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Harmony 700 - Page 4

post #91 of 599
12/10/09 at 9:28am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Big L View Post

I hope they drop the price sooner rather than later.
I'm in the market to replace my aging, but beloved, HTM MX500. The backlight went dead long ago... Plus I think an activity-based remote would be welcomed by my wife.

Did you get a replacement yet? URC repaired my MX500 twice after the backlight went dead. Both time at no charge. They even reprogrammed the name of one of the labels on the main screen.
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post #92 of 599
12/12/09 at 5:27pm
Amazon is giving away a free PS3 harmony adapter when you buy a remote now till 12/20. i know I'm tempted.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.htm...cId=1000461481
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post #93 of 599
12/18/09 at 8:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by chschmit View Post

How do I change the order of the Activies on the LCD screen?

It only shows two activities per page, and seem randomly sequenced. I can seemingly change the order of every other command and feature, but i'm puzzled as to how to change the activities.

I'd like the ones that aren't already triggered by the top hard buttons to be listed first (ie, Listen to Tuner, Play Wii, etc).

ditto. i remember when i got my 360 like 4 years ago, there was a big hubbub about it, and logitech eventually added the ability to reorder. now its gone again. they think just cause there is dedicated buttons, we don't care about eh rest? lame.

edit: i found this...
http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin...vities|reorder

looks like you can log into a different version of the software and change stuff. haven't tried it yet.
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post #94 of 599
12/20/09 at 10:26am
I just created an activity for my daughter with all the DirecTv icons that she uses. I thought I'd post this since quite a few people that own this remote probably have DirecTv due to the hard color buttons on the remote.

Clear out your web browser temporary files folder.

Go to the DirecTv web site here:
https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/new_c...oternavtype=-1

All the DirecTv icons are here including all the XM icons - You may need to expand the different sections to make sure all of the icons are loaded. The sizes are 68x38 so they are not the perfect 52x34 recommended by logitech but they work.

Now go find your web browser temporary files folder and sort it by file type. Copy all the gif files to a new folder. You can go in and clean out some extraneous gif files that also got downloaded but at least all the DirecTV channels will be there.

I know these are not as nice as the "SquareEyes" ones but it is a complete list for DirecTv.
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post #95 of 599
12/20/09 at 3:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_STL View Post

I just created an activity for my daughter with all the DirecTv icons that she uses. I thought I'd post this since quite a few people that own this remote probably have DirecTv due to the hard color buttons on the remote.

Clear out your web browser temporary files folder.

Go to the DirecTv web site here:
https://www.directv.com/DTVAPP/new_c...oternavtype=-1

All the DirecTv icons are here including all the XM icons - You may need to expand the different sections to make sure all of the icons are loaded. The sizes are 68x38 so they are not the perfect 52x34 recommended by logitech but they work.

Now go find your web browser temporary files folder and sort it by file type. Copy all the gif files to a new folder. You can go in and clean out some extraneous gif files that also got downloaded but at least all the DirecTV channels will be there.

I know these are not as nice as the "SquareEyes" ones but it is a complete list for DirecTv.

excellent tip and thanks for the shout out! i'm going to use this batch as the resource for my icons too. they're just about the right size.
,r
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post #96 of 599
12/21/09 at 8:04pm
I liked that they had all the icons for XM. I was going to make a new activity for my wife called listen to XM. I do not usually include the XM channels in the guide because it slows it down and makes it hard to go "round the horn". But with an XM activity, I (or my wife) can just pick the icon for the channel we want and it will jump directly to the channel without needing it in the guide. I don't even have to turn the TV on as part of the activity since the icons on the activity will be the "guide". Cool...

