# What is the Best Harmony Remote for the HR20?



## Baconbeard (Jun 18, 2007)

Sorry if this has been posted and addressed numerous times in the past, but this is my first time on the board. I am considering purchasing a universal remote, but before I do, I wanted to see how well the Harmony remotes work with the HR20.

I would be buying one to operate my Sony KDS60A2000, the HR20, Pioneer Elite A/V Receiver, my LG DVD player and Sony VCR.

Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.


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## AlbertZeroK (Jan 28, 2006)

I would suggest looking at the keys and their position. For me the 880 is kind of a pain to use, as the button positions are not easy for me to use by feel.

The other two options you have to look at are RF capable (no, the Harmony won't use RF for the HR20, instead it sends an RF signal to a little box that transmits IR signals to your devices.). The other option is rechargability, the 880 is rechargable. But personally, I use rechargable AAA batteries in my remotes.

But other than that, the harmony remotes all work the same. A bit different for button position and LCD size/picture (880 is color, others are black and white). But the functionality is the same.


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

If you can find them, by far the best are the 785 and 885. They are European models (the 885 is almost identical to the 880) and have the four colored buttons, just like the HR20 remote. I have the 880 and absolutely love it. I was holding out for the 885 but gave up on it. If you can find one, you'll be extremely happy with it.


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## sshams95 (Sep 2, 2006)

I use the 880 with my HR20 without any issues. Got mine for $100 at Amazon.com, it was a refurbished item so I had to go through a little pain in replacing the charging cradle, but Logitech got it out pretty quick.


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## chris89c (Mar 9, 2007)

I also have a 880 and find it a little awkward to use the fast forward and rewind buttons. They are smooth and too far down on the remote. I also do not like that it does not have activity buttons on the remote. I prefer my 676, it is not as flashy as the 880 but the ff and rw buttons are up higher and are easier to use. I like the rubber buttons. It also has 3 built in activity buttons on the top. If you are patient you can find sales on these. I got the 880 from amazon as a refurb for $100 and the 676 for $80 after rebate.


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## Larry G (Apr 13, 2006)

I use the 688. I've had it for a year. Put all the other remotes in a drawer and haven't looked at 'em since. I think whichever Harmony you get you'll be very happy.


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## Ken984 (Jan 1, 2006)

I like my 880 for the HR20, the 8 customizable buttons on the screen are nice for the extra "colored" buttons its lacking, and the IR on the 880 is much stronger than on the HR20 remote. I do agree that the button layout is a little bit awkward but once you get used to it its not a big deal. I also have a 676 and it works great too, just not as "high tech" as the 880. Got my 880 new from Dell on a special last year $118, I believe.


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## gio12 (Jul 31, 2006)

hilmar2k said:


> If you can find them, by far the best are the 785 and 885. They are European models (the 885 is almost identical to the 880) and have the four colored buttons, just like the HR20 remote. I have the 880 and absolutely love it. I was holding out for the 885 but gave up on it. If you can find one, you'll be extremely happy with it.


You can get them on ebay.uk but I am not spending $385! :eek2:


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## ajwillys (Jun 14, 2006)

hilmar2k said:


> If you can find them, by far the best are the 785 and 885. They are European models (the 885 is almost identical to the 880) and have the four colored buttons, just like the HR20 remote. I have the 880 and absolutely love it. I was holding out for the 885 but gave up on it. If you can find one, you'll be extremely happy with it.


You may be able to buy it right off Logitech's website although they no longer have the four colored buttons that made them desirable to match with Directv's remotes. The 785 and 555 still do though.

http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/remotes/universal_remotes/&cl=gb,en


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## jutley (Oct 11, 2006)

A teaser...

I just bought the 890, but haven't had any time to play with it as I was out of town last week. I'll get it setup this week and let you know what I think. I bought the 890 mostly because it has the RF capability and I don't think the IR will work well in my new entertainment center.

More later...


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## Baconbeard (Jun 18, 2007)

Will these remotes do everything the HR20 remote does, or do you find yourself having to go back to the old remote for certain items?

Further, how well do these remotes work with stereo systems. I have a Pioneer Elite receiver and wonder if the Harmony will control that device for things other than volume.


