AVS Forum banner
14K views 60 replies 20 participants last post by  bryansj 
#1 ·
I was wondering what is the best universal remote under 300. I don't know if there is a definitive answer like there is one on plasma tv's.
 
#3 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by dalto /forum/post/17848336


It all depends what you consider "best"


In order to provide a good recommendation it would be helpful to understand what specific devices you are trying to control and what is driving you to a universal remote.

I have a pioneer 141fd Monitor

Pioneer 1019 Receiver

PS3

HR23 (Directv Box)

I just want one control to control everything. Using the directv remote when i press the up arrow it shoes me my nine favorite channels. I would like the remote to do that as well.
 
#4 ·
A $10 remote can do all those things. You'll get the list of 9 favorites with any remote that can send the up command, which happens to be every learning remote. Any remote you use with the PS3 will need an IR converter of some sort ($15-$150). If you don't care about macros and just want something really cool looking, you should go for something like a harmony 1100.
 
#5 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mdavej /forum/post/17850100


A $10 remote can do all those things. You'll get the list of 9 favorites with any remote that can send the up command, which happens to be every learning remote. Any remote you use with the PS3 will need an IR converter of some sort ($15-$150). If you don't care about macros and just want something really cool looking, you should go for something like a harmony 1100.

Pardon my ignorance, but what can you do with macros?
 
#6 ·
One of the main reasons to get a universal remote is the macros. If you have to press a dozen buttons to turn on your tv, HR23 and stereo, switch inputs on your tv and receiver, maybe turn on surround or change resolution and turn all you unused devices off, you can put all those steps into a single macro and press just one button to do all of it.


But things get complicated with harmony. They have 2 kinds of macros - activities and sequences. The activity macro can do everything in my example. But lets say after you run that macro, you want to toggle captions, which takes 3 button presses (possibly 4 if you add mute) on an HR23. You could make a sequence macro for that and make it one button press. Problem is the latest harmonys, like the 1100 can't even do that simple 3 step sequence. That doesn't bother a lot of people, but I personally wouldn't buy a remote that couldn't do simple macros.
 
#7 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mdavej /forum/post/17852965


One of the main reasons to get a universal remote is the macros. If you have to press a dozen buttons to turn on your tv, HR23 and stereo, switch inputs on your tv and receiver, maybe turn on surround or change resolution and turn all you unused devices off, you can put all those steps into a single macro and press just one button to do all of it.


But things get complicated with harmony. They have 2 kinds of macros - activities and sequences. The activity macro can do everything in my example. But lets say after you run that macro, you want to toggle captions, which takes 3 button presses (possibly 4 if you add mute) on an HR23. You could make a sequence macro for that and make it one button press. Problem is the latest harmonys, like the 1100 can't even do that simple 3 step sequence. That doesn't bother a lot of people, but I personally wouldn't buy a remote that couldn't do simple macros.

So what remote would you recommend that do macros. Harmony one? What remote do you own?
 
#8 ·
Any harmony except the 900 or 1100 does macros (sequences). The one, 880, or 700 would work fine, depending on how many devices you have and the looks/layout you prefer. I'm cheap, so I have a $30 refurb 500 series harmony that works just as well (mono screen with buttons instead of color touch screen). It all depends on the bells and whistles you want (better LCD, touch, RF, favorites, rechargeable, etc.).
 
#9 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by alejopelaez /forum/post/17853201


So what remote would you recommend that do macros. Harmony one? What remote do you own?

I'm sure you know this, but there are other remotes out there than "Harmony". If you're not familiar with things like Macros, I think the original suggestion of a "cheap" pre-programmed remote is good. If you want something with Macros (that's easy to use), look at something like the URC R50 (which is still
 
#10 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by alejopelaez /forum/post/17853201


So what remote would you recommend that do macros. Harmony one? What remote do you own?

I doubt you would need macros since you were not even aware of them. The basic "Activities" of a Harmony would suit you just fine.


