Are Universal Remotes worth it for my uses? - Blu-ray Forum

arthursiew · 03-04-2009, 11:46 PM

I have a simple home theater. I do have lots of remotes though and I'm not sure whether I should get the Harmony 880, One or none. This is what I use in my home theater...

PS3
Wii
XB360
TV Watching
Blu-ray watching on PS3
Speaker System

I'm not very familiar with all of these things since I am only a simple 14 year old. I have a receiver where I'm going to plug the surround sound cables to and eventually my consoles. Do you think I should get a Harmony 880 or not? The money is not a problem... I just want to know whether the money will be well spent or not. Thanks. Please vote on the poll and reply to this thread if you have more details on this.

What features does the Harmony One have that makes it special? What makes it better than the 880? I don't really care about the touch screen.

Brain Sturgeon · 03-04-2009, 11:51 PM

In a word: YES! Universal remotes are worth every penny. It not only reduces you remote to just one, it also allow macros so that you can accomplish many things with just one button push if you have the right setup (e.g. turn on TV, source component(s), receiver, and turn down lights). The one difficulty in your setup is the PS3, which uses a bluetooth remote instead of IR. There are available solutions to this, although that will be an additional cost for you.

arthursiew · 03-04-2009, 11:53 PM

Since I'm not very familiar with receivers. What can receivers really do? I remember when I was younger, I would have to turn it on to hear the sound when I want to watch TV or movies. Do I like hook up my surround sound speakers to the receiver? What else can I hook it up to? I am unsure of whether to get one since I don't have a whole lot of things in my HT.

crackinhedz · 03-05-2009, 12:04 AM

I use to be the guy who would never waste money on a Universal remote.

...until I tried one.

Makes enjoying my Home Theater more convenient.

arthursiew · 03-05-2009, 12:08 AM

Is there a feature on the Harmony One that makes it a whole lot better than the 880 besides the touch screen?

xneox · 03-05-2009, 12:11 AM

I voted no, but not against Universal Remotes in general - you just didn't allow for anything but two specific Logitech remotes. I know everyone around here has a hard on for them, but they are high-priced overkill (the must-have gadget) for MOST systems.

I do just as much with my average system (Panasonic TV / Dish Network HD DVR / Samsung blu-ray / Pioneer receiver X2) using the $17 remote I bought...yes, including learning & macros. URC8820

crackinhedz · 03-05-2009, 12:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arthursiew

Is there a feature on the Harmony One that makes it a whole lot better than the 880 besides the touch screen?

the buttons are easier to find/push. Plus they illuminate much nicer. The One's LCD screen has better resolution, making the icons look much sharper.

Plus the look is much nicer. I like the black remote look rather than the silver bean shape look.

PH3AR · 03-05-2009, 12:17 AM

Heck yea! just for the Slow-mo feature!

arthursiew · 03-05-2009, 12:24 AM

Where's the cheapest place where I can find a Harmony One? I can still live with an 880 but if I can a Harmony One for a similar price, I will go for it. Is it easy to program things?

crackinhedz · 03-05-2009, 12:26 AM

circuit city has been having a real nice closing sale on harmony remotes. If you don't have one in your area, you may have to look online. In which case amazon usually has the better deals.

arthursiew · 03-05-2009, 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

circuit city has been having a real nice closing sale on harmony remotes. If you don't have one in your area, you may have to look online. In which case amazon usually has the better deals.

I do have a few nearby. How much discount is it on the Harmony Remotes?

crackinhedz · 03-05-2009, 12:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arthursiew

I do have a few nearby. How much discount is it on the Harmony Remotes?

some members on here said they got one for $130. Might want to hurry before they sell out. If they haven't already.

arthursiew · 03-05-2009, 12:33 AM

when do they shut down? i can't go to one until friday or saturday, so i doubt they will have them for sale by then.

crackinhedz · 03-05-2009, 12:34 AM

The Harmony 880 is also on a great sale.

The 880 is a very good remote too.

arthursiew · 03-05-2009, 12:37 AM

If I do find a Harmony One at CC for $130... do you think it's worth paying the extra money for the One or do you think the 880 is just fine. I don't have a lot of things in my setup so do you think the 880 is just okay? I would rather spend less.

crackinhedz · 03-05-2009, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by arthursiew

If I do find a Harmony One at CC for $130... do you think it's worth paying the extra money for the One or do you think the 880 is just fine. I don't have a lot of things in my setup so do you think the 880 is just okay? I would rather spend less.

