My Harmony 880 Review - Page 3  

Just chiming in here. I did a quick setup of my new 880 last night and while the basics were easy and quick I see several hours of more detailed setup ahead of me. My impressions so far is that this is a fantasic product. It's very powerful, and I'm really looking forward to finally getting it setup correctly. I setup my favorite channels with logos today and it looks great. I'm very happy with it so far and can only see my experience improving as I learn more about properly setting my components up. Highly recommended.

I just noticed a few days ago that I have the same problem. I didn't notice it until I changed the background. I put the custom background back on and don't really see it except when the remote goes into the help mode where the background doesn't show up.

How long did it take to receive the new one?

I am thinking about getting a Harmony 880 but I need to know if it can do a couple of things.

First, I need to be able to switch aspect ratios of my TV easily

Second, I need it to be able to switch between 4:3 output and 16:9 output on my DVD player. This is done by going into the DVD player setup menu.

I do this because my DVD player has no 4:3 pulldown, and I dont like watching with bars on the side of a 4:3 picture, so I set it so it outputs a 4:3 picture and then I use my TV set to do a 16:9 zoom, or a stretch/zoom combo called "cinerama" that works really good.

It also needs to be able to cycle through the P. Scan options because my TV will only switch display options when viewing 480i, so if I have the player outputting 1080i or 480p then I cant change the display :(.

Will I be able to do this with the Harmony or is this going to be too complex of an operation for it? The description of the 880 from logitech does mention aspect ratio switching. But, the online demo I did last night doesnt show much in terms of what kind of customizations you can program in. Guess I cant find that out until I get a remote to use.

Switch aspect is no big deal. I do it all the time with my 880. I don't know about the switching DVD output but if it merely requires you going into the DVD menu, that is simple. Just add the DVD menu to the soft buttons and toggle thru where ever you need.

I have personally had mainly good experiences with my Harmony.

Thanks for the reply. What if I go with the 659 instead of the 880? That model doesnt specifically say anything about aspect ratio switching, but I am guessing I can still do that with it?

Look at it like this: Worst case - if your device is not in the Logitech database, if you have the original remote for the unit you're trying to control, and you can do what you want with that remote, you'll be able to do it with the Harmony.

Hey all,

Just a question about this remote which I very much want. I know it has the excellent one button feature that turns everything on/switched to what you need etc but aside from that, are you able to switch to different "remotes" so the remote basically turns into and has the function of say the TV remote Im replacing with the 880? How do you switch to different components on this remote?

If I am watchinig a movie for example, I often pull out my TV remote and tweak some video settings a bit. Now rather than pulling out that remote, I want to be able to switch to it as the Harmony.

I hope I'm making sense. I'm writing this fast because I have to leave in a second. :)

I want to get a remote that replaces all my other remotes, with no exceptions. I do not want to need to go back to my old remotes for any reason, not even a single button.

Yes, while you are in an activity, you can hit the "devices" button and it will bring up a graphical list in the LCD of all the devices that you have. Just pick the TV and the LCD will show page after page of your original remotes buttons...hope this helps....

RadYOacTve

The replacement remote was here within 3 or 4 days. But then you have to send the old one back to Canada on your dime.

-Jody

Thanks for the reply! I sent Logitech an email regarding the washed out screen, let's see if they even reply.

Did you have to send yours back first? I'd hate to be without my remote!

I created my own custom background for the 880 and installed it last night. It has a red backdrop and I noted immediately that the washout is gone. Maybe we need to treat it like a plasma screen and "burn it out" with different colors periodically... anyway, it is definitely better now in mine.

Could you put your background somewhere so we can download it ?

Thanks

Here are some...

Here are some more...

Sweet, Thank you for sharing. I'll try them next time I update my remote.

Is the Harmony 880 able to learn from other remotes? I'm not sure if it has an infrared to learn from old remotes.

I'm just wondering what one does in the off chance a component you have is not in the database. This probably wont happen to me but I kind just wanna make sure the remote is semi-future proof just in case.

Really looking forward to picking the 880 up in a few weeks. I think I'm going to love it.

yes it can learn from other remotes. from within the software on your computer, it has a function to learn from other remotes. a small applet opens up and tells you to point your other remote at the harmony's arse, and press click. the new command is then automatically loaded into your database of commands on your computer, and you can assign it wherever you want.

if you have a component not in the database (unlikely) then you can just learn all the commands you want in the fashion noted above.

in other words, no problem.

krlock2.

i also have a major complaint, i got this remote for my parents house since they desperatly need something like this and they have a bose lifestyle 12 along with a a denon avr recievor to swtich video

the harmony cant control the sound (as it says it can) and switch to video on the avr at the same time, so i guess they have two remotes still but it would have been nice to get rid of the bose remote too!

Panasonic XR55 is 7.1 100wpc all digital receiver that has 4 digital in and 3 component in. Because of its all digital amplification it sounds as good if not better then the lower end denon line abit without some of the fancier features like HDMI switching. Worth checking out for $250. Theres a massive thread in the receiver forum about it.

Dell Home has the Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote on sale for $249 - 30% off Coupon
Code: BL183$TR1M9HL9 Exp 11/8 5:59am CT or 800 uses = $174.30 shipped free, $2.20 handling. No tax in some areas.

RadYOacTve

Logitech will send out the new remote before you send yours back. This way there is no time without it.

-Jody

Cool, thank you for the reply!

Hopefully, they are blowing out the 880's to make room for the 890's with RF capabilities. Has anyone heard when the 890 will be available?

I just got ths remote and it doesn't seem to be charging... I have left it in the base station (which seems very unstable - one touch and the remote restarts it's "testing" sequence) for at least 8 hours, and I stil can't use it when it's off the base. In the base, the green bars blink for a few seconds and the slide show starts, but then the display fades away into nothing.

Do I need a new battery? (I'm using the one that was packaged with it)

I also just bought one and had much of the same problem.

Immediately, call Logitech/Harmony and complain.

Although they won't totally admit it, there is a manufacturing problem with the cradle-charger. They know about it and will replace it. I was first told they wouldn't ship the new cradle-charger for 2 weeks, I told them that this was totally unacceptable, especially considering the cost of this remote.

I'm waiting for my replacement. Until then, I have found that using some folded paper to prop up the bottom of the remote helps the back of the top part make proper contact with charging points.

Hope this helps.

Gary

A wonderful place to download some backgrounds and Channel Images....

http://squareworld.com/harmony/

I just ordered a Harmony from ebay. Can anyone tell me the best thing to use to control lights with it?

Should I get a normal old X10 IR converter base unit, or should I skip X10 and just get a dimmer module with an IR sensor from home depot (will only use it to dim the lights in the one room I am using it in).

How do the buttons feel on the 880? I'm considering this remote, but I've read that the buttons feel cheap, is that true?

Thank you.

These are the best logos I've seen. Have tried others, now these are the ones that are programmed on my 880.

Thanks again,

Gary

I bought mine off of ebay for $150 and I have been extremely pleased with it. I have a 46" sony HDTV a Onkyo reciever, PS2 and a DirecTV H10 sat box and it controls everything seamlessly. I have never seen an easier to use universal remote. My wife can even control everything now. The only gripe I have is the shape... it makes it hard to sit on the arm of my chair :) Is it worth $250? Well to me, probably not.. if I had not found this one on eBay I would have gone with the 520, but it is definately worth the $150 I paid for it.