I'm starting to enjoy playing with this remote. I was a little worried when I bought it because it was the little brother to the One and 900. But I really wanted the hard buttons for the color buttons because I use them alot with DirecTV. The One did not have the buttons and the limits on the 900 not having sequences (and the price and the RF issues). I've been pleasently surprised over time how much I've been able to do. I've got more devices hooked up to my AVR than supported but I set up generic activities that turn on the reciever and TV and at least select the right inputs for my 7th and th devices. Both are game machines (Wii and PS2) so I'm ok with that - the game controllers really can't be replaced anyway so using the generic activities works well.

I've also set up activities for listening to the radio on the AVR, and playing a CD on the DVD player, the normal DVD, a PS3, a VCR, antenna TV with icons, a generic DirecTv as well as one for my daughter with her favorite icons, plus the generic ones for the Wii and PS2. I'm assuming I can make the XM one for my wife but I guess you run out of activities at some point. I guess I have proved you can have 10 - does anyone know the limit?
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post #97 of 599
12/21/09 at 8:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_STL View Post


I've also set up activities for listening to the radio on the AVR, and playing a CD on the DVD player, the normal DVD, a PS3, a VCR, antenna TV with icons, a generic DirecTv as well as one for my daughter with her favorite icons, plus the generic ones for the Wii and PS2. I'm assuming I can make the XM one for my wife but I guess you run out of activities at some point. I guess I have proved you can have 10 - does anyone know the limit?

I have mine set up similarly, a generic activity to control my 7th device.

To my knowledge there are no limits to activities, only devices. Which is kinda lame, as it is imposed only to increase sales of the upper models.
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post #98 of 599
12/21/09 at 9:10pm
I just got done testing the XM music activity for my wife. It has her favorite 7 channels with icons and works great. So 11 activities are not a problem.

Santa bought me a second 700 for my theater and I've got 7 devices that I want to control there. The 7th is a lutron dimmer. Since the dimmer has only 4 whole commands I'll wind up adding those four commands to the AVR or TV since I will use those with all my activities. Crazy way to work around an abitrary device limit but it should work. I mean the AVR probably has 40+ commands and and the dimmer has only 4 but they both count the same as far as the software is concerned.
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post #99 of 599
12/22/09 at 9:09am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greg_STL View Post

I just got done testing the XM music activity for my wife. It has her favorite 7 channels with icons and works great. So 11 activities are not a problem.

Santa bought me a second 700 for my theater and I've got 7 devices that I want to control there. The 7th is a lutron dimmer. Since the dimmer has only 4 whole commands I'll wind up adding those four commands to the AVR or TV since I will use those with all my activities. Crazy way to work around an abitrary device limit but it should work. I mean the AVR probably has 40+ commands and and the dimmer has only 4 but they both count the same as far as the software is concerned.

I'm sure you know you can just "learn" the codes on one of the devices you know you will always be using. Like TV.

Another thing I found when I "upgraded" from my 360 remote is this: it imported all 8 of my devices over, and they work fine, of course. The software does say you cannot add any more devices, which will be hard once I get my new AVR. But, if you have an older model, and don't mind a little set up, I can add 12 devices to my 360, then upgrade to my 700 and have them all there. I may keep it around just for this purpose.
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post #100 of 599
12/23/09 at 6:14pm
Have to say, just got this remote this week and the learning curve is nothing, esp. coming from the DirecTV remote.

I had it all working in like 30 minutes. Of course I've been customizing little things (like selecting the right volume level to start) and what-not for the activities, but as far as "DTV" operation it's fool-proof.

Way better WAF than the multitude of remotes we had before (which got a lot worse when I got my home theater). And way better GPAF (GrandParent approval factor) or VAF (Visitor...) - the combination of the multi-step activities, the "favorite channels" pages (which I added icons to from IconHarmony) and the "Help" button (which I've even used) are just great.

