880, or do you always have the TV on, say, even when you're just listening to a CD or the FM radio?

This problem must exist on other devices too, so if anyone has a solution, I'd love to hear it....I have a Crystalio II video processor and a Harmony 890. I'm having a real problem switching sources on the C-II. The C-II remote has discrete codes for switching between some, but not all, inputs. The two inputs I use the most do not have discrete codes on the C-II remote. The way that I would normally switch between them would be to hit "input" and then scroll either up or down to the proper input (they are adjacent in the on-screen list, so it's either one up or one down, depending).

With the Harmony, I can set it up to bring up the on-screen scroll list. The problem is that I can only choose one direction for it to "scroll." In other words, if I'm on the second input, Harmony doesn't seem to allow me to pick the "up" command as its next; it will only do "down" for changing inputs, period, regardless of where it is in the scroll list. This is trouble for me because there are fourteen different inputs on this list, and even if I could get the Harmony to correctly scroll through all of them (which I can't), it would take forever.

This brings me to a little rant: I hate how the "custom" buttons on Harmony can't be hard wired to existing hard buttons. For example, if I want to add the discrete from my C-II for the "down" command, why can't I map it to the rocker on the remote? Why does it have to be a soft key? If this is possible and I just haven't figured it out yet, someone please correct me, I'd love to be wrong!

Thanks.

I hate how the "custom" buttons on Harmony can't be hard wired to existing hard buttons. For example, if I want to add the discrete from my C-II for the "down" command, why can't I map it to the rocker on the remote? Why does it have to be a soft key? If this is possible and I just haven't figured it out yet, someone please correct me, I'd love to be wrong!
- You can map "custom" buttons to any button you want (except Device, Activity, etc.). A lot of people miss the learned commands because they appear at the very end of the list of commands. Learned commands aren't sorted with the default commands.

- You can map "custom" buttons to any button you want (except Device, Activity, etc.). A lot of people miss the learned commands because they appear at the very end of the list of commands. Learned commands aren't sorted with the default commands.

Where in the software is this function? In the "Learn Infrared Commands" section -- even under "Custom" -- I don't see any way to add commands to hard buttons.

Another dumb Harmony question. Say I add a device that doesn't show up in the Harmony database, so I have to learn all of the codes, etc. Does my stuff end up in the Harmony database? What if the manufacturer later adds more discrete codes to the Harmony database than I could (i.e., stuff not on the original remote) (maybe this never happens)? Does the software recognize that the Harmony database has updated commands for the device, or would I have to remove the device and re-add it to get this stuff?

Where in the software is this function? In the "Learn Infrared Commands" section -- even under "Custom" -- I don't see any way to add commands to hard buttons.
- Go into the Device or Activity and look at the button layout. Click on the button you want to map to look at the drop down menu. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the drop down menu. All learned commands should be in the list.

You can also make your own "semi-discrete" commands by sending the discrete for the closest input in the list, followed by the correct number of UP or DOWN commands to get to the input you need.

Under "Adjust inputs" select "I go directly to the input I want", then "I send more commands" for the inputs in question.

I see many posts that say you cannot control the order of device commands in an activity (you page through many pages to get to the command you want in an activity). Well, you can but not easy! Here is how. Make up an activity without the device you want to appear *last* in your activity command pages. Add the device you want to appear last in your activity command pages after the activity is created and 'saved'. The added device will show as 'passthrough' at the top of the 'change buttons' page, but the commands will appear as the last page on your remote activity screen. PROBLEMS with this: (1) if you change the custom commands listed in your passthrough device, the changes appear in every other instance of that device in your setup. This can also be worked around; create new device, same as the passthrough device. You can rename it "dummy (device)" to prevent confusion. Add this 'Dummy' in as your passthrough device in your activity and you can put any custom commands you want. If you use the 'Dummy' device again, the same commands appear if you put it in another activity. (2) There are limitations as to what devices you can put in and get a particular icon to appear on your launch activitys screen, so you may end up with a generic icon for the activity you create. Also, there are limits as to how many total devices you can create, BUT there can be duplicates of a device to change the order in an activity or change the custom commands between activitys using the same device. You can also put in more than on copy of the same device in an activity and get a limited type of macro across several creations of the same device in a single activity (Dummy 1, Dummy 2). You must be careful to set the 'Dummy' to always on, no input selection, etc, to keep it from messing up your setup, but it does work! I know this is clear as mud but no easy way to explain this! I hope this helps and does not create to many problems. I have been able (with a great deal of work) to get my remote to work well and the commands to appear in the order I want in each activity, and different commands for the same device in different activitys. Good luck, you will need it. It gets confusing!

Thanks Nuzy - that makes me feel a little better. I won't get everything set up for about a month when we move into our new home, but I'm trying to get it all planned out now. Like you, I want to be able to see the reciver's volume control displayed on the monitor as well as the listening settings.

On the other hand, I've noticed that if SR+ is enabled, you supposedly cannot control the receiver if the monitor is OFF, which might pose a problem. I would like to be able to control the receiver using the Harmony even when the Plasma is turned OFF. Have you been able to do this with the 880, or do you always have the TV on, say, even when you're just listening to a CD or the FM radio?
Jediphish - I just used the "Listen to Jukebox" activity to listen to a CD on my Pioneer CD Filer and I could control everything without the Plasma being on. Same thing for the "Listen to Tuner" activity - plasma does not need to be on.

Nuzy

I see and have this question (FAQ): How do I access my favourite channels? "To setup Favourite channels on the website: Click setup TV content next to the activity, on your Harmony home page...."

I don't see a "setup TV Content" button on my home page. I see setup favorite channels on one activity (Watch TV), which I have done. But I want to add favorite channels to another activity and can't seem to find how/where that function is added. I want to add it to Listen to Music activity with STB and AVR on.

Hi all. I did some searches of the site but didn't see this covered; apologies if it has been.

I set up some favorite channels on my Harmony 880. I have 4 activities that watch TV. Is there a way to use my favorite channels for more than one activity, or do I have to manually enter them all in for all 4 activites?

Thanks!

Carl

Jediphish - I just used the "Listen to Jukebox" activity to listen to a CD on my Pioneer CD Filer and I could control everything without the Plasma being on. Same thing for the "Listen to Tuner" activity - plasma does not need to be on.

Nuzy


Nuzy,
That makes me even happier. It sounds like I should get the best of both worlds with the 890 I'll be using, and with the SR+ functionality turned on.

I'm just curious - how many Pioneer components do you have connected this way? Were you able to program the 880 to do everything you needed for all of them.

I have been able (with a great deal of work) to get my remote to work well and the commands to appear in the order I want in each activity, and different commands for the same device in different activitys. Good luck, you will need it. It gets confusing!

I have been thinking about doing something similar, however; I'm just too lazy right now to mess around with this. This really is something Logitech should have included. I understand some people might like to order the menus the way Logitech forces, but I really think it should be up to the user.

I'd suggest that anyone who wants a little more control over their Harmony to write tech support and ask for this to be passed on to the developers.

You can also make your own "semi-discrete" commands by sending the discrete for the closest input in the list, followed by the correct number of UP or DOWN commands to get to the input you need.

Under "Adjust inputs" select "I go directly to the input I want", then "I send more commands" for the inputs in question.

This is true. I was having an issue (since resolved) where some of my inputs had discrete codes, but they were not inthe Harmony database. Customer service created this work around for me. The TV went to the next closest input and then scrolled up one input to reach the correct one.

I see and have this question (FAQ): How do I access my favourite channels? "To setup Favourite channels on the website: Click setup TV content next to the activity, on your Harmony home page...."

I don't see a "setup TV Content" button on my home page. I see setup favorite channels on one activity (Watch TV), which I have done. But I want to add favorite channels to another activity and can't seem to find how/where that function is added. I want to add it to Listen to Music activity with STB and AVR on.

I created an activity called "listen to cable music". Only the STB and the AVR are powered on. I listed the music channels and I can call them up using the Media button. When I press it, I can view 16 different music channels on the screen (2 screens of 8 each). To make it easier, instead of numbers I uploaded pictures. I did a google image search on different genres of music, like 70's, dance, holiday, hip-hop, etc. I saved these little pics to my computer and then uploaded them to the appropriate channel. So on the screen, if I want to listen to rock, I press the button next to the "rock" pic, etc. I was able to find an appropriate image for each type of music. I used a small Christmas tree for the "sounds of the season" channel, as we like to have Christmas music in the house sometimes at Christmas. Works like a charm and really easy to select now. Those channels numbers are useless unless you happen to have them memorized or the TV is on.

Nuzy,
That makes me even happier. It sounds like I should get the best of both worlds with the 890 I'll be using, and with the SR+ functionality turned on.

I'm just curious - how many Pioneer components do you have connected this way? Were you able to program the 880 to do everything you needed for all of them.
I only have the 1120 and 1015TX connected with SR+. I have a Pio CD Filer, but it's not connected via SR. I also have a Panasonic S77 DVD player, Sony VHS player, and an older Hughes GAEBO SD Satellite box. So far, the Harmony has done everything I have needed it to do. I'm still tweaking the LCD buttons with regard to having the more commonly used ones first and making sure I have all of the ones I think I'll need up there. Overall, it's worked out very well. One button to turn everything on and off is so convenient! Even if I need a function that isn't in an activity, it's easy enough to switch over to device mode and find it there. Some of the Harmony device button names don't match up one for one with the buttons on the original remote, but so far it's been relatively easy to figure out which terminology does what.

My "Off" button has stoped working! I just updated my remote this morning and just tried to turn off my TV. It may have something to do with the updated software! It's no longer an isolated problem, I'm confirmation.
Will others do an update using the new software and test this out!
:eek:

I called tech support and was walked through a firmware flash in Harmony Safe Mode. This seems to have done the trick. Functionality was restored!

I see and have this question (FAQ): How do I access my favourite channels? "To setup Favourite channels on the website: Click setup TV content next to the activity, on your Harmony home page...."

I don't see a "setup TV Content" button on my home page. I see setup favorite channels on one activity (Watch TV), which I have done. But I want to add favorite channels to another activity and can't seem to find how/where that function is added. I want to add it to Listen to Music activity with STB and AVR on.

OK, I found my answer. Only certain activities will give you the "setup favorite channels" option. Watch TV, Listen to Satellite Music, and Record Video are three I know do. So I used Listen to Satellite, and changed the name to STB Music. Then was able to set favorite music stations, very cool, thanks Tarheel72.

One thing I find very frustrating, is any activity that uses the AVR, all custom buttons show up for every activity with it, and if you change the order in one activity, they all change to the same order. I know there's convoluted ways around this, but seems the software should do what you change in each activity.

Create a second AVR device to use in the new activity and place the custom buttons you want in that one; then it will not change the first AVR. Not to bad to do...

Anyone know if Harmony is planning a software revision yet that makes connection easier form a PC. As of know, I still go through the web interface even though Harmony says that the software on your computer gives you more features. I just kept having lock-ups with current version which was very frustrating.

Is the media key programable? I cannot find it in any activity as programable? Anyone else?

Thanks,
Larry

The media key goes to favorite channels (at least that's all I've figured out). You program an activity that has the option "setup favorite channels" by it, and you can use it to program STB stations (and icons) in Watch TV mode, or STB Music (and icons) in Listen to Music mode.

The media key goes to favorite channels (at least that's all I've figured out). You program an activity that has the option "setup favorite channels" by it, and you can use it to program STB stations (and icons) in Watch TV mode, or STB Music (and icons) in Listen to Music mode.


That is correct. JThree has created many icons for the Harmony. They can be downloaded here: http://squareworld.com/harmony/

... you can also use the Media button to list your library if you have a CD or DVD jukebox.

I have a harmony 880 remote and I have a question about my DVD activity I setup. My Panny 47x54 RPTV has 3 picture modes Standard, Vivid and Cinema, I was wondering if I can customize my DVD activity to always switch to Cinema mode when I watch a DVD.


Rob

I'm having a heck of time getting the 880 to switch to correct inputs on my TV (42PX60U). I have only 3 active (TV, DVD-comp1, and STB-HDMI). I have a "Watch DVD" activity, that needs to switch this to DVD, it's all set up correctly, but TV ends up on "TV". I also have it set to go back to HDMI when I turn it off, and it doesn't do that either.

There's 2 ways to "get there" with the TV remote. Hit the TvVideo button 2 or 3 times, OR hit it once, and use the up and down keys and hit select. I've tried both ways, no luck. Probably has something to do with STB (SA-8300) with "HDMI control" (yet the STB is not on for DVD watching). May be a problem with "repeats", default is "3", I tried "1" and gave me Power on problems, so I went to "2". That may screw up the TvVideo number of presses to get to the right input...

Anyone using HDMI with a PX60U plasma and able to get input switching to work on anything other than "Watch TV"? I have TvVideo buttons on every screen, so not a big issue (as long as I'm the one "in control"). You can really do a lot with this thing once you find your way deep into the setup screens... but once you do, it seems to be pot luck if everything works correctly.

I'm having a heck of time getting the 880 to switch to correct inputs on my TV (42PX60U). I have only 3 active (TV, DVD-comp1, and STB-HDMI). I have a "Watch DVD" activity, that needs to switch this to DVD, it's all set up correctly, but TV ends up on "TV". I also have it set to go back to HDMI when I turn it off, and it doesn't do that either.

There's 2 ways to "get there" with the TV remote. Hit the TvVideo button 2 or 3 times, OR hit it once, and use the up and down keys and hit select. I've tried both ways, no luck. Probably has something to do with STB (SA-8300) with "HDMI control" (yet the STB is not on for DVD watching). May be a problem with "repeats", default is "3", I tried "1" and gave me Power on problems, so I went to "2". That may screw up the TvVideo number of presses to get to the right input...

Anyone using HDMI with a PX60U plasma and able to get input switching to work on anything other than "Watch TV"? I have TvVideo buttons on every screen, so not a big issue (as long as I'm the one "in control"). You can really do a lot with this thing once you find your way deep into the setup screens... but once you do, it seems to be pot luck if everything works correctly.

