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Hardware Review HTF REVIEW: Harmony 880 Remote (2 Viewers)

Charlie Campisi

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Will New said:



The answer is ... it depends. Because the 2803 has been out awhile it is likely that all of the buttons from the 2803 remote are on Harmony's website. All you would do would be to configure your remote and make sure to include the setup buttons you need (even if you don't specifically designate buttons for the setup features, you can get to the functions through the "device" menus on the harmony remote, but it will be tedious at best. I'd make sure I had a copy of the 2803 manual so that I knew what the buttons were called and could find them on the harmony drop down screen.

Secondly, sometimes there are errors on the harmony site. E.g., A button designated "input" may have the wrong code on the harmony site, so that when you configure remote, it won't work as planned. The fix for that is usually to code it yourself by pointing the 2803 remote at the harmony and uploading it to the website, but you don't have that option. If you run into this problem I have heard, but not experienced first hand, that if you alert harmony customer support, they will obtain a 2803 remote and fix the code on the site for you.

So, while I think you can do what you are trying to do, it may have some hurdles for you to jump. As an alternate solution, have you looked up the model number of the remote and tried to find one on ebay? That may be the easiest route. I know I programmed my Denon 1804 with the factory remote then put it in a drawer when I got my Harmony. I take it out occasionally when I need to use some esoteric function and don't feel like searching through the device menu for it, but that happens like once every 6 months.
 

Will New

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Aug 15, 2005
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Hey Charlie,

thanks for the great advice. I decided to pick up the harmony last night (yeah I have no control). Due to the limitations of the best buy return policy, I now have 20-30 days to figure it out..ahaha
 

Tim Jin

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Jan 12, 2003
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Try calling Harmony's tech support also. They can help you program the remote.

866 291 1505
 

Charlie Campisi

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No problem Will. Tim is right. Harmony's customer service is great. Very helpful and knowledgable. BTW, what I was suggesting was to program your harmony one way during setup, then once you were done, reprogram it to the way you want it for everyday use. First, you can use the unlabeled buttons around the lcd for the setup buttons you need, e.g. test tone. Once you have your 2803 set up correctly, reprogram the harmony and switch the unlabeled buttons to buttons you use for everyday viewing, e.g. PIP, input, aspect ratio.
 

Will New

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Thanks again for the advice. I guess there is a lot to this remote than I expected. However, it will keep me entertained until my next semster of classes begin.

Cheers,

Will
 

Tim Jin

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Jan 12, 2003
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I got my 880 last night, thanks to UPS and Onsale.com.

It was very easy to setup. I just had to go into my existing account for my 688 and tell the site that I have a different model and minutes later, the 880 was programmed to my gear.

I still needed to tweak it to my liking.

It is far better from the 688. The buttons are a lot easier to push. I agreed that the "Channel" and "Volume" buttons are thin and need time to get use to, but it's a great remote.

The design is very nice. I like how it docks in its charging station. I like the design of the remote. It looks and feels like a $250 remote.

The only peeve I have is the glowing light on the charging station.

Is there a way to turn it off, without having to unplug it from the wall?

I fell in love with the 688. It is still a great remote. The layout of the buttons are much more easier to use, especially for DVR, but overall, I am happy with the 880.

By the way, just remember to remove the display sticker off the LCD screen when you get it out of the box.

I was wondering why wasn't the display changing with each command and why the time of the remote remained the same. I finally realized that I still had the display sticker on the LCD.

DOH!!! ;)
 

Ronald Epstein

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I am at work, so I am doing this from memory.

It's the button DIRECTLY BENEATH CENTER of the
LCD screen.

Place the remote in the charger, press and hold
that button and you will see the LCD display dim
to off.

I am so happy to hear that you are enjoying
your 880. After years of enduring more expensive
and cumbersome remotes I continue to love this
one so much more!
 

Will New

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haha. Yeah, my girlfriend pointed out that i didn't put the rechargable battery in when i first got it. ..ahah Double Doh!!!

Turning off the backlight when charging. In the middle of the remote there is a dim button. this will turn off the backlight when charging.

