All I Wanted For Christmas Was A (Few) Harmony One Remote(s)
DarqueKnight
Posts: 6,765
Overview
Hand-held universal remote with back-lighted buttons, full color customizable touch-screen and rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Programming is through learning infra-red commands from another remote and/or downloading original equipment remote code profiles from the Logitech website.
Introduction
I thought a Logitech Harmony One (H1) would be a good solution for consolidating the nine remotes used with my home theater components. I liked it so much that I bought three more for my two channel, home office and master bedroom systems. The PS Audio P5 and P10 AC regenerators were the only components that did not have command code profiles in Logitech's database. All of my vintage components, like my twenty-three year old Yamaha CDX-1110U CD player, were included in Logitech's database. For components not included in the database, the H1 can learn commands from the original remote. Logitech's remote code database is searchable on their website. Sometimes the database is not available due to high traffic volume.
Setup
The manual and quick-start guide were well-written and easy to follow. The only problems I encountered were with the Sony TA-P9000ES surround sound preamp in the home theater system and the Pass Labs X0.2 preamp in the two channel system. The X0.2 is in Logitech's database, but the X0.2 did not respond to commands after programming from Logitech's database. The H1 had to learn the X0.2's commands from the original remote in "raw" mode. Raw mode is the exact same format as the original remote. There was also a trial and error process with learning the X0.2's codes. If I held the original remote button for two long, the H1 would record two or three signal pulses. Pressing a mis-programmed button once gave the same result as if the button had been pressed two or three times. If I held the original remote button not long enough, no signal was captured by the H1. The TA-P9000ES codes that were downloaded from the Logitech database would only work if I was within three feet of the preamp. Copying the TA-P9000ES's remote codes, in raw mode, from the original remote worked properly at a distance.
Figure 1. Home theater remote SWAT team and their replacement in the foreground.
Figure 2. Home theater remotes before.
Figure 3. Home theater remote after: A Zen-like simplification of the electronic control process.
Figure 4. The home theater H1 is programmed with six different activity profiles. A group of components to be
used in a specific activity (movie, broadcast TV, music, etc.) can can be turned on with one touch on the
touch-screen.
The only home theater components the H1 cannot (currently) fully control are the PS Audio P5 and P10 AC regenerators. But then, the P5 and P10 remotes do not fully control them either. When the P5 and P10 were introduced to market in January of 2011, people were appalled to find that, unlike the previous Power Plant Premier, they did not come with remotes. PS Audio said that they believed a remote would be redundant for two reasons:
1. They expected customer interaction to be "up close", particularly with regard to reading and working through the touch-screen displays.
2. The P5 and P10 can be fully controlled and monitored through their Internet interface: individual zones can be turned on/off, the unit can be turned on/off, the display can be turned on/off, zones can be named and distortion, voltage and power output can be monitored.
In addition to reasons 1 and 2, PS Audio felt that people already had enough remotes and would appreciate not having to add to the clutter.
After months of pleading from P5/P10 owners, PS Audio provided free remotes that were actually re-purposed Power Plant Premier remotes. PS Audio eventually understood that not everyone wanted to interact with their P5 or P10 while standing next to it or through a cumbersome Internet or cell phone/Internet interface.
In my case, I have three power amplifiers connected to individually switched "zones" on the home theater's P10. I would like to be able to turn those zones on and off with the remote. PS Audio says this functionality is possible with the existing circuitry, but would require a completely redesigned remote (which is what they should have provided in the first place). They said they would look into it.
Figure 5. Master bedroom remote group.
The remote code profile for the Polk Audio DSW-MicroPRO 4000 subwoofer was found under the "amplifier" category.
Figure 6. A single, elegantly styled and fully back-lighted remote fits in better with my contemporary decor.
Figure 7. Such Good Control.
Hand-held universal remote with back-lighted buttons, full color customizable touch-screen and rechargeable lithium-ion battery. Programming is through learning infra-red commands from another remote and/or downloading original equipment remote code profiles from the Logitech website.
Introduction
I thought a Logitech Harmony One (H1) would be a good solution for consolidating the nine remotes used with my home theater components. I liked it so much that I bought three more for my two channel, home office and master bedroom systems. The PS Audio P5 and P10 AC regenerators were the only components that did not have command code profiles in Logitech's database. All of my vintage components, like my twenty-three year old Yamaha CDX-1110U CD player, were included in Logitech's database. For components not included in the database, the H1 can learn commands from the original remote. Logitech's remote code database is searchable on their website. Sometimes the database is not available due to high traffic volume.
