In reading the posts I notice there seem to be a lot of problems with the setup of the Harmony remotes. But then there are some pretty special and unique requirements.

I just want to turn off and on all my stuff at one time and navigate to whether I want to watch and control my Satellite or HD DVD player to get a picture on my plasma monitor and sound from my Denon 2307 receiver.

I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer with programming etc. I come from a generation when telephones were only used to talk to people.

Do you think I can get through setting up a Harmony 890 without raising my blood pressure to dangerous levels?

Thanks,

Bill

Do you think I can get through setting up a Harmony 890 without raising my blood pressure to dangerous levels?

Any bright teen-agers needing a twenty living on your block?

Bill,

How high is your blood pressure normally?

I just spent the better part of a day setting up an 890 to do pretty much what you want to do. And I can tell you; there were times when I wanted to throw the remote across the room. Nevertheless, I finally got it to do what I wanted---watch the TV, play a DVD, and play a CD.

The equipment involved included a DirecTV HD DVR (HR-20), an HD TV (Mitsubishi WD-57831), a CD/DVD player (Sony DVP-NS575P), and a stereo receiver (Yamaha RX-V795). To watch TV, the remote turns on the TV, satellite and stereo receivers, and ensures everything is set to the correct ports. It then controls most (but not all) the required functions---I still haven’t figured out how to get the remote to page up or down on the DirecTV Guide.

The remote performs similar functions to watch a DVD---turns on and ensures the proper connectivity to/from the CD/DVD player, TV, and stereo receiver. It also turns off the satellite receiver, if on. And, of course, to play a CD, it does a similar thing with just the CD/DVD player and stereo receiver.

The struggle I had was getting the remote to activate the proper inputs to the TV. Currently, the TV is connected to the satellite receiver and CD/DVD player via component cables. The remote default calls these ports “component-1” and “component-2”. However, the TV calls the ports “comp-1” or “comp-2”; and during setup, renames them for the component connected to the ports (e.g., “SAT” and “DVD”). Of course they’re all the same ports, but getting the remote to recognize the correct name was a pain. In order to get the correct port selected, I had to add an auxiliary command to the activity (e.g., InputComp2) in addition to the normal command to setup the input port (SAT). It was not intuitive to do this, and there was little assistance to find a solution. I tried calling the Logitech Hot Line for the remote for over an hour, but all I got was a busy signal. I did stumble on the solution, however, and it all works fine now; although. I lost some hair and elevated my blood pressure during the process.

The process of sorting out the naming convention was exacerbated by the need to unplug the RF Extender, connect it (and the remote) to my computer in order to incorporate the change, then plug it back in and try the new settings. This occurred about 6 or 8 times before I found the correct solution.

The only other issue I had with the remote was getting the IR emitters to remain stuck over the component’s remote sensor. They kept falling off; and I wouldn’t notice, and wonder why a component didn’t function properly. I eventually got two of them to stick, but had to tape the one on the satellite receiver.

In spite of the difficulty with the setup (and my current inability to get the satellite page function to work), I’m happy with the functionality of the remote. It’s great having to only press one button to get all the necessary components on and working.

Hope that helps your decision, somewhat. For me, the pain was worth the gain.


Jack

Thanks, Jack.

I will double my BP medication and practice a little yoga in preparation.

I really appreciate the time you took to give me those details. It must be much as the experience of having a baby. I sense that the pain is already fading away as you hold the new born in your hand.

I printed out your message and when the remote comes in I will keep it handy for quick reference. If all else fails I will look around for that bright teenager the fellow mentioned.

Thanks again

Bill

Don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' babies, but I'd bet you're right.

Good luck.


Jack