I'd take your $300 and subtract out about $50 and spend that on a PS3IR-500 to properly control your PS3. Then spend the remaining $250 on a remote. The Harmony One would fit into this range with some money left. However, I like RF based remotes so that you don't have to point them at your devices. Your needs are rather simple so you could get buy spending as little as $50 on a remote.
 
#11 ·
So what's the best remote for macros programming? I thought even the the Harmony One, etc. were still limited in this regard, though not as much as the 1100?
 
#12 ·
Can you give an example of a macro you need to program? $5 remotes do macros better than harmony, as do $2500 remotes. So you can't choose based on macro capability alone. But you can usually squeeze a 15 step macro into a harmony One with a few tricks, which is usually all most people need.
 
#13 ·
You may be able to shoehorn in macros into a Harmony's activities instead of using their five step sequences, but that would be on a case-by-case basis.


These "best" remote questions can't really be answered. Is your budget over $2,000 or under $20?


mdavej beat me to it. Looks like we both were thinking the same thing.
 
#14 ·
i have gone through 2 880's and now 2 890's, frozen out. When they work they are the best. So far the 880 is working up stairs.

by home theater is high end, Anthem, Marantz proj, Thiel's. yes, I have spent too much time up and down the stairs resetting and bombing the with the 890. What other great remote is there up to 1000. Need the rf function and easy set up of the 890. It seems on the logitech site they are only offering one cheap model!!
 
#16 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by slots1 /forum/post/21089926


i have gone through 2 880's and now 2 890's, frozen out. When they work they are the best. So far the 880 is working up stairs.

by home theater is high end, Anthem, Marantz proj, Thiel's. yes, I have spent too much time up and down the stairs resetting and bombing the with the 890. What other great remote is there up to 1000. Need the rf function and easy set up of the 890. It seems on the logitech site they are only offering one cheap model!!

With the system you have, you should really be looking beyond Harmony. The UCR MX-880 ($500) or 980 ($600) with an MSC-400 ($600) base station would stretch your budget by a hundred bucks or two, but would give you RS232 control of you projector and Anthem (I would assume), and possibly other devices. Their upcoming MX-1200 ($700?) looks even nicer, but would stretch your budget a couple hundred more. If you have to keep it under a grand, their MRF-350 base station ($250) with either remote would do that, but you'd lose RS232. I have the 880 with an MSC, controlling 8 or 9 devices, including a projector and motorized screen, and it's bullet-proof. Not the easy set-up of Harmony, so you may need to pay someone to do it. You might talk to your Anthem dealer...
 
#17 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by slots1 /forum/post/21089926


i have gone through 2 880's and now 2 890's, frozen out. When they work they are the best. So far the 880 is working up stairs.

by home theater is high end, Anthem, Marantz proj, Thiel's. yes, I have spent too much time up and down the stairs resetting and bombing the with the 890. What other great remote is there up to 1000. Need the rf function and easy set up of the 890. It seems on the logitech site they are only offering one cheap model!!

I have switched from Harmony completely. Three plus years of never knowing if will it work or not with a 550 and Nextgeneration extender are over for good. I purchased one of these, URC-RFS200 , and will never go back. For the price I don't think you will find better.
 
#18 ·
Thanks for the responses.


I'm in budget hi-fi system territory and would like to spend as little as possible, but would be willing to go to $300 if it was worth the cost. I currently have 6 components that need a remote, and like the idea of controlling my fans/lights w/ RF but not an absolute requirement. I prefer rechargeable, but guess I could buy my own rechargeable batteries if need be.


I definitely need more than a 5 step macros but should not need 15 steps.


The URC's are really appealing but I was worried about all their warnings regarding programming. I guess from the initial searching I've done I wasn't convinced I could program it myself to the extent of getting the most out of one. Are there any links to resources for programming them?


