New Harmony 670 for DVRs

[MikeSRC]

See the press release here:

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/ne...=12896,crid=34

Here's a picture:

[Superman07]

From what I can gather this does not handle RF. Are the 890 and 1000 the only Harmony remotes that handle RF?

Otherwise nice remote.

[remoteshoppe]

Correct. The 890 and 1000 are the only one's the will support the Logitech Harmony Wireless Extender for RF and Zwave control

[tamanaco]

Nice, but not dice. I'm hopping that Logitech will be announcing other new or improved remotes. The 1000 is a bit too big and the touch screen is a bit of overkill for an IR/RF remote. I'm not a fan of touch screens on a remote as they have the tendency of either not respoding quick enough (latency) or failing to sense that they have been touched completely. The only way I'd justify the touch screen is if the remote also suppored WiFi to control wireless media servers with rich content (album art). It would then also require thumb-wheel l(like an iPod) to navigate the music/video library with confort.

What I wish is for a replacement or a fully supported and enhanced 720. I like the form factor and color screen of the 720, but I'm reluctant to buy it because people are complaining about the motion sensor switch not working, the printed text on the body of the remote rubbing off and the appearance of not being "fully" supported by Logitech. Is this remote being recalled or what?... No one knows. Adding RF and DVR buttons to a remote with the form factor of the 720 would also be welcome addition.

[twooranges]

Could anybody tell whats the difference from the 680 im looking at getting one of these this weekend. if theirs no difference i'll just get the 680 because it's cheaper.

[bfdtv]

I would definitely choose the 670 over the 680. It has improved aesthetics and dedicated page +/- buttons. If this is for your own personal use, the improved graphics and labels on the remote (aesthetics) probably don't matter, though.

Still, it's more of the same. When is Harmony going to get its act together and release a remote with larger-sized, high-quality buttons like MX-900?

[bierboy]

Originally Posted by bfdtv

I would definitely choose the 670 over the 680. It has improved aesthetics and dedicated page +/- buttons. If this is for your own personal use, the improved graphics and labels on the remote (aesthetics) probably don't matter, though.

Still, it's more of the same. When is Harmony going to get its act together and release a remote with larger-sized, high-quality buttons like MX-900?

Maybe never? Since it costs $450.

[bfdtv]

Maybe never? Since it costs $450.

URC has ridiculous markup though. On ebay, it sells closer to $200.

I bet Logitech could mass produce a remote with a MX900-esque button design / feel for less than $2 extra in parts, compared to the 670/680.

[atreis]

I just got a 670 this weekend and it's okay... Does the job. The buttons have a nice feel, even if they are a little small. Support for devices is quite impressive. The software for programming the remote has some quircks that really take time to get used to and figure out.... The automatic stuff doesn't always do the right thing. I ended up changing almost all of the key mappings for the programmed activities. (It's nice that can be done though. :-) ) Overall, programming took too long and the software was very quircky... But I am still happy as the end result does exactly what I wanted.

[czzer]

Originally Posted by atreis

I just got a 670 this weekend and it's okay... Does the job. The buttons have a nice feel, even if they are a little small. Support for devices is quite impressive. The software for programming the remote has some quircks that really take time to get used to and figure out.... The automatic stuff doesn't always do the right thing. I ended up changing almost all of the key mappings for the programmed activities. (It's nice that can be done though. :-) ) Overall, programming took too long and the software was very quircky... But I am still happy as the end result does exactly what I wanted.

Ditch the software setup and use the web based setup at http://members.harmonyremote.com

Nearly everyone finds it much easier and faster to use,

[atreis]

Originally Posted by czzer

Ditch the software setup and use the web based setup at http://members.harmonyremote.com

Nearly everyone finds it much easier and faster to use,

Good advice. I checked it out and it does appear to work better and has more options for controlling the various devices. I wonder why they don't expose all of that through the software (which also appears to do much of its work in a web-based way...).

