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My Harmony One slows me down...need suggestions


Youthman

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I've owned the Harmony One now for a few months. It is my first universal remote and so far, there are a lot of nice features with it. Some things are much quicker than before since I have 3 Activities programmed (Play a Game, Listen to Music, Watch a DVD). These are all one touch macros that turn everything on, select input and appropriate sound fields etc). That works great. Turning everything off is a simple one button press.

So far, my one issue I'm running into with the One is that certain tasks that I used to do quickly with my PS3, projector and Yamaha remote,
takes me more time with the Harmony One.

Example: I turn everything on to watch a DVD with one button. Awesome. Once the DVD begins playing, I need to switch the projector's zoom memory so the image fills my scope screen. To do this, I have to hit Devices>Projector>Function and choose 2.35:1 aspect ratio. But now I need to jump to a scene on the Bluray disk so I hit Devices>Game Console and can now control the DVD playback buttons.

I know it's only a few extra steps but it was just easier to pick up the PS3 remote and hit the appropriate key at anytime without having to "enable" it by going to the devices menu on the One remote.

The One does allow you to reorder the menu buttons so I put things like Power, DSP etc on the first page of the menu for the Yamaha and Power, Function, Aspect, Return etc on the front page of the Projector menu.

I find it strange that the One has a button for "PwrOn-All" for the Yamaha but this is dumb. It not only turns on the receiver but it also turns on Zone2 and Zone3 which disables the center and surround channels. It doesn't even have a Pwr-Off button. What's up with that? Do I need to have the One learn those commands from the original Yamaha remote? Edit: I found these options in the Custom Buttons Menu.

Any suggestions?

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Hi Youth,

I am no expert with the Harmony since I don't own one, I know the programing is a little different than what I am used to but lets see if I can try to give you some suggestions that may work.

First with your watch DVD zoom.

When you press watch DVD everything turns ON to watch the DVD, where is the menu on your remote after that? My guess is that it would go to the DVD device page?

If so, how customizable is the DVD device page, can you add the projectors aspect ratio to this page? When I program my remote I specify what menu page my remote goes to and at that page I have all the controls I would usually use when I am doing whatever it is I am currently doing in this case watching a DVD, this way I don't need to bounce around to other device menu pages, everything I would normally want to control while watching a DVD should be on this remote menu page.

I am not completely sure about your "PwrOn-All" question, is this a limitation of the Yamaha or is the remote doing something it shouldn't? Maybe teaching your remote with the "learn" so it will do only what you want it to do and nothing more would be what you need to do.

Maybe this helps you some like I say I am not familiar with the Harmony programing I think it is more preset to a template and not quite as customizable.

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Regarding the zoom feature, I now have hard buttons set to those, I just have to remember which button it is. LOL

After looking through the menus some more, I added commands to the hard buttons so all is better with that now.

The PowerOn was my goof. In the software, it mentioned Zone1 and I guess it didn't register to me that Zone1 was the main speakers. When I saw Zone, I was thinking about Zone2 and Zone3 (which I don't use). That was a simple fix.

Now I just have to figure out why I can't control the Yamaha's volume if I'm on the PS3 Activity even though I have it set to do that in the software.

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Here is a screenshot. Everything looks like it's setup right, am I missing something?

Looks like it should be controlling the volume by the Yamaha to me. I would try changing it a couple times to see if it is just an error and if it still does not work maybe contact Harmony as it seems as an error on their end.

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Does the Harmony allow you to specify a menu page that the remote will be on after it completes a macro or does it just return to a home page on the Harmony?

Not that I'm aware of.

I would try changing it a couple times to see if it is just an error
and if it still does not work maybe contact Harmony as it seems as an
error on their end.

Good idea.

Can't it be assigned to a label-able button?

Yes, I already have it on the first page of the touch screen. I was just wanting a quicker way to do it and by assigning it to a hard button, it works great.

With the changes I've made tonight, if I can get the volume issue working, the Harmony One just got way faster!

The touch screen is cool, it's just slower to use it than the hard buttons on the remote. I just have to get used to remembering which functions I have assigned to which button.

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Does the Harmony allow you to specify a menu page that the remote will be on after it completes a macro or does it just return to a home page on the Harmony?

Not that I'm aware of.

I would look into this, I don't know if the Harmony has this option or not, but it is nice to have the remote be sent to a menu page that has all the controls you want to use when using a particular function. The last command at any macro I have tells the remote what menu page for the remote to go to.

The touch screen is cool, it's just slower to use it than the hard buttons on the remote. I just have to get used to remembering which functions I have assigned to which button.

