Harmony Remotes - One v 900

EndersShadow
EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
in Electronics
Looking at snatching a used remote for my bedroom stuff just to make it easier on the wife.

I currently have 2 Harmony Ones.... One in use in my HT, one for my HTPC and 2 channel gear.....

I know how easy the Harmony One is to use, but was debating the 900 for the RF control.

I figured I could move the One from the HT to the bedroom and use the 900 in the HT. The only "real" complaint I have about the HT w the One is that it normally fails to turn on the Xbox 360 the first time, making you hit "help". Then the Xbox turns on.

That and the line of site from where I sit is fairly compromised...

So school me on RF remotes.... how easy are they to program, do I need a IR sensor for EVERY devices I plan to control, or just the ones that are having trouble? How does all that jazz work.....

Lastly, I'm cheap, so both remotes are used and around 125ish and I dont really want to spend more for a "new" remote unless it really does something special...
"....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)
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Comments

  • ZLTFUL
    ZLTFUL Posts: 5,650
    Dan Dan Dan...

    I have no input on the topic other than to reiterate what I seem to always say to you at some point...
    Finish your other projects before you start new projects!

    Dang kids these days with their rock and roll music and their bell bottomed jeans!
    "Some people find it easier to be conceited rather than correct."

    "Unwad those panties and have a good time man. We're all here to help each other, no matter how it might appear." DSkip
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    ZLTFUL wrote: »
    Dan Dan Dan...

    I have no input on the topic other than to reiterate what I seem to always say to you at some point...
    Finish your other projects before you start new projects!

    Dang kids these days with their rock and roll music and their bell bottomed jeans!

    LOL...... well this is a easy project to some extent... I know how to program a Harmony remote at this point

    And I've wrapped up "most" of my projects....

    Sub Project - Done
    Pre-amp project - waiting on parts (already purchased) to show up
    stereo sub project - on hold due to eD sub moving upstairs
    RS-II project - still in progress
    Wired network project - Taken by accountant under advisement and rejected. Curently under appeal

    Thats all the projects I can think of lol....

    Am I missing some?
    "....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)
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  • teekay0007
    teekay0007 Posts: 2,289
    EndersShadow wrote: »
    Looking at snatching a used remote for my bedroom stuff just to make it easier on the wife.

    What in the heck is going on in that bedroom of yours? :p Wait...please DON'T answer that! TMI already.

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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    teekay0007 wrote: »
    EndersShadow wrote: »
    Looking at snatching a used remote for my bedroom stuff just to make it easier on the wife.

    What in the heck is going on in that bedroom of yours? :p Wait...please DON'T answer that! TMI already.

    Well its a VERY basic setup: Panasonic blu-ray player from Rick & Uverse DVR -> Visio TV -> Polk Surroundbar 2000

    Issue is now that we have a Harmony one downstairs..... we are kinda spoiled.

    The Uverse remote doesn't always work right to switch inputs between the HDMI inputs on the TV. Once it does that then you have to use another remote for the blu-ray player, and if your adjusting the volume you need the Uverse remote back and even then the soundbar doesnt always work with the Uverse volume button either....

    So its more because the Harmony remotes are just so easy to use and my wife is familiar with them and likes it.



    "....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)
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  • trj
    trj Posts: 320
    Ever thought of moving away from overpriced harmony remotes?
    I have Xsight touch and I am super happy with it. Can control 18 devices and has RF. Goes for about $35 new on ebay.
    Check the RMIR forums, they are very helpful. Much more you can do with it than harmony.
    Using it to control everything in my signature along with different activities set for the different devices.
    Sony BDP-S6500 | Raspberry Pi 2 | XBOX One S | Wii --> Yamaha RX-V667 --> Adcom 5006 bridged to 175 watts for front LCR -- >Front: Polk Audio RTi8s | Center: CSi5 | Side Surrounds: RTi4s | Rear surrounds: FXiA4s | Cheap 12" sub woofer|Samsung UN60KU6300
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    trj wrote: »
    Ever thought of moving away from overpriced harmony remotes?
    I have Xsight touch and I am super happy with it. Can control 18 devices and has RF. Goes for about $35 new on ebay.
    Check the RMIR forums, they are very helpful. Much more you can do with it than harmony.
    Using it to control everything in my signature along with different activities set for the different devices.