I also have a few pet peeves about the remote. I think the volume and channel buttons are on the wrong side, but i'm use to the Comcast remote..so it will just take some time to retrain myself.

However, I'm still reluctant about keeping the remote as it is $250. Ohh that is 10% of what I plan to spend on a TV..ahah Well I have approx 20 more days on my 30 day return policy so we will see how it warms up to me.
 

Tim Jin

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Thanks Ronald.

I'm not talking about the slide show on the remote when charging. You just have to push the "glow" button on the remote and the LCD will turn off.

I'm referring to the actual docking station. In the middle of the docking station, there is a Logitech logo with a circular led light around it.

Is there a way to turn off that circular light without having to unplug the outlet from the wall?

I have the docking station on my coffee table. It is very distracting when watching TV in the dark, seeing the bright circular light.

Thanks!
 

Will New

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I don't think so, w/o disconnecting the circuit. I guess you can always rest the remote on the recharge when watching tv.
 

kenHT

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Jan 25, 2005
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Tim,
Have you thought of cutting a circular piece of electrical tape and putting it over the the logo light. I've done this with other electronic gear. Just a thought.
 

Tim Jin

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That's a good idea.

Right now, I'm on hold with Harmony on the phone to see what they have to say.

Keep the thread posted.
 

Tim Jin

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Harmony said that is no way to turn the LED light off on the docking station.

It looks like that I will be using tape.
 

Tim Jin

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I just got my remote replaced from Harmony. I was having problems at trying to get it charge on its cradle.

Has anyone else had this problem before?
 

Will New

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It does take a little effort to get the connectors to touch when docking, but I haven't had any problems with charging. They are probably unaligned and need adjusting.
 

Adam Sanchez

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I have been wanting to get this and I have the money now.. but now I am hesitant. I've read many good reviews but then I saw a few very recent and very negative reviews on it at Remote Central and they are making me take some pause. I'm looking for some last minute opinion/reviews. I'm going to get it for under $200 so I know it's a good deal... but still.

If I get this, I want it to work right and replace every button on every remote I have, without exception.

Thanks!
 

Will New

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Hi Adam,

I know the remote is a big investment, but with the wonders of return policy's you can do a test run and return the item if you don't think it is worth the money.

Normally, I probably wouldn't have spent the money on this, but replacing a lost remote was going to cost me 75$ anyway.

Plus, logitech has the best customer service that I've seen. they respond to emails within a day.
 

Ronald Epstein

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Adam,

After a few months using this remote
I think I have discovered the good and
bad...

The remote has its quirks, mainly the fact
that you must place it in the dock very
precise in order for it to charge. There
have been a few times my remote went dead
because I did not have it in the charger
absolutely correct - and this takes practice.
I haven't read the complaints on REMOTE
CENTRAL as of late, but I do remember that
was amongst the biggest.

The remote also once in a while chooses not
to turn on or off a particular piece of
equipment. This could just be a matter of
me not pointing the remote straight ahead and
holding its position until it cycles through
all the commands. Fortunately, when this happens,
I hit the HELP button and it walks me through
turning on or off whatever was missed.

On the plus side, I still think this is a
killer remote for its price. You can spend
lots more and get true remote nirvana, but for
the pricetag, it does mostly what the more
expensive remotes do -- and it does it well.

For the most part, this remote has worked
flawlessly. I love it! Go ahead and buy it!
 

Adam Sanchez

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Just ordered it, so thanks guys. I hope it works well for me. My Ht is not overly complicated, I have 4 devices only... 5 if you cound the Cable Box/DVR as two things (even though it's actually one device from Comcast.)

I'm impatient and want it now now now but I was smart and got it online. I found a great price from an Ebay store. I paid $190 which included Fed Ex shipping so I should hopefully have it by tomorrow.

Ron, thanks for that link with the logos all scaled for the Harmony. I already downloaded the zip which awaits on the desktop. That's gonna be handy. I love the idea of having the icon for the channels.

Can I do any configuring before the remote shows up? If so, how?
 

mylan

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Those of you who want RF capability might want to wait till the 890 Pro comes out later this year.
 

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