Yes this is why I prefer hard button remotes to touch screens. The top portion of my remotes are LCD label-able hard buttons not touch screen, this way you can work the remote by feel without looking at the remote. The remotes which are completely touch screen with no hard buttons are really a pain to use.

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The remotes which are completely touch screen with no hard buttons are really a pain to use.

Yeah, I can see now why they would be. I like that the One has both hard buttons and a touch screen LCD. Guess it's the best of both worlds.

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see, that's why i went with the 720, i have 6 buttons at top to work with. i have long muted out the clicking buttons, so now i have no issues with it.

volume issue, check the settings and see what device is asks you "what controls the volume." i know i have went round and round with my software and sometimes when you make changes it resets stuff. go back and tell it again to control the volume with the yammy. something simular happened to me like that.

i know what you mean about trying to remember what hard buttons you set. i had to set 3 different sound fields to 1,2,&3. i ran out of buttons and that was my only option. i try and keep them set the same for all functions but it's almost impossible to do that.

it's so hard to explain to the wife that you just bought this nice remote to use everything for and then you give her all these little tid bits of info about what button does what and not to touch some buttons. the WAF factor just goes out the window. lol.

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I'm honestly going to sell my Harmony 670. It used to be great, but now with the HDMI receiver I can just use the receiver remote and the DTV remote to control everything. And then of course the PS3 remote. Using the Harmony remote wouldn't get rid of any of the other 3 so I have no use for it anymore. But you are needing to control a lot more functions than I ever need to so maybe its better for you. Sorry I know that wasn't much help

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Thought I'd put a little info about the URC,

Here's a screen shot of the software for programming the URC MX-850 on my desktop. It use to be URC let you download the software from their website so you could try it before you bought a remote but now you need the remotes serial # to download the software from their website.

The remote picture on the software is functional and responds interactively to clicks on its buttons. Shown is the remotes "MAIN" page with the POWER ON buttons settings featured.

From the MAIN page pressing the ON button triggers a macro that.

Powers ON my receiver, inserted 0.3 sec delay, Powers ON my plasma TV, Changes my receivers input to Sezmi (my TV mode), Changes my receivers listening mode to my preference, inserted 0.3 sec delay, Changes my RT-10d sub to my TV/Movie listening level, Then finally changes the remotes menu page to the Sezmi menu.

My system is now completely ON for watching TV with my Sezmi DVR box and my remote is in the Sezmi menu where I can control my Sezmi box change channels and do everything I need to do while watching TV.

MX-850software.jpg

From the "MAIN" menu just pressing any of the top 10 buttons brings up the menu pages for those devices.

However from the "MAIN" if I press and hold any of the top 10 buttons it triggers a macro that turns ON everything and switches all inputs/ modes etc. needed to watch and or listen to those devices and then changes the remotes menu to the page that controls whatever it is I am doing.

On my remotes Main page the 10 menu buttons are, (press and hold button to trigger macro or just press to go to menu page only)

Onkyo controls brings up my receivers control menu

SUB brings up my remotes subwoofer control menu

CD either turns ON everything to listen to CDs and/or brings up the remotes CD menu

TV turns on everything for watching TV and goes to the remotes Sezmi menu or just goes to my plasma TV's control menu

VCR either turns everything ON to use VCR and/or goes to the remotes VCR menu (yes I still have a VCR in case it's needed, but I don't remember the last time I used it)

DVD either turns ON everything and sets modes to watch Blu-ray and/or goes my remotes Blu-ray menu

RADIO either turns everything ON and sets modes to listen to the radio and/or goes to my remotes Radio menu

SEZMI either turns ON everything to watch TV and/or goes to my remotes Sezmi menu page

LIGHTS goes to my home lighting remotes menu page

VISTA either turns ON everything to listen to and view my music server and/or goes to my remotes music server menu

On page 2 of my remotes MAIN page are controls for my air conditioning

From any devices menu page the ON button only turns ON that device and the OFF button only turns OFF that device

From the "MAIN" remote page the ON button turns ON everything to watch TV and the OFF button turns OFF everything in my system which is currently ON

The URC software is really pretty simple to use to program your remote. Probably the hardest part for most new users would be learning all the things that the remote is capable of that they don't know about because they never had a remote which could do these thing before.

The MX-850 is an all hard button IR remote with RF capabilities URC also has various touch screen and newer color picture menu style remotes. The MX-850 is more basic looking but it's my favorite to use, once you are use to it you do not even need to look at the remote for most functions. They are very comfortable in hand and exceptionally well made and durable. The infrared signal strength is stronger than most remotes and the remotes respond very well. With the RF abilities pointing the remote or even being in the same room as the devices being controlled isn't necessary.

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