Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Home Theater Harmony vs HTM mx-700

Are the Harmony remotes harder to set-up than the HTM remotes?
Can anyone comment on the differences. Just cannot seem to get a handle on printing a 63 page manual(pdf)for the mx-700 and then trying to figure it out. I'm not a complete computer idiot but it just seems that there must be something more intuitive. If you have used both brands, please comment.

Go here and take a test drive:

Harmony

It's pretty easy to setup. I'm happy w/ my 688.

It seems to come down to:

Harmony: Easier to setup and higher WAF

MX700: Most flexibility is getting everything setup the way you want.

HK,
I have both, and will make a somewhat embarrasing admission.
While I have had the MX here for several months, I have still not finished programming it. (Sorry Ray!)
It is still sitting upstairs next to my computer.
Not for any complication issues, (well, maybe some...)mostly just because of other things taking up my time.
It is about 1/3 done, and since my desk sits at the front of the loft overlooking the livingroom, I just use it up here to control most functions of my system.
The Harmony 688 is downstairs and is still the main unit I use for controlling the system.
It is a terrific remote, and does just about everything you could ask of it. It is VERY easy to set up. Very intuitive.
It just does not have the macro abilities that the MX has, and that is why I fell under Ray's spell and bought one.
But given all of that, when the MX arrived, my sweetheart took one look at it and declared "You are NOT taking away my Harmony!" She loves it, and she makes Zero demands on anything to do with the A/V gear, so I'm going to give her this one.
So whenever I do finally get around to finishing the programming of the MX, I guess we will have his & hers remotes in the livingroom for the system.

Guys: Thanx for the info.....I have had the mx 700 in a box for about 3 months and have down-loaded most of the files required for my system. With what I've read here and after talking to a couple of members asking advice, it just seemed there must be an easier remote. I'm not so concerned with multiple macros, just something with WAF. She gets very frustrated with the individual remotes, I get "I hate this damn thing, fix this please" or "how does this work again."
Anyway guess I'll give the Harmony a shot....is the 688 that much better than the entry model? I think its the 569.

Just to add another though:

I have had an older htm for almost ~8 years. It has taken more abuse from my woman dropping it on hard wood floors over there then you can imagine. It still works, and any other remote I have had she's killed it. It's also much better on batteries then any other remote I have had.

I am looking at getting an harmony 880 some day. But I wonder if it'll be as durable as the htm series. I would hate to spend that kind of money on something to only have it hit the floor ...and...well....you know.

I'm another person on the fence, soon to purchase either the Home Theatre Master series or a Harmony remote.
I've had issues with other Logitech devices though so the attachment of that name is a bit unnerving.

I have the MX 850 and MX 350. The manual is very daunting. But, after going through the set up tutorial, this thing really is amazingly easy to program with the computer interface. Nothing to it. If I can do it, anyone can. – just believe me with this statement.

Now as far as the macros go, they’re easy too. My only problem is that I don’t know exactly how I want to set everything up and am constantly changing my mind. I program the damn thing, then use it, then re-program it again.

I’ve found that although I can set this thing up to do everything that all my other remotes will do, a universal remote still sucks because you still have to push a button to turn it into the devise remote for the device you want to control. I think this problem will be present with any, and all universal remotes.

And it’s big. And ugly (according to my girlfriend). She took one look at it when I pulled it out of the box and said “Oh my God, what in the hell is that!” And not in an approving way either.

But, if you have time and patience, you can set these MX’s up to do anything.

I have had the MX-700 for a few years now. My wife is actually the one who won't let me get rid of it. It took me all of 10 minutes to program every piece I own and that included full macros.

Great remote!

That's odd. Recent Logitech products seem rock solid to me. I love my MX-700! (the mouse, of course )

I have an MX-700 and love it. I also plan on getting a Harmony for my Parents.....two reasons, they need a universal remote, and I want to check one out.

But Ken, don't you use a Mac?

I've had tons of issues while helping friends and family get webcams, keyboards and even mice installed properly. The software is always the culprit. At the present time, i cannot use a Logitech webcam of any sort while running an older RADEON AIW vidcard.
It just won't work.
I've tried it on 3 computers that all use the same card.
Another friend recently bought a Logitech Orbit webcam. The little motors keep getting stuck and the only way he can get the cam working again is to reboot his computer. He tried installing some recent software updates just last week and his computer froze. Upon reboot, it was brutally slow. He uninstalled and went back to the software from the install disc. All the background Logitech apps chew up over 30mb of ram. I went over to help him permanently shut some of them off.
Just insanity i tell you.

The MX is on the PC. The Microsoft Intellimouse is on the Mac. I guess I don't have the MX software installed at the moment on the PC. I can't remember...

i used to hate logitech products years ago. I used to use al MS mice and keyboards

now I have a MX-500 mouse, elite keyboard, Z-680 speakers, and a few other cheaper keyboards/mice for other machines in the house. Even got rid of my MS stuff at work for Logitech stuff. Got my mother some logitech speakers for xmas as well. I've got no complaints whatsoever.

Killer is, i have had no complaints with the htm remote as well and it's been rock solid.

I really need to use the harmony to see if it's what I want first. But the 880 is rare to find still and will be for a while.

Well, I'm glad to see Ray hasn't brainwashed everyone

I still haven't gotten anything, but I think it will be a Harmony when I do. I was trying to setup a demo of one a while back, but it doesn't look like that will happen, so I'll just have to pick a model and get it.

The really good news is that the Mx series or Harmony - no wrong answer.

680's good speakers. I have a set of 560's myself, I too cheap to upgrade to 5.1 on my pc

there's nothing wrong with those 560's anyways

I exclusively use PC(s).

I have the Logitech MX700 mouse and it was the first wireless mouse that met the demands I had for one (Gamming ).

Logitech has made some terrific hardware over the years, I will admit some of their software that goes along with it has been suspect.

I'm currently considering the Logitech remote myself, I have two friends that now have em and they both love em to death.

Yeah I love logitech stuff, Ive been using logitech mice since...ohhh 1993 I think it was a MouseMan Pro at the time, three buttons and a serial port connection lol, it rocked My friend is still using it actually, the bum!
Every pc in this house uses a Logi mouse, I got an MX500, my sisters both have a 700 with the wireless keyboards too, and my dad has a basic logitech optical mouse...oh yeah we all have logitech speakers too

I just bought the Harmony 880 today, you how it goes...can't wait to get it home so the tinkering can begin, well crap I now have to wait 'till the battery is charged before I can start my playtime. What a bummer.

And I can't find any place where it says the amount of time to fully charge the thing, anybody know?

Hah!
I knew a Remote thread would get Ray's attention sooner or later!