Which Universal Remote? (1 Viewer)

[tNkEr]

Hi folks, I'm tNkEr - becasue I tinker a lot!

I am plagued by that universal problem of which universal remote? My wife is, well, hi-tech challenged let's say. My home thater set up, if I can call it that, is getting too complicated for her to handle. I am always getting the "How do I get the CD player to play?, or, "Why isn't the DVD playing?"

I have set up my "universl" cable box remote to do basics on my TV and Rcvr which is OK, but she still gets confused with the fact that she has to push the "AUX" button to.....well, you get the picture.

So, I am in the market for a macro programmable remote that will set everything up with one touch. I have looked at the UR devices and recently, read a lot of +/- reviews on the SONY RM-AX4000a.

I am challenged in that the remote for my SONY 5.1 Rcvr functions marginally and some buttons are just dead, so unless someone has an idea on how I can fix it, doing a learning set up is out. Also, I have no remote for my SONY CD jukebox.

Here is my gear:
SONY HD TV - KDS-55A2000 (yeah it's sweet!)
SONY 5.1 Rcvr - STR-DE975 (aged but WOW!)
SHARP Aquos BD - BD-H20 (love BluRay!)
SONY CD Jukebox - CDP-CX355
SONY DVR/VCR - RDR-VX521
Motorola HD/DVR cable box - QIP6416-2 (FIOS ROCKS!)

I am a firm believer that flexibility brings complexity. I can deal with that. But, I need to come away with a remote that the wife can press TV and the cable box comes on, channel functions go to the cable box, volume goes to the TV, TV menus work, etc. When she plays a BD or DVD, the BD player comeson, the Rcvr comes on and picks the BD input, the TV goes to the BD HDMI imput, etc.

So who has been here and what worked for you?

Thanks,

 

[Buckethead78]

I suggest Harmony. I just got a low end one this summer, and my "non tech" wife loves it. Sets everything up when changing sources for her. Setup is a breeze. Best purchase you will make.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Harmony, whichever model you can afford. Period. End of story.

 

[Ed Moxley]

Sam's Club has the Harmony 659 for $79.86 now. These remotes are very wife friendly. You enter your equipment's model numbers into the forms on the Logitech site, and download the info to your remote, via usb. The Harmony is one of the best purchases I've made.

 

[Robert_J]

Another recommendation for a Harmony. The 880 model specifically.

That is exactly what the Harmony does. The only drawback is that it does take a few seconds to cycle through the different commands when switching sources. If you don't keep the remote pointed at the components, then the equipment can miss a command and everything gets out of whack. The Harmony 890 is just like the 880 except it adds RF. The charging station has IR blasters that you attach to each piece of equipment. You can press a button and it will work no matter which direction you have it pointed.

-Robert

 

[nolesrule]

Harmony. I've had the 659 for almost 7 years. My wife loves it.

 

[mikeyinsd]

I have a 520 and a 880 and like the 520 better than the 880 because of the button placement. Although I like the buttons on the 880 better because the writing on the buttons on the 520 wear off. any Harmony remote is well worth it!

 

[nolesrule]

I should have mentioned that the one drawback on the 659 is the transport control buttons (play, pause, record, etc.) located at the very bottom of the remote. The whole Harmony remote line is excellent. They all have the same basic setup and functionality, so button placement/LCD screen type and use/price are the factors when choosing which one is best for you.

 

[tNkEr]

WOW....sounds like Haromny is the schnitz!

Thanks all. I will be checking out these Harmonys now.

Appreciate everyone's feedback.

S.

 

[tNkEr]

OK, looking at the 880, 890, and what appears to be the latest, the Harmony ONE. Any feedback on the HArmony ONE?

Also, I mentioned that some of my remotes are either completly missing, or some buttons just don't work any more. Will these universal remotes, wehn programmed, require to learn specific functions from the original remote? I.e., my Rcvr remote DVD device input button no longer works. Will the HArmony, onve programmed, have all the normal remote functionailty??? OR is it programmable from a PC?

 

[Robert_J]

Since you have Sony, Sharp and Motorola equipment there is a very good chance that all of the remote codes are in the Logitech database. I only needed my remotes since I have changed remote addresses on some of my equipment. During the setup, the Harmony will read the codes from the original and do a lookup on the database.

-Robert

 

[tNkEr]

Thanks Robert J.....

I just purchased from NewEgg. They have a special going on right now. If you buy by 11/5, and they only allowed like 5 days to purchase, you can take advantage of a subscriber code EMCBADAAE for $20 off and NewEgg is approved by Logitech for a $30 mail in rebate - net price $149.99

 

[tNkEr]

To all who suggested Harmony....thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!!

As I stated above, I ordered the Harmony one on Tuesday from New Egg and it came in yesaterday, Wednesday)....I KNOW!!!!!

It took me about 45 minutes to load the software and do the initial set up. Tested it, everything went as I wanted it. Even some of the earlier problems I read about seem to be fixed!

I tinkered with some of the ACTIVITIES, then some of the device specific soft buttons, and this thing ROCKS...it is the schnitz...the cats pajamas...all that stuff...even a milk shake and a bag of chips.....

I am going to continue working with some of he activities, like the "Watch a movie". It assumes the movie source to be a DVD/VCR. In my case I want it to be an HD movie off of FIOS. I want the cable box, tv, and rcvr and it automatically selects the DVDR/VCR. I worked around it by sending a "power off" immediately after the start up to the DVDR/VCR and engaged the cable box and recvr for teh appropriate button assignments.

I think i might just wet my pants this is so cool!

.......and the wife cannot believe how easy it is now.

Thanks to everyone who replied.