• Welcome to The Audio Annex! If you have any trouble logging in or signing up, please contact 'admin - at - theaudioannex.com'. Enjoy!
  • HTTPS (secure web browser connection) has been enabled - just add "https://" to the start of the URL in your address bar, e.g. "https://theaudioannex.com/forum/"
  • Congratulations! If you're seeing this notice, it means you're connected to the new server. Go ahead and post as usual, enjoy!
  • I've just upgraded the forum software to Xenforo 2.0. Please let me know if you have any problems with it. I'm still working on installing styles... coming soon.

My Harmony One is crapping out

Botch

MetaBotch Doggy Dogg Mellencamp
Superstar
Darn it. The Pause button on my 7-year-old Harmony One doesn't work anymore (just wait until your bladder is this old, you'll see).
Logitech doesn't make the One anymore, but a couple new ones are still available on Amazon for about $100. The newer Harmony Ultimate One has come down in price (from $250 to $150, what I paid for my unit) but is a different layout; I've used my current unit long enough that I don't need to even look at it to hit the Play, Pause, FF, RW, Skip, Mute, Volume, Channel, heck every button above the bottom keypad! Would hate to have to retrain that muscle memory.
I also see the Harmony 650 (which is older) is still available for only $25, and it's layout is pretty close to the One. I see there's a thread on it here, will have to do some research.
In the meantime, does anyone have the Ultimate? It features a lot of Home Automation abilities that I have no use for, and again the layout is quite different from the One. Thanks in advance.
 
Ohh I don't like to hear this Botch. I have two Harmony One's, one for HT and one for the living room. not sure how old they are.

I also know the buttons sight unseen.

I'll be interested to see what others chime in on the Ultimate.
 
I have a 650 that, IIRC, I got used on eBay at least 5 years ago. Still works fine.
 
Well.
I watched a DVR-recorded Daily Show, and the Pause worked just fine, so it's not the remote. And an hour later, its working fine on live TV (via a Dish Hopper). So, the DVR must've had a tummyache or something, it seems to be working fine now.
I looked at the Ultimate One more closely, and damn that thing is laid out terribly; the comments on Amazoid seem to confirm that. Now I'm wondering if I should grab one of the leftover Harmony Ones, and squirrel it away if/when my current One does indeed die.
I'm supposing the code database available for the One is still good, but for how long? :wink:
 
I have the Ultimate One and it is excellent. The Hub design is really nice, because you can add additional emitters if your gear is split up and line of sight is not an issue. You can also control it from an app on your phone if you cannot find the remote. It took some doing, but I was even able to get my Harmony Hub to successfully control two systems with a Companion remote dedicated to the Kitchen system and the main remote capable of controlling either. The Alexa integration is also cool, because I can fire the system up or shut it down with voice commands.
 
Scott, the Play/Pause/Stop buttons looked totally hard to reach. Not the case? (I appreciate the input!)
 
The transport keys are slightly awkward, but you get used to it. I don't even think about it anymore. There are other Harmony remotes that work with the Hub, but they are all more expensive. The Ultimate One offers the best overall bang for the buck. The most annoying thing about the setup is that the Hub does need the occasional reboot. On the plus side, it is not limited to IR and can control some things via network or Bluetooth connections. It also integrates with some home automation systems (i.e. SmartThings), so you can control stuff like lights from the remote and include them in your macros. The Ultimate One does not have dedicated buttons for it, but you can still put lighting control in your activities.
 
OK, I'm starting to get pissed now. I've been watching PBS for the past 90 minutes or so and the standard controls aren't working again.

This morning I hit the "Yellow" button, thinking it would do something but it didn't; just now I hit the first color (Red) and it seems to be working okay again. Between that, and Dish's revamping of their whole system a couple weeks ago, the problem(s) may be identified and eventually eliminated.
When you spend more time learning a new system/OS than the new version actually saves you, what's the damn point?? (it sucks being stupid) :oops:
 
Didn't want to start my own thread for this, but how long do you wait before replacing the battery in the One? I'm on my second battery, and I noticed the other day that it has swollen up enough, that I can't remove it without some work, likely. It's probably about time to replace, although it still holds a fair charge and works as desired.
 
How many peeps are still using a Harmony remote? I haven't had to tweak mine in awhile, and I spent about a half an hour looking for a cable that would work with it, but I will give them props for me not remembering my username or password, but there was an option to log in with the remote itself.

One thing I can't give them props for is, how old their database is. They don't even have the option for Bluray, let alone UHD. The codes all work, but I would feel better if it actually listed the player you were trying to enter.
 
I've slowly retired all of my Harmony remotes.
My HT remote got replaced with a URC
The living room and bedroom systems aren't complicated enough to warrant more than the "universal" remote that came with Uverse.
 
How many peeps are still using a Harmony remote? I haven't had to tweak mine in awhile, and I spent about a half an hour looking for a cable that would work with it, but I will give them props for me not remembering my username or password, but there was an option to log in with the remote itself.