Can't believe I waited so long to get one of these things.
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post #101 of 599
12/27/09 at 9:38am
i've been receiving emails, pms, and and posts in other threads about my site being down.
if you'd like me to email you an batch of icons, please email or pm me the following info:
-remote model
-country
-specific channels you'd like
(note that local affiliate stations may take longer to send if they haven't already been created).
-your email address

email the info to squareeyes (at) att (dot) net
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post #102 of 599
12/28/09 at 6:09pm
love the remote, but when I turn on my devices, and attempt to change the volume, it intermittently will cause the Sony receiver to mute, and the only way to turn the muting off is to power on/off the receiver. Weird. Just curious if anyone has seen this before? tried searching/googling around and couldnt find anything..

Thanks!
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post #103 of 599
1/8/10 at 5:33am
Set this remote up last night. Very simple. Runs two TVs, blu-ray player, cd player, DVR and surround receiver. Still learing but haven't found anything yet that won't do.
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post #104 of 599
1/12/10 at 6:55am
I have 11 activities set up in this now. Does anyone know if you can change the order that they are displayed on the screen when you scroll through the pages? I have a couple for the kids and wife and would like them to be on the first screen when they pick it up.
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post #105 of 599
1/12/10 at 7:28am
Can the 700 do this:

When I push the "Listen to music" button, I want to do the following:

Turn on the Yamaha receiver
Turn on the LG LCD TV.
Change TV input to Component 1.
Turn on the 8300HD (cable set top box is my source for music).
Change the Yamaha to output '7 channel stereo out'
Change the 8300HD cable channel to 425.
Turn off the TV.


I need to do this for two reasons. First, I want the TV off while I listen to music. Second, if I simply turn the TV on and then off, the oh so smart HDMI will turn off the 8300HD box. Unless, however, I change the TV input to component thereby tricking the set top box.

Further more, is it safe to assume that if I pressed the "Watch TV" button while in the above mode, the remote would turn on the TV also assuring it's on HDMI input 1, and not toggle the power on any other devices?
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post #106 of 599
1/12/10 at 8:18am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BB_Mike View Post

Can the 700 do this:

When I push the "Listen to music" button, I want to do the following:

Turn on the Yamaha receiver
Turn on the LG LCD TV.
Change TV input to Component 1.
Turn on the 8300HD (cable set top box is my source for music).
Change the Yamaha to output '7 channel stereo out'
Change the 8300HD cable channel to 425.
Turn off the TV.


I need to do this for two reasons. First, I want the TV off while I listen to music. Second, if I simply turn the TV on and then off, the oh so smart HDMI will turn off the 8300HD box. Unless, however, I change the TV input to component thereby tricking the set top box.

Further more, is it safe to assume that if I pressed the "Watch TV" button while in the above mode, the remote would turn on the TV also assuring it's on HDMI input 1, and not toggle the power on any other devices?

I would try turning off HDMI control (CEC) on the devices you are having problems with - simplink on lg, and I think it's in the options of the 8300. That is what is telling connected devices to power off.

Whether devices stay on when you change activities is based on the power options you set for the devices. For instance - I have "this device has no power button" set for my dish HD, ps3, xbox and TV, just because of the way we switch activities in the house. I don't know if this setting is communicated through CEC. I doubt it.

If I am watching TV, and push "listen to radio" the receiver will come on, change to radio, and the TV will remain on. When I press "watch TV" the radio will turn off and the TV will remain unaffected. That situation in particular sounds weird, but I wanted the TV to remain on most of the time, so it works.
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post #107 of 599
1/12/10 at 8:40am
I had turned off the simple link on my LG, but now that I am reading about it again, I think my recent firmware update might have reset this! Worth a look. Thanks!
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post #108 of 599
1/12/10 at 4:15pm
I cannot turn off the CEC on either my LG tv or my 8300HD box. Lg only has some kind of Simple Link for recognizing new inputs being turned on.