Your best bet is to call Logitech and have them program this functionality for you. I did and it works like a charm now.

The media key goes to favorite channels (at least that's all I've figured out). You program an activity that has the option "setup favorite channels" by it, and you can use it to program STB stations (and icons) in Watch TV mode, or STB Music (and icons) in Listen to Music mode.

I don't think this has been posted b4 (I read the whole thread and didn't see it).
This site has logos for almost every TV station in the world:

http://www.lyngsat-logo.com/tv/k.html

I have a harmony 880 remote and I have a question about my DVD activity I setup. My Panny 47x54 RPTV has 3 picture modes Standard, Vivid and Cinema, I was wondering if I can customize my DVD activity to always switch to Cinema mode when I watch a DVD.


Rob

Yes you can, if you always watch regular TV in one mode and DVD in Cinema, or if your TV has discrete codes to go to each mode directly.

Yes you can, if you always watch regular TV in one mode and DVD in Cinema, or if your TV has discrete codes to go to each mode directly.


How can I set this up???????????????


Rob

I have a harmony 880 remote and I have a question about my DVD activity I setup. My Panny 47x54 RPTV has 3 picture modes Standard, Vivid and Cinema, I was wondering if I can customize my DVD activity to always switch to Cinema mode when I watch a DVD.


Rob
These are the steps to follow using the web interface:

1. Click "Customize" under the "DVD" Activity
2. Click "Run the Setup Wizard Again"
3. Click the "Next" button, accepting the default selections, until you reach "Review the Settings for this activity. Are they correct?"
4. Select "Yes, but I want to add more control of options and devices for this Activity." and then click "Next".
5. Click the "Next" button, accepting the default selections, until you reach "Please review the actions for your DVD Activity".
6. You will now see "Add action for" options for when you enter this activity and for when you leave. Simply add an action on entry to set your TV to Cinema and then add an action on exit to set it back.

Your best bet is to call Logitech and have them program this functionality for you. I did and it works like a charm now.

epie, Regarding your response to visualgnc: Is this a procedure that must be done by Logitech or, with hind-sight, could you have done it yourself? I'm sort of in the same situation here trying to help someone set-up their TH-42PX60U and am curious if this is an option (to it on your own).

-George
(not the one of the jungle...)

Any ideas on how to do this? Basically I want my Lutron Maestro light dimmer to come up after all of the equipment is turned off with the All Off hard button.

Hi all. I did some searches of the site but didn't see this covered; apologies if it has been.

I set up some favorite channels on my Harmony 880. I have 4 activities that watch TV. Is there a way to use my favorite channels for more than one activity, or do I have to manually enter them all in for all 4 activites?

By the lack of response I take it here's no way to share favorite channnels across activites? It's not a huge deal but kind of a pain to load a dozen or so images for each activity (espeically since I wnt them to all be the same). And if I make changes to my favorite channels I need to make sure to duplicate the changes for each setup. Ah well, guess I better stop procrastinating and get started. :-)

Carl

By the lack of response I take it here's no way to share favorite channnels across activites? It's not a huge deal but kind of a pain to load a dozen or so images for each activity (espeically since I wnt them to all be the same). And if I make changes to my favorite channels I need to make sure to duplicate the changes for each setup. Ah well, guess I better stop procrastinating and get started. :-)

Carl

Yeah it's a bummer but I haven't seen any other way. I have a number of activities that use channels but had to load each one seperately. It's possible Harmony support can move them, but I'm not sure.

Ah well, I bit the bullet and did it this morning.

Another question: if I buy a enw DVD player, is there a way to keep my current Watch DVD activites and just swap the old DVD player for the new one?

Thanks,

Carl

I bought an 880 last week. I finally set it up today. Very nice that it works on my optoma RD65A TV. I had to manually enter 3 keys and that was it. Looks like it will work on the entire optoma line as they had them all listed.

Another question: if I buy a enw DVD player, is there a way to keep my current Watch DVD activites and just swap the old DVD player for the new one?
- I bought a new receiver in one of my setups and once I registered the new receiver, I had to simply run through the activity once again to make sure that the new commands were there.

Basically, you don't have to start over. You just have to adjust things a little.

i just bought this remote and was wondering if I need to include my Belkin Power Conditioner as a device in order for everything to work properly? I did not see an option to add such a device and wonder if there is a way to include it in my set up so the remote knows what is going on. Thanks for any help.

i just bought this remote and was wondering if I need to include my Belkin Power Conditioner as a device in order for everything to work properly? I did not see an option to add such a device and wonder if there is a way to include it in my set up so the remote knows what is going on. Thanks for any help.

Does the Belkin turn anything on or off?? If not, ignore it. I assume it just stays on and does its job, like a surge or UPS does.

As another poster mentioned . . . I programed in my Panasonic Air conditioner by just entering the model number under add a device and lo and behold it had the codes in the Harmony database.

Now I don't have to fight my Wife for the remote anymore! :cool:

These are the steps to follow using the web interface:

1. Click "Customize" under the "DVD" Activity
2. Click "Run the Setup Wizard Again"
3. Click the "Next" button, accepting the default selections, until you reach "Review the Settings for this activity. Are they correct?"
4. Select "Yes, but I want to add more control of options and devices for this Activity." and then click "Next".
5. Click the "Next" button, accepting the default selections, until you reach "Please review the actions for your DVD Activity".
6. You will now see "Add action for" options for when you enter this activity and for when you leave. Simply add an action on entry to set your TV to Cinema and then add an action on exit to set it back.


I tried wahat you said but there is not an option to add Cinema or any Picture settings.

rob

I tried wahat you said but there is not an option to add Cinema or any Picture settings.

rob

Go to Customize then pick "change the behaviour of buttons". Between the "learn missing commands" and "more custom options" choices you should be able to add that as a custom button label and map it to the corresponding button on the original remote.

- I bought a new receiver in one of my setups and once I registered the new receiver, I had to simply run through the activity once again to make sure that the new commands were there.

Basically, you don't have to start over. You just have to adjust things a little.

Awesome, thanks!

i just bought this remote and was wondering if I need to include my Belkin Power Conditioner as a device in order for everything to work properly? I did not see an option to add such a device and wonder if there is a way to include it in my set up so the remote knows what is going on. Thanks for any help.

Well, it all depends. The Belkin itself does not have a remote control so there is no code to turn it on or off. However, it does have a DC trigger input, so that you can connect it to some other switched input and then it will power up with that unit comes on. Of course, if you do this the code you are using is the one for the unit that has the Belkin plugged in to it. But in this case, that unit also is not plugged into the Belkin, as you can't have it both ways. That would mean that the unit is not protected, unless you run a seperate line protector for that unit.

Best case is to simply leave the Belkin on all the time or to manually turn it on and off as the last step in the process. I have my 880 charger plugged into my Belkin and it sits next to it, so that would not be a big deal to me if I wanted to do it that way. But I leave mine on all the time, to monitor the voltage.

I tried wahat you said but there is not an option to add Cinema or any Picture settings.

rob


rdn is right. Simply go under your tv Device and learn the missing commands. Then follow my earlier steps.

I bought the Harmony 880 last week and got almost all the programming done quite easely except for one thing.

I added a generic activity to use my Roku Photobridge and all the devices start up properly except for the fact that my remote does not select the Photobridge device controls when done turning on the devices. I have to manually select the device to use it ...

What am I doing wrong ?
Thanks
Patrick S.

I bought the Harmony 880 last week and got almost all the programming done quite easely except for one thing.

I added a generic activity to use my Roku Photobridge and all the devices start up properly except for the fact that my remote does not select the Photobridge device controls when done turning on the devices. I have to manually select the device to use it ...

What am I doing wrong ?
Thanks
Patrick S.


For the activity in question, select "Customize", then "Change behaviour of buttons". You will then get a screen where you can assign any function to any button you want. Other activities make a guess at a default setup(which can be modified on this same screen), but this isn't done for generic activities....you have to do it all yourself.

Sadly, this is what I thought :( It could have been so much easier ...
This remote has so much untapped potential, I just hope Logitech continues to update the firmware and features.
The internet client to configure the thing is my biggest gripe up to now, if they could do a stand alone version with a small DB that would update itself ... sigh.
Thanks for the info ...
Patrick S.

Sadly, this is what I thought :( It could have been so much easier ...


???
How could it be any easier? It only takes a couple of minutes to assign everything exactly how you want.

It deliberately doesn't make a guess at how you would like it set up, because it is a CUSTOM activity by definition. It isn't psychic...it doesn't know what you are trying to do.

Thanks!! The tip works great.

I do a similar thing with my electric projector screen. I agree activity start/end commands are no good as the screen goes up then down when you switch activities.

I suggest you go to "Power options" for the Drapes device, and select "I want to turn this device off when not in use"
Then select "I have a button for ON, and a seperate button for OFF"
When it asks for the ON command, select "DrapesOPEN"(or whatever you have called the command), and for the OFF command select "DrapesCLOSED".
Next, add the drapes device to all the activities you need it in.

This is what I did for my screen, and it works a treat. Screen comes down when the first activity is selected. Change activities and screen stays down. Press OFF and screen goes up.

Hello,

Over the weekend I have noticed a proble with my PVR activity and looking for guidance. Currently it is set-up as follows (not that my PVR is on all the time):

1. Turn on TV
2. Switch to HDMI input
3. Turn on Receiver.
4. Mute TV

Seems very straightforward. My activity was working fine with steps 1-3 however step 4 has not been working reat since I added it.. My TV won't mute on start-up of activty. I have checked through the Device menu to mute TV to make sure it wan;t a problem with IR but that worked fine. Also, I went in and increased "Inter-key" delay up to 500ms and still I can't get TV to mute through the PVR activity button. This did work fine for about a day (only thing I did after it was working was update my remote with other stuff) and then stopped after the update (I think?)

Anybody have any ideas why something simple like "mute TV" will not work in my activity?

Thanks everyone!

epie, Regarding your response to visualgnc: Is this a procedure that must be done by Logitech or, with hind-sight, could you have done it yourself? I'm sort of in the same situation here trying to help someone set-up their TH-42PX60U and am curious if this is an option (to it on your own).

-George
(not the one of the jungle...)

I don;t think I could have done this George. They actually went in added stuff "behind the scenes" I believe. I tried looking for how they did it but couldn't find anything. THey basically added the programming to a menu option that didn't appear originally when I added my device. I wouldn't waste your time as they did it fairly quickly.

Good Luck!

Any advice on my two programming issues would be appreciated.

1) After selecting "Watch DVD" the TV and DVD are configured properly and the color display shows some DVD options that are useful (Aspect ratio, subtitles, etc).
It seems that I am automatically switched to the DEVICE menu for the DVD player.

For other activity selections, I do not get the device menu unless it is selected manually. Is there any way to control this? For example, after selecting an activity of Watch TV, I would like to have the TV device menu on the display.

Why does it do it for the DVD player and not other devices?

2) Operation with the D-link DSM-520 seems to have a bug. I created an activity that will turn on the D-link, wait 25000ms for the D-link to get network connection, then select the Video input.

This all works but then the up-and-down arrows and control ring are frozen.
The D-link factory remote will still work fine at this point - so the D-Link is not confused, but the Harmony must be frozen.
If I select the DEVICE menu, the Harmony get "unfrozen" and the up-and-down arrows work.

I have the repeat setting at 0. Additional repeats do not clear the situation but do cause "keyboard bounce" problems once the device is un-frozen.

And if any one is left blank everything moves up. So if you put in:
1 2
3 4
5 6
_ 8

Then what you really get is
1 2
3 4
5 6
8

Also I think it forces you to stay in an order of components.
For example if I have a Satalite box, TV and Reciever, I have to stay in bunches like that. So you have to go
1 2 [sat]
3 [sat] 4 [TV]
5 6 [TV]
7 8 [reciever]

I can not go
1 [TV] 2[sat]
3[TV] 4[reciever]
5[sat] 6[reciever]
7 8 [sat]

Mine goes:
page 1
1 TV
2 AVR
3 STB
4 AVR2
page 2
5 DVD

I have Preferences set on "Large Print", so only 4 buttons show up per page (only for Activities and Devices). All the custom buttons are 8 per page. I prefer the easier to read activities, and activating from either the left or right button. Not sure why my DVD shows up as 5th item, I added AVR2 a few days after the others. AVR2 is just a dummy, that I'd like on page 2. Seems if you can rearrange activities, you should be able to rearrange devices!

Any advice on my two programming issues would be appreciated.

1) After selecting "Watch DVD" the TV and DVD are configured properly and the color display shows some DVD options that are useful (Aspect ratio, subtitles, etc).
It seems that I am automatically switched to the DEVICE menu for the DVD player.

For other activity selections, I do not get the device menu unless it is selected manually. Is there any way to control this? For example, after selecting an activity of Watch TV, I would like to have the TV device menu on the display.

Why does it do it for the DVD player and not other devices?

2) Operation with the D-link DSM-520 seems to have a bug. I created an activity that will turn on the D-link, wait 25000ms for the D-link to get network connection, then select the Video input.

This all works but then the up-and-down arrows and control ring are frozen.
The D-link factory remote will still work fine at this point - so the D-Link is not confused, but the Harmony must be frozen.
If I select the DEVICE menu, the Harmony get "unfrozen" and the up-and-down arrows work.

I have the repeat setting at 0. Additional repeats do not clear the situation but do cause "keyboard bounce" problems once the device is un-frozen.


For all your activities, select "Customize", then "Change behavior of buttons". This will give you a screen where you can map any function to any button in activity mode.

The remote does not "automatically select" a device mode when you start an activity...it is an activity based remote and as such when you are in an activity you have access to commands from any device being used in that activity. This is set up on the "Change behavior of buttons" screen.

For your "frozen" direction commands, you'll probably find these buttons haven't been assigned on this screen.