Setup
The manual and quick-start guide were well-written and easy to follow. The only problems I encountered were with the Sony TA-P9000ES surround sound preamp in the home theater system and the Pass Labs X0.2 preamp in the two channel system. The X0.2 is in Logitech's database, but the X0.2 did not respond to commands after programming from Logitech's database. The H1 had to learn the X0.2's commands from the original remote in "raw" mode. Raw mode is the exact same format as the original remote. There was also a trial and error process with learning the X0.2's codes. If I held the original remote button for two long, the H1 would record two or three signal pulses. Pressing a mis-programmed button once gave the same result as if the button had been pressed two or three times. If I held the original remote button not long enough, no signal was captured by the H1. The TA-P9000ES codes that were downloaded from the Logitech database would only work if I was within three feet of the preamp. Copying the TA-P9000ES's remote codes, in raw mode, from the original remote worked properly at a distance.
Figure 1. Home theater remote SWAT team and their replacement in the foreground.
Figure 2. Home theater remotes before.
Figure 3. Home theater remote after: A Zen-like simplification of the electronic control process.
Figure 4. The home theater H1 is programmed with six different activity profiles. A group of components to be
used in a specific activity (movie, broadcast TV, music, etc.) can can be turned on with one touch on the
touch-screen.
The only home theater components the H1 cannot (currently) fully control are the PS Audio P5 and P10 AC regenerators. But then, the P5 and P10 remotes do not fully control them either. When the P5 and P10 were introduced to market in January of 2011, people were appalled to find that, unlike the previous Power Plant Premier, they did not come with remotes. PS Audio said that they believed a remote would be redundant for two reasons:
1. They expected customer interaction to be "up close", particularly with regard to reading and working through the touch-screen displays.
2. The P5 and P10 can be fully controlled and monitored through their Internet interface: individual zones can be turned on/off, the unit can be turned on/off, the display can be turned on/off, zones can be named and distortion, voltage and power output can be monitored.
In addition to reasons 1 and 2, PS Audio felt that people already had enough remotes and would appreciate not having to add to the clutter.
After months of pleading from P5/P10 owners, PS Audio provided free remotes that were actually re-purposed Power Plant Premier remotes. PS Audio eventually understood that not everyone wanted to interact with their P5 or P10 while standing next to it or through a cumbersome Internet or cell phone/Internet interface.
In my case, I have three power amplifiers connected to individually switched "zones" on the home theater's P10. I would like to be able to turn those zones on and off with the remote. PS Audio says this functionality is possible with the existing circuitry, but would require a completely redesigned remote (which is what they should have provided in the first place). They said they would look into it.
Figure 5. Master bedroom remote group.
The remote code profile for the Polk Audio DSW-MicroPRO 4000 subwoofer was found under the "amplifier" category.
Figure 6. A single, elegantly styled and fully back-lighted remote fits in better with my contemporary decor.
Figure 7. Such Good Control.
Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country!
Post edited by DarqueKnight on
Comments
-
I bought my second H1 a little while back. Love them. However, I've since realized that in addition to controlling my Squeezebox with an Android app (which I've been doing for a few years), I can now control my networked AVR via another app. I still need my H1 for other activities, but when I want to listen to music, I don't even touch the remote anymore - just walk into the room and pull my phone from my pocket.
It is nice that you're paying homage to the Harmony One, though. A very fine product that just works. Extremely customizable, too. Have you checked out the custom icons for your favorite channels, here: http://www.iconharmony.com/icons/home? -
I love mine. One of these days I will sit down and actually look deeper into the manual for all the other cool stuff I can make it do lol. Right now it just does the basics for me and I am totally fine with that lol. It replaced 6 remotes in my HT."....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
-
mdaudioguy wrote: »However, I've since realized that in addition to controlling my Squeezebox with an Android app (which I've been doing for a few years), I can now control my networked AVR via another app.
My phone is turned off 95% of the time.
mdaudioguy wrote: »Have you checked out the custom icons for your favorite channels, here: http://www.iconharmony.com/icons/home?
I didn't know that custom icons were available. Thanks.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
I thought this thread was going to be about how the remote was found to be "wanting", and that you were forced to make your own, improved version !
-
Sweet! I'll give that a try.:cheesygrin:
-
I agree the Harmony 1 is a great remote. It is the only HT purchase that my wife approved of. In fact, she liked it so much, she bought one for her mom for Christmas!