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## hilmar2k (Mar 18, 2007)

Baconbeard said:


> Will these remotes do everything the HR20 remote does, or do you find yourself having to go back to the old remote for certain items?
> 
> Further, how well do these remotes work with stereo systems. I have a Pioneer Elite receiver and wonder if the Harmony will control that device for things other than volume.


I have the HR20 remotes in a drawer, robbed of their batteries.


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## sshams95 (Sep 2, 2006)

Baconbeard said:



> Will these remotes do everything the HR20 remote does, or do you find yourself having to go back to the old remote for certain items?
> 
> Further, how well do these remotes work with stereo systems. I have a Pioneer Elite receiver and wonder if the Harmony will control that device for things other than volume.


I think you'll find that you will have all the codes you need. Even if you can't find them, you can customize buttons and commands. As stated in other posts, you will definitely put away all your remotes, which made my wife very happy!


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## lflorack (Dec 16, 2006)

Baconbeard said:


> Will these remotes do everything the HR20 remote does, or do you find yourself having to go back to the old remote for certain items?
> 
> Further, how well do these remotes work with stereo systems. I have a Pioneer Elite receiver and wonder if the Harmony will control that device for things other than volume.


I have the Harmony 880 and it works great. Since buying it and setting it up completely -- the original set up was done in less than an hour -- four months ago, I haven't had to use any of the five remotes (used to be six) it replaced. (My system equipment is in my sig.)


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## Chris Blount (Jun 22, 2001)

I bought the Harmony 720 (which is basically the same as the 880) and it works wonderfully! It even controls my Octava 3X2 HDMI switcher.

The Harmony is hands down the best universal remote I have ever used.


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## TomDavis (May 16, 2007)

I have had an 880 since they first came out. I have a Sony 62", Sony ES Receiver, Toshiba DVD, Sony VCR, Sony CD and an HR20 (before that a Comcast DVR). You enter your equipment numbers on their website and answer a few questions regarding how you use the equipment. Once that is done you are good to go. I have never had to use the factory remotes for any function.

You will have to do a little custom adjustment for the HR20 but it is easy enough and there are plenty of threads on any issue you may encounter.

If my remote broke I would replace it with another immediately. The only problem is your wife will be able to operate all the gadgets without you and will not give you control again!

Good Luck,

Tom Davis


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## Baconbeard (Jun 18, 2007)

Thanks for the great responses. Any advice on the best places to find one?

The genesis of this post is that I am having some new home theater equipment installed this weekend, and they plan on running all the video through the receiver to cut down on the wires.....plus I can then operate everything through the receiver.

But I don't really like that idea and will probably run everything directly from the source to the TV like I always have and pick up a Harmony remote.

Thanks again.


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## Ken S (Feb 13, 2007)

I have the 890 and was able to duplicate everything on the HR20s control with ease. It also controls my Denon Receiver, Sony TV and Sony DVD/VCR combo quite well.
The RF works nicely.
The only downside to the whole thing is having to update both the base station and the remote each time you make a change...of course once you get the thing setup you shouldn't have to do that again.

Solid remote...well worth the money.


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## MalibuRacing (Mar 2, 2007)

I have the 670. It works everything in my sig without a single problem. The only thing I DO wish it had is the 4 color buttons. It's not a biggie, I programmed them into the menu, but it would be nice to have dedicated buttons. Like others said, quick setup, and I probably spent another hour "fine tuning" all the additional buttons and options I use the most. Definitely 2 thumbs up on the Harmony remotes!


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## MizzouTiger (Jan 10, 2007)

I got my 880 from Amazon in February for about $125 after rebate and with free shipping. Love it!!! I even have a one button "macro" set up that pulls up my To Do List on the HR-20. By the way, I don't use the "standard" slip and jump back buttons on the 880 - I re-assigned those funtions to the Up and Down keys right below the navigation "circle". Seems like a very natural place for those 2 functions for me.


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## gio12 (Jul 31, 2006)

880 much better?

Thanks!


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## AlbertZeroK (Jan 28, 2006)

gio12 said:


> 880 much better?
> 
> Thanks!