Earlier I posted that I had input problems (never going to the correct one). I just discovered why and seems to work now. I had relabelled my "HDMI 1" to "HDMI-Cable", and even though I selected the correct label in set-up, the remote (somewhere deep in the software), read the word "...Cable" and thought it was a TV input with a channel associated with it, "3" in my case. So everytime an activity was started it switched from HDMI to channel 3. I relabelled the input back to "HDMI 1", and it ignores (or cycled through) the TV input, and lands on the correct one now!

I also downloaded current software to my computer (I was using their on-line site), and started using the software off my computer and works faster, with fewer waits for software downloads. All options seem identical (other than new graphics probably from the upgrade).

I have it doing everything I want it to, just be nice to have more control on arranging items on the screen (like activity icons, and device order). Also be nice if the Slideshow feature had some resolution to it. I have it cycle through 8 shots of my grand-daughter when I set it in the cradle... you can tell who it is, but that's about it.

The customized buttons did the trick.
For the D-link, the defaults were all blank.

I have it doing everything I want it to, just be nice to have more control on arranging items on the screen (like activity icons, and device order).

You can do that, I believe. I was able to rearrange my activity icons and I think you can reorder the disply of devices.


After selecting "Watch DVD" the TV and DVD are configured properly and the color display shows some DVD options that are useful (Aspect ratio, subtitles, etc). It seems that I am automatically switched to the DEVICE menu for the DVD player. For other activity selections, I do not get the device menu unless it is selected manually. Is there any way to control this? For example, after selecting an activity of Watch TV, I would like to have the TV device menu on the display. Why does it do it for the DVD player and not other devices?

You are not being switched to the DEVICE menu, that is just a default list of actions that Harmony has set up. You can designate the items to appear on this screen, and even add more if you like. For instance, after I select Watch Cable TV in my activities menu, I added Aspect to my Harmony 880 screen so I can select the aspect ratio of my TV, and switch between "widescreen" for 4:3 SD cable channels or "16:9" for HD channels that are formatted for widescreen TV's already. You can delete, add and arrange everything that shows on this screen. You can also go into device mode to access all of the device commands at any time, just like normal.

I can rearrange activities, but can't change out an activity icon. And I don't believe there is a way to rearrange devices (unless maybe Tech support can do it behind the scenes). You can change out favorite icons and rearrange activities, so it should be a very minor software change to allow a bit more user control.

???
How could it be any easier? It only takes a couple of minutes to assign everything exactly how you want.

It deliberately doesn't make a guess at how you would like it set up, because it is a CUSTOM activity by definition. It isn't psychic...it doesn't know what you are trying to do.

It could ask you which device you want to end up using/controlling ... One step, no hassle. If multiple devices, a main one and then go to programming your keys.
Im not asking for the moon you know, it would not be very complicated to implement for Logitech.

Patrick S.

It could ask you which device you want to end up using/controlling ... One step, no hassle. If multiple devices, a main one and then go to programming your keys.
Im not asking for the moon you know, it would not be very complicated to implement for Logitech.

Patrick S.

But the whole point of a Harmony is that you don't control a single DEVICE, you control an ACTIVITY. And a custom activity is designed so that it can be customized exactly how you want it.

But the whole point of a Harmony is that you don't control a single DEVICE, you control an ACTIVITY. And a custom activity is designed so that it can be customized exactly how you want it.

Why then it always default to my main device with I do not use a generic activity if it s not designed to do so ?
I get the point, but still having the default 'main' device keys already set when using a generic activity would simplify a whole lot the programming. You would only need to add the missing stuff instead of doing it from scratch.
I do programming all day at work and I don't expect to have to do it after work also ... ;)

Patrick S.

i love my 880. i got it all setup, the one thing i have an issue is this:

the button above 'media' the arrow pointing right, doesnt work like it should;

for example, if im looking at tv settings, and lets say theres 11 pages of settings, i cant use the button to go to the next page (2/11, 3/11, 4/11 and so forth)

however, the left arrow button (above 'device'), does function for viewing previous pages (11/11, 10/11, 9/11, 8/11)

how can i fix this? thanks!

Why then it always default to my main device with I do not use a generic activity if it s not designed to do so ?
I get the point, but still having the default 'main' device keys already set when using a generic activity would simplify a whole lot the programming. You would only need to add the missing stuff instead of doing it from scratch.
I do programming all day at work and I don't expect to have to do it after work also ... ;)

Patrick S.

This is a common misconception. It doesn't default to any device when you select an activity. It defaults to controlling the activity you select, not a particular device. For example, the "Watch DVD" activity is entirely independant to the "DVD Player" device. You can customize either of them completely independantly to the other. It's just that a "Watch DVD" activity implies that most of the remote buttons are going to control the DVD player, so this is how the software sets it up by default. However, it's also likely that the volume buttons will control your receiver volume.

For these type of "canned" activities the setup can make a pretty good guess as to what most buttons should be doing(depending on how you answer the activity setup questions).

But some people didn't like the setup guessing what buttons should do what and wanted more control over what an activity does, so they added the "Custom activity" option for these people...so they could set up an activity entirely from scratch. I guess no matter what they do, you can't please everyone.

i love my 880. i got it all setup, the one thing i have an issue is this:

the button above 'media' the arrow pointing right, doesnt work like it should;

for example, if im looking at tv settings, and lets say theres 11 pages of settings, i cant use the button to go to the next page (2/11, 3/11, 4/11 and so forth)

however, the left arrow button (above 'device'), does function for viewing previous pages (11/11, 10/11, 9/11, 8/11)

how can i fix this? thanks!

It sounds like it might be faulty. Return it for a replacement.

I've got a Denon 2807 receiver, and I'm trying to figure out how to get the Harmony 880 to control multiple zones. It seems like I want a new activity that is "Listen to CD in Zone 2" that would set receiver to be in Zone 2 mode with CD selected as input, and set the volume controls to control the receivers zone 2 volume.

I can't seem to find an obvious way to do this. I tried learning a new command, but the Denon remote doesn't send a signal when you press "Zone 2", and it seems to send the same "CD" signal after I've pressed zone 2, or at least the Harmony learned the same one.

Has anyone done the same? How did they make it work?

Hi there,

For those of you using the Harmony series (I'm using the 890, but I'm pretty sure the 880 is identical in this regard), I urge you to call customer support and seriously request that they allow the user to set the order of the custom buttons in the LCD screen. It's ridiculous that they have created their program so that it chooses the order that the buttons will be in.

Their number is 1-866-291-1505 (M-F 9am to 10pm EST, S-S 10am to 5:30pm). I called them yesterday and spoke to both first level and second level support. They acknowledged that this is a deficiency in their program and that they have had calls on it before. They were nice, but they would not let me talk to engineering and they would not let me have the source code so that I could fix it myself.

So, give 'em a call. This is just poor design, and if enough of us call, they'll eventually fix it.

Hi there,

For those of you using the Harmony series (I'm using the 890, but I'm pretty sure the 880 is identical in this regard), I urge you to call customer support and seriously request that they allow the user to set the order of the custom buttons in the LCD screen. It's ridiculous that they have created their program so that it chooses the order that the buttons will be in.

Their number is 1-866-291-1505 (M-F 9am to 10pm EST, S-S 10am to 5:30pm). I called them yesterday and spoke to both first level and second level support. They acknowledged that this is a deficiency in their program and that they have had calls on it before. They were nice, but they would not let me talk to engineering and they would not let me have the source code so that I could fix it myself.

So, give 'em a call. This is just poor design, and if enough of us call, they'll eventually fix it.


While your on the phone with them, ask them to change the programming for the Media button with Mega changers (CD & DVD).... The first breakdown (Alphabetical listing) only uses 4 of the 8 buttons.

Is anyone using this with the MOXI DVR? I have that with charter cable, and its in the databse, but I'm just wondering how well it works with it.

Just wanted to drop a line letting Charter DVR (Motorola MOXI) customers know that this remote is working successfully with that box.

Just wanted to drop a line letting Charter DVR (Motorola MOXI) customers know that this remote is working successfully with that box.

I also use the 880 with a Moxi. It works fairly well. Some timing tweaks are helpful to get it right.

Hi there,

For those of you using the Harmony series (I'm using the 890, but I'm pretty sure the 880 is identical in this regard), I urge you to call customer support and seriously request that they allow the user to set the order of the custom buttons in the LCD screen. It's ridiculous that they have created their program so that it chooses the order that the buttons will be in.

Their number is 1-866-291-1505 (M-F 9am to 10pm EST, S-S 10am to 5:30pm). I called them yesterday and spoke to both first level and second level support. They acknowledged that this is a deficiency in their program and that they have had calls on it before. They were nice, but they would not let me talk to engineering and they would not let me have the source code so that I could fix it myself.

So, give 'em a call. This is just poor design, and if enough of us call, they'll eventually fix it.

Can you tell me exactly what you mean by custom buttons? I have a 880 and I know you can change the order of the buttons under the activities screen, you can do that from the activities listing on your home page. And I know you can maunally change the order, add or delete the listings under device mode, and also change the order of the listings in Favorite Channels under the Media button. What other area are you referring to in your post? thanks

OttoSpiral is referring to the inability for users to re-order Devices. I called tech support and asked for this to be added several weeks ago.

I am having some second thoughts about my 880. I have been reading on the forum that the 880 is buggy compared to other Harmony remotes and that the charging cradle is defective. Should I open the box and keep it, or switch to another Harmony remote?

I am having some second thoughts about my 880. I have been reading on the forum that the 880 is buggy compared to other Harmony remotes and that the charging cradle is defective. Should I open the box and keep it, or switch to another Harmony remote?
I can't say whether you should keep it or switch, but I got mine a few weeks ago and have absolutely no problem with the charging cradle or the LCD screen being washed out. Those were the two issues I read about and was concerned about - so far, no problem at all. I ordered mine from Dell. I was able to set it up pretty quick to operate my plasma, dvd player, a/v receiver, vcr, cd filer, and satellite box. So far, I have not encountered any bugs and the on-line database has been easy to access and use.

Of course, this is just one person's recent experience...

I can't say whether you should keep it or switch, but I got mine a few weeks ago and have absolutely no problem with the charging cradle or the LCD screen being washed out. Those were the two issues I read about and was concerned about - so far, no problem at all. I ordered mine from Dell. I was able to set it up pretty quick to operate my plasma, dvd player, a/v receiver, vcr, cd filer, and satellite box. So far, I have not encountered any bugs and the on-line database has been easy to access and use.

Of course, this is just one person's recent experience...

I agree. The only thing I have noticed about the cradle is that when I place the remote on it, it doesn't always start charging. If I move it a bit, it seems to make a better contact.

As far as setting it up, it just took me a while to figure out how to customize things but I certainly*haven't found any*bugs.

How can I add an MCE remote as a device to my 890?
I have a 890 and a usbuirt, Im going to use HIP I was hoping to add the MCE remote but I cant find it anywhere in the 890 "devices". The MCE already has a setup file configured for HIP, so If I can teach my 890 how to be a MCE remote, thats all I need to do, it will then work as a MCE remote system and the PC will respond accordingly... Im all for simplicity, although I spent 2 hrs last night trying to figure out how to achieve this....

Charging Issue:
The charging issue is real if you receive one of the faulty cradles -- mine is this way and it takes fiddling to get it to charge. According to other posts here, Harmony is replacing these free of charge and presumably the remotes going out of the factory no longer have the potential for this issue (I will be calling mine in for replacement this weekend).

Button Order Issue:
I think that the button ordering OttoSpiral is referring to is within a particular activity, the order of buttons is defined by Harmony and not the user -- so the soft button layout in the "Watch TV" or "Watch DVD" activity isn't controlled by the user -- the buttons that apear there are, but not the order of the buttons.

You can reorder the LCD commands in device mode and activity mode however you like. The only catch is that in activity mode the commands are still grouped by device, but you can re-order the commands within that device.

Hello,

Over the weekend I have noticed a proble with my PVR activity and looking for guidance. Currently it is set-up as follows (not that my PVR is on all the time):

1. Turn on TV
2. Switch to HDMI input
3. Turn on Receiver.
4. Mute TV

Seems very straightforward. My activity was working fine with steps 1-3 however step 4 has not been working reat since I added it.. My TV won't mute on start-up of activty. I have checked through the Device menu to mute TV to make sure it wan;t a problem with IR but that worked fine. Also, I went in and increased "Inter-key" delay up to 500ms and still I can't get TV to mute through the PVR activity button. This did work fine for about a day (only thing I did after it was working was update my remote with other stuff) and then stopped after the update (I think?)

Anybody have any ideas why something simple like "mute TV" will not work in my activity?

Thanks everyone!

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

Thanks!

You can reorder the LCD commands in device mode and activity mode however you like. The only catch is that in activity mode the commands are still grouped by device, but you can re-order the commands within that device.

I agree with you. I can't figure what the other posters are saying. I have gone in to the LCD screen display on on the main activities, when in activity mode, and when in device mode and been able to add, delete and change the order of the items in all three of these. The harmony will start out with some default settings, but I have always been able to change them any what I wanted to.

And to answer smsprauge's question, I have had no issues with mine. It took me a few weeks and one call to CS to figure it all out, but now I love to log on and tweak it. I got all kinds of logos, pics, and special commands on there and it works like a champ, all for less than $150.

Has anyone had any experience programming this remote with the Sony Sattelite receiver with built in PVR functions? I ordered this remote and I expect it to be shipped tomorrow but I'm trying to find out as much about the set up in advance. Also, does my computer need to be in the same place as my audio visual system? My network connection isn't wireless and all my broadband connections are upstairs and I want to use the remote for to entertainment stations, one upstairs and the other downstairs. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. For the purposes of the reply I anticipate setting up the following:

Replay TV PVR (early model before Panasonic took them over)
Sony Sattelite PVR Receiver - Dirctv
Sony Wega TV
Panasonic DVD RAM Recorder
Toshiba VCR
Sharp Receiver

and Upstairs it's another DVD RAM Recorder by Panasonic
Samsung Sattelite Receiver with built in PVR

IMO this capability all but makes the video section of an audio video receiver unnecessary. On both of my systems where I use a Harmony I totally bypass the receivers' video inputs/outputs and rely on the Harmonys to do all video switching. Cuts down on cables and the direct connections don't hurt as far as picture quality is concerned either. When I see people on other threads fretting over upconversion and HDMI connections, I always ask why don't they just get a Harmony remote and when it comes to choosing their receiver/pre pro, just focus on its sound quality and other audio capabilities.

