Harmony remotes?? or other suggestions?

[vwinterr]

I've been using one of the sony lcd screen remotes (older version of the rm-av3100)

my personal preference despises the lcd screen... i need to be able to feel the buttons in the dark.

the only decent ones i've seen to control dvd/receiver/direcTVtivo are the harmony ones... I haven't done a lot of looking I was hoping you guys could point me in a direction to start... preferrably under $200

i've tried some of the $20-30 learning ones, and have taken them all back... it seems that none of them have a button for this, or a button for that...

i'm using a h/k avr230 for all the audio... and video switching on a the tv

any advice or other suggestions??

 

[MDS]

I use a Home Theater Master MX-500 and it is the best remote I've ever had. It is a hard button remote but also has an lcd screen with two pages of 10 commands for each device (NOT touchscreen - there are hard buttons next to each label and you can edit the labels to anything you want).

The 500 has two buttons around the thumbpad that can be used for Tivo like functions and is why many people choose it over the MX-700 or the newer models.

There are a few new models - URC-200, MX-350, MX-650, and MX-850. The MX-650 is a cross between the MX-500 and the MX-700 but loses those extra keys that may be helpful for Tivo. The URC-200 and MX-350 are practically identical and are slightly smaller than the MX-500. Can't go wrong with any of them.

The MX-500 is now under $100. I prefer the MX over Harmony because the Harmony has little tiny buttons, poorly arranged (IMO) and REQUIRES you to use their web programming. The MX-500 can be setup directly from its internal menus.

 

[Duffinator]

For $100 the MX 500 is an incredible deal. I don't own one but have recommended it to friends and programmed one. I currently have a Marantz RC2000 MKII which after 7 years of faithful service is dying. I'll be getting the MX 500 or MX 700 very soon.

 

[kbone78]

Are the MX series remotes able to know that my DVD player is on input 1 on my TV and satellite is input 2? I see in the reviews for the Harmony, that when you set it up, it knows the current state of your inputs and can cycle through them correctly so that the right input is being used.

For instance, if the tv/video button on the TV remote cycles through the 3 inputs and is currently on input 3, will the remote know to cycle to input 2 (past input1) if I want to watch satellite?

I know you can it up so that everything works from the same base point (i.e. input 1 and set a macro to switch between inputs). But do they know the current state of the input?

Yikes, I've confused myself

 

[Audioholics]

Obviously, neither remote "knows" anything.

The Harmony gets programmed via a simple web interface, while the MX-500, for example, remotes get programmed through direct learning. If your display does not have direct input selection available on the remote, you may be in for some trouble when tryng to access direct inputs via a programmable learning universal remote (any of them). The Harmony has an advantage in that they have a well-maintained database of remote codes (some which don't even make it to the actual remote controls.)

If you want "simple" (and it sounds like you do) go with the Harmony. You may also look at Pronto-style remotes, which many rave about but I find less appealing due to a lack of tactile buttons, save for volume and some minor controls.

We have touched base with Universal Remote in the past (makers of the MX series) and have told them they are losing out on not having a more updated database of remote codes, but I think they are mostly focusing on the custom install market - to which they absolutely excel, though at the expense of other potential customer demographics.

 

[Lincoln]

I have both an MX-500 and Harmony 688. I prefer the Harmony for many reasons. It doesn't have the intelligence to know what is on, what is off, and what input is selected in a true sense but it tries to keep track of what it thinks is on, off, etc. If it gets out of sync somehow then all you do is press the help button and the remote starts asking revelant questions to help you get the equipment and remote sync'ed up again. It works very well and if the button layout was a little better it would be perfect. The MX-500 could be programmed as an activity based remote if you have the time where the Harmony does this automatically with device-based being easily accessable and programming time at a fraction of what it takes to program the MX-500. I still use both in different rooms but soon will replace the MX with another Harmony.

The MX500 is currently available at newegg.com for $70 and the Harmony 688 for about $145 from newegg.com.

 

[Beegowl]

Using the Harmony 680

Just purchased the Harmony 680 for $115USD from Amazon. Took me several attempts and 2 or 3 hours of concentration and being online to get it properly programmed to control my equipment exactly the way I wanted it controlled (proper inputs on receiver, tv aspect ratio and proper tv input).I did call the support number after several attempts and could have saved myself an hour or two by calling sooner. I just hate to call support before I exhaust my own resources. They were helpful and I didn't have to wait on hold. I get a kick out of gadgets that do what they're supposed to do. This one works. Because I don't have a history using it, I can't comment on reliability or other aspects, but, right now, it does as advertised and it's fairly easy to use. My lady friend who is unintuitive when it comes to gadgets, needed a modicum of coaching to catch on. I did away with five remotes that cluttered the table.

I need to contact them again for information about controlling the Harbor Breeze ceiling fan. They do have remote codes listed on the website, so should be able to do it.

 

[ebough]

I have the HomeTheaterMaster MX-500. The learn function has been able to successfully integrate any function from my 6 different remotes. It has a very large lcd screen with tactile buttons. I have organized my STB, HDTV, AVR, DVD, DVI switch box, and Roku media interface all with this one unit. The ability to stucture complicated 1-button macros for "watching TV" or "watching DVD" has made the technology useful for my wife who is definitely tech-challenged. I thought it was great for $150. Under $100, a real steal.

 

[vwinterr]

thanks for all of the suggestions... after talking with my local sales rep, he was kind enough to sitdown with me in his office, and help me program both of them (harmony 659 & mx-500) to determine which one was better suited for me and my wonderful, not-so-tech-savy wife... (i'm sure a few of you can relate)

to keep my rant short i'll give my pick... which was the harmony... as much as i like the mx-500... with my toddler and wife the harmony's "watch tv/etc." buttons were just too much of a selling point... and if for some reason the remote is reset back to factory defaults your setup is saved on logitech's website...

thanks for the suggestions anyway... ultimately I chose the ease off setup/use of the harmony for my family, and we'll see how well it stays in sync after a few weeks... any major problems I face i'll happily come post for you guys... but so far so good (all 2 days)

and I do have a tivo box, but I wasn't too fond of the button layout of the harmony 688... and the 659 still works well with a dvr (i noticed they try to market the 688 for use with dvr... but after using the 659 i see no reason it can't do everything for a tivo with it... marketing maybe?!?!)