Harmony remote questions?

[Robert D]

1: Can the Harmony remotes be programed as a "learning remote" or is the only way to program them is via computer/Internet?
2: Are the on-screen labels user customizable?
3: How long is the battery life if not in the charger?
4: Which model is the best bang for the buck?

Thanks for any help here.

[czzer]

1. They are learning remotes, but all programming(including learning) has to be done via the internet.
2. Yes
3. On the 880 I think it's about 5 days, but that obviously depends on use.
4. Probably the 550 or 670.

[ptsenter]

3. My TC30 still had 1 green bar out of 3 after a week off a cradle.
4. TC30 gives more - it's $100.00 - 110.00 out-the-door on Amazon.com and rechargable.

[Schteevie]

I agree with previous answers to your other questions.

The 550 is the one I chose for both best bang for the buck (The HK-TC30 is basically a slightly more expensive 550), and frankly, I think it is less obnoxious then the other high end remotes.

Do you really need a colour LCD display and recharchablde battery in your remote?
I'd rather get an Ipod for those prices.

The programming was initally frustrating simply because I didn't like the wizard, but I later found a work around. And yes, EVERYTHING is customizable - I am happy with it and have it doing everything I hoped it would.

The unit takes 4 AAA bateries, and you could get aftermarket rechargeables.
I have read reviews that state it will last a week with the back light left on constantly - so that probably translates to 6 months of normal use...

[Kid Red]

I have the 676 and there's no charger, lasts about 4 months or so on 4 AAAs.

[Robert D]

Thanks for all the help. How about the Harmony 520? I can get that at Target on-sale for $80. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B000BDG3HU

[poolboyclay]

Originally Posted by Robert D

Thanks for all the help. How about the Harmony 520? I can get that at Target on-sale for $80. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B000BDG3HU

You can get the 550 for 80.00 after rebate at tiger direct.
Clay

[Kubrick19]

tiger direct rebates have a history of customer dissatisfaction, might want to look them up a little before buying from there, just so you know
kind regards

[Schteevie]

the 550 has replaced the 520 and is available every where for ~100$.
There are a few extra buttons and a better over all design - get the 550

[indyfred]

Originally Posted by Robert D

Thanks for all the help. How about the Harmony 520? I can get that at Target on-sale for $80. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B000BDG3HU

You can get the 550 from Amazon for $85.39 out-the door (free standard shippiing). Ships from Amazon and not third party reseller.

[Digitude]

I found many of the Harmony products functionally similar except for the keypad layout. You might want to look closely at the different keypads to see which is the most convenient for you. I wanted the guide and DVR transport functions in the center of the remote along with volume and channel up/dn. The numbers at the bottom and soft keys (LCD) at the top were less important to me. A "good deal" maybe ain't so great if your hand gets cramped trying to reach your most often used keys.

[Packy]

^ I completely agree. I got the 550 on a whim from Dell since it was on sale for $74, but I don't like how the transport buttons are laid out. I prefer the style of the 550, but I've decided the 670 layout is better since we always use our Tivo and I'm used to the Tivo remote and MX-500 (our previous universal). For me that's worth an extra few bucks.

[jcavner]

Originally Posted by Kid Red

I have the 676 and there's no charger, lasts about 4 months or so on 4 AAAs.

Me too, but I'm not getting that kind of life! what kind of batteries are you using? guess I could turn down my LCD backlight timer too...

[travis33]

I'm not very familliar with Harmony remotes, and I have a pretty simple (but long winded) question:

The surround settings on my HK A525 reciever require you to toggle through 3 settings on DPLII (movie, music, emulate) by pressing the same buttom. Can I program a "Listen to music" button that will switch it directly to the "music" setting. Then, if I press the TV button, will it go back to the "movie" mode? Since the reciever requires one button to toggle, it seems like it would be difficult for the Harmony to go directly to the other setting. If I set up a macro that would "press" the button twice (in order to toggle twice) it would probably wouldn't know what mode I'm in and might put me in the wrong mode. So, if I was in "music" DPLII mode, and I hit the "listen to music music" button on my Harmony by accident, I wouldn't want it to toggle to "Movie" DPLII mode, I'd want it to reckognize that I was already in "music" mode and do nothing. Is this possible?