Because 80% of the TVs out there dont have Discrete Input codes.
Samsung is the worst!

Not only does it toggle from one input to the next but skips an input if no source is present!! Talk about a headache!

Hi there,

Sorry for the delayed response to your original inquiry of my post. Everything I'm talking about is under an "activity" mode. So, I pick "Listen to Sirius" as an example, and I want to have two "pages" of custom buttons.

I want them to look like this:

Page 1:

Chan 1 | R2 Vol Up
Chan 2 | R2 Vol Down
Chan 3 | Chan 4
Chan 5 | Chan 6

Page 2:

Chan 7 | R2 Vol Up
Chan 8 | R2 Vol Down
Chan 9 | Chan 10
Chan 11 | Chan 12

I believe there are two problems with this layout, as the 880/890 currently sits. First, they don't allow repeats. I specifically set up R2 Vol Up/Down in the same location in all my "pages" so that I don't have to flip back to "page 1" to control the volume. Say all my favorite channels are on page 1 and my wife's are on page 2, so each of us likes to keep it on "our page" as we are using it. And, yeah, I could see making two "activities" for "Otto's Sirius Faves" and "Wife's Sirius Faves," but why? So they don't allow repeats, which I think is lame.

Second problem is that they grouped those according to the device they are controlling (in this case the "R2 Vol Up/Down" stuff is an Outlaw 990, and the "Chan XX" stuff is the Sirius receiver). After grouping by device, they group alphabetically. Because of the goofy way that the user must enter the things in the Java web app, in order to get my "page 1" example above I entered them like this:

Chan 1
R2 Vol Up
Chan 2
R2 Vol Down
Chan 3
Chan 4
Chan 5
Chan 6

Then, Harmony went ahead in grouping them by device, and then alphabetically to get this:

R2 Vol Down
R2 Vol Up
Chan 1
Chan 2
Chan 3
Chan 4
Chan 5
Chan 6

And that ain't what I want. Also, those "Chan XX" names aren't really in a nice alphabetical order like that because I'm using the Sirius names like "Chill" and "The Vault", so they are also reordered by alpha as well.

So, I admit that I have not tried to reorder them after they have been reordered by device by Harmony. It was painful enough to get them all "right" the first time (I created a spreadsheet where I could lay them out in the graphical order, and then it would reorder them for me to enter them in the list -- not complicated, but helped me "see" what I was getting, especially across all activities). I guess that gets me a little bit closer to what I want, but it doesn't solve the problem of me wanting to "double up" the same command in various pages, and it doesn't allow me to intelligently organize the buttons. It would be nice to always have R2 Vol Up and Room 2 Vol Down adjacent to each other (or however you like), but when I throw, say, "R2 Power" in the mix, they are further separated.

I guess I just don't understand (as a firmware engineer) how difficult this can be for them to fix. Actually, I don't even think this is a firmware limitation, as much as it is a self-imposed Java/web app limitation. It should be pretty easy to fix, and is a poor design from the start. IMHO, they have spent too many engineering resources on fluff (animated "screen saver", downloading your own pictures, etc.) that should have been implemented after the basics were 100% (GUI, web site, goofy crap like what I'm describing here, etc.).

Has anyone had any experience programming this remote with the Sony Sattelite receiver with built in PVR functions? I ordered this remote and I expect it to be shipped tomorrow but I'm trying to find out as much about the set up in advance. Also, does my computer need to be in the same place as my audio visual system? My network connection isn't wireless and all my broadband connections are upstairs and I want to use the remote for to entertainment stations, one upstairs and the other downstairs. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. For the purposes of the reply I anticipate setting up the following:

Replay TV PVR (early model before Panasonic took them over)
Sony Sattelite PVR Receiver - Dirctv
Sony Wega TV
Panasonic DVD RAM Recorder
Toshiba VCR
Sharp Receiver

and Upstairs it's another DVD RAM Recorder by Panasonic
Samsung Sattelite Receiver with built in PVR


No problem.
Just bring the Harmony into the computer room with a list of your devices and model numbers.

As far as the second room goes the Harmony will not let you do more than one activity at a time.

Hi all, i've a question on adding custom labels in Activities

Currently, i've 3 activities

1) Watch DVD
2) Watch HD-DVD
3) Play Xbox

I've added a custom label 'Projector HDMI' to the activity 'Watch DVD'which basically sets the projector to HDMI input (in case the input does not set correctly when starting the activity)

However, this custom label is also added automatically to activities 2) and 3), which is not i want

Similarly, when i add a custom label 'Projector Component' to the activity 'Play Xbox', the label is added to activities 1) and 2)

How do i rectify this?

I've added a custom label 'Projector HDMI' to the activity 'Watch DVD'which basically sets the projector to HDMI input (in case the input does not set correctly when starting the activity)

However, this custom label is also added automatically to activities 2) and 3), which is not i want
- Unfortunately, this is one the major flaws of the Harmony programming. If you add a custom command for a device in an Activity, it adds that custom command to every activity that uses that device.

The only way to get around this would be to program a dummy device (Ex: duplicate projector) and only use that device in an Activity that you want the custom command. A lousy workaround.

If the real issue you want to correct is the missed input command, you should use the Help key to correct things or adjust your delays/repeats to make things more consistent.

thanks bro. at least i know it is a flaw and not a broken remote!

I assume these "Projector Input" commands are discretes?

If so, pressing the "Help" button(as tokerblue suggested) will re-send all discretes for the current activity, thus fixing the input problem.

If you really must have these commands on the activity pages, you can avoid them propogating by learning them to the other device in the activity. ie learn "Projector HDMI" to the DVD device, and "Projector component" to the X-Box device.

I assume these "Projector Input" commands are discretes?

If so, pressing the "Help" button(as tokerblue suggested) will re-send all discretes for the current activity, thus fixing the input problem.

If you really must have these commands on the activity pages, you can avoid them propogating by learning them to the other device in the activity. ie learn "Projector HDMI" to the DVD device, and "Projector component" to the X-Box device.

Czzer, thanks very much for the tip! It worked!

Anyone programed a 880 pro yet?
I have some on the way and can find ZERO information!

is the lcd backlight supposed to be on the whole time it's charging?

also, when it's charging, the title header (on the lcd) on top that says 'on base station' blinks every once in awhile... is this normal?

Can Someone explain this to me
From Harmonys User Agreement


normal consumer use of the Harmony Remote Control should not require access by You to more than thirty (30) Device Information listings per year. You are therefore limited to a maximum download of thirty (30) Device Information listings per year. If you attempt to download more than thirty (30) Device Information listings, Logitech reserves the right to suspend or cancel your access to the Resources, including the Member Site.

is the lcd backlight supposed to be on the whole time it's charging? is this normal?


Hit the glow button when you put it on the charger. Should turn it off.

is the lcd backlight supposed to be on the whole time it's charging?

also, when it's charging, the title header (on the lcd) on top that says 'on base station' blinks every once in awhile... is this normal?
My initial charge left the backlight on the whole time. After I set it up via the website, it now turns off after sitting in the charger for 10-15 seconds.

Can Someone explain this to me
From Harmonys User Agreement


normal consumer use of the Harmony Remote Control should not require access by You to more than thirty (30) Device Information listings per year. You are therefore limited to a maximum download of thirty (30) Device Information listings per year. If you attempt to download more than thirty (30) Device Information listings, Logitech reserves the right to suspend or cancel your access to the Resources, including the Member Site.


I'm guessing that they don't want someone downloading all the devices in their database (such as another company). I guess they figure that a normal consumer would never go through more than 30 devices a year.

Hey guys, read through a chunk of this thread and did a forum search but didn't see an answer to my question.

I'm using the 880 in conjunction with a Moto HD-DVR 6412. Things work pretty well, but when I use the "favorite channels" feature to access a channel directly the inter-digit entry from the remote is painfully slow, on the order of several seconds to dial in a 3 digit channel number.

Is there any way to increase this? I've already reduced the intra-command timer for the DVR device to 0ms but seemed to make no difference for this particular feature working any faster.

Thanks!

J

Well I finally got a few of the pros in. Only suttle diffrences.
The flat black color looks cool. Pictures don't justify it.


http://bumracing.com/albums/album10/Dscn3534cr.sized.jpg

http://bumracing.com/albums/album10/Dscn3535cr.sized.jpg


http://bumracing.com/albums/album10/Dscn3536cr.sized.jpg

http://bumracing.com/albums/album10/Dscn3537cr.sized.jpg

http://bumracing.com/albums/album10/Dscn3538cr.sized.jpg

Are the differences just cosmetic and button placement, or are there feature differences too? I don't see anything about this model on Logitech's website.

Are the differences just cosmetic and button placement, or are there feature differences too? I don't see anything about this model on Logitech's website.


You won't see it on Logitech's web site. It's a protected product for Logitech's direct dealers.

Actually the cost is almost 50 bucks higher than the standard 880. Why I don't know.

The only buttons different are the "Sound" and "Picture" buttons which replaced the "Previous" and "Mute" buttons that were moved down lower.

They are customizable buttons to make adjustments to Sound and Picture specific to the current activity.

For example if your in the Watch TV activity you can program a soft button that’s activated when you push the picture button like Aspect Ratio without having to pull up that specific device.

Other than that I see no other differences.
It looks like they have resolved the charger issues and the loose batteries.
They must have tightened up the mold because the battery fits tight.

You won't see it on Logitech's web site. It's a protected product for Logitech's direct dealers.

Actually the cost is almost 50 bucks higher than the standard 880. Why I don't know.

The only buttons different are the "Sound" and "Picture" buttons which replaced the "Previous" and "Mute" buttons that were moved down lower.

They are customizable buttons to make adjustments to Sound and Picture specific to the current activity.

For example if your in the Watch TV activity you can program a soft button that’s activated when you push the picture button like Aspect Ratio without having to pull up that specific device.

Other than that I see no other differences.
It looks like they have resolved the charger issues and the loose batteries.
They must have tightened up the mold because the battery fits tight.

Are the backlights anywhere as bright as the picture suggests? The 880 is barely visible in anything but a dark room. (not counting the screen).

Are the backlights anywhere as bright as the picture suggests? The 880 is barely visible in anything but a dark room. (not counting the screen).

Identical Backlighting to the standard 880.
I have them side by side.

I'll post some side by side pics in the morning.

Hi all... I just got this remote. I haven't read the whole thread (sorry) yet but I have a question. Everything is going great but I just want the remote to do one simple thing for me. I have an HTR-5990 A/V Receiver. When I control the "Listen to CDs" activity, I want it to change the sound processing mode to "7.1 stereo". And like wise, I want it to change it back to Dolby Surround when I use the "Watch TV" and "Watch DVD" settings.

Can anyone tell me where I could adjust this? I can't find it. Thanks!

Hi all... I just got this remote. I haven't read the whole thread (sorry) yet but I have a question. Everything is going great but I just want the remote to do one simple thing for me. I have an HTR-5990 A/V Receiver. When I control the "Listen to CDs" activity, I want it to change the sound processing mode to "7.1 stereo". And like wise, I want it to change it back to Dolby Surround when I use the "Watch TV" and "Watch DVD" settings.

Can anyone tell me where I could adjust this? I can't find it. Thanks!

If you go through the steps for that activity, there will be an option at the end to "add extra steps" to the setup, at that point you can set it to do the button pushes necessary to do what you describe.

If you go through the steps for that activity, there will be an option at the end to "add extra steps" to the setup, at that point you can set it to do the button pushes necessary to do what you describe.

Thanks. I've been playing around on line and I haven't seen that yet. Maybe I'll just delete the activity and add it again and see if that comes up for me.

Ok... this is weird. I have my remote set working for "Listen to CDs" and "Watch TV" in terms of going to the right sound processing options but I can't get the "Watch DVD" activity to do the same. I'm choosing the same command for Watch TV and for Watch DVD but it only works correctly on Watch TV.

Just a dumb question but why do you want your DVD and TV to be in Dolby surround? Are your TV and DVD sources Analog?
If they are digital leave it in 7.1 and let the processor do it's job.

In my opinion Dolby surround sounds artificial comapared to native formats.

Ok. logitech solved my problem. They couldn't really explain why the exact same command would work correctly for one activity and not for another but we created a new command and everything works great. I've learned a lot about the remote through this whole process. Plus, I've learned that Logitech is great. Of course, I already knew that (I'm typing on a Logitech wireless keyboard next to my wireless optical mouse).

Just a dumb question but why do you want your DVD and TV to be in Dolby surround? Are your TV and DVD sources Analog?
If they are digital leave it in 7.1 and let the processor do it's job.

In my opinion Dolby surround sounds artificial comapared to native formats.

I don't understand your question... certainly the receiver is going to sound better using dolby digital rather than stereo 7.1, wouldn't it? It sounds better and cleaner to me.

Ok. logitech solved my problem. They couldn't really explain why the exact same command would work correctly for one activity and not for another but we created a new command and everything works great. I've learned a lot about the remote through this whole process. Plus, I've learned that Logitech is great. Of course, I already knew that (I'm typing on a Logitech wireless keyboard next to my wireless optical mouse).

Technically, the help was from Harmony. Especially if he/she ever said "aboot" or "eh?" ;) :D
P.S. I like Logitech keyboards too!

Technically, the help was from Harmony. Especially if he/she ever said "aboot" or "eh?" ;) :D
P.S. I like Logitech keyboards too!

