Logitech bows out of the Harmony Universal Remote market (1 Viewer)

[ManW_TheUncool]

Just checked Amazon and can't believe how much all the (mostly used/refurbed) Harmony remotes cost now, including the modest 650 I've been using. Woulda ordered another if it's remotely close to what I paid 2-3 years ago, but alas...

Well, I do have a spare one w/ a damaged LCD (that obscures one corner), so...

_Man_

 

[DavidJ]

Just checked Amazon and can't believe how much all the (mostly used/refurbed) Harmony remotes cost now, including the modest 650 I've been using. Woulda ordered another if it's remotely close to what I paid 2-3 years ago, but alas...

Well, I do have a spare one w/ a damaged LCD (that obscures one corner), so...

_Man_

Ugh. I was hoping to pick up another one.

 

[dpippel]

Yeah, it looks like a repeat of the space gray HomePod situation a few weeks ago, right after Apple announced they were discontinuing the device. White HomePods were readily available, but space gray sold out everywhere rather quickly. Now they're going for $450+ on eBay.

 

[SamT]

I am not a HT "enthusiast". I have one TV and one Soundbar and I need a proper universal remote. How am I supposed to control 3-4 players. Apple TV, Shield TV, other streaming TVs.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Just checked Amazon and can't believe how much all the (mostly used/refurbed) Harmony remotes cost now, including the modest 650 I've been using. Woulda ordered another if it's remotely close to what I paid 2-3 years ago, but alas...

Well, I do have a spare one w/ a damaged LCD (that obscures one corner), so...

_Man_

I ordered a 665 last week right after the announcement for $60 from Amazon. They are still going for under $65.

 

[Brian L]

Just checked Amazon and can't believe how much all the (mostly used/refurbed) Harmony remotes cost now, including the modest 650 I've been using. Woulda ordered another if it's remotely close to what I paid 2-3 years ago, but alas...

Well, I do have a spare one w/ a damaged LCD (that obscures one corner), so...

_Man_

Last year, I bought a 950 to replace a One that while still fully functional, was looking a bit long in the tooth. I have used One's for years, along with a few lesser Harmony remotes and was worried that the 950 would not measure up, but truth be told, it has been fine.

I actually have two other One's that had failed. They both look like new but one lost the "touch" capability of the screen. They other just has a bad screen........it displays a lovely rainbow of colors. Both are the result of static electricity shocks which is an issue in a desert climate.

The point being, I put everything in a box along with numerous charging cradles and power supplies with the idea that I would do a lot sale on eBay. I suspect that the value may have just gone up.

Lastly, I just threw down at Best Buy on a complete Elite kit. I don't really need the hub, but I wanted to have a spare 950. I don't buy the "everyone is streaming" rationale as a reason to leave the market. I stream too, but I also have a full AVR based HT rig. I am sure my wife could deal with an ottoman full of remotes, but why? Programming is simple, there is nothing to remember, and if things get out of sync, just press "Help". Done. Harmony remotes were the prefect solution for my household.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Lastly, I just threw down at Best Buy on a complete Elite kit. I don't really need the hub, but I wanted to have a spare 950. I don't buy the "everyone is streaming" rationale as a reason the leave the market. I stream too, but I also have a full AVR based HT rig. I am sure my wife could deal with an ottoman full of remotes, but why? Programming is simple, there is nothing to remember, and if things get out of sync, just press "Help". Done. Harmony remotes were the prefect solution for my household.

I'm seriously thinking of doing the same thing to have a spare remote, but damn, it's a high price to pay.

 

[yamato72]

I have the Harmony hub with the basic remote (two sets actually) and appreciate how well they work as a straightforward front-end to a complex suite of gear in my living room. At first I found it annoying to have to go to the app every time I need to tweak something, but that has worked out OK; the rest of the family never has trouble with using or switching any activities. I have always balked at getting the high-end remote to use with the hub, because I couldn't justify the cost. And they long ago stopped doing any meaningful updates to the app (static layouts and the inability to move certain buttons around). So its about 60% of a good solution for me. Maybe 70. Time for me to see what else is out there; but I am long past spending endless nights tweaking custom stuff to get it to work "just right" (same reason I don't obsess over computer software and hardware anymore).

(In my living room the Harmony Hub runs the TV, AVR, HDFury, AppleTV, Roku, & UHD, as well as other activities like the PS4, AirPlay, etc. One simple remote with occasional descents into the hellscape of the Harmony App)

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

Ugh. I was hoping to pick up another one.

I ordered a new Harmony Companion with Hub from Best Buy on Saturday and it was delivered today. It's new in the box for only a few dollars more than the refurbished ones on Amazon. I couldn't find anything new on Amazon.

 

[TonyD]

I ordered a 665 last week right after the announcement for $60 from Amazon. They are still going for under $65.

Looks like BB has it for $60

 

[cinefan]

Looks like BB has it for $60

Yup, just ordered a $59.99 665 from Best Buy. I love my 650 and it is holding up well so far but this news prompted me to order a 665 for backup. I checked my Amazon order history and I paid $32.99 for the 650 back in June 2018. Man that was a good deal -- 33 bucks well spent. I dread the idea of training the family to use multiple remotes .

 

[TonyD]

So is this 665 the best bang for the buck in this price range?

 

[JohnRice]

So is this 665 the best bang for the buck in this price range?

It's just a good, functional and economical one for a "normal" system.

 

[TonyD]

Yeah that’s me pretty much now.
Tv
Cable box
Blu-ray player
Apple TV box
Denon
Firetv

That’s it and likely will be it.

 

[JohnRice]

Yeah that’s me pretty much now.
Tv
Cable box
Blu-ray player
Apple TV box
Denon
Firetv

That’s it and likely will be it.

Six components is on the upper end of its functionality, I'd say. I think it can be programmed for eight, but it doesn't have enough "Activities" for that many sources. Honestly a 950 or Elite is probably more ideally suited, but those are rather pricey, especially now.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Yeah that’s me pretty much now.
Tv
Cable box
Blu-ray player
Apple TV box
Denon
Firetv

That’s it and likely will be it.

The 665 is an upgrade to the 650 I am currently using. The 665 supports 10 components, while the older 650 supports 8 components.

With the 650, I am controlling my TV, AVR, Apple TV 4K, Roku Ultra, Panasonic UHD player, Sony UHD player, Oppo DVD player, and Comcast X1 cable box. I have activities created for each component.

The 665 should handle your setup fine.

 

[JohnRice]

There ya go. My experience is with the 650 I set up for my folks. I have a 950 and two Elites myself.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Six components is on the upper end of its functionality, I'd say. I think it can be programmed for eight, but it doesn't have enough "Activities" for that many sources. Honestly a 950 or Elite is probably more ideally suited, but those are rather pricey, especially now.

The 650 (and newer 665) supports enough activities for the number of source components supported (probably even more, but I have never checked). While there are only three dedicated activity buttons - - Watch TV, Watch a Movie, and Listen to Music - - the other activities appear on the LCD screen and are selected with the corresponding buttons next to the screen.

 

[yamato72]

The basic remote also only has 3 activity buttons, which doubles to 6 since you can assign a "short press" and a "long press" to each button. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I have 9 or 10 activities programmed on the living room hub, and the extras are invoked by asking Google to turn them on (or using the app). Not sure of the max devices for the hub but I want to say it's 8.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

I'd be lying if I didn't say that I have 9 or 10 activities programmed on the living room hub, and the extras are invoked by asking Google to turn them on

Same. It's really a terrific device and interface. I've come to rely on it, like many of us, and I'm sorry to see them going away.