Comments on: Home-Theater in Harmony

By: Colin

Colin — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 15:23:04 +0000

This can lear from other remotes int the way you mentioned, but in my opinion, rather than a button-to-button mapping, it is easier to use the model number of a particular compononent. The button by button mapping would take a whole lot longer. The model number is failry easy to come by, no need to enter bizarre codes. Also, the learning curve was more due to the fact that I had used the wrong model number for my ReplayTV than any issue with the remote. Instead of looking it up, I thought I remembered the model number and used an older model number rather than the correct one.
One other gotcha had more to do with my satellite receiver than the remote. For whatever reason, if you change to a channel that you do no subscribe to, it displays a screen that cannot be navigated from except for pressing the UP/Down button on the receiver. However, I use the ReplayTV to change channels. The Up/Down on the replay will actually send the next channel number and not the Up or Down command. I chose to remove the unsubscribed channels from my Replay’s channel guide to minimize the possobility of this happening. When this did happen, however, it was still only a minor inconvenience as I had to switich the harmony remote froma ‘watching tv’ mode to ‘controlling satellite’ mode. Not a big deal. Its a great, reasonably priced remote, that after rebates and gift cards ending up costing me nothing.

By: Carl

Carl — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 15:11:57 +0000

This one is even better, with an LCD touchscreen, but alas, it’s unavailable:

RCA Universal LCD Learning Remote with RF for 9 Devices

Also, reviews to the first one make it sound like the firmware can be upgraded or edited. Seems odd.

Mitubishi used to make a nice simple remote you could program without codes.

By: Carl

Carl — Thu, 23 Feb 2006 15:05:12 +0000

As I recall, there was still a learning curve. Even with the Logitech remote, your wife still managed to render the TV unwatchable.

But I agree that the Harmony is a really decent remote. There were a few things I did not like about it, however:

- No RF functionality. Granted, very few remotes have RF functionality, but since Dish and DirectTV have tuners that use RF, it seems like a handy feature.

- Screen isn’t exactly the clearest. Despite the tasty XBOX green (it IS the Harmony Remote for the 360, after all), I found the display a little hard to read sometimes.

- I found the controls not very intuitive. The buttons are laid out in a way that I am sure is simple one you’ve learned it, but the fact that the same button can mean entirely different things depending on which screen you are on means you need to be careful.

- The learning system is just so-so in my opinion, once you get over the coolness factor. There are remotes out there with a simple ‘learning’ feature. All you have to do is point the original remote at it and press a button, and then press a corresponding button on the learning remote and the function is learned. No codes to worry about. Ever. No chance to get it wrong.

This remote, which I found on Amazon, has RF, learns from existing remotes rather than through codes, and can control up to 8 devices. Oh, and it’s only $60. One For All URC 9910 Premium Learning Line 8-Device IR/RF Upgradeable Universal Remote Control