logitech harmony one

Seamus

Hi folks,

I'm thinking about buying a logitech harmony one remote to control my tv, surround sound, satellite (sky+) and a mac mini. The reviews on amazon are generally favourable, I was wondering if anyone here uses this or a similar remote?

Thanks,

ivar

I had a logitech remote, but got rid of it. I don't think the problem is specific for the logitech remotes, though.

The remote has the ability to use 'macros', like "watch dvd" for instance. What it then does is switch on the tv, the dvd player and the amplifier, for instance.

The problem with that is, it needs to have a direct line visibility to ALL of the above mentioned machines at THAT time. If there is something in the way of one, that machine stays off.

For instance, the dvd player didn't turn on because something was in the way. Okay, let's try it again. *watch dvd*... the dvd player turns on, but now the tv and the amp go out because the on and off signal are the same

Then you have to go select the machines separately on the remote and turn them on individually anyway....

You'd think this rarely happens, but for some reason it was happening all the time

marzipann

I have a Harmony 880 remote. I've had it for a few years and I like it a lot. It has allowed me to clear all the extra remotes off the coffee table.

I have no first hand experience with the Harmony one, but do have a friend who likes it more than the 880 from the how it feels in his hand perspective.

Set up is easy on the Logitech remotes because they have a database of electronics models that you select and put into activities such as 'Watch DVD'. This means you generally do not have to self map buttons from the original remote to your Logitech thus making set up much faster.

The problem where something might not turn can be an issue if your components don't have a wide reception angle (some products need the remote to be directly pointed at it for some reason), or if something is obscuring the sensor at the time. Instead of clicking the activity again, the 880 I have, and I am pretty sure the One have a Help button you can click and it will reissue the commands without the power cycle commands. Then it will ask if the problem is fixed, if you say no, it will step through each device in the list and ask you if its on or not, on the input you want etc, until its all on. If you prefer to just click the Watch DvD button again, your devices would need to have discreet power on/power off remote capability, and you would have to ensure your macro uses the discreet power on.

Sorry for the long post. My best endorsement is this: my wife generally dislikes 'gadgets' for the house, but she has loved the Harmony because its easy to operate (no more which remote is which..) and much less clutter on the coffee table.

Steve

Seamus wrote:

Hi folks,

I'm thinking about buying a logitech harmony one remote to control my tv, surround sound, satellite (sky+) and a mac mini. The reviews on amazon are generally favourable, I was wondering if anyone here uses this or a similar remote?

Thanks,

Ric Grupe

ivar wrote:

I had a logitech remote, but got rid of it. I don't think the problem is specific for the logitech remotes, though.

The remote has the ability to use 'macros', like "watch dvd" for instance. What it then does is switch on the tv, the dvd player and the amplifier, for instance.

The problem with that is, it needs to have a direct line visibility to ALL of the above mentioned machines at THAT time. If there is something in the way of one, that machine stays off.

For instance, the dvd player didn't turn on because something was in the way. Okay, let's try it again. *watch dvd*... the dvd player turns on, but now the tv and the amp go out because the on and off signal are the same

Then you have to go select the machines separately on the remote and turn them on individually anyway....

You'd think this rarely happens, but for some reason it was happening all the time

Press "Help" on the remote. It will solve those out of sync problems.

Ric Grupe

Seamus wrote:

Hi folks,

I'm thinking about buying a logitech harmony one remote to control my tv, surround sound, satellite (sky+) and a mac mini. The reviews on amazon are generally favourable, I was wondering if anyone here uses this or a similar remote?

Thanks,

Great remote...nothing else like it.

Seamus

Thanks for the help folks, I will order one tomorrow.

insanefred

ivar wrote:

I had a logitech remote, but got rid of it. I don't think the problem is specific for the logitech remotes, though.

The remote has the ability to use 'macros', like "watch dvd" for instance. What it then does is switch on the tv, the dvd player and the amplifier, for instance.

The problem with that is, it needs to have a direct line visibility to ALL of the above mentioned machines at THAT time. If there is something in the way of one, that machine stays off.

For instance, the dvd player didn't turn on because something was in the way. Okay, let's try it again. *watch dvd*... the dvd player turns on, but now the tv and the amp go out because the on and off signal are the same

Then you have to go select the machines separately on the remote and turn them on individually anyway....

You'd think this rarely happens, but for some reason it was happening all the time

rofl

Same thing with me!
And my dad, and many many other people I know that have macros, you'd think they would find a way to overcome this problem.

Pupator

Harmon 676 here. I've had it for years and I'm a huge fan. It was worth every penny.