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Universal Remotes

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I use my DirecTV remote for TV/DVR, and my Harmony 550 remote for everything else. I love mine, and have been able to add support for the most bizarre devices, like unusual audio devices or adapters.

My model is older and has a hard, individual clicking motion for the arrow buttons. If it had one of the newer soft arrow buttons, I'd probably use it as my only remote. The middle buttons around the d-pad on the 510 are like steel buttons on a sleek vcr. They are well made but not something you want to press 40 times while scrolling through channels.

Harmony remote deals pop up fairly often on slickdeals for around $50. I got mine on clearance at Circuit City for 35.

Case in point:
Refurbished Logitech Harmony Universal Remote 510 - $31 or 510+610 for $72 - SlickDeals.net Forums

The harmony one advanced are a lot more expensive. $150 is a good deal on that one.
 
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Jwins, our dish network remote is a good universal remote too. It just doesn't work with our surround sound (bose) and a ps3. I know for the Harmony's to work with a ps3 I have to buy a little receiver. Logitech's website said it is compatible with our surround sound. I like the customizable buttons. So if I want to watch netflix, satellite tv or a blu-ray it turns on all those devices with one click. The 1000 series would be the ultimate choice, but it's way out of the price range.
 
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CentralMOBuck;1719512; said:
My parents recently got a new TV and they currently have about 5 remotes for various devices. Does any have any expereince with these remotes. Especially the Logitech Harmony One.

Harmony® One Advanced Universal Remote
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I have the Harmony One. It is great. Ergonomic, lights up when you pick it up, rechargeable with a great cradle, works for any infrared device, etc. The perfect remote in my opinion. It is incredibly well thought out. The only negative is it does not have RF, but few people rely on that.
 
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CentralMOBuck;1719567; said:
Jwins, our dish network remote is a good universal remote too. It just doesn't work with our surround sound (bose) and a ps3. I know for the Harmony's to work with a ps3 I have to buy a little receiver. Logitech's website said it is compatible with our surround sound. I like the customizable buttons. So if I want to watch netflix, satellite tv or a blu-ray it turns on all those devices with one click. The 1000 series would be the ultimate choice, but it's way out of the price range.
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My Harmony One works with my XBox360. Not sure about the PS3, but if it has a remote I am sure Logitech figured out a way for it to work. They update the software for the device all the time. There are literally thousands of devices, and you update the device from your computer. They even include stuff like home lighting systems. If there is a remote for it there is a good chance you can program it in to the Logitech Harmony One (along with many other Logitech remotes). If not, ask Logitech to do it (I hear they are fairly open to adding devices). They update their site all the time with new and often obscure devices. Once they update it you simply set it up on the provided software, and then download it to your remote. It's fantastic. With the Harmony One it even downloads all the complex/uncommon buttons onto the touch LCD screen.

edit: Looked it up. PS3 uses Bluetooth. So no, it will not work with a PS3 unless you get an IR sensor.
edit2: BTW....I would not consider the 1000 the ultimate choice. I thought about getting it, but the Harmony One is so much better in ergonomics. Fits perfect in one hand, and the buttons are laid out perfect. The 1000 is bulky, and it lacks the extra buttons that are typical for normal tasks. Although I do believe it has RF.
 
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Crap. I just did a search on Slickdeals and all kinds of places had the remote (brand new) for sale for $150 yesterday. Now the cheapest I can find is $175 on amazon. I don't know if I want to get one of the refurbs (no/limited warranty) or a brand new one.
 
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CentralMOBuck;1719590; said:
Crap. I just did a search on Slickdeals and all kinds of places had the remote (brand new) for sale for $150 yesterday. Now the cheapest I can find is $175 on amazon. I don't know if I want to get one of the refurbs (no/limited warranty) or a brand new one.
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Just so I don't feel bad if you pull the trigger and dislike things about it, I will note some drawbacks. They don't really bother me, but some might not like it.

1) There is sometimes initial lag when hitting volume or channel. It only happens right after you turn on your tv/cable box/etc. then normally goes away. Some people dislike that.

2) The one touch device buttons are great, but the remote can get confused. To give you an example of what I mean....you can program in your remote to DVD, TV, radio, XBox, etc. with one touch. Let's say you want to watch tv. Hitting the TV button (it's on the LCD) will turn on your tv, turn on your cable/satellite box, turn on your receiver (if you have one), and make sure your tv and reciever are on the right input channel all with one push on the LCD screen (you actually program it to do those things). Then if you want to switch to playing Xbox it will remember you have the tv on. So it won't change the power on the tv, but will change the input, turn on the XBox, change the receiver to the XBox, etc. Yet I have had times where it does turn the tv off. Plus if you hit TV and the tv does not actually turn on (Infrared blocked for some reason) now the remote thinks you have turned the tv on and gets confused. It works most of the time, but occasionally that will happen.

3) It takes time to program in all the complicated stuff the remote can do, so it does take some tech acumen to get it to work right. It also requires a computer with an internet connection to program everything correctly.

4) For super complex remotes like receivers, it will have all the buttons, but will program in the unusual ones on the LCD screen. The LCD can only show 6 buttons at once, so it can take a little bit to find the right one (you can scroll through the buttons on the LCD).

I hope that is not confusing. I just wanted to mention the possible negatives so I don't feel bad if you don't like it. For me I don't have an issue with them, but some people complain about those things. As noted above, I love the thing.
 
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I'd have no problems with any of those. It would certainly beat having 5 remotes. My parents are no where near as tech savvy and they will be the primary users. I wish best buy or any electronics store had these remotes set up so you could demo them'
 
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CentralMOBuck;1719512; said:
My parents recently got a new TV and they currently have about 5 remotes for various devices. Does any have any expereince with these remotes. Especially the Logitech Harmony One.

Harmony® One Advanced Universal Remote
Click to expand...


I have a 1100 and have had a couple others over the years. Love 'em. I have all of our components in the basement and use a leap frog system that converts the RF to raido and from radio back to RF in the basement. The only thing you see in our family room is the plasma hanging off the wall.

I use the Logitech to control all the components, Wii and an iTunes server hooked up to the amp in the basement. Dual zones for inside and outside. Rarely do I have a problem with the Logitech...

Recommend.
 
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Best Buy has the Harmony 300 for $30. My parents just picked one up for their tv and it works perfectly. You just select the devices you have and it programs you remote accordingly and if it doesn't do something right you can always program the buttons. If you have under 4 devices I highly suggest getting this. The remote my parents have for dish network doesn't work with their Bose surround sound, but the Harmony one does. Now they don't have to have one remote for satellite TV, Blu-Ray Player, TV and the surround sound. The Harmony One is also on sale for $170 and the normal price is $250.

Harmony 300

Harmony One
 
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