* "second room IR" device not available from HK (on "back order", no ETA)

* I bought a USB/RS232 adapter and hooked it up to the HK 635 (which came with a warning that this was only for 'professionals'.) It winds up crashing (blue screen) Windows XP. I'm able to get communication from the HK635 (it sends its status and front control panel display continuously), but haven't been able to get it to recognize any commands. The 635 uses a newer RS232 protocol than older HK receivers; bidirectional, higher speed, parity check words. I don't think Girder is up to the task, though, I'd have to write my own serial port control program.

* Buying another amplifier: the only amps I've found small enough to fit into available cabinet space are the radio shack awful quality jobs.

* Putting a second receiver/cd player in the kitchen is not really an option. Don't want to use up counter space, don't want CDs used or stored there.

It's just maddening to have the equipment set up, wired, it sounds great, and not be able to use it because I can't get the remote control to work with the Harmony reliably.

Part of the frustration was how I couldn't get the HK 635 to play the "multi-room" capability at all when it was "down-converting" other input modes (from optical or coax connection from cable, the HTPC, or DVD) until I first ran them with analog input and turned on multiroom. I think could set the input mode back to digital (and even disconnect the analog input) and _then_ the HK would do the down conversion. I can't figure out what that was all about; some kind of glitch in the HK?


This message was edited by lmm on 05/30/05 14:51 ET.