Logitech Xbox 360 Harmony Remote $69.99 AC @ Best Buy B&M

G

gantt

CAGiversary!
Best Buy has the Logitech Xbox 360 Harmony Remote on sale for $79.99 (reg. $99.99). This price is both online and B&M, but for some reason it doesn't seem to be in the weekly ad.

Use the $10 off $75 (video game accessories) coupon (valid through 8/21) in-store to make it $69.99.

http://www.cheapassgamer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=193461

It's not a great deal but I rarely see this on sale anywhere, especially at B&M. I've never been confident enough about this to get it online.

The Harmony 550 goes on sale every now and then at Amazon for $50. They look very similar in terms of size, buttons and layouts. My understanding is the 550 can control a few more devices, while the 360 Harmony has dedicated buttons for the 360 controller's A,B,X,Y functions.

I would appreciate any comments from those who own one or both about how these compare.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I picked this up for the $80-$85 it was listed on Amazon, and it's worth every penny. Especially because I use my 360 as my DVD player, so this works perfectly.

I don't know if the 550 can necessarily control more devices than the 360-specific one; my impression was that any of the remotes can control as many devices as you need. The 550 might have a larger LCD screen, maybe? I know with the 360 one, there's so much customization you can do with the LCD context-sensitive buttons that even the small screen isn't that big of a deal.

It's the best home-A/V purchase I've made all year. My wife can actually watch TV now!
 
[quote name='lunker']I don't know if the 550 can necessarily control more devices than the 360-specific one; my impression was that any of the remotes can control as many devices as you need.[/quote]

Thanks for the info. The Logitech website product pages indicate they can both control up to 12 devices, but the packaging on the 550 says it can control up to 15 devices, while the 360 Harmony packaging says 12 devices.

I read a lot of reviews saying how great these are because now their wife can use the TV. For better or for worse, that's not a consideration for me. But I still hope to find one who won't be phased by moderately complex A/V setups. One can dream...
 
[quote name='TheBryanTarlowski']What can I do with this remote? I have a Onkyo receiver, ps3, dreamcast, and xbox 360[/quote]

It will control the 360. Not sure about your receiver or dreamcast, although I would think it would work with the receiver unless it's bluetooth only like the PS3.
 
[quote name='MSUHitman']It will control the 360. Not sure about your receiver or dreamcast, although I would think it would work with the receiver unless it's bluetooth only like the PS3.[/QUOTE]

It'll almost definitely work with the receiver, won't work with the DC at all and will only work with the PS3 if you get some kind of IR adapter, but I've heard it's absurdly expensive.

The way the Harmony remotes work is just excellent; you install software on your PC/Mac, plug in all the serial/model numbers of your various A/V components, answer some basic questions about your setup (like "Do you use the volume on your TV or receiver when watching TV?"), and it does the rest for you. It's literally idiotproof, one-button macro design with almost no fuss, and there's even troubleshooting on the slim chance the macro didn't take fully. I have four Activities set up: Watch TV, Watch a DVD, Play 360 and Play Wii, that all show up on the LCD screen. I just press the button next to each choice, and it auto-configs all the stuff for me: Turns on all components, switches to right video input, etc. It can't turn the Wii on, but it'll flip to the right video input and let me control volume on my receiver with the buttons.

The nice part is that it remembers the on/off state of everything you use, so you don't have to worry about it turning off the receiver instead of turning it on because you left it on by accident the night before.
 
Awesome remote...!!! Bought it back when it was over $120. Love...helps those that are technology challenged, ie. my wife!
 
[quote name='ivanctorres']Does this work with Tivo? If so I'm sold! I have four remotes on my coffee table and that's just 3 too many :)[/quote]
- If it's IR, the Harmony will control it. If your device isn't in the Harmony database (highly unlikely), then you can simply use your original remote to teach the Harmony.
 
[quote name='ivanctorres']Does this work with Tivo? If so I'm sold! I have four remotes on my coffee table and that's just 3 too many :)[/QUOTE]

Harmony remotes work with just about anything. IIRC the 550 model has a few extra DVR-specific buttons, but if you're not doing a lot of DVRing this remote is nice.
 
