Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater New Harmony Remote

Anyone tried out/read anything about the new Harmony SST-688? I made the mistake of hooking the TV direct to the TiVo while I'm recabling the entertainment center, and my lovely wife made the "Just one button! It's great!" comment (ie, she didn't have to turn on the receiver and the TV, or fiddle with anything, just turn on the TV). So I am once again on a quest for a good, (very) easy to use HT remote. It looks like the 688 solves my only complaint with the 659 (just based on having looked at the two) in that the transport controls are in the middle of the remote, not hanging off the bottom.

Nice gratuitous boobage on that link.

The remote looks pretty cool, too.

Yeah, but I just read some forum postings on it over at remotecentral.com, and it doesn't look so great. Buttons are hard to distinguish and too close together. Sigh. Back to the drawing board.

au contraire...

I have had the 768 since last year. It controls my Panny plasma, HD D* receiver, D*Tivo, VCR, Denon 2200, Pioneer 45TX, and Gamecube. LOVE IT. BUT...because of the fewer buttons, you have to move to different modes because the number buttons are shared w/ the transport buttons. Is it a pain? For my wife it is, for me, I get used to it. The great advantage is that it's VERY programmable, I even learned some XML. It's very good w/ building macros. Yeah, I know, the MX 500 and similar can do it as well, maybe even cheaper, but they don't have the "cool" factor that Harmony has.

Almost went w/ the 659, but didn't like where the transport buttons were placed. Saw the release of the 688 and bought it for a good price at surfremotecontrol.com. Less programmability than the 768, but now I get the WAF. My wife now agrees to use it and likes it. I REALLY like it, much more intuitive than the 768. It's nice to have direct buttons for each activity.

Are the 688 buttons a little close? Kinda. I have to sometimes look at the remote to press the right buttons, but I still like it. But I can still program it how I like. When watching HDTV, listening to DVD, 2 channel CDs, multichannel SACD/DVD-A, the 688 can set up the correct video input, aspect ratio, sound field, etc. Very powerful.

AND, their customer service is Axiom-like. (Boy the Canadians are sure beating us Americans at customer service... Yes, I know Harmony was bought by Logitech). There is a danger of having a $200 remote and a 2 year old. She dropped it and cracked the LCD. Called Harmony, and because it was bought by at an authorized reseller (important), they are taking it back. I got an RMA, bought a new one online, w/ the promise that I send the broken one back in 30 days. And no charge to me.

I've played w/ the MX500 and I HATED it. I think the 688 is a VERY good option, heck you can even try it for 30 days and see for yourself. Just like speakers, only trust your own judgement. Good luck.

Didn't realize there was a 30 day on it. Do you know if that applies to the remote when purchased from resellers?

Ech, I should probably just find a brick and mortar that stocks both the Theatre Master and the Harmonys and try them out. Or rather, have her try them out.

I looked at one of those sometime ago and it did look sweet. I didn't like the button layout however so I went with MX-700 and so far have not looked back.

Is there a list of devices they have in their database?

A MASTER REMOTE.. that will be my next purchase. unless i can get my 701 remote to learn tham all..

bigjohn

They update the database all the time. As for an actual list, I don't think so. If you want to have a peek at what they have in there at this moment, the best thing to do is download the software and have a look.

Here is a list of all the updates:

http://www.urcmx.com/mxeditor/update/updatehistory.html

Curtis,
i think they have a "TEST DRIVE" on their webpage where you can run through the setup of the remote. It will list all the components there.

NeverHappy,

I have an MX-500....I love it. I was wondering about the devices the Harmony handles.

Ken - the MX-700 is an absolutely wonderful remote. I moved up from the MX-500. It can control 20 different components and I love the ergonomics. Take a look at the review on Remote Central. BTW, I got mine as an open box at SurfRemoteControl (Axiom-like Customer service). The retail is around $350, but the open box was $200. They open them to test commands for components and the like. Quite a thread on Remote Central relative to the open box and the comments, to a person, indicate they arrive in pristine condition, much the same as Axiom Factory Outlet speakers.

If the wife is heavy on the "one button" thing, this puppy delivers handily (sorry - no pun intended ). The macro capability is fabulous and you program the thing on your PC. Remote Central has a tremendous number of files you can download & copy in. You can use Pronto .ccf files (my preference) and drag/drop individual commands.

Two major things to consider. I have a one-button macro for each device. The SAT(satellite) macro turns on the TV, SAT receiver, Denon receiver, flips the TV to the correct VID, flips the Denon to the correct audio and I'm ready to go - one button.

Also set up a device called "SWITCH". This was done for self-protection from my wife. "How do I go from the satellite to the DVD player?" I set up macros for the permutatiuons to go from what you are watching/listening to the what you want to get to to watch and listen to. For example SAT_DV turns off SAT, flips the TV to the DVD VID, flips the Denon to the DVD audio, turns on the DVD and opens the tray. All she needs to do is drop the DVD in the drawer.