Yeah, the level 2 tech did say eh (I asked, they are in Toronto while level 1 is in Nevada)

I saw one person mention that they had a Pronto and this remote was easier to setup. I have an old Pronto that I've had for years. It is the old Black and White screen and it works fine except it does not stay charged very long any longer. I am getting an HDTV and swithing from DTV to Comcast so I will either need to reprogram my Pronto or take this opportunity to get a new remote. Are there any huge advantages to the 880 that would suggest I should upgrade if the Pronto still works ok?

I have a new 880 and have a question about charging. When I put the remote in the base station it beeps and the battery shows charging and the screen flips through pictures of the remote. This lasts for about a minute and then the remote goes dark. Accordng to the manaul the remote should stay on and show charging when on the base unit if it is charging. The unit is down to two bars?

Hey guys, read through a chunk of this thread and did a forum search but didn't see an answer to my question.

I'm using the 880 in conjunction with a Moto HD-DVR 6412. Things work pretty well, but when I use the "favorite channels" feature to access a channel directly the inter-digit entry from the remote is painfully slow, on the order of several seconds to dial in a 3 digit channel number.

Is there any way to increase this? I've already reduced the intra-command timer for the DVR device to 0ms but seemed to make no difference for this particular feature working any faster.

Thanks!

J


I have the same issue. Any suggestions?

I have a new 880 and have a question about charging. When I put the remote in the base station it beeps and the battery shows charging and the screen flips through pictures of the remote. This lasts for about a minute and then the remote goes dark. Accordng to the manaul the remote should stay on and show charging when on the base unit if it is charging. The unit is down to two bars?
Once those pictures go away, it is still charging, the problem is getting those pictures to come on, mine has to be set just right in the cradle. Does your make the connection easily?

Mine has not problem making the connection. It fits on the cradle and beeps right away.

Hello all! Is there a way to switch to activity mode without actually having the remote issue IR commands? For example, sometimes I need to switch to a device control for a specific function, but I want to return to the activity so I can control different devices in one screen. Can I do this without having it issue the commands associated with the activity?

Hit device.
Select your device you want to adjust.
Then hit the activity button again when you want to back out.

Scott--

When I do that it reissues all of the commands as if I am first starting the activity, so things like the TV's input are changed when I don't want them to be.

gjlowe,

It will not issue commands if you switch to a specific Device (not Activity), as Scott Smith suggested. Once you are done with the specific Device mode, you can hop back over to the activity you were in without it resending the IR commands.

This is a LOT of info. I tried reading it but it too time consuming.

I am looking at the 880 to replace my Sony remote comander (still work perfectly but is just too big and a pain to program) that I have had for 6+ years.

Is the logitec site the only way to configure the remote?

What in 6 years Logitec is'nt supporting or what not?

When I do that it reissues all of the commands as if I am first starting the activity, so things like the TV's input are changed when I don't want them to be.
- You can also press the Device button twice to get back to the original Activity. It won't issue any commands.

Is the logitec site the only way to configure the remote?
- Yes, you have to use the Logitech site to get updates and view add new devices.

What in 6 years Logitec is'nt supporting or what not?
- I'm not a fortune teller, but Logitech is a big company and I would assume the site would be up longer than that. If not, I would still be happy to be using a remote for 6 years. The buttons on my remotes for devices that old tend to have problems with buttons from repeated use.

- You can also press the Device button twice to get back to the original Activity. It won't issue any commands.

Hey I learned somethin. I didn't know that one. :)

Hello all! Is there a way to switch to activity mode without actually having the remote issue IR commands? For example, sometimes I need to switch to a device control for a specific function, but I want to return to the activity so I can control different devices in one screen. Can I do this without having it issue the commands associated with the activity?

From Device control, press the Activity button (the hard button, not the soft button for your particular activity) twice, and it will go back to the activity that was last selected without issuing any commands.

-- Martin

Yes! Thank you Martin, Toker, et. al...I appreciate the help!

any word on having the ability to reorder Devices? I don't like the Activity function as much as just pressing Device choosing which one I want and going. My tv turns off when it's already on, changes to the wrong input based on what input I may be on.

Example, I'm playing my 360 and now want to watch a DVD. I'll hit the Watch DVD activity and it'll turn the tv off and go to the next component input instead of DVI. I've tried just about everything to get it to work.

Hi HDKing,

I know you can "reorder activities" but I don't see a "reorder devices" button in that spot in the "devices" setup. I definitely have complaints about not being able to reorganize the custom buttons within an activity, as I discuss here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8102018#post8102018). That link also provides information on how to contact Harmony. Take it to 2nd Level Support. I would imagine that it gets more attention the higher it starts.

And I know what you mean about things going on and off when you don't want them to. I made a separate activity called "Power" that is pretty much just power on/off for each of my devices. So there's one that says "TV Power" and one for "DVD Power," etc.

Then, I just tell the Harmony how I want it to handle power for each device -- somewhere in there, you can tell it to NOT do anything with the power for each device, probably to address issues just like these. So, basically, you can make your macros for whatever you want and not have it mess with the power of devices. Creating the activity will allow all the buttons to be configured for the activity, and you won't have to switch back and forth between devices.

So, call Harmony up if you feel so inclined. I really want the activity soft buttons to be re-orderable. Good luck with the power thing. That really bugged me in the beginning as well...

HDKing,

When I switch between activities that both require a device to be on, it leaves the device powered on (it doesn't turn it off). For example, if I'm in activity "Watch DVR" and I switch to "Watch DVD", my TV power is left alone...my DVR turns off, my DVD player turns on, my AVR switches to the DVD input. Hopefully Logitech's tech support can fix your power issues.

Still hadn't seen an answer for this one, if anyone has one let me know;

Hey guys, read through a chunk of this thread and did a forum search but didn't see an answer to my question.

I'm using the 880 in conjunction with a Moto HD-DVR 6412. Things work pretty well, but when I use the "favorite channels" feature to access a channel directly the inter-digit entry from the remote is painfully slow, on the order of several seconds to dial in a 3 digit channel number.

Is there any way to increase this? I've already reduced the intra-command timer for the DVR device to 0ms but seemed to make no difference for this particular feature working any faster.

I have an interesting problem with my 880. I have had the remote for two days. Last night when I tried to use it the LCN screen had all lines in it and it was for the most part un readable. This morning (right before I called Logitech) the remote was fine. Anybody else have something similiar to this happen? Is this a common problem. Logitech will repair it, but if they get it and it is fine what will they do?

I have an interesting problem with my 880. I have had the remote for two days. Last night when I tried to use it the LCN screen had all lines in it and it was for the most part un readable. This morning (right before I called Logitech) the remote was fine. Anybody else have something similiar to this happen? Is this a common problem. Logitech will repair it, but if they get it and it is fine what will they do?

Sounds like the loose battery problem.

Sounds like the loose battery problem.

Fixed several by weging a folded up peice of paper in the housing to take up the slack.

HDKing,

When I switch between activities that both require a device to be on, it leaves the device powered on (it doesn't turn it off). For example, if I'm in activity "Watch DVR" and I switch to "Watch DVD", my TV power is left alone...my DVR turns off, my DVD player turns on, my AVR switches to the DVD input. Hopefully Logitech's tech support can fix your power issues.

Do you have that long pause before the remote stops displaying its "Please keep remote pointed at tv" schpeel? That is one of my biggest cons about this remote. When I press Watch TV (my only Activity), it normally takes 10-15 seconds before the remote is operational.

HDKing,

No, Mine probably lasts about 2 seconds for most activities...and I usually never have more than 3 devices in each activity. Maybe you can tweak your inter-key delay settings, repeats, etc. to fix such an issue. I believe you can also disable the "please keep remote pointed at tv" message from staying on the screen...but you will see when it's sending signals in the upper part of the display (the little transmit icon is either solid or blinks while it's transmitting).

Mine takes pretty much the same amount of time HDKing. But I just thought that amount of time that was necessary for the remote to turn the cable box on, turn the tv on, set the tv input to 1, turn on the receiver, and switch the input to 1 on that also. I guess it depends on how many components you are using. Maybe we can shorten our time, but my delays are already low.

I actually timed it after I got home from work. To activate my "Watch ReplayTV" activity from everything being OFF, it takes 6 seconds.

I actually timed it after I got home from work. To activate my "Watch ReplayTV" activity from everything being OFF, it takes 6 seconds.

My TV (70" Sony) takes at least 6 seconds for the picture to come on! But all of my inputs switch very quickly when I change activities.

You people do realize that you do not have to hold the button down or hold the remote in your hand for it to work don't you? :) I usually pick up the remote, hit the activity button, lay it back down pointed at the entertainment center, and take advantage of the 5-10 seconds to go to the frig and get a cold beer! Why waste time?

You people do realize that you do not have to hold the button down or hold the remote in your hand for it to work don't you? :) I usually pick up the remote, hit the activity button, lay it back down pointed at the entertainment center, and take advantage of the 5-10 seconds to go to the frig and get a cold beer! Why waste time?
Well, that's not always the case. In my setup (TV and STB are about 3 feet to the left of the rest of my devices) I have to aim in the middle and be very still for the 3-4 seconds it takes to turn on everything otherwise it's 'help' time. Actually, with my STB (SA8300HD) if I change channels (typing a new 3 digit #) and move the remote too quickly the channel I get is unpredictable. Remember it's IR and not RF!

Well, that's not always the case. In my setup (TV and STB are about 3 feet to the left of the rest of my devices) I have to aim in the middle and be very still for the 3-4 seconds it takes to turn on everything otherwise it's 'help' time. Actually, with my STB (SA8300HD) if I change channels (typing a new 3 digit #) and move the remote too quickly the channel I get is unpredictable. Remember it's IR and not RF!

;) ;) ;) ;)

http://www.nilesaudio.com/product_selection.php?catcdID=5

Is there a way to get program guide information on this remote like other harmony remotes allow you to do? I haven't seen a way to do this. Just curious....

Is there a way to get program guide information on this remote like other harmony remotes allow you to do? I haven't seen a way to do this. Just curious....

Not on the 880. Never figured out why thier top remote is missing a feature of the underlings...But I never used it on my 676.

It is with sadness that I must put my 880 up for bid (on Ebay). It's only three months old, but I just couldn't figure it out. I wanted to thank everyone here in this forum that helped me try.

It is with sadness that I must put my 880 up for bid (on Ebay). It's only three months old, but I just couldn't figure it out. I wanted to thank everyone here in this forum that helped me try.

You tried hard I bet, it's not for everyone. What do you thing will work better for you??

It is with sadness that I must put my 880 up for bid (on Ebay). It's only three months old, but I just couldn't figure it out. I wanted to thank everyone here in this forum that helped me try.

Whats the problem?
Is there something I can do to help?
There isn't any that are easier.

PM me if You like. I have a pro installer account so I could look in on yours.

I'm having trouble getting the activity I've set up for watching DVDs to work correctly. I have a Philips DVD-860 and if I choose this in the online setup none of the commands work. I choose a similar Marantz player and then at least if I go into device mode I can turn my DVD player off or on, etc. The only problem is that I have to hold the button down for a while for the command to work so I can't just do a regular button press and release for it to work. For this reason when I try to incorporate my DVD player in activities it won't turn on or off.

I made the remote repeat commands 5 times and that seemed to fix the above problem but it makes no sense to me. What exactly does holding down a button on the harmony do to the signal it is transmitting to the device?

Another problem is if I try to learn the commands from my DVD player's remote then even in device mode the command doesn't work. Any idea why the Harmony is having trouble with learning IR commands from my remote?

Thanks for answers to either of my 2 questions.

I'm having trouble getting the activity I've set up for watching DVDs to work correctly. I have a Philips DVD-860 and if I choose this in the online setup none of the commands work. I choose a similar Marantz player and then at least if I go into device mode I can turn my DVD player off or on, etc. The only problem is that I have to hold the button down for a while for the command to work so I can't just do a regular button press and release for it to work. For this reason when I try to incorporate my DVD player in activities it won't turn on or off.

I made the remote repeat commands 5 times and that seemed to fix the above problem but it makes no sense to me. What exactly does holding down a button on the harmony do to the signal it is transmitting to the device?

Another problem is if I try to learn the commands from my DVD player's remote then even in device mode the command doesn't work. Any idea why the Harmony is having trouble with learning IR commands from my remote?

Thanks for answers to either of my 2 questions.

First off when you teach the remote an IR command it matches that IR command to the best match in the data base.
You will notice in the right colum after you teach the command it will say "Data Base". What I would try is to have the remote learn the command in "Raw".
When you use RAW it will record the command exactly as it came out of the OEM remote so duration of the button push is critical.
To start with just teach the remote the On and Off commands in RAW.

I had the same problem with a Zenith Directv box. The only buttons off were the 3 and the 6. If you pushed a 3 it would command a 9 and when you pushed the 6 it would send a 3. Learing these 2 keys in Raw fixed the problem.

In the learn command window click on custom on the bottom.

Hope this helps.

First off when you teach the remote an IR command it matches that IR command to the best match in the data base.
You will notice in the right colum after you teach the command it will say "Data Base". What I would try is to have the remote learn the command in "Raw".
When you use RAW it will record the command exactly as it came out of the OEM remote so duration of the button push is critical.
To start with just teach the remote the On and Off commands in RAW.

I had the same problem with a Zenith Directv box. The only buttons off were the 3 and the 6. If you pushed a 3 it would command a 9 and when you pushed the 6 it would send a 3. Learing these 2 keys in Raw fixed the problem.

In the learn command window click on custom on the bottom.

Hope this helps.

Thank you so much. I think that should solve the problem, so I'm going to try it out right now. I'll let you know what happens!!

Yup, what you said worked like a charm. I guess I should have read the yellow help box on the right side of the screen because it said exactly what you said about learning RAW commands.

Now that I have your attention, once I have "learned" a command, is there an easy way to go back and make it use the command from the database? In other words, if I teach the "play" command using my remote but then decide I want to use the "play" command from the database.

Thanks.