I wouldn't. The buttons on the 880 are in weird places and it's not a remote that can be easily operated by feel. However, there are some advantages, the biggest for me is 8 activities on the main screen which is great for my basement where we have a couple game machines, dvd player, 2 tivos, etc connected to one tv. The other two advantages / differences are the recharability and color screen.


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## bobnielsen (Jun 29, 2006)

gio12 said:


> 880 much better?
> 
> Thanks!


If you already have another Harmony, it probably isn't worth replacing it. The main advantage of the 880 is that it has eight programmable softkeys, while other models have fewer of these (although you can use paging to get more). I wish it had the four color keys of the 885.


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## hancox (Jun 23, 2004)

In the minority here, but the xbox 360 model is a great fit. The colored buttons match nicely.


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## boltjames (Sep 3, 2006)

I'm a big fan of the Harmony 550. Very sleek, nice rubberized finish, and I find it has the best combination of button locations / hard buttons / softkeys of their offerings.










BJ


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## boltjames (Sep 3, 2006)

Also, the XBOX360 version of the 550 has red/blue/green/yellow keys that can be programmed to operate the HR20's softkeys quite nicely.










BJ


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## jshedden (Feb 25, 2007)

Slightly off topic: my Harmony 880 makes a high pitched sound, perceivable only by putting it against your ear like a cell phone.
Any of you guys hearing that too? This is best noticeable when in Activities.


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## untouchable (Jun 24, 2006)

I have a Harmony 628 and it's awesome. The record and stop buttons act as my replay and 30 second skip/slip. It operates my Sony Surround Sound, My PS2, my Philips DVD player, Sharp AQUOS, HR10-250, and my H20. I searched around for a while before I bought it. The buttons are nicely placed and are larger than the buttons on the 880. I got mine new off of Ebay for $50 w/ shipping.


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## MizzouTiger (Jan 10, 2007)

jshedden said:


> Slightly off topic: my Harmony 880 makes a high pitched sound, perceivable only by putting it against your ear like a cell phone.
> Any of you guys hearing that too? This is best noticeable when in Activities.


I have noticed the same thing with my 880. I believe it is the LCD screen backlight. Sound seems to go away when the backlight is off.


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## 4DThinker (Dec 17, 2006)

I'll add another vote for the 880. I have two. Started with one for the living room and my wife liked it so much we got another one for the master bedroom. I have a 550 in the guest bedroom/office: much simpler system.

My living room device tower has:

Sony A/V receiver
Go-Video dual deck 8mm/VHS deck
JVC SVHS deck
Samsung 40" LCD
X10 receiver for security cameras.
X10 IR controller.
Pioneer 12-CD changer
Panasonic DVD Recorder
Toshiba HD-A2 HD-DVD deck
Samsung 19" LCD monitor
TV to VGA convertor for monitor
DirecTV HR20 sat receiver

The 880 lets me pick and choose, and lets me have controls for more than one device mapped to any activity if I choose. I keep X10 ON and OFF on the spare UP/Down buttons.


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## Capmeister (Sep 16, 2003)

hilmar2k said:


> If you can find them, by far the best are the 785 and 885. They are European models (the 885 is almost identical to the 880) and have the four colored buttons, just like the HR20 remote. I have the 880 and absolutely love it. I was holding out for the 885 but gave up on it. If you can find one, you'll be extremely happy with it.


I got the 885 off a German ebay person. I love mine. Had to get a plug adapter (not a power converter) for it, but that's all. The colored buttons are easy.


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## soccergrunt (Nov 17, 2005)

I have both a 676 and a 550. I definitely prefer the peanut style 676 over the 550. The 550's number pad buttons are very small and I seem to frequently "fat finger" them


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## gigapower (Jan 17, 2006)

We have the 880, and I like the feel of it in my hand, just wish the buttons had more definition to them so you could tell which one you are pressing by touch. I don't run my HR20 on it though, more of a personal preference then anything else.


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## faust0068 (Mar 29, 2007)

Baconbeard said:


> Sorry if this has been posted and addressed numerous times in the past, but this is my first time on the board. I am considering purchasing a universal remote, but before I do, I wanted to see how well the Harmony remotes work with the HR20.
> 
> I would be buying one to operate my Sony KDS60A2000, the HR20, Pioneer Elite A/V Receiver, my LG DVD player and Sony VCR.
> 
> Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks.


