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Topic:
Durable Remote - Harmony One or 880
This thread has 17 replies. Displaying posts 1 through 15.
Post 1 made on Tuesday July 8, 2008 at 21:27
augmont
Lurking Member
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July 2008
3
I'm in the market for a UR and durability is important cause my kids 5 and 7 years old our current remote takes lots of abuse and we have hardwood floors (i.e. lots of drops on the floor). I'm concerned that the display on the "One" is may not hold up to my kids

For those with "one", do you feel its durable or fragile. Should i go with the 880?

Also, i have directv HR20 and ease of use, specifically for the color buttons on the HR20's remote, are very important to my wife. I assume both are HR20 friendly but if one's better than the other, that would give it more consideration.

Last edited by augmont on July 8, 2008 21:33.
Post 2 made on Tuesday July 8, 2008 at 22:09
akirby
Super Member
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March 2004
4,640
The One seems really solid to me, but not sure if anything would hold up to being dropped repeatedly on hardwood. I'm reasonably sure the 880 would be no better and probably worse. I'm using the One with my HR20 and it works fine. The color buttons are on the LCD. The 880 is no different in that regard.
Post 3 made on Tuesday July 8, 2008 at 22:53
smokinghot
Super Member
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3,688
I do not own the "One", but do have experience with touch screens. I don't care who makes it... A touch screen should never be used in an environment were falls of any kind are likely. How can a screen designed to respond to a finger press handle a fall of a few feet.

Although the One's touchscreen is very enticing to comsumers, IMHO I think other options should be put ahead on the list.

Best of Luck...!
....Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
OP | Post 4 made on Tuesday July 8, 2008 at 23:33
augmont
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On July 8, 2008 at 22:53, smokinghot said...
I do not own the "One", but do have experience with touch
screens. I don't care who makes it... A touch screen
should never be used in an environment were falls of any
kind are likely. How can a screen designed to respond
to a finger press handle a fall of a few feet.

Although the One's touchscreen is very enticing to comsumers,
IMHO I think other options should be put ahead on the
list.

Best of Luck...!

Please do share. I'm not sold on harmony. URC or Philips?
Post 5 made on Wednesday July 9, 2008 at 09:18
smokinghot
Super Member
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On July 8, 2008 at 23:33, augmont said...
Please do share. I'm not sold on harmony. URC or Philips?

Oh, I didn't mean to pull you away from a Harmony. Just to put touchscreens in general to the bottom of the list. I have read/heard many complaints of the Harmony's lack of endurance. Especially in abusive environments, but I can't speak from experience. Keep in mind that you usually only hear from those with a problem, so I'm sure there are many Harmony users that are more than happy with how their Harmonys have stood up.

IMHO..., considering the potential abuse I'd stick with something like a Harmony. Why put bigger $$$ into one of the other wizard based remotes if there is a likely chance of having to replace it..?
....Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Post 6 made on Wednesday July 9, 2008 at 10:43
hhatkin
Long Time Member
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461
On July 8, 2008 at 22:53, smokinghot said...
....the One's touchscreen is very enticing to comsumers

Not to this one:-)

Augmont: The colours are not too bad on the screen, but it's better to allocate them to spare hard buttons also, or instead.
Post 7 made on Wednesday July 9, 2008 at 11:11
smokinghot
Super Member
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3,688
On July 9, 2008 at 10:43, hhatkin said...
Not to this one:-)

I'll admit... The One's touchscreen almost had me sold on it. (I fell in love with the non-diy'er RTi model T2-c)

The One, is the closest thing I could find to the RTi form factor. The piano finish even matched my Pioneer plasma. ........(damn wizard)
....Light travels faster than sound. That's why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
Post 8 made on Wednesday July 9, 2008 at 14:34
hhatkin
Long Time Member
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February 2008
461
OK, the One does look nice, and it matches my Tosh LCD perfectly:-)
Those RT's do look good though, and new to me.
Post 9 made on Friday July 11, 2008 at 13:49
SaltiDawg
Long Time Member
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January 2005
76
On July 8, 2008 at 22:53, smokinghot said...
I do not own the "One", but do have experience with touch
screens. I don't care who makes it... A touch screen
should never be used in an environment were falls of any
kind are likely. How can a screen designed to respond
to a finger press handle a fall of a few feet.
...