It is with sadness that I must put my 880 up for bid (on Ebay). It's only three months old, but I just couldn't figure it out. I wanted to thank everyone here in this forum that helped me try.


Before giving up completely you may just want to spend time with Harmony tech support. If you can afford a couple of hours out of the day, they'll stay on wit you and program your remote for you. This was the reason why I bought Harmony to begin with. You won;t find better customer service from any other remote company. Just something to consider.

Regarding the lost time on the remote's clock:

Is anyone else losing time quickly? I've seen a few posts about the remote losing a few minutes after a month or so. Mine, however loses DAYS and hours each time I have to charge it. I always let the battery get down to the red indicator, could that be the problem?

Thank you so much. I think that should solve the problem, so I'm going to try it out right now. I'll let you know what happens!!

Yup, what you said worked like a charm. I guess I should have read the yellow help box on the right side of the screen because it said exactly what you said about learning RAW commands.

Now that I have your attention, once I have "learned" a command, is there an easy way to go back and make it use the command from the database? In other words, if I teach the "play" command using my remote but then decide I want to use the "play" command from the database.

Thanks.

Never tried it but I suppose you could.
I'll poke around and see.

You know the old saying: "If it ain't broke don't fix it" ;)

I looked around but didn't find an answer to this. When I'm watching TV and I want to watch a dvd, I press "Watch DVD" and it turns on the receiver and DVD player but turns the TV off. Do the activities need to be started with everything off or is there another way to do this besides going to each device individually?

I looked around but didn't find an answer to this. When I'm watching TV and I want to watch a dvd, I press "Watch DVD" and it turns on the receiver and DVD player but turns the TV off. Do the activities need to be started with everything off or is there another way to do this besides going to each device individually?

Have you tried using the Help button, and answering all of the questions that appear? Usually this will get things back in synche.

I looked around but didn't find an answer to this. When I'm watching TV and I want to watch a dvd, I press "Watch DVD" and it turns on the receiver and DVD player but turns the TV off. Do the activities need to be started with everything off or is there another way to do this besides going to each device individually?

It sounds like your TV is setup to use a discrete power on command, where in fact the power command it is using is a toggle.

Go to [More options -> Adjust power settings] for the TV device and answer the questions there. You should tell it you have one button that turns the TV both ON and OFF(power toggle).

edit: JBaumgart could also be on the right track....I assumed you started watching TV by using the "Watch TV" activity? If you don't(ie you turn the TV on using the TV remote or the TV itself, or device mode on the Harmony) then the Harmony has no way of knowing this and will get out of synch as you found. You must use the Harmony ONLY, and only with activity mode.

Regarding the lost time on the remote's clock:

Is anyone else losing time quickly? I've seen a few posts about the remote losing a few minutes after a month or so. Mine, however loses DAYS and hours each time I have to charge it. I always let the battery get down to the red indicator, could that be the problem?

I had this a lot, enough to the point where the time "feature" was useless to me. It was simply always wrong. I recently updated the firmware (as part of a routine remote programming session) and it seems fine now. Do you have the latest firmware/when was the last time you "updated" your remote?

When I update my 880, according to the update window I currently have:

Firmware: 4.0
Client Software: 4.4.0

I'm pretty sure these are not the most recent versions. I think I've got the remote working the way I want...so, do I download the latest firmware and client software, or do I subscribe to the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it philosophy" and leave it alone? I'm not sure if it's worth the risk of screwing something up. This is a long thread, and when I searched I mostly saw discussion about how the newer versions are buggy.

Anyone know what the advantages or disadvantages are to downloading and installing the newer version? I can't find anything on the Logitech web site.

Thanks,
Nuzy

Regarding the lost time on the remote's clock:

Is anyone else losing time quickly? I've seen a few posts about the remote losing a few minutes after a month or so. Mine, however loses DAYS and hours each time I have to charge it. I always let the battery get down to the red indicator, could that be the problem?

I doubt it has any effect on the clock, but Lithium Ion batteries last longer when they are kept charged. I re-charge mine when it reaches 1 to 2 bars on the display.

See Battery University (http://www.batteryuniversity.com) for a lot of good battery information.

Hello,

Over the weekend I have noticed a proble with my PVR activity and looking for guidance. Currently it is set-up as follows (not that my PVR is on all the time):

1. Turn on TV
2. Switch to HDMI input
3. Turn on Receiver.
4. Mute TV

Seems very straightforward. My activity was working fine with steps 1-3 however step 4 has not been working reat since I added it.. My TV won't mute on start-up of activty. I have checked through the Device menu to mute TV to make sure it wan;t a problem with IR but that worked fine. Also, I went in and increased "Inter-key" delay up to 500ms and still I can't get TV to mute through the PVR activity button. This did work fine for about a day (only thing I did after it was working was update my remote with other stuff) and then stopped after the update (I think?)

Anybody have any ideas why something simple like "mute TV" will not work in my activity?

Thanks everyone!

Just wanted to close the loop on this so that I might be able to help others. I called tech support and after some experimenting it turned out that my "power on delay" was not long enough to read all the codes blasting at the TV. As a side benefit, the tech programmed a step in my help menu to allow for checking whether TV is muted it or not to make sure it is in the right position for me. Apparently this isn't a standard feature in the help menu.

Hope this helps

I probably should have checked the entire thread but does anyone have a clock issue where it will not display 12 hour format? No matter what I select in Remote Preferences under Settings, The Clock is always displayed as 24 hour format. Also my remote is an 885.

I probably should have checked the entire thread but does anyone have a clock issue where it will not display 12 hour format? No matter what I select in Remote Preferences under Settings, The Clock is always displayed as 24 hour format. Also my remote is an 885.


Isn't the 885 the European version?? That would explain it, I think.

Isn't the 885 the European version?? That would explain it, I think.

No. It is the Directv version from what I am told. The only difference is an extra 2 buttonsabove EXIT and GUIDE where I believe the Page up and Page down are located on the 880. Not to mention the first time I set it up the clock worked fine.

I realize that the solution to my problem may be somewhere in these 12 pages but it's very difficult to find this answer. Currently the time is 1:24 pm but my 880 now reads 12:24pm. It used to tell the correct time but I've just recently noticed this so I don't know when the change occurred. Is there a setting in HOME feature when you plug it into your PC that I can't seem to find?

You can adjust the remote clock on the remote itself. It should be the last Activity listed as "System Options". You can set the time there.

Thanks can't believe I never knew about this setting.

I am thinking about the 880 or 890.But I like to watch DVDs and TV during the day on the rear display, and at night I like to watch using the projector. Is there a way to chose the display with this remote? Example can I have like 8 different activates like watch tv on tv,watch tv on projector watch dvd on tv ,watch dvd on projector. Or is there an easier way to do this

thanks

That would be the correct way to do it, rwademan. Actually, I think that would be the only way.

The 880 supports 255 Activities, so that wouldn't be an issue. :)

I've done a search through this entire thread but can't find the answer, so maybe someone out there can help. How do I get the "OFF" button to send out 2 power off commands for an Optoma HD72 projector? The HD72 asks if u want to shut down after the first power off, so it requires a second power off signal to shut down completely. I just need to add a second one to the entire OFF" button sequence, w/ maybe a short delay before, like everything power off - delay - and second projector power off. That would take care of it, but i can't figure out how to do it. Please help!!!!!

I've done a search through this entire thread but can't find the answer, so maybe someone out there can help. How do I get the "OFF" button to send out 2 power off commands for an Optoma HD72 projector? The HD72 asks if u want to shut down after the first power off, so it requires a second power off signal to shut down completely. I just need to add a second one to the entire OFF" button sequence, w/ maybe a short delay before, like everything power off - delay - and second projector power off. That would take care of it, but i can't figure out how to do it. Please help!!!!!


You should've spent your time searching the FAQ on the Harmony website :)

From Harmony support centre FAQ:

Q. How do I configure my Projector for two button presses to power off?



Option a) My original remote uses one button for powering my Projector on and off

A.
1. From your home page click More Options next to the device you want to configure.

2. Click Adjust power settings.

3. When prompted with the question "Do you want to leave your device on all the time?" select "I want to turn off this device when it's not in use". Click Next. 4. On the following page select One button on the remote for turning it both On and Off and click Next. You will then be prompted to select a power on command.

5. Under Use these infrared commands select PowerToggle from the drop-down list and click Next. You will then be prompted to select a power off command.

6. Select I send more than one command and click Next to display additional drop-down list fields under Use these infrared commands.

7. Select PowerToggle from the first drop-down list.

8. Select IR:PowerToggle from the second drop-down list and click Next.

9. Click Update My Remote.




Option b) My original remote uses two separate buttons for powering my projector on and off

A
1. From your home page click More Options next to the device you want to configure.

2. Click Adjust power settings.

3. When prompted with the question "Do you want to leave your device on all the time?" select "I want to turn off this device when it's not in use". Click Next.

4. On the next page select button on the remote for On, and a different button for Off and click Next You will then be prompted to select a power on command.

5. Under Use these infrared commands, select PowerOn from the drop-down list and click Next. You will then be prompted to select a power off command.

6. Select I send more commands and click Next to display additional drop-down list field under Use these infrared commands.

7. Select PowerOff from the first drop-down list.

8. Choose PowerOff from the second drop-down list and click Next.

9. Click Update My Remote.

Thanks for the help, i'll try it later on today.

Never thought I'd want or like a universal remote, but after a couple of weeks I'm warming up to it. I now have it set to turn things off and on by activity, which is nice. For my HD-DVD, I'd like to have the tray eject when I power up the "activity". I can't seem to find an option for this. Anyone know how to do this?

Never thought I'd want or like a universal remote, but after a couple of weeks I'm warming up to it. I now have it set to turn things off and on by activity, which is nice. For my HD-DVD, I'd like to have the tray eject when I power up the "activity". I can't seem to find an option for this. Anyone know how to do this?


You can modify the activity to "add commands". There is a nice step by step a few posts back, for a different but simmilar need.

You can modify the activity to "add commands". There is a nice step by step a few posts back, for a different but simmilar need.

This will not, however work for the HD-DVD players. Since the time from power up to when the player can respond to an "open" command is over 30 seconds, you aren't going to build a delay command into the 880 to do the open command after the player "comes up" from a startup state.

Not that you'd want to have to sit holding the remote pointed at the system for 30 seconds or longer in any event.

Do what I do, power up your system, including the HD-DVD player, go grab the movie you want. By the time you approach the player it will be started up and will respond to the open command.

This will not, however work for the HD-DVD players. Since the time from power up to when the player can respond to an "open" command is over 30 seconds, you aren't going to build a delay command into the 880 to do the open command after the player "comes up" from a startup state.

Not that you'd want to have to sit holding the remote pointed at the system for 30 seconds or longer in any event.

Do what I do, power up your system, including the HD-DVD player, go grab the movie you want. By the time you approach the player it will be started up and will respond to the open command.

Bummer. Guess I'll adjust.

Bummer. Guess I'll adjust.

Eh, I know a lot of people are angry about HD-DVD and Blu-Ray bootup times, but hey, it's 1st generation tech and the picture/audio you get is top notch (well, it is for HD-DVD anyways). :)

You can modify the activity to "add commands". There is a nice step by step a few posts back, for a different but simmilar need.

Thanks for pointing that out. While it won't work with my HD-DVD (see post below - eh, make that above) at least I know of the option now.

Wht not leave it powered on all the time?

Wht not leave it powered on all the time?

My guess is all the new gen DVD players are really computers, so they must really be sukn' da juice when at idle. It's not just the LCD screen that's a glowin'. ;)

Hello,

Does anyone know if there is a way to reorder the questions that are asked to you when you access "Help" for an activity. In my case. my TV sometimes doen't catch an IR command from the Harmony and I need to get maybe one function back in sync whihch is usually at the end of the "Help" for that activity. I'd liked to get this moved up front of the "Help" so I don;t have to cycle through a ton of questions. Can this be done manually? Can it be done at all with the help of tech support?

Thanks!

Hello,

Does anyone know if there is a way to reorder the questions that are asked to you when you access "Help" for an activity. In my case. my TV sometimes doen't catch an IR command from the Harmony and I need to get maybe one function back in sync whihch is usually at the end of the "Help" for that activity. I'd liked to get this moved up front of the "Help" so I don;t have to cycle through a ton of questions. Can this be done manually? Can it be done at all with the help of tech support?

Thanks!

I don't think you can change this.

If it's only the TV that is missing commands, I would first try increasing the "Inter-device delay" for the TV a bit. This might fix your problem altogether.

There is an option under either "Activity options" or "Remote preferences" that lets you change what devices are included in the Help questions. You can choose either "All devices" or "Only devices included in the activity". This might reduce the number of questions, but I don't think you can change the order.

I would like to create a button for the Watch PVR activity to allow me to toggle captions on/off for my SA8300HD. Currently to do this I have to press Settings then scroll down the list using the down arrow keys until I find the Captions and select on/off using the sideways arrows. I looked at all the available options for soft button creation for this PVR model and there is no captions selection. Do I need to create a special macro for this?

I would like to create a button for the Watch PVR activity to allow me to toggle captions on/off for my SA8300HD. Currently to do this I have to press Settings then scroll down the list using the down arrow keys until I find the Captions and select on/off using the sideways arrows. I looked at all the available options for soft button creation for this PVR model and there is no captions selection. Do I need to create a special macro for this?


You would need to create a second Watch PVR activity...call it "Watch PVR w/captions". Then use the activity start/end commands to add the sequence to turn captions on at the start of the activity, and off at the end of the activity.

This maybe already answered and I just didn't see it (lots of messages in this thread). My wife wants a button in the Watch TiVo activity that will display the To Do List, with the TiVo remote it's simple, the TiVo button and the number 2.

Question is can I put that into one button since it's a two step command?

thanks in advance

This maybe already answered and I just didn't see it (lots of messages in this thread). My wife wants a button in the Watch TiVo activity that will display the To Do List, with the TiVo remote it's simple, the TiVo button and the number 2.

Question is can I put that into one button since it's a two step command?