[DJ79]

How responsive is this remote? Is there much delay between pressing a button and the action? I am about to throw my 550 out the window because of this sluggishness (discussed elsewhere) that makes it almost unusable for program guide navigation.

[atreis]

For me at least, there's no noticeable delay. Push a button and the command happens immediately.

[czzer]

Originally Posted by DJ79

How responsive is this remote? Is there much delay between pressing a button and the action? I am about to throw my 550 out the window because of this sluggishness (discussed elsewhere) that makes it almost unusable for program guide navigation.

Delays can be adjusted. See the sticky at the top of the page

[FaxMan]

I've been a happy 680 owner for a few years and it is showing wear. Just noticed the new 670. It looks nice.

The biggest thing I noticed is the lack of a 'media' button. I don't use it for programming, but do use it for selecting discs from a 100 disk CD changer. Am I missing something, or did they do away with it?

[texviddy]

Originally Posted by czzer

Ditch the software setup and use the web based setup at http://members.harmonyremote.com

Nearly everyone finds it much easier and faster to use,

Just got a 670!

Can I use the the web based setup without installing the software???

[czzer]

Originally Posted by texviddy

Just got a 670!

Can I use the the web based setup without installing the software???

You still need to install the software to actually update the remote.

The different options are with the programming side. When you install the software it comes with a Java based setup program. You can bypass this and do your programming from the website. When you click "Update remote" it will launch the software to do the actual loading to the remote.

[bierboy]

Originally Posted by DJ79

...I am about to throw my 550 out the window because of this sluggishness (discussed elsewhere) that makes it almost unusable for program guide navigation.

That's curious because I have the 550 and use it with my TiVo's guide and experience no sluggishness at all.

[texviddy]

Originally Posted by czzer

You still need to install the software to actually update the remote.
....

Thanks. I installed the software, then closed it. Opened a browser and went to the web setup address (http://members.harmonyremote.com) and configured my 670 there.

It took all of 10 minutes and works pretty good, so far. I'll be customizing buttons in the next week or so and see how that goes.

The great thing about the 670 is how it fits in my hand. I don't have to "crawl" up & down it to reach the buttons. And the DVR controls are easy to access and very intuitive.

[FaxMan]

Originally Posted by FaxMan

I've been a happy 680 owner for a few years and it is showing wear. Just noticed the new 670. It looks nice.

The biggest thing I noticed is the lack of a 'media' button. I don't use it for programming, but do use it for selecting discs from a 100 disk CD changer. Am I missing something, or did they do away with it?

For others who may be interested...

I called tech support and they said that although there is no longer a 'media' button, the functionality in regards to DVD/CD changers should be able to be mapped to an LCD function or a different hard button.

[wirechild73]

I am trying to decide between this 670 and the 880. I am leaning towards the 670 as I don't care much for the 880 LCD screen and the charging station.

My question, does anyone that owns the 670 have an XBOX 360 with the HD DVD addon? I went through the web setup and could not figure out I would control the HD DVD addon using the 670. Not a deal breaker, but I would like to know if it is possible and difficult it is to program.

I have 2 universal remotes now, plus you could consider the remote for my tv and pioneer receiver also universal remotes and I have not been able to get any of them to work well with the DVD or HD DVD drives on the 360 I am hoping/praying a harmony will make this easier.

[bmoss]

A couple of weeks ago, I used the Logitech web site to create an account and to configure a Harmony remote for four devices: Panasonic TH-50PH9UK plasma HDTV, Outlaw Audio 1050 receiver, Dish Network Vip 211, Oppo DV-970HD DVD player. All devices were in the database except for the plasma. I found last year's model, a TH-50PH8UK, in the database. The 8UK is functionally equivalent to a 9UK so I configured with the 8UK.

I ordered the Harmony 670 from Amazon and got it today. I installed the software and it updated itself to 7.0.2.1. I then logged into the Logitech members site and downloaded the configuration I had created several weeks ago.

