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Logitech Harmony Ultimate Remote (1 Viewer)

Raul Marquez

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After MANY years I FINALLY have the Remote I wanted. The Logitech Harmony Ultimate remote is the one I had been waiting for all theses years. It fits perfectly in my hand, has a nice touchscreen and hard buttons. I had previously used a Harmony Link with varying degrees of success, but THIS ONE IS IT!

I now EASILY control my 65 inch curved 4K Samsung TV, my Yamaha RX-A2040, my Oppo 103, a Motorola CableTV/DVR box, another Panasonic Blu-ray player, a Denon DVD, a Panasonic Laserdisc LX-1000 player, a Toshiba HD DVD player, an Apple TV, and bias lights on the back of my display with Sylvania Mosaic LED strips.

Amazingly, without much hazzle, when I start the activity for the bias lights, pressing each of the color buttons on the bottom of the remote lights up that same color on the bias light without any additional remote programing other than specifying the manufacturer (Sylvania) and the model number (419493). AMAZING!

Also my local cable provider here in San Juan, Puerto Rico was listed so my favorite TV channels were also set up with their respective logos.

It's a pricy remote ($322 at Best Buy) but to me it was well worth it. Setting it up for all the above devices took about an hour. You can also use an iOS app supplied by Logitech on iPhones and iPads, and all sync automatically through your Wi-Fi home network.

I'm now considering buying the Logitech Harmony Smart Keyboard which links up with this system to make data entry easier.

My next project is trying to program the remote for an Activity which will start my iTunes library directly through my Apple TV without going through all the various menu screens to access my movie library (~5,000 titles).

Love it!
 

DaveF

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Do you have a previous preference for hard-button or "soft" button remotes? My Harmony One brought martial harmony :) to the living room. But it's several years old, and i've wondered about replacing it. The Ultimate looks like the best option, but I've got reservations about the touchscreen remote versus the simplicity of a hard button remote.

Do you use you iPhone or iPad with the Ultimate?
 

Raul Marquez

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I prefer the simplicity of hard buttons as well. The touchscreen is just right. I basically use it to select the Activity, and then use the hard buttons for everything else. Mind you, I just got this TODAY! .......but I've been using it for over 5 hours so far without any regrets on buying it. Over the past years I used everything from Sony remotes (hard buttons and also the touchscreen one they first had), Universal Remotes, and the Harmony Link with iPads and iPhones, but nothing beats this so far. I wanted a simple to use remote that my girlfriend could also use without having to ask me every 5 seconds how to use it. Programming it was straightforward as well.
I installed the app on both my iOS devices, but really, the remote itself is all I need.
 

David Willow

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I too just got the Ultimate (with the hub). It is replacing an old 680. I was not a fan of the 680's button layout. The Ultimate seems to fix my issues (so far). The layout is very nice and the touch screen beats the awkward button locations on the 680 by a mile.

Plus, as a bonus, I was able to change the background of the touchscreen to a picture of my cat. :D
 

Raul Marquez

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OK,


It's now been 6 days of use on this remote and I have to say...


IT'S AWESOME!


Don't regret this purchase one bit. My girlfriend, my son and anyone else who has used it absolutely LOVES IT!


Only problem was it's price.


This is definitely the remote I was waiting for to put all my other ones to rest.


Raul
 

TimmyBosko

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We have the one that does not have the screen but we got it working and it seems to work when it wants to. Sometimes when we plug it back into the computer and update it, it helps only to start being inconsistent again. We have it set to turn on my TV and receiver at the same time.. It works when it wants to. We rarely get it to turn them on or off twice in a row.

Not real inpressed with it... That one with the screen is way out of our price range atm..
 

David Willow

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It sounds like you have a timing issue. You need to allow more time between commands.

Also, unless you have the hub, make sure you are pointing the remote at the tv and receiver until everything is turned on and on the correct inputs/outputs.
 

TimmyBosko

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David Willow said:
It sounds like you have a timing issue. You need to allow more time between commands.

Also, unless you have the hub, make sure you are pointing the remote at the tv and receiver until everything is turned on and on the correct inputs/outputs.
The only command we use to turn both TV and Rcvr on at the same time is the power button. I am not sure what you mean by the hub.. The only thing we bought was the remote.. Were we supposed to buy a hub with this remote ... Just curious.

Thanks!!
 

Mike Frezon

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The hub is just a device which allows you to use IR signals (meaning that they can pass through doors/walls/etc.).

You don't need one.

But in the absence of one, he was just saying you need to be sure to point the remote at all the devices it is turning on/off at any given time.

My wife is always guilty of pointing the remote at the TV when she's trying to turn it on...but not remembering to point it at the cable box which is located in the cabinet underneath the TV and sometimes blocked by our coffee table.
 

TimmyBosko

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I see.. ok I guess it is possible I was not pointing it directly at both though they are one on top of the other.. I will try it making sure it is pointing directly
at them.. worth a shot.. Thanks
 

DaveF

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I'm configuring my Harmony One for a new Blu-ray player and I'm again annoyed with a limitation, and wonder if it's fixed with the Ultimate line: Does it understand Blu-Ray players and have R/G/Y/B icons?


The Harmony One does not have a "Blu-ray" activity (which is baffling in 2014). You have to setup a blu-ray player as a DVD. This is a trivial problem, except that the automatic setup doesn't include the myriad of Blu menus: Popup, Info, Top, and Home. It only includes the mostly useless DVD holdover of "Disc Menu". Additionally, there are no Red, Green, Yellow or Blue buttons. You can manually add to the touchscreen "Red", etc buttons; but they're text only without any colored icons.

So, long question short, is the Logitech Harmony Ultimate caught up with 2006?
 

TimmyBosko

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Mike Frezon said:
The hub is just a device which allows you to use IR signals (meaning that they can pass through doors/walls/etc.).

You don't need one.

But in the absence of one, he was just saying you need to be sure to point the remote at all the devices it is turning on/off at any given time.

My wife is always guilty of pointing the remote at the TV when she's trying to turn it on...but not remembering to point it at the cable box which is located in the cabinet underneath the TV and sometimes blocked by our coffee table.
Ok I tried pointing it directly at the receiver and tv (Again the TV is right above the receiver) and still only turns both on/off when it wants.. Oh well appreciate the tips and replies..
 

David Willow

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DaveF said:
I'm configuring my Harmony One for a new Blu-ray player and I'm again annoyed with a limitation, and wonder if it's fixed with the Ultimate line: Does it understand Blu-Ray players and have R/G/Y/B icons?


The Harmony One does not have a "Blu-ray" activity (which is baffling in 2014). You have to setup a blu-ray player as a DVD. This is a trivial problem, except that the automatic setup doesn't include the myriad of Blu menus: Popup, Info, Top, and Home. It only includes the mostly useless DVD holdover of "Disc Menu". Additionally, there are no Red, Green, Yellow or Blue buttons. You can manually add to the touchscreen "Red", etc buttons; but they're text only without any colored icons.

So, long question short, is the Logitech Harmony Ultimate caught up with 2006?
Dave, The Ultimate uses a touch screen in place of many (most) buttons on the remote. It can be programmed to display whatever buttons you like. It also has customizeable gestures. You can also use your smartphone as the remote.

If you want physical buttons, you can get the add-on remote.
 

DaveF

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Can the soft buttons have custom icons?The One has a touchscreen, but a "Red" button is only the text "Red". It can't be colored text and it can't be a red icon. There are a few exceptions, such as "Thumbs up" and "Thumbs Down" specifically for Tivo.
 

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