I have a Harmony 1000 and love it. Intergrated easily into my system at home, and had no problems with the HR20.


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## calidelphia (Feb 17, 2007)

chris89c said:


> I also have a 880 and find it a little awkward to use the fast forward and rewind buttons.


880 here. The best decision I ever made was to change the INFO button to be FF, and move info to the DOWN arrow.


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## boltjames (Sep 3, 2006)

The more I see this remote the more I think it's the right Harmony for the HR20. The only one I've seen with native red/blue/green/yellow buttons. Very sleek too, and it's white color matches the new UI perfectly.










BJ


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## pecocus (Feb 13, 2006)

Used the 880 for the last year plus and haven't had to touch the original remote. It would be nice to have the colored hard buttons, but nothings perfect I guess.


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## Kenwood (Sep 13, 2006)

MizzouTiger said:


> By the way, I don't use the "standard" slip and jump back buttons on the 880 - I re-assigned those funtions to the Up and Down keys right below the navigation "circle". Seems like a very natural place for those 2 functions for me.


I did the same thing, myself. Works great


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

boltjames said:


> The more I see this remote the more I think it's the right Harmony for the HR20. The only one I've seen with native red/blue/green/yellow buttons. Very sleek too, and it's white color matches the new UI perfectly.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I dont have an XBox but Im very close to buying that remote nonetheless. I would need it to control my TV, HR20, BluRay Player and an HDMI Switch. Either that one or the 550 are ones Im looking at now.


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## Spanky_Partain (Dec 7, 2006)

What buttons are used for jump forward/back on this remote that is pictured?

Never mind, I think I see them. Are they the ones that are above the FF and RW buttons?


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## boltjames (Sep 3, 2006)

Spanky_Partain said:


> What buttons are used for jump forward/back on this remote that is pictured?
> 
> Never mind, I think I see them. Are they the ones that are above the FF and RW buttons?


Yeah, those are them. Here's a link to a very large image:

http://z.about.com/d/xbox/1/0/-/C/Harmonyforbox360.jpg

BJ


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## Drewg5 (Dec 15, 2006)

You have my remote.. with out the broken screen...  I also saw at Best Buy that they had a remote that looked a lot like the 550, but it was for X-Box and it had Red Green Yellow and Green buttons on it instead of the up and down arrows below the menu & exit buttons. Now I wish I had gotten the X-Box one, now that I know that all the buttons are programable. I might just replace mine with the X-Box ver. cuz it has thoese buttons and no broken screen.. My poor 550 did not like getting walked on.

-----

I must be slow today  I have also seen it in black.


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## Steve (Aug 22, 2006)

Not a Harmony, but the URC R7, $29 at Circuit City, has turned out to be a very nice HR20 remote, IMO. You have to work a bit to set it up, but every key is "learnable" and the R7 allows you to program up to nine 20-step macros. It also has a very nice cruise control layout. I assigned R/G/Y/B to the bottom row, and got every key on there except "active", which I don't use. It's not peanut-shaped, but the back is contoured, like the Harmony, so it has a nice hand feel. Also much better button tactile feedback than the Harmony 550, which I briefly tried. /s


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## Conky (Apr 17, 2007)

I have the XBox360 Harmony remote and it works quite well with the HR-20. One issue, however, is the lack of a guide button. You can use one of the LCD screen buttons for guide, but for me, it is too far from the other frequently used buttons to work effectively - in other words, my wife didn't like it up there. I reprogrammed the 'Back' button to the HR-20 'Guide' button, and that works quite well. I don't really need the back button that often, so I put that one up on the display.


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## Conky (Apr 17, 2007)

Another nice feature of the Harmony remote is the ability to program buttons from other equipment on the display buttons while watching TV. I have buttons for my IR dimmer switch and my AV receiver's dim button on the display -- very handy.


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## rlnoonan (Jan 6, 2007)

I'll add another vote for the 676. I was really interested in the 880 for its color screen and recharging, but I chose the 676 over due to price and better ability to feel the buttons. As it turns out, I'm really glad I chose the 676 because the ability to feel the buttons without looking is important to me. I hardly look at the remote that much now that I'm used to it (which also means the lack of color screen isn't a big deal).