[quote name='ivanctorres']Does this work with Tivo? If so I'm sold! I have four remotes on my coffee table and that's just 3 too many :)[/quote]

From user comments I've seen elsewhere, I believe it does control Tivo. However, I recall at least one comment that said there is lag compared to the Tivo remote, which could be frustrating when trying to skip forward/back and stop at a particular point. Perhaps people here can comment if they've experienced this or not.
 
[quote name='gantt']From user comments I've seen elsewhere, I believe it does control Tivo. However, I recall at least one comment that said there is lag compared to the Tivo remote, which could be frustrating when trying to skip forward/back and stop at a particular point. Perhaps people here can comment if they've experienced this or not.[/quote]
- I owned the DirecTV HD-Tivo and there is a slight lag if you leave the Device at its default settings. However, you can go into the advanced menu and adjust various delays and repeats to perform exactly like the original remote... sometimes faster.
 
[quote name='lunker']It'll almost definitely work with the receiver, won't work with the DC at all and will only work with the PS3 if you get some kind of IR adapter, but I've heard it's absurdly expensive.

The way the Harmony remotes work is just excellent; you install software on your PC/Mac, plug in all the serial/model numbers of your various A/V components, answer some basic questions about your setup (like "Do you use the volume on your TV or receiver when watching TV?"), and it does the rest for you. It's literally idiotproof, one-button macro design with almost no fuss, and there's even troubleshooting on the slim chance the macro didn't take fully. I have four Activities set up: Watch TV, Watch a DVD, Play 360 and Play Wii, that all show up on the LCD screen. I just press the button next to each choice, and it auto-configs all the stuff for me: Turns on all components, switches to right video input, etc. It can't turn the Wii on, but it'll flip to the right video input and let me control volume on my receiver with the buttons.

The nice part is that it remembers the on/off state of everything you use, so you don't have to worry about it turning off the receiver instead of turning it on because you left it on by accident the night before.[/quote]

Word. You just sold me one. I can't stand changing my inputs back and forth back and forth during the day because my tvs interface is utter crap
 
[quote name='lunker']It'll almost definitely work with the receiver, won't work with the DC at all and will only work with the PS3 if you get some kind of IR adapter, but I've heard it's absurdly expensive.

The way the Harmony remotes work is just excellent; you install software on your PC/Mac, plug in all the serial/model numbers of your various A/V components, answer some basic questions about your setup (like "Do you use the volume on your TV or receiver when watching TV?"), and it does the rest for you. It's literally idiotproof, one-button macro design with almost no fuss, and there's even troubleshooting on the slim chance the macro didn't take fully. I have four Activities set up: Watch TV, Watch a DVD, Play 360 and Play Wii, that all show up on the LCD screen. I just press the button next to each choice, and it auto-configs all the stuff for me: Turns on all components, switches to right video input, etc. It can't turn the Wii on, but it'll flip to the right video input and let me control volume on my receiver with the buttons.

The nice part is that it remembers the on/off state of everything you use, so you don't have to worry about it turning off the receiver instead of turning it on because you left it on by accident the night before.[/QUOTE]

This is a great explanation - I bought one on Amazon awhile back when they went on sale for around $50

Just got around to setting it up and I must say I am amazed at how easy it is to use. It will definately get rid of that pile of remotes - it even worked on all of my laserdisc players.
 
I got a Harmony through BzzAgent and love the thing myself. I did find a little learning curve of changing habits like booting up the Xbox from the controller etc... But if you have lots of stuff attached to your Tele, this is a must.
 
Yeah, great remote. I have one controlling my LG TV (still having some issues with selecting inputs, but I've been working around it using the HELP button), Philips DVD player, Cable Box, XBox 360 w/ HDDVD player, and my Popcorn Hour streaming video box. Hell, it even controls my humidifier/fan, though I can't get all the functions working even through manual programming, but at least it goes on and off, which is all I need.

