Opinions on universal remotes

OK, I got a new LCD HDTV and it has a great remote. However, I also
have a DirecTV HD DVR, and it, too has a remote. "Some" of the TV
controls are controllable with the DVR remote (On-Off & volume) but
not all, so I'm considering a universal remote. Interested in
opinions, have looked at the Harmony 880, Harmony 670, and X-10
iconRemote. Are there others to consider? Any big minuses for any of
these (other than high cost). The 670 looks to have all the features
of the 880 for a lower cost.....

--
Charlie Hoffpauir
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

Charlie Hoffpauir wrote:
OK, I got a new LCD HDTV and it has a great remote. However, I also
have a DirecTV HD DVR, and it, too has a remote. "Some" of the TV
controls are controllable with the DVR remote (On-Off & volume) but
not all, so I'm considering a universal remote. Interested in
opinions, have looked at the Harmony 880, Harmony 670, and X-10
iconRemote. Are there others to consider? Any big minuses for any of
these (other than high cost). The 670 looks to have all the features
of the 880 for a lower cost.....


I've been using the X10 Iconremote for about a year. The functions
that are not built-in are easily learned from an existing remote.

I thought the remote was reasonably priced at $130 when I bought it.

On Apr 8, 11:12*am, Charlie Hoffpauir wrote:
OK, I got a new LCD HDTV and it has a great remote. However, I also
have a DirecTV HD DVR, and it, too has a remote. "Some" of the TV
controls are controllable with the DVR remote (On-Off & volume) but
not all, so I'm considering a universal remote. Interested in
opinions, have looked at the Harmony 880, Harmony 670, and *X-10
iconRemote. Are there others to consider? Any big minuses for any of
these (other than high cost). The 670 looks to have all the features
of the 880 for a lower cost.....

--
Charlie Hoffpauirhttp://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/

I use the low end Harmony 520 to control a plasma TV, DVR, VCR/DVD-R,
audio receiver, and a CD/DVD changer. I personally love the way the
Harmony products are programmed, the way I can customize the remote's
functions, the way the remote can learn missing codes, and I love the
way they work. I can't imagine too many people not liking the Harmony
once they've tried it. Still, others prefer other brands and
options. If you've got friends, family, or neighbors with a universal
remote, ask to try it out for yourself.

Dan (Woj...)

On Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:12:41 -0500, Charlie Hoffpauir wrote:

OK, I got a new LCD HDTV and it has a great remote. However, I also have
a DirecTV HD DVR, and it, too has a remote. "Some" of the TV controls
are controllable with the DVR remote (On-Off & volume) but not all, so
I'm considering a universal remote. Interested in opinions, have looked
at the Harmony 880, Harmony 670, and X-10 iconRemote. Are there others
to consider? Any big minuses for any of these (other than high cost).
The 670 looks to have all the features of the 880 for a lower cost.....

I'm sure those are great remotes, and they should be for what they cost.
OTOH, there's no need to sell your first born for a remote. Anything over
$20 for a learning remote is just wasted money IMO. I use One For All
learning remotes to controls everything ir in my house, including PC's,
TV's, VCR's, sound systems, and even the window AC units. These are the
best remotes I've ever used and I've worn out many other remotes costing 3
times as much. Say away from the Kameleon though. Looks nice and works
fine, but not near as versatile as the others and a pita to use with no
buttons. I don't want to be looking at a remote to use it.

http://www.ofausa.com/list_remotes.p...+Learning+Line

http://www.ambientweather.com/dburc10820.html

--
Want the ultimate in free OTA SD/HDTV Recorder? http://mythtv.org
My Tivo Experience http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/tivo.htm
Tivo HD/S3 compared http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/mythtivo.htm
AMD cpu help http://wesnewell.no-ip.com/cpu.php

Charlie. The Harmony line is fine if you like an "Activity based" remote -
meaning that one button sets up all the components for you to watch TV, for
example. Some folks much prefer "Device based" remotes where you punch a
button to get control of individual components. If you really have only the
2 components almost anything will do and you shouldn't have to spend very
much. The One-for-all line is fine, as are some of the remotes from
Universal Remote Control (the company). Spend a little time at
Remotecentral (google will find it) to see some of the possibilities.


"Charlie Hoffpauir" wrote in message
...
OK, I got a new LCD HDTV and it has a great remote. However, I also
have a DirecTV HD DVR, and it, too has a remote. "Some" of the TV
controls are controllable with the DVR remote (On-Off & volume) but
not all, so I'm considering a universal remote.

"Charlie Hoffpauir" wrote in message

Are there others to consider? Any big minuses for any of
these (other than high cost). The 670 looks to have all the features
of the 880 for a lower cost.....

I second Wes' idea of going inexpensive. His suggestion sparked my
interest and after some research I picked up this Sony remote last night
for $24.99.

http://www.remotecentral.com/vl600/index.html

Seems to win the features vs. price war. Only downside I could see is
that the keys aren't backlit, but that doesn't bother me.

This website also has a "clicker picker" where you input your desired
features and it will generate matches of compatible remotes based on
your criteria.

http://www.remotecentral.com/features/clicker.htm

I'm still using these older Xantech URC1s. Buying them off ebay and
cementing alarm foil onto any worn-out conductive membranes if necessary.
These remotes usually go for around $10-$40.

No screen to have to look at too, and can use it in the dark just by feeling
for the keys.

http://www.areagroup.com/Audio_Video/urc1bw.gif

Euphoric Orgasm wrote:

"Charlie Hoffpauir" wrote in message

Are there others to consider? Any big minuses for any of
these (other than high cost). The 670 looks to have all the features
of the 880 for a lower cost.....

I second Wes' idea of going inexpensive. His suggestion sparked my
interest and after some research I picked up this Sony remote last night
for $24.99.

http://www.remotecentral.com/vl600/index.html



nice ref, thank you

got mine from Amazon, ~ $16 total.

i can add that you need to gear up
(your mind) before trying to use this!

fwiw, my own TV (Visio) and AVR (an expensive
Denon AVR) aren't on the list of devices;
but the "search" capability worked.

of the 8 "controllable" devices, the TV and amp
buttons are specific. supposedly 12 buttons can
be set up with a multiple command sequence.

and it only uses 2 normal AA batteries and
not some expensive rechargeable battery

my mid level Harmony is history (i needed
another $40 rechargeable battery!)

bill



Seems to win the features vs. price war. Only downside I could see is
that the keys aren't backlit, but that doesn't bother me.

This website also has a "clicker picker" where you input your desired
features and it will generate matches of compatible remotes based on
your criteria.

http://www.remotecentral.com/features/clicker.htm

On Apr 14, 8:28*pm, willbill wrote:
...
fwiw, my own TV (Visio) and AVR (an expensive
Denon AVR) aren't on the list of devices;
but the "search" capability worked. *

of the 8 "controllable" devices, the TV and amp
buttons are specific. *supposedly 12 buttons can
be set up with a multiple command sequence.

and it only uses 2 normal AA batteries and
not some expensive rechargeable battery

my mid level Harmony is history (i needed
another $40 rechargeable battery!)

bill
...

For the record, my low end Harmony 520 uses ordinary AAA batteries.
Part of why I like it. }

Dan (Woj...)