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## tnmg (Apr 4, 2006)

can the harmony program one of the keys to cut closed captioning on and off? or must i continue to go through the menu on the hr20?


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## AlbertZeroK (Jan 28, 2006)

tnmg said:


> can the harmony program one of the keys to cut closed captioning on and off? or must i continue to go through the menu on the hr20?


Kinda. However, it would be easier to set up two activities, one for watching TV with closed caption, one for watching TV without closed caption.

But no, there is no good way of setting up one button to turn on and off closed captioning. Having two seperate activities set up is the only real option.

Harmony remotes don't support Macro recording like some other remotes. Or atleast they don't any more, they use to way back when.


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## anubys (Jan 19, 2006)

I love my 676...the only thing I think it misses is that it only has 3 activity buttons (I know you can menu down to more)...the layout of the 676 is perfect, IMO...


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## Baconbeard (Jun 18, 2007)

Thanks for all the responses. Seems like everyone has a little different opinion, but by and large, everyone loves the Harmony remotes.

Where is a good place to buy one?


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## anubys (Jan 19, 2006)

Baconbeard said:


> Thanks for all the responses. Seems like everyone has a little different opinion, but by and large, everyone loves the Harmony remotes.
> 
> Where is a good place to buy one?


I'm a big harmony fanboy...but to be fair, the OP excluded any other remote from the discussion...there are a lot of people who swear by other remotes...

if you're not locked into the Harmony, check out http://www.remotecentral.com/index.html


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## shendley (Nov 28, 2005)

I just got a harmony 890 and I'm curious to see what people have done to customize the remote to control the HR20. My first thought was that I wanted a list button. I put it in the "down" button. But I'd also like to put a couple of the colored buttons somewhere - the yellow button to go from list to the do to list would be a priority - but there doesn't seem to be enough buttons to include all of these. So, given a limitations of buttons, what are you guys finding an optimal way of programming your Harmony to control the HR20?


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## shendley (Nov 28, 2005)

One more question: I posted this on a thread on Harmony remotes in General Discussion. Does anyone know how to get to a screen where you can change the "inter-key delay" setting - the setting that controls the delay between the time you press the button and the time it sends it to the device. I can't get the skip to end/beginning/tick trick play functions to work at all on my new Harmony (but it still works intermittently on my DTV remote) and I suspect it's a problem with this delay setting. Anyone have any insight into this problem?


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

I have my colored buttons configured thru the activity screen. I just got the Harmony for Xbox360 model though I have no Xbox I felt I needed the colored buttons......now to figure out how to customize em.


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## gc916 (Jun 14, 2007)

shendley said:


> One more question: I posted this on a thread on Harmony remotes in General Discussion. Does anyone know how to get to a screen where you can change the "inter-key delay" setting - the setting that controls the delay between the time you press the button and the time it sends it to the device. I can't get the skip to end/beginning/tick trick play functions to work at all on my new Harmony (but it still works intermittently on my DTV remote) and I suspect it's a problem with this delay setting. Anyone have any insight into this problem?


Using the software (as opposed to the web interface), you can change delay setttings this way:
Devices>PVR>Settings>Adjust the delays (speed settings)

I have mine set to: Power On 1500; Inter-key 0; Inter-device 300

These settings work fine for me.

I have also programmed the colored buttons to my display screen. If you need some help with that, just let me know.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Yeah its easier to figure those to the activity screen IMO.


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## shendley (Nov 28, 2005)

Thanks for the feedback. But I don't quite get what you mean in saying you configure the colored buttons on the activity screen. Is there a way to have the activity screen display particular remote commands when you're in a particular activity (say, "Play Pvr")?


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## gc916 (Jun 14, 2007)

shendley,

Yes, there is. Using the software, do the following:

Activities>Watch PVR>Customize Buttons>Additional Buttons

Once there, you can program the "soft" keys on the display with the commands you want, including the colored buttons. Just type the "Label" you want, select the device from the dropdown list, and select the command.


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

Here's a perhaps strange thing I did:

As I use the list button all the time, and the menu button much less frequently, I moved the menu button to a soft key, and mapped the existing menu button to list.