So my initial question applies. +1 for fancy technology meaning you have to spend more money to "make it work".
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post #109 of 599
1/15/10 at 10:02pm
Anyone using the next gen remote extender with the 700?
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post #110 of 599
1/17/10 at 12:18pm
In the Harmony Slow Response sticky thread, it talks about Inter-device delay and power-on delay. Where do I find these in the Harmony 700 software? I only see the inter-key and input delay settings for my devices.
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post #111 of 599
1/18/10 at 7:30am
I'm sure it's on this site somewhere, but I found the answer to my own question on Logitech site. The power-on and inter-device delays on the 700 are on the remote. Hold down Help button for 5 sec to access.
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post #112 of 599
1/21/10 at 4:33pm
I've posted Denon center channel volume sequences in the Denon forum. Here is the link:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...6#post17975766
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post #113 of 599
1/24/10 at 1:44am
Can I change the order Activities and Devices show up? The first Activities and Devices that show up are ones I use less frequently.

Can I program a soft button so I can turn a Lutron light on and off manually from any Activity?
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post #114 of 599
1/26/10 at 3:25pm
I am looking to buy a remote very soon and have narrowed it down to the Harmony 700, URC-R50, or Acoustic Reasearch Xsight Touch. Budget dictates around $100 and must be durable and very user friendly to keep wife happy. Very few components; Samsung 50" Plasma TV, Direct TV receiver, Panasonic BD35 bluray player, Denon AVR 790.

Please help with suggestions.
Thanks,
Steve

sorry if this is wrong thread.
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post #115 of 599
1/26/10 at 3:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by oedius View Post

I am looking to buy a remote very soon and have narrowed it down to the Harmony 700, URC-R50, or Acoustic Reasearch Xsight Touch. Budget dictates around $100 and must be durable and very user friendly to keep wife happy. Very few components; Samsung 50" Plasma TV, Direct TV receiver, Panasonic BD35 bluray player, Denon AVR 790.

Please help with suggestions.
Thanks,
Steve

sorry if this is wrong thread.

I have the same Denon 790, and also a DirecTV DVR, Sony Plasma and DVD player. I picked the Harmony 700 specifically because it looks has nearly all the DirecTV remote buttons (esp. the red/blue/yellow/green). I find it super easy to use, and program (esp. with batpig's help). And my wife can totally use it. It takes a little getting used to (the whole notion of "activities" with "devices" being very secondary), but the end result is great. The "Help" button alone is worth it, solving tons of issues, compared to other multi-device/macro-capable remotes.

My main complaint is that the macros take a while when starting up or switching components and you have to keep the remote pointed at your IR receiver or component shelf. Not much they can do other than be able to blast more commands quickly (but not all devices respond quickly, so not Logitech's fault).

The Harmony just works, the Java program you load on your PC/Mac is great and I was able to get a bunch of different discrete codes added to my profile for even more precise control (i.e. controlling the dynamic volume mode/settings). Heck, I threw in some "favorite channels" using icons from iconharmony.com and now my parents don't even have to use the "Guide" and scroll through when they are over.

Big thumbs up.
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post #116 of 599
1/26/10 at 4:45pm
Thanks, jcricket. I may just give the 700 a try. I just wasn't sure which way to jump as they all sound good. I was hoping to buy one that is especially long lived so I can hopefully not have to think about buying another for a very long while.
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post #117 of 599
1/26/10 at 6:17pm
NP - Had the same concerns. I went with the 700 because the "hard button" layout worked with what I use the most (DirecTV DVR). The macros were also important, as was multi-device support. Basically it turns on the receiver, TV and DVR, selects the right inputs and modes, and then just "gets out of the way" and works pretty much like my DVR remote did (with the exception of controlling the volume on the 790 instead of the TV). Same for when I watch a DVD.

Those are my only two "activities" for now. I plan on getting an AppleTV at some point, and anticipate it'll work basically the same way (but I'd be using the third hard-button activity of "listen to music" at the top).
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post #118 of 599
2/5/10 at 1:05pm
Seems like a good time to strike on a 700, with Logitech offering a fifteen buck rebate and Amazon offering it at a reasonable price. You have to buy before Tuesday for the rebate, and I haven't had a chance to actually touch one a 700, and probably won't before Tuesday.