    How easy is it to program? I dont want to spend another month figuring out how to make it work.

    I'm open to other options, but I'd also say the Harmony One is underpriced for the ease of use it has with regards to setup.

    "....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)
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  • trj
    trj Posts: 320
    EndersShadow wrote: »

    How easy is it to program? I dont want to spend another month figuring out how to make it work.

    I'm open to other options, but I'd also say the Harmony One is underpriced for the ease of use it has with regards to setup.

    It is easy to program. It can be programmed in two ways.
    1) Their factory included web based application, which is nice but limited.
    2) RMIR. There is a bit of learning curve but boy that application kicks some serious butt.

    If you are familiar with harmony programming, then I wouldn't sway you away from them. But after setting all my activities in the remote, I didn't want to buy harmony at all and its not that different from harmony remotes. I was deciding between harmony 700 and Xsight touch, and Xsight won hands down for me.

    It controls 18 devices, has RF, learns from other remotes, rechargeable, touch screen commands, activities and macros can be set.

    For activities:
    One thing it doesnt do and harmony does is, it doesnt track the state of the device. So, if your device doesnt have discrete commands (codes) for on and off, it will only act as a power button. Effectively, turning OFF the device if its ON and vice versa. I have that problem with my TV, because I have a cheap TV and doesnt have discrete codes for ON/OFF. All my other devices have the discretes and all is good.

    Sony BDP-S6500 | Raspberry Pi 2 | XBOX One S | Wii --> Yamaha RX-V667 --> Adcom 5006 bridged to 175 watts for front LCR -- >Front: Polk Audio RTi8s | Center: CSi5 | Side Surrounds: RTi4s | Rear surrounds: FXiA4s | Cheap 12" sub woofer|Samsung UN60KU6300
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  • aboroth00
    aboroth00 Posts: 1,106
    Ever thought about the Harmony hub and using your tablet to control your devices? I just use a Samsung tablet which has IR myself but my setup is extremely simple (Sonos, Oppo BD, TV). I always found the Harmony devices overpriced for their hardware considering you can get a tablet for a touch more.
    2Ch Tube Audio Convert
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  • Joey_V
    Joey_V Posts: 8,552
    I'm getting a Harmony remote too, so I'm watching this thread.
    Magico M2, JL113v2x2, EMM, ARC Ref 10 Line, ARC Ref 10 Phono, VPIx2, Lyra Etna, Airtight Opus1, Boulder, AQ Wel&Wild, SRA Scuttle Rack, BlueSound+LPS, Thorens 124DD+124SPU, Sennheiser, Metaxas R2R
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    So for now I just settled on moving my Harmony one from my 2 channel setup to the bedroom for my wife.

    I dont have my pre-amp ready with a remote volume control, or the computers IR sensor working with XBMC yet either.

    So for now I will just let the couple I saw go and wait till I need it for my 2 channel room before buying something new.
    "....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)
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  • oldrocker
    oldrocker Posts: 2,590
    Mostly clueless to the conversation but I will be at a place this weekend that has boxes of used remotes and if I see a One V 900? in the mix I'll grab it for you.
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited March 2015
    oldrocker wrote: »
    Mostly clueless to the conversation but I will be at a place this weekend that has boxes of used remotes and if I see a One V 900? in the mix I'll grab it for you.

    Awesome, thanks man.

    PM me the location just for giggles... Always like to know where folks honeyholes are :smile:

    "....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)
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  • oldrocker
    oldrocker Posts: 2,590
    No don't twist my arm so hard, I'm old and feeble... :s
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    oldrocker wrote: »
    No don't twist my arm so hard, I'm old and feeble... :s

    But you want that information passed down to younger audiophiles so when you go its not lost.....

    Plus its not like your 10 mins away hehehe.... Your a good hour plus and its hard to justify that for a hunting trip... Now if I'm up there on business hehehe
    "....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)
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  • teekay0007
    teekay0007 Posts: 2,289
    trj wrote: »
    I have Xsight touch and I am super happy with it. Can control 18 devices and has RF. Goes for about $35 new on ebay.
    Check the RMIR forums, they are very helpful.

    Can't seem to locate the Xsight touch. Got a link to the one you're speaking of?