It took about a day to get used to, but my brain quickly adapted.

I also mapped the big up and down arrows to the volume for my receiver in all activities.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Thats what I want to do. Right now I have to change activities to TV in order to change volume then change back to HR20 for everything else. I want the receiver to control sound...Been trying to figure out how to get that done for the past 2 days.


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## Leftcoastdave (Apr 2, 2004)

Baconbeard said:


> Thanks for all the responses. Seems like everyone has a little different opinion, but by and large, everyone loves the Harmony remotes.
> 
> Where is a good place to buy one?


Costco has the 720 for $139+tax. I bought one yesterday.


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## shendley (Nov 28, 2005)

gc916 said:


> shendley,
> 
> Yes, there is. Using the software, do the following:
> 
> ...


Thanks. I missed the "Additional Buttons" feature. Jeez, this remote is about the coolest thing since sliced bread!

Also, setting key delays to the numbers suggested above fixed the problem with the skip to buttons - well, at least, it made them about as hit and miss as my DTV remote. I really wished DTV would get the problem with those functions fixed. I would use them quite frequently if they worked reliably. But that's a rant for another thread.


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## shendley (Nov 28, 2005)

cygnusloop said:


> Here's a perhaps strange thing I did:
> 
> As I use the list button all the time, and the menu button much less frequently, I moved the menu button to a soft key, and mapped the existing menu button to list.
> 
> ...


I may try that myself. I use "list" a lot more than "menu" as well.


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

DCSholtis said:


> Thats what I want to do. Right now I have to change activities to TV in order to change volume then change back to HR20 for everything else. I want the receiver to control sound...Been trying to figure out how to get that done for the past 2 days.


Do you mean that you need to change your DEVICE to TV? Have you actually set up activities yet?

When you first enter your devices into the Harmony software, all that will be set up is the devices. You must build the activities yourself.

At the core, an activity is a blend of your devices functions laid out on the remote keys in a way that makes sense for that activity. Here's a short rundown of my "Watch DVR" activity:

The HR20 is controlled by all the obvious keys; guide, list, info, menu, play, RW, FF, numeric keypad, etc... The colored buttons are all on page 1 of the soft keys. I also have a "macro" for the to do list, the HR20 "back" button, and mute for my A/V receiver audio on page one.

Page two has a few more HR20 functions (such as format) and specific functions for my TV such as the different aspect modes, and color settings. It also has some specific functions for my A/V receiver.

The volume controls the TV volume (the wife likes to use it sometimes), and the up and down arrows control the receiver volume.

The "Watch DVD activity" is similar, but the transport controls all run the DVD in that case. Very similar setup for the TV and A/V receiver functions, though.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Yes the way I have it set now I have to change device to TV to volume up and down then switch back to PVR to control everything else.


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## jutley (Oct 11, 2006)

After using the 890 for the past week I would say it is fantastic! I use the RF to control the HR20, my receiver, CD player, and DVD player and the IR to do the TV. I still have some more tweaking to do to get everything setup just the way I like, but the initial programming was extremely easy. My wife even likes it and has had no problems figuring it out on her own. All I had to show her was the activities screen and where the help button is in case things don't do what she thinks they should.

Now for the real test...bring my Mother over to watch the kids and see if she can figure it out. If she can, anyone can.


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## shendley (Nov 28, 2005)

After playing around with the 890 for about a day I think the remote is very good. It is so easy to program and easy to make it replace every remot I have. But I really don't like the rf system - in particular, all the wires you need to run to each component to control it by rf. I've got an open component stand and there's already enough wires running hither and thither back there. And I couldn't get the little sticky thing to stick well on the HR20 sensor. I think, for my set up, the rf is just more trouble than it's worth. And I was very pleased with how well the ir worked. It's very strong and most of the time it controls my components well with it just sitting by my side on the couch or laying on the coffee table. So I'm going to take the 890 back and get an 880. I think that's going to serve me just as well.