You might be picking up my extreme pleasure with the MX-700. It is remarkable. tomtuttle has recently picked one up and I believe he likes his as well.

If you go the the Files section at Remote Central and get into the MX-700 section, you will be able to download the MX-Editor software and play with it (I actually did most of the programming while the remote was in transit) and the Programming Manual. Give this one a hard look, it is a worthy choice.

Well, since Ray ratted me out, I better chime in.

The MX-700 does not make julienne fries, nor will it pour me another cold beer. However, it will seemingly blast any conceivable combination of flashes at whatever device(s) you like, using whatever button takes your fancy.

It is uber-capable. The hardest part for me was deciding how I wanted to implement all that functionality. You can, literally, control your system any way you want to. I liked the idea of being able to use the PC to program and then download the commands. It also has learning capability, of course.

I really like the ability to LCD-label the set of 10 hard buttons at the top of the remote. You can have four *pages* of these commands per device (and up to 20 devices, I think), plus the huge set of hard buttons (again, device-relevant) on the bottom. The labeling, on a highly legible and backlit LCD, allowed me to put whatever commands I wanted there, without having to remember anything cryptic about their meanings.

I got a factory second from the place Ray mentioned. It was pristine and arrived quickly.

It is a VERY good remote. My wife is much happier now, which is really the measure of success on most things, especially this one.

I would be remiss if I did not publicly thank Ray for his very real and meaningful assistance in helping me get my MX-700 up and running. He graciously gave me the precious gift of his time, and I remain grateful.

I understand that best buy carries the Harmony but they're not authorized. No biggie cause you can always return it. The 30 day is from Harmony direct.

If you are curious about the devices supported, try the test drive online.

It's a personal preference (like speakers), the Harmony users vs Pronto users vs MX-500/MX-700 vs anything else. Best thing is to try it at home. Who knows, you may even like the 659 which is heavily discounted now.

Well, Tom - gosh That kind of thing is just fun to do, so I took quite a but of pleasure from it. Ken, if you get one, I'll offer my help and I'll bet Tom would throw in as well. BTW - do take a look at the Harmony 659, it is often mentioned in the MX-700 in the "which remote should I get" threads.

what we old cheap farts do if we have a pc w/out a usb port? and no, buying a newer pc is not an option.
dan

Install an add-on card which has USB ports.

I own and love my MX-500. I did the "test drive" on the Harmony site.

I am very surprised at the number of devices in their database. I just got a new Sherwood/Newcastle P-965, it has only been widely available for no more than a month and a half.....and it is in the database.

I am tempted to try one out.

That was one of the main things that sold me on the Harmony to begin with, Curtis. I have a cheap, Radio Shack-only brand of VCR - Optimus (at least I think it's Rat Shack only). It's made by Panasonic, and never once have I ever had a manual/universal remote that had seperate Optimus codes in the listing. I was very impressed, and since buying it, have been extremely happy with it.

Ray, would you be able to speak a bit to the advantages you see in the 700 vs the 500? I recently picked up the 500 and I'm w/in the 30 day return. It was a good price - the 700 open box would be about $50 more for me and I'm looking for reasons to go that route.

I can see the enhanced programming ability via the pc and I also note a few improvements as to the layout of the buttons. Any other improvements that you feel justify the additl. expense?

Thanks much

btw, does anyone know what the remote code is for the yamaha 1400? If the code is not in the list for the 500 would it even recognize it? or do I need to do the "learn" routine?

Tom & Ray,
Thanks for the info on the MX700/500 remotes.
I am looking into replacing my universal remote that came with my Onkyo receiver for one that is more robust and programmable. I was also looking at the Pronto touch panel models but i'm not sold on the ergonomics.

I personally have been very happy with the 659, and a nice touch for those who don't like where the transport keys are, they can be reprogrammed/remapped to other keys. I have found that to be a very suitable workaround. Or should I say, my *wife* is very happy with that.

Rich

jaatea,

You hit on a couple of the main items. While the 500 has Irclone available, (it must be purchased in addition to the 500), that software is not nearly as elegant as the MX-Editor for the 700. Frankly, that is one of the major enhancements over the 500. There are scads of of Pronto .ccf files available for the 700 and the drag & drop feature with those is wonderful.

The 700 has 2 pages of devices, giving you 20, or double the number of the 500. This flexibility let me set up my Denon 3803 as 2 different devices - one as a Tuner/radio and the other as a receiver for the HT.

I also set up additional devices as follws:
1) A POWER device. Here I have the discrete on and off commands for ecah of my components. Great for reliable macros.

2) A SWICH that lets you move from what you are watching/listening to what to want to watch/listen to via macros, all with a one button push.

3) A SPKRS device. I loaded all of the Denon speaker commands here for the 5 speakers and sub. Using the buttons, I can adjust the speakers + or - by .5 db . Wonderful for calibration.

The 500 did not provide enough devices to give me this kind of flexibility. While the 500 is a great remote (I had one), the 700 is more than worth the extra $50 you would spend. I would not even think about it twice.