The only problem I encountered was that on the Watch a Movie activity, the off button would not turn off the Outlaw 1050. I went to the support help pages and found that I needed to increase the inter-device delay for the 1050. After making this setting change in my account on the members web site, I downloaded a new configuration. It works. Total time to set up about 30 minutes.

[nithos]

Originally Posted by wirechild73

I am trying to decide between this 670 and the 880. I am leaning towards the 670 as I don't care much for the 880 LCD screen and the charging station.

My question, does anyone that owns the 670 have an XBOX 360 with the HD DVD addon? I went through the web setup and could not figure out I would control the HD DVD addon using the 670. Not a deal breaker, but I would like to know if it is possible and difficult it is to program.

I have 2 universal remotes now, plus you could consider the remote for my tv and pioneer receiver also universal remotes and I have not been able to get any of them to work well with the DVD or HD DVD drives on the 360 I am hoping/praying a harmony will make this easier.

I have a 880 and it works flawlessly with my 360.

[sojodave]

I got the 670 last Thursday. I added my devices and I was up and running in a half hour. I tweaked the buttons and added in more activities. I like the feel of the remote. The small buttons take a little getting used to. I am still trying to train my family on how it works. I have a 50" Vizio plasma, Panasonic 588 DVD player, Onkyo 604 receiver and a Dish 622. This remote is perfect for DVR use. Overall I am very happy with it and I would recommend it.

[Kneecaps]

I got the remote a week or two ago and I'm pretty happy with it. I wish they had included A, B, and C buttons, as most DVRs and digital cable boxes use these buttons. Well, the ones I've always used have them anyway.. It also would have been nice to have an extra "List" or "DVR" button or something to bring up the DVR menu. I'm using the Menu button for that, so it's alright.

It's just that if they're marketing this as "great for DVRs" or whatever, they should have these extra, standard buttons. Obviously, I could be using the LCD buttons for all this, but it's just annoying to reach up there all the time. I'd rather use the LCD for weirder, non-standard stuff than for the stuff I use every day. Page up and down buttons are great, though, and I'm glad they put those in there.

The playback buttons are weirdly laid out, as well, but they're more accessible than on the other remotes in this price-range, so it'll do. It can be tough to tell which one you're hitting though, because they're all the same size and there's no little "bump" on any of the buttons to tell you which one you're on.

Of course, after all my complaining, I'm still WAY happy with the remote and I'm sure I will use this remote until a better Harmony comes along.

[Packy]

I've always liked mapping the Stop button to the "list" for our Tivo. I did the same thing as you for the main menu, it's just mapped to Menu.

I also like the up and down arrows, which I've mapped to the thumbs up and thumbs down.

[zerostar]

How much battery life are you guys getting on this remote? When I first got it I was getting about a month and 1/2 that was with glow on every button and 10 sec. I turned glow only on the glow button and down to 5 sec. I ran out of batteries in 2 weeks now. Did I get bum batteries? Going to get some good ones and try again, perhaps something broke when I dropped it...

[atreis]

I got my remote before Christmas and have yet to replace the batteries. I have full glow for 10s.

[Aliens]

Got the 670 yesterday. Programming was a snap – getting used to a remote like this for the first time is an adjustment, but one I think will be well worth it. The cursor pad is just way too small. I can’t imagine anyone with really BIG fingers being able to use this remote. I watch TV in a dark environment, but during my break-in period yesterday, the overhead lighting reflected off the keypad making it almost impossible to read each key function. I had to tilt it to various angles to see what was there. This won’t be a problem once I memorize each key location/function, which will be very soon, but for others who aren’t remote savvy or with room lighting, this is a PITA. While watching a recorded DVR show last night, the skip FW/RW stopped functioning, so I had to resort to the Dish 622 remote – that thing is sweet. Being a first time owner of a remote like this requires patience, something I’m not good at, but the upside is so fantastic I’ll give it a week to tweak and then reassess whether the TC-30 or something else might be a better feel for me. The research continues.

[lastplace]

The 670 is missing the a-b buttons. These are great for setting up commerical skips. I'll stick with my 676.