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Topic:
whats so great about harmonys?
This thread has 4 replies. Displaying all posts.
Post 1 made on Wednesday February 27, 2008 at 09:05
munsterrr
Lurking Member
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February 2008
3
maybe someone can open my eyes and show me the light.

i dont see what is so great about them. i have a sony vl-600 that controls 8 things and has like 16 macros or something. only thing it doesnt turn on is my 360 and its kind of confusing setting it up but i did.

all the harmony looks like to me is a fancy remote that does the same thing as my sony.

show me the light and i will join the ranks
i drink nothing but the FINEST of cambodian breast milks
Post 2 made on Wednesday February 27, 2008 at 09:36
akirby
Super Member
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March 2004
4,640
On your Sony can you control multiple devices at the same time? e.g. If you're watching a DVD can the volume buttons control the A/V receiver while the transport buttons control the DVD player and other buttons control the lights and TV? I'm sure it can but that's what you get with Harmony Activities.

What you don't get with any other universal remote is Harmony's smart state management of power and inputs. If you have discrete power and input selection commands for all of your equipment then you can just create macros and blast the power and input commands every time. But if you don't - and some of your equipment uses toggles or you have to cycle through a list of inputs, then regular macros won't work and you either have to use complicated programming with state variables or you have to use multiple macros for each function (or you always have to go back to a known state before switching).

When you select a new activity, the harmony looks at which devices are needed and whether they are already on or not and only sends the power commands that are needed for that activity. It will resend discrete commands every time because that doesn't hurt anything but it only sends toggle commands when needed.

It does the same for inputs - it resends discrete input commands but for a toggle or cycle list it dynamically figures out how many commands to send based on where it is now vs. where it needs to be. e.g. If you're going from Watch TV to Watch DVD it may take 3 steps in the input menu but if you're going from Play Video game to Watch DVD it may only take 1. The Harmony does this automatically.

And if any of your equipment gets out of sync, you can press the Help button and it will resend commands and ask questions until it fixes the problem. This plus the ability to select aptly named activities with one button press makes it the perfect remote for non-techie family members including children and the elderly.
OP | Post 3 made on Wednesday February 27, 2008 at 09:57
munsterrr
Lurking Member
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February 2008
3
alright now that is pretty cool. i do have problems with that. i cant just say "reciever go to DVD" i have to tell it to hit "functions" 3 times. and it isnt always 3 clicks away. same with my TV too
i drink nothing but the FINEST of cambodian breast milks
Post 4 made on Wednesday February 27, 2008 at 10:12
akirby
Super Member
Joined:
Posts:
March 2004
4,640
If your equipment works with the default power and inputs as setup in the harmony database, you can have a harmony up and running with activities in 20-30 minutes. No programming required.
OP | Post 5 made on Wednesday February 27, 2008 at 10:45
munsterrr
Lurking Member
Joined:
Posts:
February 2008
3
thats good. it took me days to figure out how to setup the sony

so with this remote i guess anyone would say its for everyone else but the person that purchased, setup, and studied how everything works.

like we know tv has to go to input 1, reciever goes to dvd, dvd player goes to disc 3, microwave in the kitchen goes to 1 minute 3 seconds, the garage door opens and the hall light turns on.

BUTTTTT any common folk would just hit the "end of the world button"
i drink nothing but the FINEST of cambodian breast milks


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