Logitech 680 Universal Remote -- all is forgiven. I finally got the thing to upgrade its firmware last night, and after that, the configuration process was a dream. I answered a few questions about my AV setup -- including the crucial question of what component controls the volume -- and within fifteen minutes, the entire system was working seamlessly. The best feature: three buttons at the very top with icons that represent watching movies, watching television, and listening to music. Hit the movie button and the remote turns on the LCD screen, the receiver, and the DVD player, and automatically configures the remote to control the DVD player (except for the volume buttons, which control the receiver volume.) Hit the TV button, and the LCD, receiver, and cable box switch on, etc. It's the first remote control I've had in years that I could explain to a babysitter in sixty seconds. Sweet.

Comments

[Patrick]

Really glad you got this to work. I bought a Harmony 880 not too long ago, and it works like a dream. But, I had a crazy time getting it setup until I learned that it doesn't work on the Intel Macs yet. I had to connect it to an older Mac for setup.

When you find more time, you'll discover an incredible amount of flexibility in programming the darn thing. I've got it controlling my TV, cable box with DVR, HK AVR, DVD/VCR combo, PlayStation2, and soon my Mac or a Photobridge HD. Lots of configuration options.

Oh, and sixty seconds to say "click the button that says 'watch tv'"? ;-)

[Matt Haughey]

Glad to hear you got it all set up. I think the process could be smoother with the Harmony remotes, but they're awesome when you get them working perfectly right. I'm still enjoying my 880 almost a year into owning it:

http://www.pvrblog.com/pvr/2005/09/things_we_love_.html

[Neville Franks]

I bought a Sony HD/DVD Recorder a few weeks back, which proved to be the last straw for my aging Marantz Universal Remote. I did a bit of research and in the end purchased a Harmony 880. A few people complained about problems with charger contacts and that the Harmony Web site was difficult to use, but these were not enough to deter me. During my research I was hard pressed to find a Universal Remote that better met my needs in this mid-range price and product range.

I have to say I'm very, very pleased with 880. It truly is the first remote that as people say "the wife can use".

I read about the Harmony Remotes some years back and the whole notion of Activity based use, seemed strange and foreign in my mind. Now that I own one I have to say it all makes perfect sense. I am a one-person software development company and put a lot of effort into crafting a good user experience in my products. This makes me a highly critical end-user. In that vain I have to say the 880 is bordering on brilliant in its user interface.

My only complaint so far is that I'd really like bigger buttons. I also need to find some more time to program it up to do a bit more. When you write code all day it is a bit hard getting motivated to program one's remote control. :)

Finally I have to say that the Sony Hard Disk Video Recorder has changed our lives, for the better. These gadgets are reasonably new for us folks down here in Australia.