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## jutley (Oct 11, 2006)

shendley said:


> After playing around with the 890 for about a day I think the remote is very good. It is so easy to program and easy to make it replace every remot I have. But I really don't like the rf system - in particular, all the wires you need to run to each component to control it by rf. I've got an open component stand and there's already enough wires running hither and thither back there. And I couldn't get the little sticky thing to stick well on the HR20 sensor. I think, for my set up, the rf is just more trouble than it's worth. And I was very pleased with how well the ir worked. It's very strong and most of the time it controls my components well with it just sitting by my side on the couch or laying on the coffee table. So I'm going to take the 890 back and get an 880. I think that's going to serve me just as well.


With my setup my components are behind glass and the IR didn't work well so the RF is a lifesaver for me. It's interesting you couldn't get the IR blaster to stick to the eye on the HR20 because I couldn't get it to stay either. It sticks just fine on the rest of my components though. I have the blaster just laying on the shelf in front of the HR20 and so far it has functioned well. Has anyone else with the HR20 had the same issue? Anyone able to get it to stick?


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## shendley (Nov 28, 2005)

jutley said:


> It's interesting you couldn't get the IR blaster to stick to the eye on the HR20 because I couldn't get it to stay either. It sticks just fine on the rest of my components though.


Is this another HR 20 bug, then???


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## curlyjive (Jun 13, 2007)

gc916 said:


> Using the software (as opposed to the web interface), you can change delay setttings this way:
> Devices>PVR>Settings>Adjust the delays (speed settings)
> 
> I have mine set to: Power On 1500; Inter-key 0; Inter-device 300
> ...


I was really hoping that this would work on my 550, but it doesn't give me the same functionality to go directly to the begining or end of a program by holding down the RW or FF buttons.

Any other settings work for people with 550's....or other models for that matter?


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## cygnusloop (Jan 26, 2007)

curlyjive said:


> I was really hoping that this would work on my 550, but it doesn't give me the same functionality to go directly to the begining or end of a program by holding down the RW or FF buttons.
> 
> Any other settings work for people with 550's....or other models for that matter?


Press and hold the FF button, _slowly _count to three, then tap the button again. It takes a few tries to get used to it, but then it works every time.


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## curlyjive (Jun 13, 2007)

cygnusloop said:


> Press and hold the FF button, _slowly _count to three, then tap the button again. It takes a few tries to get used to it, but then it works every time.


Saw your tip in another thread....works great, thank you!


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## spartanstew (Nov 16, 2005)

anubys said:


> I love my 676...the only thing I think it misses is that it only has 3 activity buttons (I know you can menu down to more)...the layout of the 676 is perfect, IMO...


We had an 880 for about 1 year, then my 3 year old tossed it across the room and broke the screen. Didn't want to spend that much on a remote again (especially since I didn't know when he'd want to throw it again), so I bought a 676. We like it better than the 880. Sure the 880 was cool with it's color screen, but I think the 676 is easier to use and handle (feel of buttons is much better).


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## bcrab (Mar 7, 2007)

Have a harmony 720, works great.


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## tadam (Dec 8, 2006)

It would be my opinion that for the money, model 659 is one of better bangs for the buck. The display is not in color but I think the buttons that a user will use most frequently are better laid out and there has not been any limitations - functionality wise - that I have yet to encouter. For $85, it's a good deal.


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## Spanky_Partain (Dec 7, 2006)

I have added some docs for harmony remotes that you may find useful...

Check out the posts in these threads...

http://www.dbstalk.com/showthread.php?t=81888&highlight=harmony



Spanky_Partain said:


> Buttons picture...





Spanky_Partain said:


> Button Programing...





Spanky_Partain said:


> Here are the steps with pictures to add a macro to a 880/890 Harmony remote.
> 
> Doc 1 of 3...


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## shaneman (Sep 16, 2006)

I really like my Logitech Harmony Xbox 360 universal remote. It's a good match for the HR20 remote with the color buttons and it's less expensive than other Harmony remotes.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Same here although I have not programmed the colored buttons I have them set it in "Activities". Now to figure out how or IF I can configure my HDMI Switcher to it.


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## Racer88 (Sep 13, 2006)

The 880's button layout sucks for the playback controls. Can't believe they couldn't do any better than this for such a extremely priced remote.