Thanks, Travis

[Digitude]

Originally Posted by travis33

I'm not very familliar with Harmony remotes, and I have a pretty simple (but long winded) question:

The surround settings on my HK A525 reciever require you to toggle through 3 settings on DPLII (movie, music, emulate) by pressing the same buttom. Can I program a "Listen to music" button that will switch it directly to the "music" setting. Then, if I press the TV button, will it go back to the "movie" mode? Since the reciever requires one button to toggle, it seems like it would be difficult for the Harmony to go directly to the other setting. If I set up a macro that would "press" the button twice (in order to toggle twice) it would probably wouldn't know what mode I'm in and might put me in the wrong mode. So, if I was in "music" DPLII mode, and I hit the "listen to music music" button on my Harmony by accident, I wouldn't want it to toggle to "Movie" DPLII mode, I'd want it to reckognize that I was already in "music" mode and do nothing. Is this possible?

Thanks, Travis

When you set up an activity the interview asks you if your receiver has a discreet inputs or you have to toggle through by hitting the same button. My TV has the same issue...I have to toggle through the inputs one at a time. This hasn't been a problem with the 676 though. It knows where you are (its own starting point) and how many times it needs to toggle to get to the next or new activity. (I think though that if you use another remote to change inputs it will get lost. Press the help key and it walks you back to where you were). I've only been using mine for a couple weeks now so I'm no expert. Maybe someone more familiar with the 676 will have another answer.

The Harmony remotes also have a delay feature. Most A/V equipment needs time between switching on or between commands before it will accept additional commands. You can add or change the delay time.

[tokerblue]

Originally Posted by travis33

The surround settings on my HK A525 reciever require you to toggle through 3 settings on DPLII (movie, music, emulate) by pressing the same buttom. Can I program a "Listen to music" button that will switch it directly to the "music" setting...

- It depends on whether or not your receiver has discrete codes for the DPLII settings or if there is an "Auto mode" to use as a base.

For example, I have a Marantz SR7400 and want the receiver to be in DPLIIx: Game mode when playing the PS2. I basically have the remote programmed to send the "Auto" command first and then the DPLIIx command three times. This way, it always goes to the correct DPLIIx mode since "Auto" defaults the receiver to the original state.

[travis33]

Wow, thanks for the fast replies and great info, guys. I forgot about my TV inputs. My example would have been more simpler if I just mentioned the TV inputs because I'm sure that the TV input situation is one that everybody has had to deal with.

Do you guys know where I could find out if my TV or reciever has the "Auto" command that you speak of? Would it be in the manuals or would logitec know?

Also, does the current command sequence go out of order if the signal gets blocked by a chair or something and the reciever/TV was unable to recieve the signal? If so, how often does this happen (how good is the remote transmitter signal strength?)?

Thanks

[Digitude]

Originally Posted by travis33

Also, does the current command sequence go out of order if the signal gets blocked by a chair or something and the reciever/TV was unable to recieve the signal? If so, how often does this happen (how good is the remote transmitter signal strength?)?Thanks

Having used several programmable remotes with macros I would say yes, this could happen easily. But again the Harmony has a help button that walks you right through a troubleshooting process to get you back on track. You simply answer "yes" or "no" to the questions that appear in the LCD window. The remote changes state accrordingly until you get back to the right configuration.

[ptsenter]

Originally Posted by travis33

I'm not very familliar with Harmony remotes, and I have a pretty simple (but long winded) question:

The surround settings on my HK A525 reciever require you to toggle through 3 settings on DPLII (movie, music, emulate) by pressing the same buttom. Can I program a "Listen to music" button that will switch it directly to the "music" setting. Then, if I press the TV button, will it go back to the "movie" mode? Since the reciever requires one button to toggle, it seems like it would be difficult for the Harmony to go directly to the other setting. If I set up a macro that would "press" the button twice (in order to toggle twice) it would probably wouldn't know what mode I'm in and might put me in the wrong mode. So, if I was in "music" DPLII mode, and I hit the "listen to music music" button on my Harmony by accident, I wouldn't want it to toggle to "Movie" DPLII mode, I'd want it to reckognize that I was already in "music" mode and do nothing. Is this possible?

