Looking for any info about upgrading to a Harmony 880 from the 659. I use separate SACD and DVD audio units. I got one of the new DISH Vip 622 DVRs and will get one of the new Toshiba HDDVDs. I have not got all the DVR commands on to the 659 yet even after trying to "learn" them one by one. Will a new 880 make my viewing/listening any smoother ? Thanks for any help.

No - the controls are all the same. Only the button layout and LCD screen are really different. You may not like the buttons on the 880 compared to the 659.

I'm in the market to buy the 659. My friend has it and likes it. The only real difference between our systems is that I have DVR, which I watch occasionally. Can the 659 handle DVR features?

Thanks for the help!

I've only had the Dish DVR for a week (nice to finally record HD). So far things like the Guide and menu buttons don't work. I'll have to try and learn them again. I've had the 659 for about 2 years and it worked the old Dish 811 receiver just fine. I think the 659 has dropped under $100 now so it is a good buy if only I can improve the DVR stuff.

The problem with the 659 is that the transport controls (rew/ff/pause/play) are at the bottom which some people find inconvenient for DVR use if you like to rew and ff a lot. If you just play recorded programs like DVDs then it's less of an issue.

The 676 and 680 work just like the 659 but they've moved the transport controls to the middle of the remote which works better for DVRs.