Harmony 520 - Page 2

DasRaven,
Watch the DVR = 13 characters
Watch TV/Cable = 14 characters

I guess you found the limit, 13 characters per line. Anyway, how is it more complicated to turn on the tilt sensor?

Thumbs up on the 520 and Harmony customer support! It fits my needs/uses perfectly: DLP, MOTO 6412 DVR, DVD, VCR, and XM all through my receiver driven surround. Of course, imo, but I think the 520 looks nicer than the other Harmony remotes and it can do everything my 6 individual remotes did previously.

The tilt sensor issue (does not yet properly work) is being addressed by Harmony and is suppose to be fixed in a new release of the software, hopefully next week according to one Harmony rep.

I have never owned a Harmony before and cannot compare to other models, but a strengthening of the IR would be an improvement. It works adequately, but on occasion will miss a device if you are not in perfect view of device. This could be an issue depending on your room and av equipment configuration. However, I imagine this is a limitation with any non-RF remote.

With 520 & 659 at almost the same price which one do you guys prefer? I am looking at a remote that is easy to use & program & something that can control InFocus 7200 & Anthem AVM30.

It's available in the greater Atlanta area. I picked mine up today at the Suwanee store. The Cumming store also has it I believe.

I just scoured the Huntington Beach, CA store and couldn't find it. The electronics department employees were especially useless. Thanks a ton Wal-Mart...

Couldn't find any in Framingham MA. Couldn't find anyone working there who spoke english either.

[quote=krooooog]

...here is the list of "exclusive" stores that are carrying it....

***** see Post # 26 **** can't post a url yet!

QUOTE]

Followed this link. Found 5 520s at a rather remote (pun intended) Wal-Mart in a small town outside of Athens, GA. Bought one. I like it a lot so far, but agree with the poster who commented the buttons were too small. I would add that the font on the LCD is also small and hard to read.

All-in-all, great remote!

Doug

Couldn't find one at a Walmart nearby so I thought I'd just order one( a little cheaper too !) HERE

It's "Back ordered" but guess I can wait?

Will these remotes work wellwith HTPCs?

want to get one of these also. when will these be available for purchase besides going to walmart store, i.e. the internet. I live in the city and there are no walmarts near by.

Hey all - I bought my 520 at a Walmart in Las Vegas. I had to go to two stores before I found one (plus I tried a store in San Jose, CA). Most workers just look at you like you're crazy. "What do you mean a $100 remote - we don't carry stuff that expensive", "All our remotes are over there on the hooks". I told them it was expensive and most likely locked up.

The store that had them in stock, also had some smarter than normal sales people. They clued into what I was asking for and led me right to the locked door. I got one then decided to take two - just cause it might be a while before I found some more.

I own a Harmony 880, so I can add some comments. I love my 880 in many ways. The rechargeable batteries are awesome - I own a Kameleon that eats batteries every week or two. The tilt sensor is a little weak and the transport buttons are a little low. The 880 is much faster than the 520 when updating via USB. I was very annoyed with this aspect.

I actually prefer the setup on the 880. The new simple programming screens are for total beginners and slowed down my progress. The 520 works very well when programmed and it does a lot for $100. The buttons on the 520 are very squishy and give little tactile response. The 880 buttons are not perfect and require pushing more than once - specially with TiVo, but they are much better than the 520.

There are more programming options with the 880. I can't get rid of the A, B, C, PageUp and PageDown on all activity screens on the 520 (although I only spent 15 minutes programming 8 devices and 5 activities). The 880 has an online screen that lets you control what shows up on those screens. I don't want my TiVo "List" button on page 2, when there's no reason it can't be on page one.

One more thing, I had to remove the 880 software to install the 520 software. The programming is not compatible between the two.

Anyway, for $100 you can't beat the 520.

I own a $1,000 ProntoPro and it's cool, but so much more work than these new Logitech remotes.

I'm interested also in the 520. Been looking at the 880 and didn't really want to spend that much for a remote. Can anyone please comment if the 520 can be used effectively with Windows Media Center on an HTPC? Thanks.

robtwilk,

Thanks for the quick review! Which Walmart in Vegas did you find the 520s at? Thanks!