One thing I can't give them props for is, how old their database is. They don't even have the option for Bluray, let alone UHD. The codes all work, but I would feel better if it actually listed the player you were trying to enter.

I have two Harmony Ones I use. For Bluray they still use DVD as the device catagory and if you put in the make and model it usually has it. Example - My Oppo BDP-93 is listed under DVD. As long as i can setup my remote I don't care if they call it an avocado ;)

I just went on my Harmony app and tried adding the new Sony UBP-X800 and I purposely listed it wrong as BDP-x-800, it then asked if I meant UBP-x*00 so it does have that in the data base.

I will agree it would be nice if they added some equipment catagories like they having nothing for "Streaming Devices" so not sure where to look for a Roku but added it as a BD player and it accepted it.
 
I agree that it does work, but the anal side of me would like a more thorough list, as well as some categories like you stated. I am glad though that they are still around. It made programming the remote so much easier.
 
How many peeps are still using a Harmony remote?
I'm still using a 650. I haven't bothered to replace the device for the X800, since my previous player was also Sony and the codes still work. I did notice though that there were power-on problems, where sometimes the TV would turn on and immediately shut off again when starting the activity. I just tweaked it now a bit, changing the order of power on, and also disabling the "mutual control via HDMI" settings in the X800 (where I guess it allows some control between connected devices? not sure exactly). Now it seems to work ok.
 
Its funny, I still use my Philips Pronto remote in my HT, which is the only setup I have complicated enough to justify a programmable remote. When watching streaming content, which is 95% of my video viewing, once everything in on and the volume is set, I put the Pronto on the charger and don't touch it again until I turn everything off. I use the small, sleek, and simple Fire TV remote while watching. When listening to music, I do full albums. So, once I get everything turned on and configured (one macro), I only need the remote to start playing and for volume control if I got too aggressive when I first sat down.

I am considering making my next system so streamlined that all I'll have is a preamp with surround decoding, a TV, a single streaming box, and a CD player and nothing else. Remotes will have so much less value that I could retire my Pronto.

I've kept the Pronto going by buying aftermarket batteries for it. Since it uses a NiCad battery pack, the battery will wear out about every two years. It uses off the shelf AA batteries, so I could assemble my own battery pack by salvaging the plugs and wires from old batteries, but that shouldn't be necessary.

The software to program the Pronto will run in "compatibility mode" on Windows 10 and still communicates perfectly over USB, so I have updated the macros and screens a few times in recent months. For instance, I used to have a screen saver which was a photo of my now ex-wife, that had to go. Now I use a photo of a hot bikini babe.
 
I'm still using a 650. I haven't bothered to replace the device for the X800, since my previous player was also Sony and the codes still work. I did notice though that there were power-on problems, where sometimes the TV would turn on and immediately shut off again when starting the activity. I just tweaked it now a bit, changing the order of power on, and also disabling the "mutual control via HDMI" settings in the X800 (where I guess it allows some control between connected devices? not sure exactly). Now it seems to work ok.
I don't remember seeing that setting on the Sony, is it called exactly that? There were a few menu choices that I wasn't sure what they meant, and that may solve my problem I'm having. Also, since updating the remote, when I have to hit the help button, for whatever reason my receiver turns off. Not sure if that's an HDMI issue, or if I mucked something up when updating the remote.
 
Its funny, I still use my Philips Pronto remote in my HT, which is the only setup I have complicated enough to justify a programmable remote. When watching streaming content, which is 95% of my video viewing, once everything in on and the volume is set, I put the Pronto on the charger and don't touch it again until I turn everything off. I use the small, sleek, and simple Fire TV remote while watching. When listening to music, I do full albums. So, once I get everything turned on and configured (one macro), I only need the remote to start playing and for volume control if I got too aggressive when I first sat down.

I am considering making my next system so streamlined that all I'll have is a preamp with surround decoding, a TV, a single streaming box, and a CD player and nothing else. Remotes will have so much less value that I could retire my Pronto.

I've kept the Pronto going by buying aftermarket batteries for it. Since it uses a NiCad battery pack, the battery will wear out about every two years. It uses off the shelf AA batteries, so I could assemble my own battery pack by salvaging the plugs and wires from old batteries, but that shouldn't be necessary.

The software to program the Pronto will run in "compatibility mode" on Windows 10 and still communicates perfectly over USB, so I have updated the macros and screens a few times in recent months. For instance, I used to have a screen saver which was a photo of my now ex-wife, that had to go. Now I use a photo of a hot bikini babe.

Man, I had a hell of a time trying to get the macros programmed on my Pronto and was damn glad when I got my Harmony 1000.
 
Man, I had a hell of a time trying to get the macros programmed on my Pronto and was damn glad when I got my Harmony 1000.

No explaining stupidity. :opera:





Sorry about that. I really didn't mean it.

Everyone has different skills. Perhaps my basic programming skills from the early days of PCs where I wrote batch files which were as long as 1,000 commands made programming the Pronto super easy for me.
 
Back
Top