I know Logitech already has all my components pre-programmed, but didn't think the RF capable Logitechs were worth the money if the macros sequences were limited to 5. So was looking at just IR models. How easy are the workarounds for RF Logitech models? If that were easy, I'd maybe lean towards the 1100 I think.


Thanks
 
#19 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ourmanritter /forum/post/21092248


I currently have 6 components that need a remote, and like the idea of controlling my fans/lights w/ RF but not an absolute requirement.

RF Universal remote will not control RF lighting. They only use RF to communicate with their RF to IR base. Your lighting/fans will need either IR input control or be compatible with specific remote solutions.


For instance the Harmony 890 is compatible with Z-wave and the Pro URC remotes have a brand of switches that they are compatible with. Anything else needs IR input.
 
#20 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by bryansj /forum/post/21092301


RF Universal remote will not control RF lighting. They only use RF to communicate with their RF to IR base. Your lighting/fans will need either IR input control or be compatible with specific remote solutions.


For instance the Harmony 890 is compatible with Z-wave and the Pro URC remotes have a brand of switches that they are compatible with. Anything else needs IR input.

oh really? i thought since they're (the fans/lights) on RF remotes that are programmed by codes that if anything I could "teach" the universal remotes (Harmonys)... Most of my fans are Regent -Orbit model


thanks for the info., that definitely makes a difference...
 
#22 ·
ourman,


I asked for a specific example of one of your macros to determine if you really need sequence macros or just activity macros. Harmony has no practical limit on the steps in an activity macro. The sequence workaround is pretty easy for a few commands, but it can be really hard, if not impossible, to get more than 5 commands on an 1100.


Here are some examples of activity versus sequence macros:

- Turn on tv, turn on amp, set avr input, set tv input, map vol keys to amp - Activity

- While watching a movie, pause and raise the lights to 100% with a single button - Sequence

- While watching cable, perform several steps to navigate the menus in order to turn on captions with a single button - Sequence

- Turn on tv, turn on DVD player, set tv input, navigate to netflix, map vol keys to tv - Activity
 
#23 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by mdavej /forum/post/21093303


ourman,


I asked for a specific example of one of your macros to determine if you really need sequence macros or just activity macros. Harmony has no practical limit on the steps in an activity macro. The sequence workaround is pretty easy for a few commands, but it can be really hard, if not impossible, to get more than 5 commands on an 1100.


Here are some examples of activity versus sequence macros:

- Turn on tv, turn on amp, set avr input, set tv input, map vol keys to amp - Activity

- While watching a movie, pause and raise the lights to 100% with a single button - Sequence

- While watching cable, perform several steps to navigate the menus in order to turn on captions with a single button - Sequence

- Turn on tv, turn on DVD player, set tv input, navigate to netflix, map vol keys to tv - Activity


Yeah, I'm talking about a sequence of getting into the receiver and accessing a menu then a few steps to get to the specific screen to turn on a feature.

It takes me 12 steps or pushes of a button/s to complete the task on my receiver remote.

However, I'd ideally like this sequence to happen as part of a couple different activity macros.


So, at this point I now know I don't need RF, but at least 6 devices and less than 15 step sequence macros capability but more than 5. Rechargeable is a big plus. Touch screen is not important either way, but all things being equal, I thought the 1100 seemed like it'd be comfortable to use on a daily basis. Otherwise, if I choose a Harmony, I guess a 700 would meet my requirements and be a better choice in terms of paying for features i will actually use.

unless a URC model is a better value: price, build quality/longevity, and possible to program on my own


But, according to Logitech:
"All Harmony models except H300, H900 and H1100...

...Mapping multiple commands to a single is button is known as a Sequence.

...There is a Maximum of 5 commands per Sequence.

The amount of sequences per account is unlimited, however, there is a maximum of 10 sequences per Activity.

It is not possible to use Sequences in Picture or Sound mode."