Definitely worthwhile purchase @$99, even better at $79, or $69 with the coupon.
 
[quote name='Justin42']What is the difference between the 360 version and non-360 version?[/quote]
- The only difference between Harmony remotes is the button layout and battery type. The higher end models also have RF. For example, the 880 has a color LCD screen and rechargeable battery. The 890 has RF in addition to IR.

Functionality wise, all of the Harmony remotes can do the same things.
 
[quote name='mbeno13']FYI this remote is 73.79 on Amazon right now http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harm...00CCXCYC/ref=pd_ts_vg_40?ie=UTF8&s=videogames

which ends up being cheaper after you factor in tax.[/quote]

It has been $73.79 @ Amazon for several weeks now, but it was $84.98 earlier today when I posted. Amazon pricing is predictably unpredictable.

I paid a few $ more at Best Buy due to tax, but worth it to me for the ease of return if it doesn't work out.
 
Damn, according to their website, the closest BB that has one is a few hundred miles away. :(

I might swing by the one right by my house anyways just to check it out. I have a GC there and would love to pick this up.
 
IMO, if you're thinking of buying a Harmony remote, save up some cash and buy a higher end/newer one. I bought one of these about 6 months ago for $40 on clearance at Sears. At first, I thought it was the coolest thing.... then the frustration started when it constantly went out of sync. Eventually, the green backlight just stayed on and drained the battery in about 3 days. I called Logitech and they were cool about everything. They sent me a brand new in box remote to replace it. The problem with the new remote is the distance isn't as good as the other one.. I'm not even 10 feet back from my entertainment system, yet some things just won't turn on unless i'm pointing it at the device at about 5 feet away.

I'll keep this thing until it dies, but when it does, I might look into another device.
 
Yeah, this remote is not all its cracked up to be. It must take an hour before it turns itself off. Power button is finicky. You can't mix and match very well getting two or more components to function on the remote at the same time. Macros only have 5 steps and I can't get any of them to work anyway, so if you want to dig through menus to toggle some feature on or off (like 16:9 mode on some Sony TVs) you are shit outta luck if it takes more than 5 steps. The Sounds and Picture button are reportedly broken by a bug Logitech never bothered to fix.

That $200 one is probably the better bet but I'm still going to guess that unless you drop a massive wad for a Philips/Marantz Pronto, you might as well get a shitty Walmart no-name brand universal remote.
 
I picked one of these XBox versions up back when it was on sale for $60. I absolutely couldn't go back to the pile of 4-5 remotes that used to be on my coffee table. I control my Panny plasma TV, a comcast cable box, Onkyo receiver, Insignia DVD player, and XBox with it, and it's always worked without a hitch. One click, point the remote at the entertainment center for a few seconds, and everything is on and set to the right inputs for whatever i wanna do. Very cool.

Another nice feature is the ability to reassign buttons. You can make just about any button do anything via the included software. I've got the colored XBox themed buttons controlling everything from TV Aspect ratios to surround sound modes when I'm in TV mode (which is the "Destroy Braincells" macro for me), and they immediately go back to their standard XBox buttons when I switch over to game mode ("Rock the 360" macro). Two big thumbs up. Worth every penny.
 
[quote name='crunchb3rry']Yeah, this remote is not all its cracked up to be. It must take an hour before it turns itself off. Power button is finicky. You can't mix and match very well getting two or more components to function on the remote at the same time. Macros only have 5 steps and I can't get any of them to work anyway, so if you want to dig through menus to toggle some feature on or off (like 16:9 mode on some Sony TVs) you are shit outta luck if it takes more than 5 steps. The Sounds and Picture button are reportedly broken by a bug Logitech never bothered to fix.

That $200 one is probably the better bet but I'm still going to guess that unless you drop a massive wad for a Philips/Marantz Pronto, you might as well get a shitty Walmart no-name brand universal remote.[/QUOTE]

Not sure about the macro step limit as I'm not using that feature, but I have the very similar Harmony 550 and it works fine for me. Have you used the Harmony software to update the firmware on the remote?
 