My question is: Are you 700 users happy with the feel of the buttons, particularly the transport buttons?

I currently use a Harmony 550 and I don't like the feel of the buttons at all.

I had a 676 until a few years ago and loved the feel of the buttons - nice crisp response. After it died (fell apart really - the USB connector just snapped off when I plugged a USB cable in to make a change), I bought the 550.

It's hard to tell if a button press on the 550 has actually registered, so I'm in the habit of making my finger hard and pressing my fingernail straight down on the button to make sure my press registers. Do that dozens (or hundreds) of times a night, night after night, and it gets quite annoying.

(Contributing to my frustration is that at the same time I got the 550, I replaced a DirecTIVO DVR with DirecTV's HR21, which is soooooooo much slower to respond to and implement commands - it often takes a few seconds or even more to respond. It's hard to tell if a failure to respond is a failure of my button press to register, a failure to point at the HR21 or the HR21 just not doing anything yet. So I end up repeating a lot of button presses. If I still had the DirecTIVO, the feel of the 550 buttons probably wouldn't be that big an issue. But the HR21 is what I've got, so I need a remote that's well-matched.)

I'm controlling five components (TV, HR20, AVR, PS3, Logitech Music Anywhere), so the six component limit isn't an issue for me. (If I expand later, I could live without controlling the Music Anywhere thing too.)
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post #119 of 599
2/5/10 at 1:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bananfish View Post

Seems like a good time to strike on a 700, with Logitech offering a fifteen buck rebate and Amazon offering it at a reasonable price. You have to buy before Tuesday for the rebate, and I haven't had a chance to actually touch one a 700, and probably won't before Tuesday.

My question is: Are you 700 users happy with the feel of the buttons, particularly the transport buttons?

I currently use a Harmony 550 and I don't like the feel of the buttons at all.

I had a 676 until a few years ago and loved the feel of the buttons - nice crisp response. After it died (fell apart really - the USB connector just snapped off when I plugged a USB cable in to make a change), I bought the 550.

It's hard to tell if a button press on the 550 has actually registered, so I'm in the habit of making my finger hard and pressing my fingernail straight down on the button to make sure my press registers. Do that dozens (or hundreds) of times a night, night after night, and it gets quite annoying.

(Contributing to my frustration is that at the same time I got the 550, I replaced a DirecTIVO DVR with DirecTV's HR20, which is soooooooo much slower to respond to and implement commands - it often takes a few seconds or even more to respond. It's hard to tell if a failure to respond is a failure of my button press to register, a failure to point at the HR20 or the HR20 just not doing anything yet. So I end up repeating a lot of button presses. If I still had the DirecTIVO, the feel of the 550 buttons probably wouldn't be that big an issue. But the HR20 is what I've got, so I need a remote that's well-matched.)

I'm controlling five components (TV, HR20, AVR, PS3, Logitech Music Anywhere), so the six component limit isn't an issue for me. (If I expand later, I could live without controlling the Music Anywhere thing too.)

The buttons are a little "softer" feeling than my old 659 but I don't have any problems with them. To me they feel just fine.
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post #120 of 599
2/5/10 at 1:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bananfish View Post

My question is: Are you 700 users happy with the feel of the buttons, particularly the transport buttons?

Button feel is fine for me. It's annoying the "OK" (select) button isn't larger, but it's at least physically differentiated enough from the other arrow buttons I don't find myself pushing the wrong buttons.

The one little thing is the FF/Rev and Skip Forward/Back are reversed (vertically) when compared to the OEM DirecTV HR2x remotes. Takes a little getting used to - I found myself hitting "FF" when I wanted "skip 30 seconds" and "Rev" when I wanted "skip 8 seconds back".

The only other annoying thing was no physical "List" button - I use that all the time. So it's one of the soft buttons, but I don't understand why they'd make a DVR-like remote with r/y/g/b and transport buttons but no "list" button.

Oh well, nothing's perfect.
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