So I'm looking for sequences composed of more than 5 commands. And I'm worried I might need to add pauses in between each command to allow my receiver to react to each command. Are there workarounds for any of this?


my example: menu (press menu 1x to access the menu) / audio/video adjust (press right arrow/move right 1x to access this menu page) / audio adjust (press right arrow/move right 1x to access this menu page) / audyssey settings (press down arrow/move down 1x, then press right arrow/move right 1x to access this menu page) / dynamic volume (press down arrow 3x/move down 3 selections to hi-light this selection, then press left arrow/move left 1x to activate this feature) / setting (press down/move down 1x to select this option to adjust the setting) / midnight (press left arrow/move left 1x to select midnight setting) / exit/menu (press menu 1x to exit the menu)

12 commands total for this sequence


so where does that leave me? either get a Harmony 700 and forget about programming my desired sequence/s, or get an URC model and hope I can figure out how to program it?
 
#24 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ourmanritter /forum/post/21093806


so where does that leave me? either get a Harmony 700 and forget about programming my desired sequence/s, or get an URC model and hope I can figure out how to program it?

I recently switched from Harmony remotes in my HT and living room. I am using this one, URC-RFS200 , in my living room and this one, ARRX18G , in my HT. I too was a little worried about programing but if you read and follow the instructions it is pretty easy. The RF of the URC is rock solid if you require such a feature. The AR has PC software to assist in programing and offers more than enough features and flexibility to satisfy your needs. Google for best prices. I would recommend these for anyone looking for a good inexpensive remote, good luck.
 
#25 ·

Quote:
Originally Posted by ourmanritter /forum/post/21093806


so where does that leave me? either get a Harmony 700 and forget about programming my desired sequence/s, or get an URC model and hope I can figure out how to program it?

Your examples look like 2 sequences to me. You just happen to be changing 2 setting while in the setup menus. However, you probably don't have to go through all of that on a universal remote. I don't know what receiver you have, but settings like dyn vol and midnight usually have discrete commands. Just because they aren't on your remote doesn't mean they don't exist. So in your examples, each setting would most likely be a single command, with no need to dig into the menus at all. If you post your receiver model, I can tell you for sure.


If it turns out you really do need the whole sequence, they can probably be rolled into activities. My guess is you don't change these settings several times inside an activity. You probably decide before hand whether you want dyn vol on or off. In that case, just make activities "Watch Movie Dyn Vol On" and "Watch Movie Dyn Vol Off". So there are still several solutions to get about any good universal working for your setup.


My favorite universal remotes aren't even on your radar but are very inexpensive and can do all you ask. So you may want to consider those as well. The cheapest is JP1 ($20 remote + $30 programming interface), and next is Xsight Touch ($50) that bguzman suggested. JP1 is very powerful and fast, but lacks an LCD, which is a deal breaker for many. The Xsight is a much better remote than the 700 or similarly priced URC, even better in some respects than a $250 900, like having practically unlimited macros. But unlike harmony, Xsight lacks state tracking. JP1 and higher end URCs do state tracking (JP1 is limited to 8 states it can track). But if your devices have discrete power and input commands, this is a non-issue.


To answer your other question, it's impossible to work pauses into a hacked sequence on an 1100, but they're no problem if you put them in an activity. The Xsight, JP1, and higher end URCs, can handle variable length pauses fine in any macro step.


So before you decide we need to determine if those discrete commands for dyn vol and midnight exist, possibly eliminating the need for your long sequences.
 
#26 ·
This seems like a good thread to ask for some advice!


I'm gonna hook up a family member with a Panny Plasma, 7.1 Speakers, Denon AVR, & PS3, they have Direct TV (I have TWC) I'm not familiar with its (DTV) functionality or commands.


I don't want to have to talk them through, how to do everything, once I install the system for them (How do I____!?)


I know I'll have a few calls, but I want to prevent it from becoming regular calls.


Is the H-1 still the go to remote for the (((I don't RTFM type of people)))?


Bottom line, I want the, it's so easy a Cave Man can do it!


HH
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top