Harmony 700 Remote

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illicit

553 posts

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#447146 10-Mar-2011 08:07

Try

Make: Pace

Model: TDS850NNZ

Lizard1977

2061 posts

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#447153 10-Mar-2011 08:46

eXDee: Just got this, worst software ever.

I know... it astonished me just how bad this is. Logitech has a deserved reputation for solid and reliable peripherals (both my mouse and keyboard are Logitech, and work very well), so I couldn't believe how bad the software is. It's like they took a bunch of programmers, randomly assigned different languages (both verbal and programming), got them drunk, and set them in front of some keyboards for 24 hours, and just published what they typed. If this was a brand new concept I could probably excuse it, but the Harmony remotes have been around for years, so I can't understand how they have got so popular with such terrible software...

clevedon

1059 posts

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#447237 10-Mar-2011 12:27

We have had the 785 for a couple of years, we have 15 different activities and 12 different devices on it. It took all of 2 or 3 hours to set it all up and have only had to ring Logitech twice in all the time we have had it, and one of those was a problem with the PS3 IR to Bluetooth adaptor region setting, it is and has been so easy to load and use for the whole family - maybe we've been lucky.

Jaxson

8042 posts

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#447240 10-Mar-2011 12:39

clevedon: maybe we've been lucky.

I'm in the same boat mate. I've had multiple TV's and gear all with no problems. This has included a custom subwoofer I made, a light dimmer switch and a fan heater so I've put my 525 through it's paces.

Really helps if your devices have discrete input commands and you're not running any oddball items like hdmi switches etc. If the remote doesn't know what input something is on or if a device is on or off then it, and any other macro remote control, is really going to struggle to automate it.

The software is both good for basics and bad for anything else. I personally don't know how most non technically bent people would get on setting these up. I know Dick Smith in Palmy often sells them cheaper because they've been opened and then returned to the store, citing didn't work with my gear etc.

The other issue is people not grasping the activities concept and trying to run it like a traditional universal remote that just lumps all remotes onto one stick but does no nice macro features etc. The harmony can be run like that under the devices button but that's missing the whole point.

trig42

5814 posts

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#447242 10-Mar-2011 12:42

I, too, have a 785. I thought the Logitech Desktop Software was a bit ugly and cumbersome, but I dealt with it and got my remote setup (MySky, WDTV Live, Bose Home Theatre and Samsung TV) no problems at all. It works exactly how I want it to and it was all done inside an hour.

When the 785 breaks (I hope it never does) - I will be buying another Logitech remote. Couldn't be without it now - WAF is way too high for it! Not many gadgets I can say that about.

Only thing with the 785 is the charger - doesn't always make contact. I only need to whack it on the charger every couple of weeks though.

I have recommended and setup a few of the Harmony Ones - they are cool.

Nety

2584 posts

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#447462 11-Mar-2011 06:54

eXDee: Best way to configure these?

I honestly am not sure quite why people find these so hard to program. Yes the software is not the best and yes it is hard to get it just how you want it but basic configuration is not that hard. From some of the comments here I think people are missing that it is activity based. So when you press watch TV the volume might be controlling the volume on the TV while change channel will be changing the channel on a STB etc.

As for how to configure it does this help?
http://www.brighthub.com/electronics/home-theater/articles/54235.aspx

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Lizard1977

2061 posts

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#447464 11-Mar-2011 07:37

I agree that basic configuration is easy, and I understand the difference between activities and devices. The activity functions are what I paid for, and as a concept it is very good. HOWEVER...

As you say, it is hard to program just how you want it. And that's the point isn't it? If the basic stuff was enough, then the original remotes or a single, standard universal remote would be enough. But because we are looking for something more complex and sophisticated, we choose the Harmony.

I appreciate that with so many different combinations of gear, it is hard to develop a product that works easily and flawlessly for everyone. Logitech's product has a big expectation to meet. I think the remote itself is a nice piece of kit. Well manufactured and designed, as a piece of hardware I have few complaints. But the software is a different story. It's a problem which Logitech themselves have acknowledged to some degree. The new web software omits functions which were included in the desktop software (like the ability to rename activities) for no apparent reason, and in the face of feedback from users who said they wanted to retain this function.

My experience has been that if I was happy to forego some specific buttons (like direction buttons) then I could have set this up inside an hour. But then it wouldn't be much of a step forward. Sure, I could push Watch TV and the volume buttons would magically control the receiver instead of the TV. But my original remotes already do this through HDMI. I found that to set things up how they should be, I was having to go over the same things again and again, and buttons that once worked correctly did not work as assigned. Sure, I could work through these bugs (and I've said I will, when I have a day to spare) but it doesn't change the fact that for anything more than basic functionality the software is about as useful as a Marshmallow firework.

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bazzer

3438 posts

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#447481 11-Mar-2011 09:22

Nety:
eXDee: Best way to configure these?

I honestly am not sure quite why people find these so hard to program. Yes the software is not the best and yes it is hard to get it just how you want it but basic configuration is not that hard. From some of the comments here I think people are missing that it is activity based. So when you press watch TV the volume might be controlling the volume on the TV while change channel will be changing the channel on a STB etc.

As for how to configure it does this help?
http://www.brighthub.com/electronics/home-theater/articles/54235.aspx

I'm with you on this one. I still don't have mine set up 100%, my biggest problem is my TV doesn't have discrete inputs and I just don't have the time to look at it, but I got to about 95% with no trouble at all.

semigeek

1606 posts

Uber Geek

#447904 12-Mar-2011 21:28

vinnieg: Yeah, the Harmony 785 is easier to setup and has more features. The 785 however does have charging issues, due to the springs in the base charger. Mine stops charging every few days :(

to help it charge, i strap it down with a rubber band. A more permanent option is to cut some of the plastic from around the charging pins, but I don't want to ruin the rmeote.

The lack of charging dock on the 700 completely puts me off it. Plus the fact it only controls 6 devices, while I have 8 on my current remote...

Yeah the 785 is a pain for charging. I fixed mine by putting a drop of solder on each charging contact. Had to roughen the contacts just to get the solder to stick, but the remote charges everytime I put it on the base now.

Jaxson

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#448504 15-Mar-2011 11:44

bazzer: I'my biggest problem is my TV doesn't have discrete inputs

This is the single biggest issue I think, but I do also think that this problem will be common to any remote trying to automate these processes.

I purchased a 2nd (probalby 6th) hand kenwood 'super wooofer' over the weekend for $50. These were the alien head type ugly puffer units from the '90s. Had no remote. Looked up the unit on the harmony database and found it. Now I can integrate it into my setup.

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