I've already seen them for sale on the internet. Just froogle it... OTOH, many are "backordered"...

I'm in vegas too . I have called several walmarts but cant locate one that has it , but I'm not too convinced that these minimum wage helpers know anything about whats available. The logitech website lists 3 vegas stores that has this remote, south, central, and sw2. I cant figure out the actual locations as the yellow pages list store numbers not geographical info. I did finally find out that sw2 is the supercenter on W. Fort Apache which is not too far from where I live, but they are remodeling their electronics dept and the place is an absolute mess. I asked one of the electronic guys about it and he was clueless. I called back later to talk to a manager, but that was a complete waste of time too!

what store did you get yours and were there any left after you bought your two?

Are any of you using Media Center 2005 with this remote. The next remote I buy must work with media center so I can get back on one remote. My current remote doesn't have enough memory to store all the learned codes I need.

I got my 520 at the Sterling, VA Walmart last night and I saw a couple left.

As for the Media Center I think the remote supports it since it does have that as an option.

This can be done on the 520. The screens for my "Watch DVR" activity go like this:
Page 1 - A, B, C, List
Page 2 - PIPOn/Off, PIPSwap, PIPCh+, PIPCh-
Page 3 - PageUp, PageDown, Settings, Favorites

I don't think this deep customization is available through the software, but via the online configuration site.

I finally got mine.. this is my first (and hopefully my last) universal remote. I'm still testing it out. My package included an installation guide and CD , but no actual manual. Did you get a written manual in your package or is there a downloadable PDF manual online . I couldn't find one on Logitechs site. thanks.

No manual, I guess they figure anyone in the market for a USB programmable remote will read the online guides.

My 880 did not come with a manual either. Once you start programming it, you really won't need it.

That does make sense.

Well, I guess I can live without a written reference guide, but where specifically can I find info about things like the "tilt sensor" that some of you have mentioned?

Also, I seem to be having problems with the Logitech'Harmony website and/or software in relationship to my cable modem/wireless router internet connection. Several times now, (but not ALL the time) after making various adjustments in the setup screens and clicking on the "done" button, nothing happens and I "timeout". But the really weird thing is that my entire internet connection quits working for ANY site. The only way I can resume my internet connection is to reset my router. I have tried using both my desktop which connects through the router using ethernet passthrough and my laptop which uses 802.11b wireless router to connect. This loss of internet happens on both.

After router reboot is finished, all is well again, but , of course, none of my changes for the remote took hold as I could not complete the process. There must be some sort of conflict between the Harmony software and my wireless router (netgear). My next step is to disconnect the router and re-establish a direct ethernet connection between my desktop and the cable modem to actually see if my router is the one actually causing the conflict. Mabey I'm not meant to have this remote ?

Never mind previous post....things are working better now and I have found the manual online. thanks anyway

Did the manual explain the tilt sensor? Also, what is the point of the power button, is it usable?

So where, praytell, did you find the manual online for the 880?

Log in and on the top of the page there is a link for the user manual.

Despite the fact that Harmony has a remote (the 880 if I recall) specifically designed for MediaCenter, all their remotes support it. Curiously, though, when I tried to set my 520 up it asked for the make and model of my PC, like it would any other component. It shouldn't matter. I have a homebuilt and was stopped in my tracks by this questioning (it won't let you go through the set up without this info.) I imagine I could just pick any name (like Dell or HP) and any MediaCenter model and it would work but I wasn't in a hurry so I'll try that later.

Thanks Disaster, keep us posted. I would think any brand and media center model should work.

Picked one of these up at the w/end (Walmart in Piscataway NJ). The display rack was empty but I asked a sls asst and he had put the last one at the back of a locked cabinet because people were trying to steal them!
This thing is awesome. My kids can now watch videos, DVDs and cable TV without having to know how to switch inputs and without juggling three different remotes.
Tip for anyone with a combo DVD/VCR (which has separate codes to control the playback of each device): first set up two different devices to represent the DVD and the VCR, then you can map the right functions to the playback controls for each one. In my case by default it set up both activities and devices with DVD controls.
And regarding the number of characters per line in the display, it's a variable font...