I just saw a new program on the itunes apps store called Red Eye by Thinkflood. It says it can turn an IPhone or Ipod Touch into a universal remote. Sounds interesting, however, I have not seen any reviews on it yet.
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Logitech Harmony 510 ... and an 880 I have an 880 and I like the features but I'm not all that wild about the feel in my hand and the buttons are hard to hit with one hand. The 510 I use in my two channel room and it controls a Modwright SWL 9.0 pre, Wadia 23 CDP, Sony NS9100ES SACD, Levinson 360S DAC and even my Velodyne DD-10 sub. I didnt need to do anything but connect it to the Internet and run through wizards to get it set up. Talk about simple ... it took maybe 15 minutes and the programs are stored on-line just in case it dies. The buttons on the 510 are raised and Play, Pause, Skip and Stop are right where they need to be as well as volume up and volume down. The 880 will control many more components and the list of supported products is beyond what you can imagine. It will learn anything else. The macros are FANTASTIC ... you control what turns on - in what order what sources are selected and other than not being instantaineous the macros are idiot-proof. Mine are set to : Watch TV, Play Movie, Surf PC, Play X-Box and soon to come - watch BluRay. One button; everything turns on and you go. My girlfriend can handle it and that is enough said. The one thing I would consider if I had it to do over is an RF unit for better reception and if you control equipment from other rooms. |
I agree with all the above, I have had Harmony remotes for years now and still run four of them in my home (659/880/890x2) They handle anything, and if they can't, they can learn to, the Harmony support is AMAZING if you need it, the only thing they lack is the ability to control things via RS 232, which I have been asking for for years to no avail.... |
Harmony has a $99 deal right now - through 1/7 - on 'dented box' Harmony 880 remotes if you apply this code during the checkout process, logi_h880_1110 Looks as if the regular retail price is $249, the site claims the remote itself is new and fully warranted and shipping is free. |
I had the 880 and just replaced it with a Harmony One because the screen on my 880 was dying. I like the One much better. Feels great in your hand, the screen is much easier to read, the buttons are better and more logically laid out, etc. As others have said, the Harmony's are easy to set up and work great with their web based setup. When I bought the One, I just had to log into my Harmony account and go through the "replace remote" process and my new remote was working in no time. |
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I recently bought a Harmony One with the PS3 IR to Bluetooth translator as a package from Amazon. Before I bought it, I checked to see if my vintage Proceed PAV is supported; it is. Setup was simple, and the unit works as advertised. Logitech joins Netflix and FedEx in my list of companies that deliver as promised. db |
I also reviewed the Amazon reviews before picking up the One. But, benefitting from having already owned the 880 and being familiar with the Harmony software and programming processes, it was apparent to me that at least 75% of those negative reviews were posted by persons who simply couldn't figure out how to program the remote. Those reviews are littered with comments about what the remote can or can't do that are simply wrong or reflect an obvious lack of understanding or knowledge of the product. In considering any review, good or bad, it's important to consider the source. |
Before I had Harmony remotes I used to use and program Home Theater Master remotes. It took much longer, their Database was never as up to date as Logitech, and they really only wanted professionals to use and program them. For individuals like me, it became a pain to download the new database, and access any help. That said, the programming was very open, with the ability to build different macros to your hearts content. I have found in a few instances that the Logitech programming, while easy to use, is restrictive in allowing you to step outside of their pre-programmed activity functions. But outside of that rare instance, the software and hardware are first rate, easy to set up and use, and have great accessibility. I can't tell you how many times I have fixed a friends remote while sitting here on my laptop with Harmony. That's convenient. |
I own an 880, and have to give it mixed reviews. I got an earlier model with the lousy charging base. They shipped me a newer one, but it never sits right and I need to put some weight on the lcd screen. Second, the volume up button crapped out and I took it apart and put some paper under the IC sheet to make a better connection. That didn't work, so I moved the volume control to the big up/down arrows, which I prefer anyway. I've read that the up/down switches on the channel and volume rockers do fail. Third, the battery just died and won't take a charge. This will be OK if the $10 battery I ordered from Ebay works well. Aside from the those physical problems, it's a great remote and the database rocks. It even has the codes to my passive preamp. If I can't revive it, I'll probably go with a Harmony One. |
