Which remote control should i buy?

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
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Jul 19, 2001
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Sony 3100 - $90

Harmony 659 - ~$100ar

I need to control the following;

Panasonic HDTV
Scientific Atlanta 8300HD PVR
Sony DAV-FR1 (HTIB, w/ integrated DVD Player)
Eventually, Xbox

Which would you use?
 

T2T III

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
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Neither. Get the MX-500. :)

The Sony isn't comfortable to hold - unless you use both hands. The Harmony 659 is a cheap P.O.S. and not worth the price. The LCD screen has way too many issues. I've owned both of these remote controls and got rid of both of them because they sucked so bad.

 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
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Jul 19, 2001
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Well which do you guys like?

It has to be easy to use (for the fiancee), but powerful as well. An LCD would be a plus as the customizable titles would help.
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
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Jul 19, 2001
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hmmmmm

Well i need one, cant stand this mess of remotes :(
 

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
Feb 24, 2000
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Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech
Neither. Get the MX-500. :)

The Sony isn't comfortable to hold - unless you use both hands. The Harmony 659 is a cheap P.O.S. and not worth the price. The LCD screen has way too many issues. I've owned both of these remote controls and got rid of both of them because they sucked so bad.

Great remote, HT MX500 review with pictars!

Buy.com had this for $59.99 with free shipping back in October.
 

aphex

Moderator<br>All Things Apple
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Jul 19, 2001
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Originally posted by: RossMAN
Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech
Neither. Get the MX-500. :)

The Sony isn't comfortable to hold - unless you use both hands. The Harmony 659 is a cheap P.O.S. and not worth the price. The LCD screen has way too many issues. I've owned both of these remote controls and got rid of both of them because they sucked so bad.

Great remote, HT MX500 review with pictars!

Buy.com had this for $59.99 with free shipping back in October.

I do like the MX500 as well, easy to program the macros?
 

T2T III

Lifer
Oct 9, 1999
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Originally posted by: aphex
Originally posted by: RossMAN
Originally posted by: Tiles2Tech
Neither. Get the MX-500. :)

The Sony isn't comfortable to hold - unless you use both hands. The Harmony 659 is a cheap P.O.S. and not worth the price. The LCD screen has way too many issues. I've owned both of these remote controls and got rid of both of them because they sucked so bad.

Great remote, HT MX500 review with pictars!

Buy.com had this for $59.99 with free shipping back in October.

I do like the MX500 as well, easy to program the macros?

Yes, quite easy.

 

Amused

Elite Member
Apr 14, 2001
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I have the Sony AV3000 and it's great. It takes a while to program and has a steep learning curve, but if you have a decent IQ and once you get it programed it handles everything nicely.

I wonder what is new with the 3100?
 

Dulanic

Diamond Member
Oct 27, 2000
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Harmony. The Sony has a wow factor with the LCD screen, but I really wouldnt want to have to use that all the time, half the time Im not even looking at my remote. Dunno why anyone has an issue with the harmony, easy to setup, and can do pretty much anything you want.

I like the functionality of the Harmony 688 the best, but the button layout is weird, so my opinion is the 676 for the layout or the 680..

I have yet to find another remote like the Harmony that actually keeps track of what input your on, so when you hit watch a movie it knows how many times to hit the input button to get to the input you want.
 

flot

Diamond Member
Feb 24, 2000
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I just got the Harmony 680 and I am VERY impressed with it. I'd highly recommend the harmony remotes to anyone who is looking for a remote their GF can use... but is still powerful and flexible.

So far the only problem I have had with it is that it literally only took 5-10 minutes to set up. (via their website via USB) ... and now it's not fun to play around with, it just works! There are still some MINOR tweaks I want to make (like making sure it sets the right surround mode when switching inputs) but it's been great so far. Spend some time on their website reading about how to configure them and how they work.

The big thing about the different harmony models is the button layout. Since I use my tivo all the time, I liked the layout of the 680 better.
 

Looney

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
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I got the sony you have listed there a while back for a xmas present, and although it's ok, it's much too large imo. I'll rather get the harmony (i like holding remotes with one hand)
 

chuckywang

Lifer
Jan 12, 2004
20,133
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What's that remote control that has no buttons, but just a touch screen that changes depending on what device you're controlling?
 

aphex

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Originally posted by: jumpr
Originally posted by: chuckywang
What's that remote control that has no buttons, but just a touch screen that changes depending on what device you're controlling?
The Kameleon

I want this remote. :)

Very nice, got to play with that one at best buy today....

I like how it only shows the buttons you need for each device, actually will probably make it less confusing in the long run....

Anyone own one of these? I definately like the price over the Harmony.
 

rickn

Diamond Member
Oct 15, 1999
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Originally posted by: jumpr
Originally posted by: chuckywang
What's that remote control that has no buttons, but just a touch screen that changes depending on what device you're controlling?
The Kameleon

I want this remote. :)

2nd generation kameleon remotes will be out not to long. One of them will add RF.
 

helo7050

Banned
Mar 16, 2005
275
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Originally posted by: aphex
Originally posted by: jumpr
Originally posted by: chuckywang
What's that remote control that has no buttons, but just a touch screen that changes depending on what device you're controlling?
The Kameleon

I want this remote. :)

Very nice, got to play with that one at best buy today....

I like how it only shows the buttons you need for each device, actually will probably make it less confusing in the long run....

Anyone own one of these? I definately like the price over the Harmony.

I HAVE THIS REMOTE AND ITS NOT ALL THAT....it WIll make your guest say WOWWW!!! but usage wise ur going to have to look at the remote to change channels and volume because its a touch screen. . .i'm used to it now but at first it was fustrating.

ALSO BUY LOTS OF BATTERIES.. . this thing eats batteries like theres no tommorow.
 

CoveX

Member
Jan 24, 2003
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Although I can't comment on the specific models, I'd recommend against getting a touch-screen remote. Having no way to feel around for the buttons makes them somewhat clumsy to use, IMHO. I've owned and used an older-model Sony RM-AV2000 for a couple of years, and am now looking at "upgrading" to a remote with good olde rubber buttons.