Be Excellent To Each Other

My remote control for my Sony AV receiver has broke again (fixed it before but now it's proper dead). Been looking at getting a universal remote to replace it as the genuine replacement remote is astonishingly expensive.

Been looking at the Logitech Harmony 650 (£60ish), seems pretty damn clever but is it overkill? Should I buy a cheaper model or get something like this and have a 'one remote to rule them all'.

I'm glancing at the Doc as I know he spunks on his remote.

Do these things work properly these days? The last time I had a One-For-All, about 20 years ago, I could only get the TV to work with it, and even then the volume control was reversed.

I have the 555, it is awesome.

I recommend buying one with proper coloured buttons though, as most PVRs use them a hell of a lot.

Overkill? Pschah - I like the Harmony 1100 that Hel bought me enough that I bought a One for the bedroom last week. Both are bigger overkill than that.

Annoyingly, I had to register a second account in the software because settings aren't transferrable. Also annoyingly, the One doesn't have all the buttons for my Marantz amp, and I need them to configure the digital audio inputs as the remote for that is broked.

It has coloured buttons!

Aren't we suppose to say 'Black' these days?

I have the same Harmony with the mono screen. It's only difference I believe.

They work very well. They use 'tasks' such as 'Watch TV' or 'Listen to Music' and set up macros accordingly.

For example, 'Watch TV' switches on my TV, Receiver and Media PC then make sure everything is on the right input, fires up Media Center and opens the Guide.

Ramsea has one of them there Logitec ones of some kind.

I don't like it. The buttons are all wrong for easy Sky+ navigation. He has a remote for his ridiculous amp thing too, so I have to press a button on that to make the TV work and for volume control and it has different settings for the PS3 and xbox. Or something. And then I have to use the Sky remote to change channels; plus he's got this tiny little remote for his thing that makes files from his pc play on the tv.

As you can see, I have no interest in any of it at all but the universal remote is redundant, from what I can tell.

My dear, your husband is doing it wrong.

Or, possibly, not instructed his lady correctly.

It requires stern words and eye contact to teach the female, I find.

Heh, it was ok when he cared but now he just can't be arsed making the effort.....To set it all up properly, obviously. It used to do what DavPaz said, that was before we moved house. 12 months ago. I think he's probably biding his time so he can get a better more expensive one. And then say it's so I can work the technology better.

Coloured buttons sound like they might be useful though.

The 1100 is a great remote. Buy it while you still have money, like I did.

I still hate the software, though.

My poundshop universal remote does the job for a TV I was given a few months ago.

What's the touchscreen like?

EXACTLY

It has coloured buttons!

The Harmony 525 I bought from Grim... is still going strong. Changed my TV last week which required a bit of reprogramming and tinkering (who'd have thought a modern TV would take 10 seconds to warm up to a stage that you can change input?)

God yes.

Ramsea, trying to make the universal remote work

(He's going to love me for this thread, isn't he?)

Shouldn't there be a TV or something for it to work with, rather than just a big gap and some mains sockets?

It's the the Emperor's New TV.

Er... is Ramsea me?

An older, fatter me, obv.

I don't know, what are you doing right now?



He's going to love that.....! He's younger than you are lulz



If the TV was there, he couldn't fanny about with all the wires. He loves fannying about with wires, it's his 2nd favourite thing ever. His favourite thing being his bike and riding it. No, I am not it so no-one even think about saying it and adding

Fuck off the lot of you.

Edit: Oh and btw, the model we (I) have is the 885 which is fine. It also has coloured buttons but Flis's lack of contact lenses appear to have made her blind as well as useless. I have to admit tho, for watching TV you cant beat the SKY remote. The only thing I would really change about it is to have a few, but not too many, extra buttons (and may be some wire ).

Al;so, I have a £1 "universal remote" from poundland. It works pretty well tbf. Doesn't work with my sony surround sound, but works okay for everything else.

It appears JC is back.

I like my harmony one.

you can assign heaps o controls and shit to the touchscreen yo, it can have many 'pages'

Getting the logos for favourite channels on the colour screen is a small hassle, but it looks cool

It was probably a little bit spendy but I'd cleared all my major debts and had a store credit note. The wife thinks it's OK, certainly better than the 5(ish) remotes we had on the table anyway

It does have one LED, albeit a very small one.