    What are the RMIR forums?

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  • DaveHo
    DaveHo Posts: 3,529
    I think this is it: amazon.com/Acoustic-Research-ARRX18G-Discontinued-Manufacturer/dp/B002N1J7DU

    Has almost as many one star reviews as five. Not a good sign in my book. I also, don't see them going for $35.
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  • trj
    trj Posts: 320
    I ordered this:
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/181512636165

    I think the listing ended. Although the description says used for some reason. I received a factory packed remote for $36. :)


    Don't know about others, I haven't had any issues with it yet since December and I use it daily. Also, I don't have any kids or pets, so the remote gets treated pretty well. Hopefully it will continue working fine. I really don't want to create and customize the activities if I switch to a different device or I will buy the same model remote and load my saved settings (Its possible).
    Sony BDP-S6500 | Raspberry Pi 2 | XBOX One S | Wii --> Yamaha RX-V667 --> Adcom 5006 bridged to 175 watts for front LCR -- >Front: Polk Audio RTi8s | Center: CSi5 | Side Surrounds: RTi4s | Rear surrounds: FXiA4s | Cheap 12" sub woofer|Samsung UN60KU6300
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  • trj
    trj Posts: 320
    teekay0007 wrote: »

    Can't seem to locate the Xsight touch. Got a link to the one you're speaking of?

    What are the RMIR forums?

    This is what I ordered, in December 2014.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/181512636165


    RMIR are remote master JP1 forums.
    Here is the link that is solely focused on Xsight touch.

    http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14804&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0
    Sony BDP-S6500 | Raspberry Pi 2 | XBOX One S | Wii --> Yamaha RX-V667 --> Adcom 5006 bridged to 175 watts for front LCR -- >Front: Polk Audio RTi8s | Center: CSi5 | Side Surrounds: RTi4s | Rear surrounds: FXiA4s | Cheap 12" sub woofer|Samsung UN60KU6300
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  • teekay0007
    teekay0007 Posts: 2,289
    trj wrote: »
    teekay0007 wrote: »

    Can't seem to locate the Xsight touch. Got a link to the one you're speaking of?

    What are the RMIR forums?

    This is what I ordered, in December 2014.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/181512636165


    RMIR are remote master JP1 forums.
    Here is the link that is solely focused on Xsight touch.

    http://www.hifi-remote.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=14804&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0

    Thanks for the info trj. I'm glad it's working for you. However, on Amazon right now they are going for $185 (shipped) and have far-less-than-stellar reviews - a third of which are one or two stars, out of a possible five - from 257 customers.

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  • trj
    trj Posts: 320
    teekay0007 wrote: »

    Thanks for the info trj. I'm glad it's working for you. However, on Amazon right now they are going for $185 (shipped) and have far-less-than-stellar reviews - a third of which are one or two stars, out of a possible five - from 257 customers.

    At $185, I'd probably go for harmony as well. But if you can get the Xsight touch below $40, definitely give it a try.
    Sony BDP-S6500 | Raspberry Pi 2 | XBOX One S | Wii --> Yamaha RX-V667 --> Adcom 5006 bridged to 175 watts for front LCR -- >Front: Polk Audio RTi8s | Center: CSi5 | Side Surrounds: RTi4s | Rear surrounds: FXiA4s | Cheap 12" sub woofer|Samsung UN60KU6300
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited March 2015
    trj wrote: »
    teekay0007 wrote: »

    Thanks for the info trj. I'm glad it's working for you. However, on Amazon right now they are going for $185 (shipped) and have far-less-than-stellar reviews - a third of which are one or two stars, out of a possible five - from 257 customers.

    At $185, I'd probably go for harmony as well. But if you can get the Xsight touch below $40, definitely give it a try.

    Yup considering I found a Harmony One and 900 both used but for under 130 shipped to my door.

    For now I've bypassed the issue by moving some gear around so I have a remote for my computer, but it doesnt control the computer so I still need my keyboard and mouse for that.

    "....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)
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  • Sherardp
    Sherardp Posts: 8,038
    The One is still the center of controlling my dedicated theater room.
    Shoot the jumper.....................BALLIN.............!!!!!

    Home Theater Pics in the Showcase :cool:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showcase/view.php?userid=73580
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