Anyone see the new harmony coming out. It's a lotta $$$ though

numus said:mrredskin said:

you know you'd trade your 360 in for a ps3 if you could; even if you had to pay an extra hundred or so.

Only if i needed a new target at the shooting range would i do so...

uh oh.. i upset the fanbois

having the 520 and 880 i only have a few suggestions.
1: how many devices are you using?
a. if it maxes out at 4 then there is no difference
2: what are you really planning to do?
b. watch dvd's, play xbox 360/ps3, control volume with audio receiver
3: how many macro controls do you need or want?

i had the 880 controlling only 3 devices and it really didn't shine. my girlfriends home has the 520 controlling 7 devices and it was hindered. i switched the remotes and the 880 really shines there. the ease of use by the control lcd is a lot more intuitive if you actually use all 8 activity buttons. if you only need say 4 activity buttons i would say save your money and go with a 520/550 if the price is right. i got the 520 from eBay for around 25 with CB, and the 880 for 80 from Amazon new when that deal hit.

Thanks! Just in time, broke my Satellite remote yesterday.

thx op

mrredskin said:pharmdogg said:Eh, not that great of a remote. I have 4 harmony remotes and this is the one I like the least. You can get the cheaper 520 model and it works better than this one. Don't be fooled by the nice color lcd. It detracts from the fact that the remotes buttons all blend together so you can't really use the remote by feel. You almost always have to look at the remote to change channels, etc. One of their worst designs IMO. Pass. Green for OP for good deal though. I bought mine for $250 almost 2 years ago.

mine works pretty well, and you didn't mention the fact that the 880 has a charge/dock station which will save you on many, many batteries.

Use the slow discharge rechargeable batteries on a different remote, they will last way longer than this remotes "lasts one week under normal conditions"

A built in battery is a total negative for me in a remote. If I have to go to the tv to retrieve the remote when I am ready to watch I may as well turn it on manually! lol
It's either that or have an ugly cord for the charging station on your coffee table.

lfsbu said:
A built in battery is a total negative for me in a remote. If I have to go to the tv to retrieve the remote when I am ready to watch I may as well turn it on manually! lol
It's either that or have an ugly cord for the charging station on your coffee table.

My 880 cradle sits on the end table, pretty much out of site with the cord going around to an outlet behind the couch, and provides a place the wife and kids can remember to return it. Seriously, how hard is that to rig up? Besides, you don't have to charge it every day. My kids still leave it out for days at a time, and it has no problem with the battery having some juice left in it.

My imagination may be running wild here, but is there a possibility to control my Hunter ceiling fan with this remote? Has anyone tried such a thing? (now that I already paid $99 for it, I am trying to figure out if I can hide ALL other remotes )

Edit: Most fans seem to be using RF (which 880 can't control), will find out what my fan accepts in the evening.

We've had ours for a few years and love it. We've got a bunch of stuff to control and it handles them all great. It controls an Onkyo receiver, DVD player, Wii, Xbox 360, FiosTV HDDRV, a DirecTv HDDVR and all my X10 lighting through a IR to X10 box (although the X10 stuff is a little wonky... but if you want ALL LIGHTS OFF, it never fails ). All I had to do was show my wife the Activities button and she was all set.

I will agree with thoughts on the buttons... but we got used to it after a bit. I just bought my dad a Harmony One remote, and boy did they get it right with that remote. The well placed raised rubber buttons are perfect. When it comes time to replace the 880, I think the One will be my choice.

Now if I can just get the 880 to control the temperature on my kegerator I'll be all set

I bought a bunch of Harmony One remotes back during the C.C. fiasco ($149 in computer, they weren't even available yet) and took home a stack when they came in. Sold them on eBay for about $225/ea and kept one. Even got all those nice hirez icons on it, etc. Then there it sat on its charger dock, dust collected on top, and I never used it. Decided to sell it on eBay for $150 BIN plus $20 shipping and guess what ... sold in less than two hours even though I included pictures of the screen all scratched up.

When I want to change channels, I use the Dish remote. When I want to play a movie, I use the PS3 remote. When I want to switch between HDMI 1 and HDMI 2, I use the TV's remote. When I want to turn everything off I get off my chair and push the power button on the TV after turning off the PS3.

Harmony remotes, while cool, are IMO a foolish waste of money. Sure you get reduction of remotes, but what do you do when your remote gets out of synch?