So Who Makes a Great Universal Remote Control?

BroonsBane

BroonsBane

raisn em up waxin em down
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I'm tired of having remotes littering the coffee table and have decided to start looking for a really good while still affordable universal remote.
I would like this remote to operate all functions of our TV, satellite receiver and HT receiver. What's out there that won't break the bank? What do you guys use?
 
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I use a Harmony. They are so user friendly, you won't believe it. You program it over the internet. On their site, you type in model numbers of your equipment, and download the info to your remote via usb.

With everything off, if you push the "Watch Movie" button, it turns on the tv and puts it on the right input, it turns on the dvd player, and it turns on the A/V receiver and puts it in dvd mode. After the movie, press the "Watch TV" button, and it turns off the dvd player, puts A/V receiver in TV mode, puts TV on right input, turns on satellite receiver. Everything also turns off with one button.

They are extremely wife friendly too. :D
You can find a deal on some Harmony models, sometimes, at Amazon.com.
Good luck with whatever you get.
 
Thanks. I was aware of Harmony, they seem to have quite a few models available. Any other companies to look at?
 
Remote

I went to party Saturday night and met a neighbor up the street whom I had never met. He left an said he needed to check on his son. A little later he showed bearing gifts for the 3 couples. He gave me Harmony's newest universal called the Harmony One. He is the CEO of Logitech.

This thing is awesome, takes 30 minutes online to program. Hey I gained an end table that was full of remotes.
 
idohaz2003 said:
I went to party Saturday night and met a neighbor up the street whom I had never met. He left an said he needed to check on his son. A little later he showed bearing gifts for the 3 couples. He gave me Harmony's newest universal called the Harmony One. He is the CEO of Logitech.

This thing is awesome, takes 30 minutes online to program. Hey I gained an end table that was full of remotes.
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Welcome to AK and thanks kindly for the recommendation :thmbsp:
 
Wow, sounds like a great remote, but I think I'll wait for the CEO to move into our neighbourhood first. $250?

Sounds interesting, though:

"So, for example, if you plug in the Harmony One to your PC via USB, you can input the model numbers of each of those devices to send the correct infrared-code information. About 5,000 manufacturers and 175,000 devices are supported, according to Logitech.

The Harmony 880's LCD touchscreen is also nice and vibrant, which is really the best visual aspect of this thing. It also displays virtual buttons that wouldn't otherwise physically be on the remote. For instance, you could see the same PVR buttons that you would see on your Bell ExpressVu remote displayed on the 880's screen.

It's a pricey proposition, however, at $250 US (Canadian pricing has yet to be confirmed), and the slick piano-black finish is very prone to fingerprints and smudges. It might also take time for some people get used to pressing the right button on the touchscreen without having to look at it - there's something to be said for being able to find physical buttons on a regular remote by feel."
 
Just came home with the Harmony 890, haven't taken it out of the box yet.
I was going to go for the One but I needed a remote to do my satellite receiver as well.
 
BroonsBane said:
Just came home with the Harmony 890, haven't taken it out of the box yet.
I was going to go for the One but I needed a remote to do my satellite receiver as well.
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Good choice. I have an 880 and I am very happy with it. I have had a Pronto and I still own the well regarded Home Theater MX-700. I prefer remotes with buttons and I have never had any problems using the Harmony once I got used to the smaller buttons.

One cool thing about the 880 is that it remembers when stuff is on or off. This is very helpful when you have components without discreet codes. I also like the way it lights up when you pick it up. Most remotes have a button that you need to push to turn on the backlight.
 
uofmtiger said:
Good choice. I have an 880 and I am very happy with it. I have had a Pronto and I still own the well regarded Home Theater MX-700. I prefer remotes with buttons and I have never had any problems using the Harmony once I got used to the smaller buttons.

One cool thing about the 880 is that it remembers when stuff is on or off. This is very helpful when you have components without discreet codes. I also like the way it lights up when you pick it up. Most remotes have a button that you need to push to turn on the backlight.
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Well, so far so good. Only one call to Tech Support but that got my problem sorted out quickly. I was hoping to be able to program my preamp but unfortunately that doesn't seem possible. I like it though, feels good in the hand but like you it will take me a bit to get used to the small buttons.
 
Looked at the site, and have a question: can either of you (Broons, UofM) tell me what the differences are between the 880 and the 890?

TIA
 
i use a PIONEER CU-AV200 (1989). i don't use a programmable remote because i have a problem with a coffee table of remotes, or anything; in fact, i still use my OEM remotes, and a collection of them is something to be proud of! i just happen to like vintage programmable remotes as they are large, sophisticated, and actually look like something a human designed!! (Lady Ayeka+Ergonomic Remote Controls=:mad::grumpy::cry::tears::boring:)

CU-AV20019.jpg

CU-AV200192.jpg

CU-AV2008.jpg

CU-AV2009.jpg

MissAyekaSIZE2007-Current1.jpg
 
I used a Philips Pronto, pretty good with good learning capacity. Drawback is it uses a lot of power, so I had to re-charge every 3 weeks (or I should spend less time listening to music or watching movies and get a life ;) ). Also upgradeble through a pc, but when I got a preamp that couldn't be operated by remote, I sold the Philips.
 
I've seen my big old Marantz remote on SciFi movies where they use it as a weapon. . .

I think a Harmony remote is in my future. I've never been able to get it all on one remote. . . Hopefully this will change soon with the new one.
 
BroonsBane said:
Well, so far so good. Only one call to Tech Support but that got my problem sorted out quickly. I was hoping to be able to program my preamp but unfortunately that doesn't seem possible. I like it though, feels good in the hand but like you it will take me a bit to get used to the small buttons.
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The Harmony 880 and 890 appear to have a "learn from your old remote" function. Did this not work to add your preamp remote?
 
Aage said:
The Harmony 880 and 890 appear to have a "learn from your old remote" function. Did this not work to add your preamp remote?
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Actually I suppose I could do it that way, for basic functions at least like volume. When you access the web to program the remote there is no section for preamps, just amps, A/V receivers etc.
 
Thanks. Also, you mentioned before that you needed to get the 890 in order to use your satellite. What is there about the 880 that is missing in this regard?

ps: when you say satellite, I have BEV. Is that what you mean or is it one of the systems with the large 8' antennas?
 
Aage said:
Thanks. Also, you mentioned before that you needed to get the 890 in order to use your satellite. What is there about the 880 that is missing in this regard?

ps: when you say satellite, I have BEV. Is that what you mean or is it one of the systems with the large 8' antennas?
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Using Logitech's "Check for Compatibility" feature on their website did not show our sat receiver in the database (Starchoice HD) so opted for the model up.
 
BroonsBane said:
Using Logitech's "Check for Compatibility" feature on their website did not show our sat receiver in the database (Starchoice HD) so opted for the model up.
Click to expand...

Wow, so the database varies by model of remote? I never imagined that could be the case. Sounds like Marketing is using the database to push the upscale models!

OTOH, why am I surprised?
 
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