Harmony Remote SST-688 Universal Remote Control (Silver)
See it at Amazon.com for $159.99Average Customer Rating
(4.0 out of 5)
Amazon Customer Reviews
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(5 out of 5)Finally, a universal remote that really works!
I have been struggling with five remotes to control my DLP TV (Samsung), AVR (Denon), DVD player (Denon), TiVo, and Sci-Atlanta Cable Box HDTV DVR (8000-HD).
Controlling all of the above was a daunting task of juggling 5 remotes, so I got the Pronto Pro, and six months later, found juggling the 5 remotes more practical than using the Pronto Pro, which relies on a LCD pannel for most of the controlling.
Then I saw the Harmony h688. It looked very ergonomic, just like my prized TiVo remote, and had PVR buttons on the remote as well. I read some reviews which claimed programming would be easy.
This was the best purchase I have made all year! Within 25 minutes, I had the remote talking to all my components, including the following tasks:
1. Watch HDTV
2. Watch TiVo
3. Listen to Music
4. Watch a DVD
5. Use Computer
6. PC with TiVo
For all of the above, the remote would switch all the right equipment to the right inputs and knows the status of each equipment (on or off). For "PC with TiVo", it would set my Audio to TiVo, my picture to PC (DVI), and have a PIP with TiVo in it.
Everything worked as advertized within the fist 25 minutes!
(...)
(3 out of 5)Great Technology - Small, Terrible Buttons
The Good:
This remote is perfect for people who have a large number of AV components they need to tie together. I love the web programming capabilities (though it's not as easy as it could be).
The Bad:
The buttons are simply awful! They're way too small and don't have any space between them, making it impossible to use the remote without first finding the buttons by careful visual inspection. And what's up with that silver ring for the direction buttons? It's all for looks and not for normal use.
Why can't they just make the buttons normal size like TiVo or Sony?
(5 out of 5)finally, I can put all my original remotes away
If you can consider $200 for a remote, then buy one. Instead of replacing individual remote controls the unit easily programs itself to use your system-which is a complicated feat when you listen to your TV through a stereo and use a cable box or dish to control the channels.
When I got the unit, I went to the harmony web site and told it what components I have-then I set up activities like watch TV. The web site asked what I watched TV on. (The TV of course.) Then it asked what I used to change the channels. I choose the cable box. Then it asked how to control the volume-I play the sound through my stereo. It then asked the what input to set the stereo to when watching TV and what input the TV uses to tune the cable box. Now when I hit the "Watch TV" button the remote turns on the stereo, TV and cable box, set the stereo to the proper input and sets the TV to receive the cable box. The channel buttons operate the cable box and the volume buttons work the stereo. The unit knows just how long to wait after turning something on before it tries to send further commands. In the mean time it can operate the other components. Way cool!
The remote knows what components to turn off and on when you change activities. So if after watching TV I want to listen to the radio-with one button the remote turns the TV and cable box off and sets the stereo to my favorite radio station.
That's just a couple of examples of what the remote can do. The online database has all the codes I needed to get started and I fine tuned the functions on the remote after the initial setup.
To answer the previous post, the unit can work input selection where you have to hit the input button until you get the desired input as opposed to a button that directly selects the input. I knows how many inputs are in the cycle and counts how many times it needs to send the code. The "help" button prompts you through getting the remote back in sync with components if you change the inputs manually.
The remote also has device mode where it works like a dedicated remote for each component-in case you don't like the "activity" model.
I have the H688 since it has page up and page down buttons I frequently use with my Replay TV digital video recorder-choose the unit that has the buttons you need.
(3 out of 5)Poor Buttons & Web Site Configuration Tool Needs Work
I bought this remote hoping to replace my Sony RM-VL900 (which I love but programming it's a pain).
First, the buttons on the H688 are flimsy and small. Feeling your way around the remote is difficult. The directional buttons (up, down, left, right) are on a small metal ring and pressing it repeatedly becomes painful - especially if you're a heavy TiVo user.
Programming this remote from the web site is also a mess unless you have a very basic setup. I have a TiVo, DVD, amp, TV and satellite box. Took me over 4 hours to worm my way around all the configuration steps and choices until I got it where I liked it.
If they could make the buttons more like the Sony RM-VL900 and improve the web site, I would recommend this remote to others. Right now, I'd say the Sony is a better bet even though you have to manually program it.
(3 out of 5)Great concept, poor execution
The nice thing about the Harmony 688 is that it can handle the most complex audio visual configurations. I have two TiVo's hooked up to different TV inputs, with sound handled by a separate amplifier and speaker system and audio switching handled by a Radio Shack switchbox. The 688 will switch from one to the other with a single button press.
Setting it up is a bit of a pain, since it must be done online, and every change requires a 5 minute download. However, the system is extremely powerful. Most infrared codes are already in Harmony's database, and if yours isn't, you can record it and upload it. It does work well with Mac OSX, but you'll need to change a default in Safari to get the small download files to autorun. Some devices require a bit of tweaking to get it to work reliably, but the Harmony web site provides a great deal of control over the timing of commands, so it seems to be able to handle just about anything. One limitation is that it doesn't offer arbitrary macros, so it may be hard to automate activities that do not fit into the component-switching paradigm.
It also has all of the buttons you'll ever need to emulate virtually any remote, and an LCD display to handle any that are left out. However, the buttons themselves suck. The remote seems to be designed for looks rather than convenience. The buttons are small, and worse, have almost no separation. The tactile feedback is poor, so often a button will "click" but not register. Be sure to consider the Harmony 676 and 680, newer models with similar features and better button layout.