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Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:48 am
by eferz
mdavej wrote:Agreed that all harmony's can do "activity" macros, but few can do the arbitrary 5-button ones (sequences) anymore. They've removed that capability from most new models (1100, 900, 700, 650, 600, 300). So if you want to put a simple macro on a button (not counting activities), you can't do it anymore. This is the main reason I sold all my harmony remotes and went back to JP1 (never really left, but my main HT remote was harmony for a while). Also, their low end models used handle a dozen or so devices. Now they're limited to 5 or 6. So harmony is really going in the wrong direction IMO.
A harmony activity is a very specialized macro that is only for power on, input switching and key group mapping. You can add your own commands in some cases to the beginning or end. But if you want to make a button do a simple macro like toggle captions for example, an activity won't work, and the sequence capability that would have worked no longer exists in current models. That's a huge deal breaker IMO. Since the OP was considering a 700, I was trying to warn him about this loss in functionality.
Thanks for clearing that up. I have the Logitech Harmony 300 which I've personally renamed the "Harmony Database Key" or HDK for short. The customization of "Watch TV" for my remote is a check box next to each configured device, so I don't have the ability to prepend or append commands or customize sequences. I had assumed this ability wasn't available to me because its one of the less expensive models in the Harmony line.
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:55 am
by eferz
xnappo wrote:I just wish UEI would make something a little higher end that we could hack!
I believe mdavej mentioned something about the
Xsight remotes. It looks like there are four:
ARRX06G,
ARRX12G,
ARRX15G, and
ARRX18G. Though, I don't know how "hackable" they could be.
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:28 am
by mdavej
eferz wrote:Thanks for clearing that up. I have the Logitech Harmony 300 which I've personally renamed the "Harmony Database Key" or HDK for short. The customization of "Watch TV" for my remote is a check box next to each configured device, so I don't have the ability to prepend or append commands or customize sequences. I had assumed this ability wasn't available to me because its one of the less expensive models in the Harmony line.
That's correct. Being the lowest end model, the 300 has the limitations you described. In addition, the 300 is limited to a single activity macro, "Watch TV". It's great for getting codes from the harmony database, but pretty useless as a universal remote unless you have a very simple setup.
Thanks for posting those Xsight models. The 6 and 12 device models are new and appear to use the same operating system and configuration software as the older models.
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:43 am
by eferz
mdavej wrote:That's correct. Being the lowest end model, the 300 has the limitations you described.
Hey, now! The Harmony 200 is less functional than mine. No need to shame the 300 any further than it already is.
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 9:50 am
by mdavej
Hey that's a new one too. I didn't know it was possible to make a remote less functional than the 300
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:14 am
by eferz
mdavej wrote:Hey that's a new one too. I didn't know it was possible to make a remote less functional than the 300
Now you're just being mean.
Great, now I have to comfort my Harmony remote. *gently pats the 300 on the transmitter*
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 10:20 am
by xnappo
mdavej wrote:The 6 and 12 device models are new and appear to use the same operating system and configuration software as the older models.
If you could get that 6-device guy for $40 and we could hack it...
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:41 am
by eferz
xnappo wrote:mdavej wrote:eferz wrote:The 6 and 12 device models are new and appear to use the same operating system and configuration software as the older models.
If you could get that 6-device guy for $40 and we could hack it...
I believe that I've been misquoted.
Posted: Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:58 am
by mdavej
I've offered up my 18 device for hacking, but no takers yet. It was less than $60 on sale not long ago.
HERE's what one user got using a USB sniffer.
Posted: Tue Sep 13, 2011 5:59 am
by Capn Trips
DavidEC2955 wrote:mdavej wrote:FWIW, UEI does make a very harmony-like remote called the Xsight. It has a color touch screen LCD, 18 devices, favorites with icons, USB interface and web based programming interface. The RF Touch model runs about $70 and competes with the $250 harmony 900. The Color model is quite a bit less and competes with the 700. And unlike harmony, it can do macros.
Is that the one only sold in the USA under the brand name of:
Acoustic Research ARRX18G XSight 18-Device Universal Learning Remote
From what I have read it is a fairly heavy and large remote, larger than the HT-PRO.
:David
I have both the XSight Touch and the HTPro (the extended HTPro was for a LONG time my primary HT remote - great extender, good layout, good WAF - but just not enough memory to handle all of the device upgrades as my HT system evolved. I used it for over a year with precisely 1 byte of memory remaining!).
I like the XSight Touch just fine - better than my Harmony ONE. IMHO, it is neither larger nor bulkier than the HT Pro, it compares favorably with the Harmony ONE and 900. User interface was clunky at first, but AR seems to have made it a little more user-friendly over time, so overall, I like it.