Seidio Rubberized Case and Holster for Treo 700W
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Posted by Nathan at 12:05 PM 0 comments
Categories: Treo
I’ve been using a Harmony 880 (review) for over a year and absolutely love it. Recently, however, I saw the 670 which is specifically designed for DVR use. Since most of my viewing is with a TiVo I thought that perhaps this remote might be better suited for my needs. I had to give it a try. After reading the review, be sure to catch my comparison with the 880 and initial impressions.
Setup/Software
Unlike most other remotes which require you to use difficult button combinations to learn commands and setup macros, the Harmony remote is completely configured using the included software or web interface. The configuration is then downloaded to the remote over USB. Not only does this make setup more intuitive, but can be a life-saver if the remote loses it’s settings for whatever reason - just download the configuration to the remote again.
The setup software can take some time to get used to. I think this is due to its focus on being user-friendly. This works well for basic setups but can become a little difficult when trying to handle more advanced settings or configurations. However, after a little while, you’ll soon find that all the power you need is hiding in there. It would be nice for there to be an “Advanced Mode” or something for power users.
The software asks you for information on all the components in your system (you’ll need model numbers for all of them). The database is extensive, and you will have a hard time finding a device it doesn’t know the commands for. After this, the software helps you set up Activities for the different things you might do with your system such as “Watch TV,” Watch a DVD,” “Play Music,” etc. For each activity, it asks which components will be used, the inputs/outputs these components need to be set to, what will control the volume, etc. You can tell it to send additional commands if you want to specify a sound mode or display mode or whatever for that matter. It then saves all this information as the “state” the system needs to be in for that activity. The remote keeps track of the current “state” of all your components so it knows what to change when you change activities. Logitech calls this Smart State Technology. During activity setup, it also gives you the option to configure most of the hard buttons and the soft keys with any command from any device being used. In addition, you can configure a set of commands for the Sound button and the Picture button. This essentially gives you 3 full sets of buttons for each activity which can be switched between using the Sound and Picture buttons. More on this later.
In addition, you can configure the device mode for each component. Device mode is more like traditional remotes. You select a device and the whole remote controls only the selected device. You can configure most of the hard and soft keys for each device mode. This is a good place to keep all of the advanced commands for each device just in case you need them. You don’t want to have to get out the original remote again.
If the Harmony database does not already know a particular command (this might happen on more obscure commands), it will allow you to learn the command from the original remote.
Activities
Once you have setup all your activities, you can switch your whole system to do whatever you want with one button press. This is basically what macros accomplish on other remotes. The difference is that programming activities doesn’t require you to figure out and program the long sequence of commands to get where you want to go. The Harmony setup figures all that out. In addition, you don’t have to consider all possible scenarios like you would when you program a macro. You might need a different macro to Watch TV if you are starting with the system off than you would use when you are already watching a DVD. The Harmony keeps track of all components so that sending the Watch TV command works no matter what state your system is currently in. This whole approach to a universal remote is unique and superior to anything else I’ve used.
Buttons
The buttons on this remote are hard plastic with a decent feel when pressed. They don’t click. Instead they mash with a distinct popping sort of feel when activated. It’s a bit hard to describe. The buttons are well-separated for operation without looking. Some will find the buttons and labeling a bit small, but it’s not a deal breaker in my opinion.
Most of the buttons on the remote are customizable (the activity buttons and everything below the Logitech symbol except for Glow, Sound, and Picture) and can be assigned a command different from what I describe here.
Other Harmony remotes
I’ve used some other Harmony remotes and love how they operate. All work on the same basic principles and make your system much easier to control. It’s just a matter of deciding which particular Harmony remote suits your needs the best. A good comparison of the remotes with lots of nice pictures can be found here.
Conclusions
I’m sold on Harmony remotes in general. This is an excellent remote which offers extreme ease of use and can tame even complex systems. I highly recommend you give the 670 or any Harmony remote a try.
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Posted by Nathan at 3:02 PM 0 comments
Categories: Home theater, Remotes, Reviews
1) The 880 uses rechargeable batteries and comes with a recharging station while the 670 uses AAA batteries.
2) The button layout is different in a few ways.
3) The 880 LCD has space for 8 commands/activities in addition to the current activity or device, battery meter, and time. The 670 has room for only 6 commands/activities or 4 commands/activities and the current activity/device. In addition the resolution of the screen on the 880 allows for more text. The color display on the 880 can also display channel icons and images while the 670 cannot.
4) The 670 has a single Next button for scrolling through pages on the LCD while the 880 has a Left and Right button for this purpose.
5) The 880 has a Media button for displaying favorite channels on the screen. The 670 does not.
6) The 670 has Picture and Sound buttons which each activate their own full set of programmed buttons and softkey commands in each activity. This gives 3 times the number of programmable buttons in each activity. The 880 does not have these buttons.
7) The 670 seems to send commands slightly faster than the 880, but this might just be imagined.
8) The 880 possesses a tilt sensor to activate the screen and backlighting when moved. The 670 relies on a glow button.
9) The lettering is black on the 670 and white on the 880.
I think I will stick with the 880. I want to have the rechargeable batteries, better screen, and tilt sensor. The 670 is excellent as well but doesn't possess anything that makes it any better than the 880. In my opinion, the 880 is better for more advanced systems due to its screen.
Be sure to also check out my initial impressions of the 670 as well as the full reviews of the 670 and 880.
Posted by Nathan at 2:37 PM 0 comments
Categories: Home theater, Remotes