1. Teach the "2" command to some other device that the Tivo activity uses, like your TV. Call it "Tivo2" or something like that so you don't overwrite the device's native "2".

2. In the activity, create custom command "ToDo" or whatever, select "Tivo" under the Tivo, and "Tivo2" under the TV on the corresponding row.

This is method described by jlet over on remotecentral; I haven't actually done this, but have no particular reason to believe it won't work.

I wrote to Harmony about this and they actually "called" me back and left a message on my answering machine (his answer was "no, it wont control the receiver when in device/DVD player). But I still doubt their answer so I thought I'd ask here.

When setting up a "device", the wizard asks what device do you use to adjust volume. I always answer "my receiver", and I assume it sets the 880 to control my receiver when I hit the volume buttons when in device mode. But it doesn't.

Say I select "DVD player". When I did the set up for DVD player it asked what device do I use to adjust the sound volume when using the DVD player, and I answered "receiver". But when in Device/DVD player, using the volume control on the 880 does nothing.

If the guy at Harmony is correct, then why ask the question at all???

I wrote to Harmony about this and they actually "called" me back and left a message on my answering machine (his answer was "no, it wont control the receiver when in device/DVD player). But I still doubt their answer so I thought I'd ask here.

When setting up a "device", the wizard asks what device do you use to adjust volume. I always answer "my receiver", and I assume it sets the 880 to control my receiver when I hit the volume buttons when in device mode. But it doesn't.

Say I select "DVD player". When I did the set up for DVD player it asked what device do I use to adjust the sound volume when using the DVD player, and I answered "receiver". But when in Device/DVD player, using the volume control on the 880 does nothing.

If the guy at Harmony is correct, then why ask the question at all???

When you control a device, that's what you're controlling. A DVD player has no volume, so those keys are dead. In an ACTIVITY you can specify which device controls the sound, ie. your Amp. It then controls the Amp for volume and mute and the DVD for most everything else. Like the post above you can "learn" the volume heys of the Amp into the DVD device and name them AmpVolUp and AmpVolDn or such and they are now in the DVD device but the Amp will respond to those commands, if it's on.

I wrote to Harmony about this and they actually "called" me back and left a message on my answering machine (his answer was "no, it wont control the receiver when in device/DVD player). But I still doubt their answer so I thought I'd ask here.

When setting up a "device", the wizard asks what device do you use to adjust volume. I always answer "my receiver", and I assume it sets the 880 to control my receiver when I hit the volume buttons when in device mode. But it doesn't.

Say I select "DVD player". When I did the set up for DVD player it asked what device do I use to adjust the sound volume when using the DVD player, and I answered "receiver". But when in Device/DVD player, using the volume control on the 880 does nothing.

If the guy at Harmony is correct, then why ask the question at all???


It doesn't ask you this when setting up a device. It only asks this question when setting up an ACTIVITY.

You shouldn't need to select an individual device except on rare occasions when you need access to some obscure command which you haven't assigned to an activity. Use the remote in ACTIVITY mode and all will be well.

You would need to create a second Watch PVR activity...call it "Watch PVR w/captions". Then use the activity start/end commands to add the sequence to turn captions on at the start of the activity, and off at the end of the activity.

Thanks for the info czzer. Since I am new to the 880 I am not sure how to add this sequence at the start of an activity. Do I need to have the original remote of the SA8300HD and click the necessary buttons so the 880 can lean them?

Thanks for the info czzer. Since I am new to the 880 I am not sure how to add this sequence at the start of an activity. Do I need to have the original remote of the SA8300HD and click the necessary buttons so the 880 can lean them?

You may need the orignal remote - it just depends on whether those buttons are in the Harmony database or not.

These instructions are for the website interface, but should be generally correct for the PC software.

Under the activity, choose "Customize", then "Run the setup wizard again". Then, repeatedly click "Next" to accept the default settings from earlier, until you get to the "Review the settings for this Activity" window. You'll have 3 options on this window:

1. Yes, these settings are correct.
2. Yes, but I want to add more control of options and devices for this Activity.
3. No, I want to run the setup wizard again to change these settings.

Choose option 2.

Assuming you don't need to add any new devices, click the "Save" button.

Now, you'll have to click "Next" just like earlier, until you get to the "Please review
the actions for your Activity" window. This window is where you can add actions to the beginning or ending of the activity. In general, anything you do in the start of the activity, you'll probably want to reverse at the end of the activity, to return things to "normal", so to speak.

Once you've added the necessary steps, click the "Save" button. You'll then be guided through the activity's action a third time. Just click "Next" until you get to the Review page, then click "Save".

czzer, please correct me if I missed anything.

^ And that is one of the few things I really hate about the 880 programming setup... It makes no sense to have to go through all that for something as common as adding a step to an activity and if you have to trial and error a few steps until they work just right it's a royal pain especially coupled with the clunky programming interface...

I really wish Logitech would just release a standalone app for us or at least let us access the XML page that holds our settings directly.

While I, too, would like to be able to take advantage of XML, Logitech has probably learned the same lesson others have. When it comes to mass-marketed products with computer-based interfaces, controlled access is the only way to avoid a lot of help desk overhead where less-than-knowledge folks delve into the coding and mess things up. Consumer product help desks can't be staffed with programmers due to costs, and most programmers wouldn't want to work a help desk anyway.

I would, however, like to see things move more towards independence. Ideally, I'll like to be able to pull the stock device defintions from the website/db server, to a local one with just those devices I need, and then be able to operate as a stand-alone app. Heck, I'd even agree to a disclaimer that no tech support be provided for the stand-alone app for things other than s/w bugs, in exchange for being able to edit the source file for my setup. But there are far too few of us to justify the development costs for them.

No I agree... letting users muck around in the XML page would just be asking for disaster in 99% of cases, and I would love the standalone app just like you mentioned but with one caveat:

Give us some kind of direct access so we don't have to wade through a gagillion questions to get the basic functions

Exactly!

You may need the orignal remote - it just depends on whether those buttons are in the Harmony database or not.

These instructions are for the website interface, but should be generally correct for the PC software.

Under the activity, choose "Customize", then "Run the setup wizard again". Then, repeatedly click "Next" to accept the default settings from earlier, until you get to the "Review the settings for this Activity" window. You'll have 3 options on this window:

1. Yes, these settings are correct.
2. Yes, but I want to add more control of options and devices for this Activity.
3. No, I want to run the setup wizard again to change these settings.

Choose option 2.

Assuming you don't need to add any new devices, click the "Save" button.

Now, you'll have to click "Next" just like earlier, until you get to the "Please review
the actions for your Activity" window. This window is where you can add actions to the beginning or ending of the activity. In general, anything you do in the start of the activity, you'll probably want to reverse at the end of the activity, to return things to "normal", so to speak.

Once you've added the necessary steps, click the "Save" button. You'll then be guided through the activity's action a third time. Just click "Next" until you get to the Review page, then click "Save".

czzer, please correct me if I missed anything.

Thanks for the detail explanations Codeman. Creating this new activity will allow me to watch the DVR with captions all the time.

By reading the various postings on this thread I was also able to deduce that I can also set-up two soft keys (Caption On and Caption Off) on my existing Watch DVR activity to perform this task. Obviously this is much more time consuming since I will have to create as many clone DVRs as the key sequence I want to perform.

For example to activate the captions I need to go to Settings click on the Direction Down 4 times, then Select then click on the Direction Right once. Based on this scenario I will need to create 6 clone DVRs assuming the Settings can be handled by my “real’ DVR. All the clones will need to appear side to side each with the proper key mapped in the above sequence. Also they will need to be set-up as passthrough devices as not to interfere with the power on/off functions. I hope that I am right on this.

I will experiment with both and see what makes more sense to me.

Hi HDKing,

I know you can "reorder activities" but I don't see a "reorder devices" button in that spot in the "devices" setup. I definitely have complaints about not being able to reorganize the custom buttons within an activity, as I discuss here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=8102018#post8102018). That link also provides information on how to contact Harmony. Take it to 2nd Level Support. I would imagine that it gets more attention the higher it starts.


So, call Harmony up if you feel so inclined. I really want the activity soft buttons to be re-orderable. Good luck with the power thing. That really bugged me in the beginning as well...

Hi know this is a little late but I just got mine (actually 720 but same operation, they actually give you the 880 manual) you can reorder the soft button within an activity, and there is a work-around to to even put the buttons from different devices in any order you want (not just within the device group)....

Maybe this is old hat by now... but in short I just tought/learned the "PVR" device the TV and Reciever commands that I wanted to use in the activity (named them like necZoom+ etc), added them to the PVR device and then orderd them anyway I wanted using the web interface for customizing the Button Actions for the Watch PVR activity. (the FireFox plugin can help with that) I have about a total of ~12 soft button for my Watch PVR activity, it took me about 10 min to setup....

So I now have the soft buttons just as I like them... one exception... if you use the Harmony favorites it is always the first soft button...

1. Teach the "2" command to some other device that the Tivo activity uses, like your TV. Call it "Tivo2" or something like that so you don't overwrite the device's native "2".

2. In the activity, create custom command "ToDo" or whatever, select "Tivo" under the Tivo, and "Tivo2" under the TV on the corresponding row.

This is method described by jlet over on remotecentral; I haven't actually done this, but have no particular reason to believe it won't work.

Well that kinda worked, sometimes it comes up and other times it doesn't, it will go to the Tivo screen but doesn't always go to the to do list.

thanks anyway though

Well that kinda worked, sometimes it comes up and other times it doesn't, it will go to the Tivo screen but doesn't always go to the to do list.

thanks anyway though


Try increasing the inter-device delay for the TV(or whatever you are using to send the "2" command) a fraction.

Well that kinda worked, sometimes it comes up and other times it doesn't, it will go to the Tivo screen but doesn't always go to the to do list.

thanks anyway though

You could try inserting an IR delay code for a few seconds between the tivo button and the 2 button... might give the tivo enough time to catch up...

So I am in an odd situation... I got my HTPC setup, but it's one I built so it doesn't have a model or brand... also I am using a creative IR reciever that came with a little creative remote.

So any advice on how to

So I am in an odd situation... I got my HTPC setup, but it's one I built so it doesn't have a model or brand... also I am using a creative IR reciever that came with a little creative remote.

So any advice on how to do this best? I am going to muck around with adding HTPCs but wondered what you all have done...

So I am in an odd situation... I got my HTPC setup, but it's one I built so it doesn't have a model or brand... also I am using a creative IR reciever that came with a little creative remote.

So any advice on how to do this best? I am going to muck around with adding HTPCs but wondered what you all have done...


I don't have an HTPC, so I might be talking out my proverbial, but anyway...

Start by trying to add it as a Generic HTPC...I'm pretty sure there's an option for that.

When it asks if you have a remote for it, tell it you do and use the creative remote to teach it. With any luck it will only ask for 2 or 3 commands before it recognises the language it is using, and automatically adds all the commands.

You can also do this using the "Confirm IR commands" link in the Device menu.

Try increasing the inter-device delay for the TV(or whatever you are using to send the "2" command) a fraction.
Tried that, kicked it up to a full second, didn't make any difference, I may try increasing the delay some more this weekend and see if that helps.

I don't have an HTPC, so I might be talking out my proverbial, but anyway...

Start by trying to add it as a Generic HTPC...I'm pretty sure there's an option for that.

When it asks if you have a remote for it, tell it you do and use the creative remote to teach it. With any luck it will only ask for 2 or 3 commands before it recognises the language it is using, and automatically adds all the commands.

You can also do this using the "Confirm IR commands" link in the Device menu.

Well on the first page of adding an HTPC it asks for manufacturer, if you choose the only option which is not a branded lable (not listed) it then asks you to put the manufacturer and model number in... so you can't make it to the end without specifying somehow...

I had previously given up at that point because it wouldn't let me go further without putting something in, but If ound if I just put my own name and 123 for model number it can't find it in the DB and just lists it as Generic AAA Brand model 1234 HTPC which works form me...

Thanks for the help!

Tried that, kicked it up to a full second, didn't make any difference, I may try increasing the delay some more this weekend and see if that helps.

I may have a similar issue with different devices and wondering how high you need to kick up this interkey delay. From what I have seen the setting appears t want something in ms but how high have people have gone to get success. Everytime I tweak it up it doesn't see to make a difference. How high can you go?

Tried that, kicked it up to a full second, didn't make any difference, I may try increasing the delay some more this weekend and see if that helps.


Try adding a second Tivo device identical to your original. I have this and can add a separate button for all the shortcuts; Tivo + 1, Tivo + 2, Tivo + 3, etc.

Tried that, kicked it up to a full second, didn't make any difference, I may try increasing the delay some more this weekend and see if that helps.

Might have to also equalize the interdevice delay on both the Tivo & the device sending the "2". It might be trying to be too clever & sending the "2" first.

Do all the buttons on the 880 light up, or is it only the screen that it backlit? I am looking at the 880 versus the 890?

Do all the buttons on the 880 light up, or is it only the screen that it backlit? I am looking at the 880 versus the 890?
Yep, they all light up

I've been looking at the Harmony remotes and I'm confused. There are several keys on my remotes that I don't see on the Harmony 880 like "swap" and other unique keys. How do you do anything with these keys? Do you have to map them to some other hard key and remember the association? I'd like to have everything on one remote, but I don't want to have to remember what multiple buttons are for that are on keys that are different.

I've been looking at the Harmony remotes and I'm confused. There are several keys on my remotes that I don't see on the Harmony 880 like "swap" and other unique keys. How do you do anything with these keys? Do you have to map them to some other hard key and remember the association? I'd like to have everything on one remote, but I don't want to have to remember what multiple buttons are for that are on keys that are different.

There is in fact a "last" key that functions like swap.

However and more importantly all of those cute soft keys on the color display can be programmed with whatever buttons you like, and you can have several pages worth of the, or 99 buttons per device I believe.

Take my word for it, you won't have an issue putting on soft keys for whatever buttons you need that are clearly labeled so you don't have to "remember" anything.

