HTF REVIEW: Harmony 880 Remote - Page 3

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.

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

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

866 291 1505

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.

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

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!!!

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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!

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.

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?

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

Hey all

Just a followup. I got this yesterday morning. (Ordered Friday morning via Ebay store, got it in almost exactly 24 hours.)

i LOVE this thing, This is the remote I have always wanted. Back in the Day I use to want a Pronto, but I am glad this now exists. The remote feels great, looks great, and of course works great.

I have no worries about it not controlling any of my devices because for all of it it gave me WAY MORE commands than they actually have. I don't know why it did that, but I simply deleted the extra commands. I have the pages for each device perfectly set to my liking. I figure now that I have my first DVR and WS TV with HD, this remote was needed.

Only a few minor things. I am probably mistaken, but I could of sworn I read you could do more than 16 favorite channels with logos. I thought I read somewhere you could do 8 pages. Was I mistaken?

The web setup mentions something about the TV listings but I have no idea how to access this feature... or if it's even working... on my remote.

No complaints though. It's wonderful. Last remote I will need for a long long long time to be sure!

No follow up? Still lovin' my remote though...

I just picked up an 880. It didn't take long to fully charge, and the web setup had it running just like that. I've already modified its default setting to add the "stretch" control for the PVR (SA 8300HD) to the main activity window (else it was on page 4 of the PVR menu!) I'm sure I'll be doing plenty of tweaks in the next few days, but by and large, this thing woks great!

Thanks Ron for the review - that was the clincher for me!

Ron,

Was the replacement base any different? Is anything noticably improved? I love this remote too. I'm so glad I got one.

Based on Ron's review, I picked one up yesterday. I'm not at all disappointed - this is a great remote! Also, it appears Logitech has fixed the docking station problem, as my remote easily latches on to the power in the cradle.

This may seem like an odd question, but is there any way to tell if you have a good base or not?

I got my 880 not even 2 months ago, but it was bought online (new) so who knows the manufactur time. Far as I can tell, and I was aware of it from the reviews, it seems to charge fine. If I just kind of drop it into the base I hear the beep and I know it's charging. Sometimes I will have to tap it down with my finger but nothing at all troublesome. I would guess I probably have one that's fine.

Sound like that's the case to you?

I love how "Future proof" it is... at least to me. As if the constantly updated web setup wasn't enough, it can also learn other remotes. I don't buy components very often... in fact it will most likely be years before I get anything new so this remote can theoretically last me indefinately.

In other news, I think my charger is fine. It works with very minimul placing/fiddling. Usually none at all.