Remote Control 101

[admin_exported]

After installing all my HT together, I realised how many remotes I have sitting on the coffee table. I know you can use a universal remote, so I'd like to hear of your experiences as to how easy they are to program and use. I admit I like the individual remotes as I can just pick up the right one and press the labeled buttons. Is this the case with the Universal remotes? What happens when you don't have a remote code for the device?

Which universal remotes are the ones to look at?

 

[professorhat]

The Logitech Harmony 555 replaced my six remote controls about a year and a half ago and I haven't looked back since. With these series of remotes, you plug the remote into a PC / Mac using a USB cable, then input all the devices through a Windows / Mac application that comes with it (so no need to find out codes, just type in the make and model), then setup Activities based around these.

An Activity is something you setup which means you can control all relevant AV devices for that activity from the remote e.g. watching a Blu-ray for me involves my TV, my Blu-ray player and my AV amp. With an Activity set up for this, the volume buttons on the remote control the volume on my AV amp, whilst the Play, Stop, Pause buttons control my Blu-ray player. I also have some of the assignable buttons on the screen assigned to things such as changing the aspect of the TV. Essentially, you can assign any button on the remote to any remote signal of any of the devices involved in that Activity so it's extremely flexible. I have the following Acivities setup:

Watch TV (involves my PVR, my TV and my AV amp for sound);

Watch Film (involves my Blu-ray player, my TV and AV amp);

Play PS3 (involves my TV and my AV amp - PS3 needs an additional dongle to control it which I don't have yet);

Listen to Music (involves my Apple TV, my TV and AV amp);

Play Xbox 360 (involves my Xbox 360, my TV and AV amp);

Listen to CDs (involves my CD player and AV amp).

If all your devices are kept in standby, pressing the one Activity button will switch on all the relevant devices for you, plus set your TV or AV amp to the correct inputs to ensure you're getting picture and sound. If you then press another Activity, it knows which devices are switched on and will simpy switch the input e.g. switching from "Watch a Film" to "Watch TV" will switch off the Blu-ray player, switch on the PVR, then change the TV and AV amp inputs so they are correct for the PVR. This makes my pretty complex AV setup very easy for someone like my other half to use, as she just has to press the one button and everything is setup by itself. Even if you're not happy with keeping everything in standby, by switching everything on first, then pressing the Activity button, you get all the benefits of controlling all the relevant devices from one remote control.

Issues? Well, to get everything setup perfectly does take some time. To start off with, the best bet is to just program in all your devices, then setup some basic activities and start using it. You'll then be tweaking it, probably for about 1-2 weeks after until you've got all the buttons you use most often in easily accessible places. Once this is done, you won't need your old remotes! For this reason though, if you have one, I'd install the setup program on a laptop so you can have this with you on the sofa as you tweak it!

Also, you do need to ensure that when first powering on using an Activity button that you keep the remote pointed towards your system until everything is switched on, otherwise there's a chance something gets missed and you then have to sort out this issue using the Help system, which is good, but can be bit of pain. This is especially true if you have quite a complex setup so for people who don't really understand the issue, it can be frustrating. However, if the remote is kept pointed until it stops flashing, all should be well.

There's loads of different models of Harmony (see here for the current models). The One is the current WHF favourite, but quite expensive at around £100 - I find the 555 does all I need and this can still be picked up for about £50.

 

[Lee H]

Another top answer professorhat. Can you explain the PS3 bit in more detail? The remote for that is bluetooth so how does a universal cope with that?

 

[professorhat]

You need the Adaptor for the PS3 - this accepts the infrared commands from your Harmony remote and translates them into Bluetooth signals.

 

[Lee H]

Presumably it has to be in eye line for the IR to work?

 

[professorhat]

Indeed, but not in eye line of the PS3 since Bluetooth isn't directional. So it could go anywhere on your TV / AV rack that's in eye line of yourself and the remote, but the PS3 wouldn't necessarily need to be close to it.

 

[Anonymous]

Wow... awesome post Professor Hat!

I'll google the 555.

Just a few dummy questions:

- how long does the batteries last?

- when changing batteries, do all the settings / activities get erased?

- how difficult is it to use the universal as a dedicated device remote? For example, let's say I have 4 remotes (TV, Amp, DVD, Media player). I know where each button is on those remotes and they all serve a specific function. These buttons are labeled. How does the universal remote map them and are the functions easy to find? I assume the universal remote cannot label the buttons right?

Thanks.

 

[Anonymous]

what do you think of the Logitech Harmony 600?

 

[professorhat]

No probs!

dimmies: how long does the batteries last?

Mine last a few months generally. And the remote gets used a lot.

dimmies:when changing batteries, do all the settings / activities get erased?

No, everything is stored for when that happens. You also setup everything in an online profile, so all your settings are stored on the Logitech website. This means even if you get a faulty remote and have to have it replaced, you still won't lose all your settings and activities.

dimmies:how difficult is it to use the universal as a dedicated device remote? For example, let's say I have 4 remotes (TV, Amp, DVD, Media player). I know where each button is on those remotes and they all serve a specific function. These buttons are labeled. How does the universal remote map them and are the functions easy to find? I assume the universal remote cannot label the buttons right?

You can map any button on the Logitech remote to any remote control function of any of the AV devices associated with that Activity. So if you want Play on your Blu-ray player to be controlled by the number 3 on the Logitech remote, you can set that up. It really is that flexible. By default of course, it sets up the logical buttons for you, so the Play button would be assigned to being the Play control on your Blu-ray player. But it's all changeable (which is why I've said it takes about a week or two to tweak exactly to your liking).

On the 555 (and the 600) you also have the buttons next to the screen - you can label these buttons anything you like so that your label appears on the screen next to these buttons which should cater for what you want here. There's only four buttons, but you should be able to see from the pictures that there's arrow keys underneath, meaning you actually have many more available simply by paging through. A lot of functions you don't use often can be stored here so they're easily available when you need them.

Finally, there's also the Devices button. Click on this and you can choose a specific device and access all the remote controls for that device through this. Properly setup, this means you'll never need the original remote again.

dimmies:what do you think of the Logitech Harmony 600?

It's a fine looking remote and is more erganomic than the 555 in my opinion. However, the only two downsides compared with the 555 that I can see are (a) the 555 can replace up to 15 remote controls, the 600 can only replace 5 and (b) the 555 supports Sequences i.e. the ability to setup Macros whereby one button can trigger 5 remote control commands e.g. to go to the Game mode on my TV needs the TV Menu button to be pressed, then a couple of directional buttons, then OK. I can setup a Sequence with those commands programmed in so I just press one button on the Harmony and it sends all those commands for me, making life easier. For some reason, Logitech have removed these from the newer generation of remotes, so you wouldn't get that functionality with the 600.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks again Professor Hat.

Sequences sounds like a good bit of functionality. This is quite similar to activities right, except that activities apply to multiple remotes?

From what you say, the newer generations gain ergonomics and lose functionality. I'll try find a 555, though after a quick search, there are no new ones for sale. I can find a 785, but for the price they are asking, it's similar in price to a Harmony One

 

[Anonymous]

I've also located a 525, though it does not seem to do as much as the 555.