I have about the same amount of equipment as yourself. I also owned the 880. I decided to sell it for the One. Mainly for cosmetic looks, but overall I like it that much more. Don't get me wrong, if you go for the 880 you will not be dissapointed either.

JW13 · 03-05-2009, 12:43 AM

using just one remote is great... i have a universal wr7 which is nothing special but it has learning ability so it does everything i need to and its great... although i saw the one my uncle has recently and i was kind of jealous... i forget the brand/model but its got a touch screen, etc.. pretty nice... but i really dont want to spend the money for something like that when the one i have is doing everything i need.

EigeSan · 03-05-2009, 01:05 AM

I would highy recommend any Harmony remotes since they generally get very good reviews. I don't own the One or 880 but I do have the Harmony 720 and it's beautiful. I have a couple of pics in my gallery.

Since you can't go wrong with either I'd say buy the one (no pun intended) that better fits your budget (which is why I bought mine!

)

xneox · 03-05-2009, 01:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JW13

using just one remote is great... i have a universal wr7 which is nothing special but it has learning ability so it does everything i need to and its great... although i saw the one my uncle has recently and i was kind of jealous... i forget the brand/model but its got a touch screen, etc.. pretty nice... but i really dont want to spend the money for something like that when the one i have is doing everything i need.

Don't bother. I've tried, but unless you're spending over $100 on a remote with the word 'Harmony' in the name, everyone around here pretty much ignores you. I've seriously never seen anything like it.

arthursiew · 03-05-2009, 03:21 AM

Is it really worth getting? I mean... is it like really worth buying? Turning lights on, TV and other things on one remote is cool, but is it totally like 100% worth getting? Eventually, I will be getting one, but I'm not sure whether it's worth getting rite away. I don't have much equipment rite now and I only have 3 remotes now (TV, DVR and PS3). I just want to know whether I am actually getting my moneys worth if I buy one rite away.

View Poll Results: Should I get a Harmony 880 or One for my uses?
Yes. Go for the 880.	12	32.43%
Yes. Go for the One.	20	54.05%
No.	5	13.51%
Voters: 37. You may not vote on this poll

03-04-2009, 11:46 PM	#1
arthursiew Senior Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:San Francisco Bay Area, CA Home Theater Gallery:56 Blu-ray collection:104 Blu-ray reviews: 11 Trading Score:18	Are Universal Remotes worth it for my uses? I have a simple home theater. I do have lots of remotes though and I'm not sure whether I should get the Harmony 880, One or none. This is what I use in my home theater... PS3 Wii XB360 TV Watching Blu-ray watching on PS3 Speaker System I'm not very familiar with all of these things since I am only a simple 14 year old. I have a receiver where I'm going to plug the surround sound cables to and eventually my consoles. Do you think I should get a Harmony 880 or not? The money is not a problem... I just want to know whether the money will be well spent or not. Thanks. Please vote on the poll and reply to this thread if you have more details on this. What features does the Harmony One have that makes it special? What makes it better than the 880? I don't really care about the touch screen. Last edited by arthursiew; 03-04-2009 at 11:55 PM.

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03-04-2009, 11:51 PM	#2
Brain Sturgeon Expert Member Top ranked HT gallery Member since:Sep 2007 Home Theater Gallery:39	In a word: YES! Universal remotes are worth every penny. It not only reduces you remote to just one, it also allow macros so that you can accomplish many things with just one button push if you have the right setup (e.g. turn on TV, source component(s), receiver, and turn down lights). The one difficulty in your setup is the PS3, which uses a bluetooth remote instead of IR. There are available solutions to this, although that will be an additional cost for you.

03-04-2009, 11:53 PM	#3
arthursiew Senior Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:San Francisco Bay Area, CA Home Theater Gallery:56 Blu-ray collection:104 Blu-ray reviews: 11 Trading Score:18	Since I'm not very familiar with receivers. What can receivers really do? I remember when I was younger, I would have to turn it on to hear the sound when I want to watch TV or movies. Do I like hook up my surround sound speakers to the receiver? What else can I hook it up to? I am unsure of whether to get one since I don't have a whole lot of things in my HT.

03-05-2009, 12:04 AM	#4
crackinhedz Super Moderator Member since:Feb 2007 Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray reviews:8 Trading Score:19	I use to be the guy who would never waste money on a Universal remote. ...until I tried one. Makes enjoying my Home Theater more convenient.