-
I just received a second H1 from Logitech even though I was able to fix the battery swelling issue on my original. I just wish Logitech would come out with more themes for these things, other than that it controls my theater with no problems at all.Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!
Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580 -
Using factory remotes to control ones system is insane. No one should have a system without some type of universal remote control. The amount of money one would spend on batteries alone to power 7 remotes or so would pay for the universal remote over time. Not to mention most have rechargeable battery'sDan
My personal quest is to save to world of bad audio, one thread at a time. -
This would work OK, just need a larger than average felt cradle.:cheesygrin:
universalremotecontrol.jpg -
Using factory remotes to control ones system is insane. No one should have a system without some type of universal remote control. The amount of money one would spend on batteries alone to power 7 remotes or so would pay for the universal remote over time. Not to mention most have rechargeable battery's
I have had 7+ remotes as far back as I can remember and they still use the original batteries. Granted, I never use all 7 at one time, but at various times depending on what combination of components I'm using. The battery issue is a weak excuse to get a universal. I have my reasons for not getting a universal and it's mostly because I rarely need more than 2-3 remotes at any given time and one of those remotes I can use an app on my Droid.
H9"Appreciation of audio is a completely subjective human experience. Measurements can provide a measure of insight, but are no substitute for human judgment. Why are we looking to reduce a subjective experience to objective criteria anyway? The subtleties of music and audio reproduction are for those who appreciate it. Differentiation by numbers is for those who do not".--Nelson Pass Pass Labs XA25 | EE Avant Pre | EE Mini Max Supreme DAC | MIT Shotgun S1 | Pangea AC14SE MKII | Legend L600 | BlueSound Node 3 - Tubes add soul! -
I've went through 2 Harmony Ones in the past 3 years. My kids kept dropping them, the touch screen shattered both times. I have the 700 now and am pretty happy with it. It doesn't have the cool factor of the One. I really like your remote gdb.
-
I Wish it/she were mine !
-
I have used Harmony remotes for years and am a Customer for life.
-
Still waiting for the HAL9000 voice command remote ! Or, better still Eureka's SARAH (short for Self Actuated Residential Automated Habitat)!
-
I Wish it/she were mine !
I imagine that the maintenance costs for that kind of remote are quite high...maybe even exorbitant...depending on which model you "buy".
Good luck.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
DarqueKnight wrote: »I imagine that the maintenance costs for that kind of remote are quite high...maybe even exorbitant...depending on which model you "buy".
Good luck.
I'm pretty sure you could easily afford it :biggrin: ........ I love the table you got them remotes on . You have some really nice stuff in that pad dude -
Thanks Ray for the review of sorts, Now I'm going to have get one (Been thinking about it). I do have to say that your OP made me think of one thing a line from "Alice's Restaurant".
"twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one,"
Peace, Love, Dope :cheesygrin:“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain -
polkfarmboy wrote: »I'm pretty sure you could easily afford it :biggrin:
Sure...but the theme of this thread, and the main purpose of universal remotes is simplifying life. Aside from the maintenance costs, which are considerable, that kind of remote is notorious for complicating a man's life. Surely you must know that that kind of remote is capable of making multiple copies of itself. You could potentially end up with way more "remotes" than you started with.polkfarmboy wrote: »I love the table you got them remotes on . You have some really nice stuff in that pad dude
Thank you. All the money I save not buying and maintaining biologically-based remotes is put to good use.:cheesygrin:Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
Thanks Ray for the review of sorts, Now I'm going to have get one (Been thinking about it). I do have to say that your OP made me think of one thing a line from "Alice's Restaurant".
"twenty seven eight-by-ten colour glossy pictures with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one,"
I had to Google this. Very interesting story behind the song. I have ordered a CD of the 1967 version.Proud and loyal citizen of the Digital Domain and Solid State Country! -
I find it funny that I even remember anything from the 60's. :redface:
For anyone interested. The original in 2 part harmony.
Part 1:
http://youtu.be/JmyXTOHC3w8
Part 2:
http://youtu.be/qA83Xsj4WHM
Some Wikipedia links.
Alice' Restaurant
There was even a movie made.
Alice's Restaurant Film“The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” ~ Mark Twain -
Yep love my Harmony One. I also had the Xbox specific Harmony which was pretty decent but the rechargeable battery and color touch screen are pretty slick.