Thanks, Travis

I could not find A525 model, but I found AVR 525. If that's the case receiver remembers your surround settings for each source. In case you watch movie using, e.g., DVD inputs, and listen to music, using CD audio inputs, you don't need to switch surround mode, receiver will.
And you always can put that button into activity's screen.
In case you use the same device, e.g., DVD changer, to listen and to watch I would simply split audio cables to use different inputs on the receiver.

[tokerblue]

Originally Posted by Digitude

But again the Harmony has a help button that walks you right through a troubleshooting process to get you back on track. You simply answer "yes" or "no" to the questions that appear in the LCD window. The remote changes state accrordingly until you get back to the right configuration.

- You could also press the Activity button again and all the commands will be sent again, with exception of Power commands. The only time I really use the Help key is if a device doesn't turn on.

I should also note that if your device has discrete commands, pressing the Activity button will work better than the Help. If your device toggles and doesn't have a "base" to toggle from, Help would be better.

[travis33]

I do have the AVR 525.

Thanks guys, you've been a great help.

[Kneecaps]

Originally Posted by Digitude

When you set up an activity the interview asks you if your receiver has a discreet inputs or you have to toggle through by hitting the same button. My TV has the same issue...I have to toggle through the inputs one at a time. This hasn't been a problem with the 676 though. It knows where you are (its own starting point) and how many times it needs to toggle to get to the next or new activity. (I think though that if you use another remote to change inputs it will get lost. Press the help key and it walks you back to where you were). I've only been using mine for a couple weeks now so I'm no expert. Maybe someone more familiar with the 676 will have another answer.

Does anyone know if the the 550 has this feature? Because this is beyond awesome and I'm so glad someone put this in a remote.

[tokerblue]

Originally Posted by Kneecaps

Does anyone know if the the 550 has this feature? Because this is beyond awesome and I'm so glad someone put this in a remote.

- The Harmony remotes use the same interface across the lines. The only difference between the remotes is basically their button layout and battery type.

[Kneecaps]

Originally Posted by tokerblue

- The Harmony remotes use the same interface across the lines. The only difference between the remotes is basically their button layout and battery type.

Awesome. Sorry for the noob question and thanks for the quick, informative answer.

[jgurley]

If your Harmony has the "Picture" and "Sound" buttons the answer may be there. I have my "Sound" button programmed such that I can choose the best DSP (that's what my Yamaha calls the Hall, Rock, TV/Sports. e.g.) for whatever I'm watching.

For example, if I'm watching ESPNHD and UVa is kicking the crap out of Gonzaga, I'll choose "TV/Sports". But when the score gets ridiculous, like 102 to 74, I might go to some concert on Rave and switch the DSP to "Rock" or "Hall". No new Activity to set up, no changing Devices, just press "Sound" and choose what suits you best.

[Digitude]

Originally Posted by jgurley

If your Harmony has the "Picture" and "Sound" buttons the answer may be there. I have my "Sound" button programmed such that I can choose the best DSP (that's what my Yamaha calls the Hall, Rock, TV/Sports. e.g.) for whatever I'm watching.

For example, if I'm watching ESPNHD and UVa is kicking the crap out of Gonzaga, I'll choose "TV/Sports". But when the score gets ridiculous, like 102 to 74, I might go to some concert on Rave and switch the DSP to "Rock" or "Hall". No new Activity to set up, no changing Devices, just press "Sound" and choose what suits you best.

OT a bit but I think Dolby 5.1 only works with DSP 1,2 and 3. The rock, disco, hall etc I think are stereo and intended for use with CDs and radio (tuner). Isn't that right? I believe sports is also stereo but I use it for broadcasts for special effect.