03-05-2009, 12:08 AM	#5
arthursiew Senior Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:San Francisco Bay Area, CA Home Theater Gallery:56 Blu-ray collection:104 Blu-ray reviews: 11 Trading Score:18	Is there a feature on the Harmony One that makes it a whole lot better than the 880 besides the touch screen?

03-05-2009, 12:11 AM	#6
xneox Expert Member Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Hartford, CT	I voted no, but not against Universal Remotes in general - you just didn't allow for anything but two specific Logitech remotes. I know everyone around here has a hard on for them, but they are high-priced overkill (the must-have gadget) for MOST systems. I do just as much with my average system (Panasonic TV / Dish Network HD DVR / Samsung blu-ray / Pioneer receiver X2) using the $17 remote I bought...yes, including learning & macros. URC8820

03-05-2009, 12:17 AM	#8
PH3AR Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Dover, Pennsylvania PSN:WORKINtheCORNER Home Theater Gallery:9 Blu-ray collection:325 Blu-ray reviews:2	Heck yea! just for the Slow-mo feature!

03-05-2009, 12:24 AM	#9
arthursiew Senior Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:San Francisco Bay Area, CA Home Theater Gallery:56 Blu-ray collection:104 Blu-ray reviews: 11 Trading Score:18	Where's the cheapest place where I can find a Harmony One? I can still live with an 880 but if I can a Harmony One for a similar price, I will go for it. Is it easy to program things?

03-05-2009, 12:26 AM	#10
crackinhedz Super Moderator Member since:Feb 2007 Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray reviews:8 Trading Score:19	circuit city has been having a real nice closing sale on harmony remotes. If you don't have one in your area, you may have to look online. In which case amazon usually has the better deals.

03-05-2009, 12:33 AM	#13
arthursiew Senior Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:San Francisco Bay Area, CA Home Theater Gallery:56 Blu-ray collection:104 Blu-ray reviews: 11 Trading Score:18	when do they shut down? i can't go to one until friday or saturday, so i doubt they will have them for sale by then.

03-05-2009, 12:34 AM	#14
crackinhedz Super Moderator Member since:Feb 2007 Home Theater Gallery:10 Blu-ray reviews:8 Trading Score:19	The Harmony 880 is also on a great sale. The 880 is a very good remote too.

03-05-2009, 12:37 AM	#15
arthursiew Senior Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:San Francisco Bay Area, CA Home Theater Gallery:56 Blu-ray collection:104 Blu-ray reviews: 11 Trading Score:18	If I do find a Harmony One at CC for $130... do you think it's worth paying the extra money for the One or do you think the 880 is just fine. I don't have a lot of things in my setup so do you think the 880 is just okay? I would rather spend less.

03-05-2009, 12:43 AM	#17
JW13 Active Member Member since:Jan 2009 Location:PA Blu-ray collection:369	using just one remote is great... i have a universal wr7 which is nothing special but it has learning ability so it does everything i need to and its great... although i saw the one my uncle has recently and i was kind of jealous... i forget the brand/model but its got a touch screen, etc.. pretty nice... but i really dont want to spend the money for something like that when the one i have is doing everything i need.

03-05-2009, 01:05 AM	#18
EigeSan Active Member Member since:Feb 2009 Location:Toronto, Canada PSNetwork ID: EigeSan Home Theater Gallery:36 Blu-ray collection:23	I would highy recommend any Harmony remotes since they generally get very good reviews. I don't own the One or 880 but I do have the Harmony 720 and it's beautiful. I have a couple of pics in my gallery. Since you can't go wrong with either I'd say buy the one (no pun intended) that better fits your budget (which is why I bought mine! )

03-05-2009, 03:21 AM	#20
arthursiew Senior Member Top contributor Member since:Nov 2008 Location:San Francisco Bay Area, CA Home Theater Gallery:56 Blu-ray collection:104 Blu-ray reviews: 11 Trading Score:18	Is it really worth getting? I mean... is it like really worth buying? Turning lights on, TV and other things on one remote is cool, but is it totally like 100% worth getting? Eventually, I will be getting one, but I'm not sure whether it's worth getting rite away. I don't have much equipment rite now and I only have 3 remotes now (TV, DVR and PS3). I just want to know whether I am actually getting my moneys worth if I buy one rite away.

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