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## machavez00 (Nov 2, 2006)

DCSholtis said:


> Same here although I have not programmed the colored buttons I have them set it in "Activities". Now to figure out how or IF I can configure my HDMI Switcher to it.


I have the 670 and it works with Accell 2:1 switch I have. $99 at frys.com. It switches between my DVD and the HR20.


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## BruceS (Sep 23, 2006)

DCSholtis said:


> Same here although I have not programmed the colored buttons I have them set it in "Activities". Now to figure out how or IF I can configure my HDMI Switcher to it.


I have the Monoprice 4x1 switch. I just learned the commands from the remote that came with the switch and it works fine with both my 880 and 890.


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## donshan (Jun 18, 2007)

I am a newbie here but had home theater since 1999 and tried a bunch of remotes before finding Harmony.

I have had the Harmony 659 and 676 for with a D* HR10-250. When I just upgraded to the HR20 the button layouts just didn't work well, especially how to get the color buttons in an easy to use location.

I just got a new Harmony 720 ( from Costco) and it solved all the button problems. It is the best layout I have ever had. 

First there are labeled buttons for Guide, Info, Menu, and Exit. 

Second the 720 permits all six of the LCD buttons to be labeled which I did as follows:

(Note List- yellow are commonly used for the To Do list and Red- Green scroll the Guide)

List Yellow

Red Green

Back Blue 

I put some other functions on the next LCD Page

After reprogramming the UP ^ also to Back, and the Down arrow to Active
and the */Clear button to put the dash in HD channels xx-x things work great.

There are buttons in the DVR control section for the 6sec Replay and the 30 sec advance in addition to the normal DVR buttons.

With six activities listed for all the rest of the home theater everything works better.

Very happy.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

BruceS said:


> I have the Monoprice 4x1 switch. I just learned the commands from the remote that came with the switch and it works fine with both my 880 and 890.


I have the XtremeHD HDMI Switcher and am trying to figure out how/what to classify it when I go to add device as Xtreme HD is not on the list of manufacturers. Would I place the switch under "Home Appliance"? The more I add to the Harmony the more difficult it seems. But I am learning....slowly....:lol:


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## AlbertZeroK (Jan 28, 2006)

DCSholtis said:


> I have the XtremeHD HDMI Switcher and am trying to figure out how/what to classify it when I go to add device as Xtreme HD is not on the list of manufacturers. Would I place the switch under "Home Appliance"? The more I add to the Harmony the more difficult it seems. But I am learning....slowly....:lol:


there tech support is pretty decent. You might give them a call.

Just add it like an Amplifer, then choose AV Switch, then -Not Listed-, then type in the info and program the remote from your original remote with the codes. Then add this device to your activities.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Great, Thanks AlbertZeroK much appreciated!!


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## houskamp (Sep 14, 2006)

DCSholtis said:


> I have the XtremeHD HDMI Switcher and am trying to figure out how/what to classify it when I go to add device as Xtreme HD is not on the list of manufacturers. Would I place the switch under "Home Appliance"? The more I add to the Harmony the more difficult it seems. But I am learning....slowly....:lol:


I have a MX700, and I just have the codes learned into a hidden page.. I have main page with macros that set all my switching for devices and then drops me to the device I'm using..


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## TimeShifter (Dec 27, 2005)

DCSholtis said:


> I have the XtremeHD HDMI Switcher and am trying to figure out how/what to classify it when I go to add device as Xtreme HD is not on the list of manufacturers. Would I place the switch under "Home Appliance"? The more I add to the Harmony the more difficult it seems. But I am learning....slowly....:lol:


I have the XtremeMac XtremeHD HDMI switch (which I'm assuming is the same switch). I set it up as an Amplifier > Audio/Video Switch and "XtremeMac" is in the manufacturers list.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Yes thats the one. In fact I think that was you I noticed in another thread recommending it so I checked it out and bought it from Amazon.com. Thanks everyone, thanks TimeShifter.


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## Baconbeard (Jun 18, 2007)

Thanks again for all the input. I ended up getting the 670 and am really enjoying it so far. I still have some tweaking left to do, but so far so good.


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## DCSholtis (Aug 7, 2002)

Enjoy it. Hell Im still tweaking mine daily but its kinda fun.


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