This has been my experience also!
Post 10 made on Sunday July 13, 2008 at 13:28
Photodan
Long Time Member
Joined:
Posts:
September 2005
80
5 and 7 year old kids? Hardwood floors? Lotta abuse? A serious question?

Paying $150 to $250 for a remote and giving it to little kids, just to see how quickly they can destroy it? Let me know which remote will survive. I knock my 880 onto the floor occasionally but it's carpet, not hardwood.

Let me play the devil's advocate or the "Old Coot" for just a minute.

Kid's don't play with the adults' toys! It's that simple! I know, I know, that's an antiquated concept.
Post 11 made on Wednesday July 16, 2008 at 02:07
Milenkod
Long Time Member
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Posts:
December 2003
17
I'm in the same situation. I've had two 880's in the past 3-1/2 - 4 years because of just that...drops onto the hardwood floor...mainly my clumsy wife but the kids are are fault too. The 880 does not take too much abuse without some signs of malfunction and IMO I think the fit quality is a bit on the cheap side. Expect buttons to break or fall off and functions to no longer work. For instance, my current 880 will no longer control Volume up (reason Im perusing the forums..for a replacement). I think a trace on the board may have cracked.

However, I got the first 880 replaced under warranty at about the 1-year date and the second/current one has lasted the balance. I bought the first 880 for about $100 on some crazy stackable coupon deal through Dell. So I think I got my money's worth.

I, too, am looking into the One. Hopefully the build quality is somewhat better.
Post 12 made on Friday July 18, 2008 at 09:30
dalilama
Lurking Member
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July 2008
3
I currently own a H1 which replaced an 880. IMO they both have about the same durability but the 880 was easier for my son to use (he has issues with the touch screen), it also seemed to have a stronger IR than the H1. Hope this helps!
Post 13 made on Sunday July 20, 2008 at 14:16
jonnyroz
Founding Member
Joined:
Posts:
November 2001
25
Don't shortlist yourself to just the top two models. All harmony remotes are functionally the same. The differences lie in button layout, number of soft buttons versus dedicated buttons, whether the buttons are hard and clicky or rubber and squidgy (or a combination if both) etc. The 520, 550 and 720 are all worth considering and no less durable than the top-of-the-range models. They're also substantially cheaper should they get broken.

If you need red, green, yellow and blue buttons you could consider trying to get hold of the European/Australian versions. The model numbers (respective to the above) are 525, 555, 785 and 885. There's only one version of the One and it doesn't have dedicated colour buttons.

Check out [Link: remotecentral.com] for pictures, short descriptions and user opinions on the whole range.
Post 14 made on Thursday July 24, 2008 at 16:02
LuceScrew
Lurking Member
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Posts:
July 2008
1
I purchased a Harmony One to replace my 3-4 year old 680. I have two teenage kids and a wife that are not the most gentle on things. Well my Harmony One lasted ~3 months before it was dropped from about two feet (daughter missed the coffee table) onto hardwood floors and broke the lcd screen (touch function still works, but display is cracked and not visible). So the Harmony One is not as durable as the older remotes.

I am in talks with customer support for sending the remote back for repair on my own dollar, but they won't provide me an estimate prior to shipping (which is to Canada). I am debating to just chock this one up to experience and go to an older and cheaper model that might be able to handle my family.
Post 15 made on Saturday July 26, 2008 at 17:43
Bierboy
Long Time Member
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Posts:
December 2003
380
On July 20, 2008 at 14:16, jonnyroz said...
The 520, 550 and 720 are all worth considering and no less durable
than the top-of-the-range models...

Do NOT get a 550...I would recommend it to NO ONE. I've gone through three in 18 months, with the first two both having button malfunctions.
Harmony One - Hitachi 51UWX20B - TiVo Series 3 - CM 4221 - CM 9521A - Onkyo TX-SR601S - Denon DVM-1815 - Panamax Max 4300
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