There is in fact a "last" key that functions like swap.

However and more importantly all of those cute soft keys on the color display can be programmed with whatever buttons you like, and you can have several pages worth of the, or 99 buttons per device I believe.

Take my word for it, you won't have an issue putting on soft keys for whatever buttons you need that are clearly labeled so you don't have to "remember" anything.

Thanks for the information. I think I will just have to pick one up and give it a try.

I've been looking at the Harmony remotes and I'm confused. There are several keys on my remotes that I don't see on the Harmony 880 like "swap" and other unique keys. How do you do anything with these keys? Do you have to map them to some other hard key and remember the association? I'd like to have everything on one remote, but I don't want to have to remember what multiple buttons are for that are on keys that are different.

Harmony's (all the current ones) have LCD displays with soft buttons to the sides. The special keys can be mapped here. Sometimes they wind up there, if not you can put them there. You can also map them to hard buttons you can easily remember, if you'd like.

Update: Didn't see above post. Glad you're giving it a try. These remotes are great. I have the 880 and 676, both are great but love the 880's color display and favorites feature. Just wish it was more than 16 favs per activity.

[QUOTE=joe221]I have the 880 and 676, both are great but love the 880's color display and favorites feature. QUOTE]

I have two 880's and a 659 in my house - guess I must like them too! ;)

[QUOTE=joe221]I have the 880 and 676, both are great but love the 880's color display and favorites feature. QUOTE]

I have two 880's and a 659 in my house - guess I must like them too! ;)
I Have (2) 720's (1) 880 and (1) 659 Love them all But the 720's color display is crisper than the 880's

[QUOTE=JBaumgart]
I Have (2) 720's (1) 880 and (1) 659 Love them all But the 720's color display is crisper than the 880's

Get your 880 swapped from Harmony. My replacement is SO MUCH BETTER!

[QUOTE=ronbo1011]

Get your 880 swapped from Harmony. My replacement is SO MUCH BETTER!
Thanks maybe I will look into that .Not that it really bothers me

ronbo1011

How would you compare the Buttons of the 880 vs 720, like size, feel, ease of push, layout, etc...? Primarily Activities, Vol. & Channel.

ronbo1011

How would you compare the Buttons of the 880 vs 720, like size, feel, ease of push, layout, etc...? Primarily Activities, Vol. & Channel.

I was just looking at the 720 in Costco. I kinda liked it's layout, can't say feel as it was sealed. The 880 could be better but like the 8 buttons on top vs. 6.

I was just looking at the 720 in Costco. I kinda liked it's layout, can't say feel as it was sealed. The 880 could be better but like the 8 buttons on top vs. 6.Like you, I was unable to physically touch a 720 as at Costco and Walmart they are sealed in a plastic bubble with no demo to touch.

Best Buy has the 880 out where you can play with it -- I spent some time with one before purchasing a 720 and decided that the there was a bit more style vs function for my tastes, at least button-wise. They seemed a bit close together and a bit difficult to tell where your thumb was.

I ended up with a 720 and am very pleased with it for the three months I've had it now. Almost all of my TV watching is via DVR and the transport and selection buttons are right where my thumb is when holding the remote naturally.

YMMV.

ronbo1011

How would you compare the Buttons of the 880 vs 720, like size, feel, ease of push, layout, etc...? Primarily Activities, Vol. & Channel.
If you have big fingers I find the 720 buttons much better

Hey guys, I have a few questions.

I got an 880 about three weeks ago, and I've been messing around with it. For the most part, it's a very versatile and well-balanced remote. But there are a few problems.

The first, and most annoying is that I absolutely cannot get one specific activity to work right. It's for when I watch HD DVDs. I have a Mitsubishi WS-55315. As part of the activity for when I watch HD DVDs, I have the remote set my TV to MonLink (the input for DVI). When I start this activity, it does not ever switch the TV to MonLink. It switches inputs, but always to the wrong input. Does anyone know why this is?

As an extension, when I use this activity, I have to hit "help" to get the remote to fix the problem. Thing is, I also have to have the remote switch my receiver to Multi-Channel Input, because I'm using the analog outs on my Toshiba player. When I hit "help," it switches the TV to MonLink, but it also switches the receiver back from Multi Channel. I have to then go into the deeper help and have it ask a question about every device before I can fix it. Is there a way to change the help so it only adjusts the TV?

My other question is about the charger base. The charger base is absurdly sensitive. The slightest shift will make it stop charging. The other day I was woken up by a loud series of repeated beeping noises. Turns out it was the remote constantly shifting from charging to not charging. Has anyone else found that their charger base is this sensitive? Do I have a defective base?

Thanks for all your help.

Edit: I got it to go to MonLink by having the remote send a second command to set the TV to MonLink. This seems to work almost every time. Ironically, the only time it doesn't work is when the TV is already set to MonLink when it's turned on. Oh well.

The first, and most annoying is that I absolutely cannot get one specific activity to work right. It's for when I watch HD DVDs. I have a Mitsubishi WS-55315. As part of the activity for when I watch HD DVDs, I have the remote set my TV to MonLink (the input for DVI). When I start this activity, it does not ever switch the TV to MonLink. It switches inputs, but always to the wrong input. Does anyone know why this is?

Couple possibilities:
1. It's configured to send the wrong IR command for MonLink. Go to device options on the web configuration, "adjust inputs". Step through & see what IR code it thinks it should send for "MonLink". E.g. on my WS-55313 it sends "InputSTB". Correct if you think it has the wrong one. Also at the beginning of this make sure it is set to "I go directly to the input I want".
2. Setting is correct, but somehow the code got corrupted or swapped with something else. Test on the remote by using the "device" button, go to TV, find out if the command it is sending (e.g. InputSTB) goes to the right input. If not, then you'll have to correct the code. You can do this by learning, set your mitsubishi remote to send the discrete codes by following these instructions (http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-discrete/thread.cgi?keywords=2910). Alternately you can delete & readd the device which might correct this, though you might have to redo your activities.

My other question is about the charger base. The charger base is absurdly sensitive. The slightest shift will make it stop charging. The other day I was woken up by a loud series of repeated beeping noises. Turns out it was the remote constantly shifting from charging to not charging. Has anyone else found that their charger base is this sensitive? Do I have a defective base?

Common complaint, I think Logitech is doing charging base swap-outs, search remotecentral.com Harmony section for details.

Never thought I'd want or like a universal remote, but after a couple of weeks I'm warming up to it. I now have it set to turn things off and on by activity, which is nice. For my HD-DVD, I'd like to have the tray eject when I power up the "activity". I can't seem to find an option for this. Anyone know how to do this?
In hind-sight, the answer (at least for me) seems obvious. I changed the power on for the HD-DVD to eject. And did the same for power off.

ronbo1011

How would you compare the Buttons of the 880 vs 720, like size, feel, ease of push, layout, etc...? Primarily Activities, Vol. & Channel.
I like my 720 especially for those controls, and the main Naviagation / Select button eas to use... However I do find the transport buttons a little low...but overall like it alot.

Couple possibilities:
1. It's configured to send the wrong IR command for MonLink. Go to device options on the web configuration, "adjust inputs". Step through & see what IR code it thinks it should send for "MonLink". E.g. on my WS-55313 it sends "InputSTB". Correct if you think it has the wrong one. Also at the beginning of this make sure it is set to "I go directly to the input I want".
2. Setting is correct, but somehow the code got corrupted or swapped with something else. Test on the remote by using the "device" button, go to TV, find out if the command it is sending (e.g. InputSTB) goes to the right input. If not, then you'll have to correct the code. You can do this by learning, set your mitsubishi remote to send the discrete codes by following these instructions (http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-discrete/thread.cgi?keywords=2910). Alternately you can delete & readd the device which might correct this, though you might have to redo your activities.


Common complaint, I think Logitech is doing charging base swap-outs, search remotecentral.com Harmony section for details.


I sent an email to Logitech.

As for the MonLink, I got it to work by having it send a second "Switch to MonLink" signal. Don't ask me why it worked the second time, but not the first.

Another question, anyone else seen this? I have the 880 loaded from a csv of dvds, when I use the Media key to select one the dvd player menu remains on the screen, is there some way to clear it automatically? Using the Sony 995 if that matters.

thanks

Can anyone tell me how far away the 880 works? My Comcast remote sucks. It only works from about 10 feet away and I often have to hit a button twice. When I sit at the dinner table, I have a pretty good line of site to the cable box but it is about 25 feet away. Will the 880 work at that range? If not, what about the 720? My DirecTV Tivo remote worked great from that distance so I know a regular remote can work.

Thanks.

Can anyone tell me how far away the 880 works? My Comcast remote sucks. It only works from about 10 feet away and I often have to hit a button twice. When I sit at the dinner table, I have a pretty good line of site to the cable box but it is about 25 feet away. Will the 880 work at that range? If not, what about the 720? My DirecTV Tivo remote worked great from that distance so I know a regular remote can work.

Thanks.

I routinely use my 880 from the kitchen with the TV/Comcast-DVR about 20-25 feet away and have had no problem with it.

When I sit at the dinner table, I have a pretty good line of site to the cable box but it is about 25 feet away. Will the 880 work at that range?

Thanks.

From the bar in my home theater, i can bounce the IR from 27 feet. I have no problems from the rear row of seating which is about 24 feet.

Cheers

Since setting up my 880 my Mitsubishi DLP will turn off my Tivo (Sony Series 1) controlled Comcast S/A 3250 HD box when the Mits is turned off. However, there is no IR out from the Mits connected up. The Tivo remains on. This happens even when pushing the power off button on the front of the Mits and keeping my hands off of the 880. Somehow the 880 has changed something. Any ideas?

In hind-sight, the answer (at least for me) seems obvious. I changed the power on for the HD-DVD to eject. And did the same for power off.

Carl: Trying to understand the procedure you used here to set this up; would you give some details?

Thanks,

-George

Carl: Trying to understand the procedure you used here to set this up; would you give some details?

Thanks,

-George
Go to the device settings and select more options - then "adjust power settings".

Select next on the 1st screen. It then asks how to turn it off and on. Select the 2nd option - a button for on, and a different button for off. Then it will ask what command to use for power on, then another for power off. I selected "eject" for both.

Can anyone tell me how far away the 880 works? My Comcast remote sucks. It only works from about 10 feet away and I often have to hit a button twice. When I sit at the dinner table, I have a pretty good line of site to the cable box but it is about 25 feet away. Will the 880 work at that range? If not, what about the 720? My DirecTV Tivo remote worked great from that distance so I know a regular remote can work.

Thanks.

Due to space concerns I need to keep my Motorola DVR somewhat hidden from direct view - it's tucked down under in back of my DVD player. For the Comcast remote to work, I had to hold its remote down low, especially when the batteries were not brand new. I pretty had the same situation with my Harmony 659 as that of course runs on regular alkaline batteries as well. But the 880 is much more powerful and it consistently controls the DVR box from nearly every position - even when I'm standing up. For my situation it's the thing I like best about the 880 - that and not having to constantly keep putting fresh batteries in it.

I currently have a Harmony 676 remote, I've had it for a little over a year, and it has gone to complete ****. Half the buttons barely work, I have to mash the stupid rubber buttons and jiggle them around to get them to work, and only sometimes will it work. A lot of times it'll double push. That's awesome when you're hitting previous channel, cause you'll end up on the same channel you were watching when you hit the button! :mad: Oh yea, and the foam that presses down on the batteries is worn out so the buttons pop up some, that coupled with the fact that the plastic tab on the bottom of the battery cover snapped off, and you get a remote that shuts off occasionally because the batteries have popped loose.

Alright, enough off topic.

I'm about 3 button mashes from hurling this thing against a wall, so I'm going to need a new one soon. How do the 880's buttons hold up compared? It seems that they would be a little better due to the design of them? Has anyone had any similar problems with the 880?

Thanks everyone.

I currently have a Harmony 676 remote, I've had it for a little over a year, and it has gone to complete ****. Half the buttons barely work, I have to mash the stupid rubber buttons and jiggle them around to get them to work, and only sometimes will it work. A lot of times it'll double push. That's awesome when you're hitting previous channel, cause you'll end up on the same channel you were watching when you hit the button! :mad: Oh yea, and the foam that presses down on the batteries is worn out so the buttons pop up some, that coupled with the fact that the plastic tab on the bottom of the battery cover snapped off, and you get a remote that shuts off occasionally because the batteries have popped loose.

Alright, enough off topic.

I'm about 3 button mashes from hurling this thing against a wall, so I'm going to need a new one soon. How do the 880's buttons hold up compared? It seems that they would be a little better due to the design of them? Has anyone had any similar problems with the 880?

Thanks everyone.

If you're a Costco member I moight suggest the 720, close to the 880 with Costco protection. I have a 2 year old 676 with NONE of the trouble yours has???

Do you have a dog? ;)

If you're a Costco member I moight suggest the 720, close to the 880 with Costco protection. I have a 2 year old 676 with NONE of the trouble yours has???

Do you have a dog? ;) hah.. no dog no.. it just kept getting worse in worse.. sucks it happened just after a year of ownership.

I haven't read anything about the 720.. I have a Costco membership though! Is it cheaper than the current deal that Dell is running?

hah.. no dog no.. it just kept getting worse in worse.. sucks it happened just after a year of ownership.

I haven't read anything about the 720.. I have a Costco membership though! Is it cheaper than the current deal that Dell is running?

It's actually about $20 more than the curren Dell deal on the 880. I like my 880, but can see benefits of the 720, wish it had the 8 places instead of 6 by the LCD.

If I only have four activities, is there a way to leave the other 4 slots on the color screen "blank"? Thanks. (BTW, I just ordered my 880 through Amazon).

If I only have four activities, is there a way to leave the other 4 slots on the color screen "blank"? Thanks. (BTW, I just ordered my 880 through Amazon).
Each Activity goes all the way across the screen, so you'll be good to go. The other 4 soft buttons will show up once your into an activity.