Harmony One RF rumors? - Page 3

Well, the point was that people were hoping for something besides another 1000 type remote. I'd like a URC MX-810, 880, or 890 with an RF base. People waiting for a Harmony 890 replacement (an RF version of the One with z-wave) and getting the 1100 announcement seems to be a let down IMO.

Exactly. I've been holding off on the MX-980 since its a no-brainer that there was a market for a RF capable One. I don't think I could generate any less interest in the 1100.

In general, RF seems to be where the demand is for a lot of people.

I'm surprised Logitech hasn't made more moves on that front like these:


^^ I think this is what a lot of people want. Including me.

I agree, the 1100 is a fine remote but I want buttons and RF, my last remote was touch screen and it just wasn't the same. Previous to my Pronto I had a Marantz RC-2000, which was a great remote for it's time and I loved having buttons.

I just ordered my MX-980 with RF extender. The total was $600 (!), but I hope this device will give me 5+ years of use like my Pronto has. If you are going to buy a 980, be sure to order from a retailer that will provide you with software updates, as URC is very strict about selling to end users.

Chris

I'm hoping that they are taking this extra time to do away with the touchscreen and go back to buttons next to the screen, I wouldn't bet on it though.

Does anyone remember how long it was between the release of the 880 and 890?
Edit/ just looked and they were only about 7 months apart. Not sure what is going on here.

What's even more ironic is that there is a OPEN SPOT on the Harmony One's PCB for the Z-Wave RF chip, so it was already designed with RF in mind!! It makes no sense...

Yeah that's what has me hoping they are getting rid of the touchscreen. If all they were going to do is add the RF chip it makes no sense that it is taking them more than a year to do that. They probably could have done it 6-7 months apart like they did the 880-890.

Maybe they are having trouble with Z-wave support. The 890 has it, but it never showed up on the 1000 even though it was originally promised, and it doesn't seem to be listed for the 1100 either. Maybe they are trying to get it working of the upgraded One and that is turning out more difficult (I think it would be a big mistake to replace the 890 with a remote that can't do Z-wave).

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-101...ag=mncol;title

Well, I guess that answers that.

--Mav

What the hell is that guy talking about?


This is the same as the 1000 and even says so in their 1000 link.

Yeah, I noticed that too, but chose to ignore it in favor of the "hope dashing" comment regarding the RF "One".

--Mav

Why harmony has decided to update the 1000 at this time, and not the One, is anyone's guess.

It may not matter now though, as it looks like Acuostic Research has released an RF remote that may fit the bill.

http://ces.cnet.com/8301-19167_1-101...html?tag=mncol

I"ll be watching for reviews when this is released.

You can tell that they are new to the game. The biggest perk to hard buttons remotes is the tactile feedback. Making the buttons flush as they have is a mistake.

True, but is has RF which is the one MASSIVE feature that the One has been missing.

Someone at Logitech is asleep at the wheel on this deal.

Well, maybe so..., but there are several models, by several manufacturers, that also have RF, and have better ergonomics than the audiovox piece.

IMHO, if i were to spend $$$ in the audiovox price point. I'd focus on proven manufacturers that have gone through the growing/R&D pains already.

Are they completely flush? Its hard to tell from that pic. Those buttons do worry me, but I am definitely willing to give this remote a shot. I like the button layout, and I love the inclusion of the color buttons. Its a joke that Harmony hasn't released an RF One yet. The cheaper AR Xsight Color (at $180 msrp) might be a nice and cheaper RF option when used in combo with a Next Gen RF extender since it uses AA batteries.

Audiovox = One-For-All so its not like they've never built a remote control before. Maybe their software will totally suck ... who knows?

The remote looks interesting. I can't wait to see what it's like, and look forward to the reviews. The software may suck (who knows) but then, I'm not overly thrilled with Logitech's either. I desperately need RF to simplify things. Ideally I'd love the One with an RF option, but there's not even a peep about it.

I do like the look of the graphics on the Xsight more -- a bit less cartoony.

One-For-All also equals UEI, who has been making universal remotes since the 80's. They're also OEM for DirecTV, Radio Shack, and about a dozen cable companies. At some point they've also OEM'd Tivo, Sling, Kenwood, RCA, Philips, Sony, Vizio, Toshiba, Panasonic, Sci Atlanta, Motorola, General Instruments, just to name a few. So they have literally over a hundred million remotes on the street. I'd say they know what they're doing. JP1ers have been hacking UEI remotes from their PC's for almost 10 years now. If UEI has learned anything from that, and from logitech, it will be a darn good remote.

maybe they are re-engineering the type or RF protocol? just a thought... as you say, soldering on a z-wave chip and making some firmware changes for an already existing interface shouldn't be that difficult (though seeing how long it took to get some simple bugs on the 1000 fixed, maybe it's no surprise that it takes forever)

everybody keeps talking about things for the harmony one rf as though technical limitations were the major motivating factor to keep this remote of the market but i wonder from Harmony's perspective if there is any motivation to release this product. In their minds they already have an RF remote at a large price point around 200+ dollars. It may be that they just dont want to cannibalize their harmony one sales and at the same time make their 890 obsolete. This is obviously just wild guesswork but it seems logical to me at this point that the things preventing a Harmony one RF are business related and not technical in nature. I also wonder if they may think that a 300-400 rf remote which again is a guess at home much the harmony one rf would cost that just doesnt have the kind of market they need to move quickly when the alternative is to keep making the Harmony one IR which has been so successful. I would love a harmony one rf so hopefully i am wrong and it comes out soon though.

With this logic, they never would have released the Harmony One since it cannibalized the 880 sales. The 890 is nothing more than an 880 with RF and Z-wave. Regardless of whether Harmony releases an RF One, in my opinion, the 890 is already obsolete compared to other RF remotes in its pricerange. There are other far better options that already exist or in the pipeline from URC, Acoustic Research/Audiovox, etc.

I agree with your criticism it just seems unlikely that technology is the only thing that is holding back the rf harmony remote. I wish they would just give me the option. I would have already purchased the URC 810 RF if it could turn of my ps3 via the ir2bt converter i already have. Oh well i guess ill keep holding out.

I'm sorry to be off topic, but I don't understand why the above is making you hold off on a 810 purchase. A RF capable One won't do anything the 810 can't.

I think it has to do with the hold-down of the PS button not working.

http://ir2bt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=73

this is correct. I am trying to get my hands on an ir4ps3 which i just found out does not have this issue. If i can get an ir4ps3 i am no longer going to wait for a harmony one rf. Not worth the wait to me.

At least the IR2BT has some resell value on eBay. There is also the PS3 Tooth Fairy and the PS3IR-PRO which shouldn't have the issue either since the macros are built into the converter.

hmm.... you learn something every day.

Thanks for the link.

It's been a couple of months (almost)... anybody heard anything new about an RF version of the Harmony One?

I can only assume they are waiting until the day after I buy the current Harmony One.

Probably the same day. You'll order it, THEN see the announcement.

I like what shows up if you search google for "harmony one rf version" to find any information.

The first result is priceless http://www.google.com/search?source=...le+Search&aq=f