I have a quick question for anyone that owns this.

If I have the remote, and use it to turn on my 360. Does the remote then become the controller for my logged in 360 profile?

As in, do I have to then turn on my wireless controller to play and log off with the remote control or what?

I want it to be able to turn my 360 on, then navigate to my videos and watch a video without the pain in the ass of having to turn my wireless controller on, select the video, turn the controller off, turn it back on when the 30 min episode ends, etc.
 
[quote name='prence']I have a quick question for anyone that owns this.

If I have the remote, and use it to turn on my 360. Does the remote then become the controller for my logged in 360 profile?

As in, do I have to then turn on my wireless controller to play and log off with the remote control or what?

I want it to be able to turn my 360 on, then navigate to my videos and watch a video without the pain in the ass of having to turn my wireless controller on, select the video, turn the controller off, turn it back on when the 30 min episode ends, etc.[/QUOTE]

Yes, this remote can control all blade/dashboard menu functions.
 
Yes the remote acts like your 360 controller on the dashboard. You don't have to turn on a controller to navigate at all. You'll also be able to play XBL games like UNO if you don't wish to turn on the controller either. It really is a fantastic remote. I got mine through a trade here from a guy who got his during the Sears clearance route.

For those interested in managing their PS3 through an IR Receiver, Think again. Evidently the Harmony will repeat 2-3 times on each button press. Stay away from an IR Receiver for the PS3
 
Good remote, but I did NOT like the channel up/down or volume up/down buttons. They felt too stiff, and clikced and where annoying. The remote actually broke on me....daughter got a hold of it.

A guy at work is offering me the Harmony ONE for $100....but I just cannot justify another remote.
 
[quote name='blk00civicsi']Yes the remote acts like your 360 controller on the dashboard. You don't have to turn on a controller to navigate at all. You'll also be able to play XBL games like UNO if you don't wish to turn on the controller either. It really is a fantastic remote. I got mine through a trade here from a guy who got his during the Sears clearance route.

For those interested in managing their PS3 through an IR Receiver, Think again. Evidently the Harmony will repeat 2-3 times on each button press. Stay away from an IR Receiver for the PS3[/QUOTE]

This remote will work fine in the PS3 XMB with the Nyko Bluwave IR receiver. There's a profile for it in the Harmony software.
 
[quote name='NTolerance']This remote will work fine in the PS3 XMB with the Nyko Bluwave IR receiver. There's a profile for it in the Harmony software.[/quote]

You're best bet for full control of the PS3 through the Harmony would be to get either the IR2BT or the IR4PS3. You still have to manually turn on the PS3 without either one of those.
 
[quote name='blk00civicsi']For those interested in managing their PS3 through an IR Receiver, Think again. Evidently the Harmony will repeat 2-3 times on each button press. Stay away from an IR Receiver for the PS3[/quote]

Mine works fine. Got the 550 for $50 and IR receiver (Nyko Remote) for $10.
 
[quote name='blk00civicsi']You're best bet for full control of the PS3 through the Harmony would be to get either the IR2BT or the IR4PS3. You still have to manually turn on the PS3 without either one of those.[/QUOTE]

The $14.99 Bluwave is the best option for me. A Sixaxis is always sitting on my coffee table so it's easy to press the PS button and then use the Harmony remote after that. The "full control" IR receivers are too expensive for that tiny extra bit of convenience.
 
[quote name='NTolerance']Yes, this remote can control all blade/dashboard menu functions.[/quote]

But does it then count as my controller? Will I have to logout via the remote, then turn on my wireless controller and log back in? Or can I just turn on the controller and have both working at the same time under the same login?
 
[quote name='prence']But does it then count as my controller? Will I have to logout via the remote, then turn on my wireless controller and log back in? Or can I just turn on the controller and have both working at the same time under the same login?[/quote]

The remote does not count as a controller and does not register as a controller. You can have both a controller and a remote working at the same time under the same login.

I've had my remote for several years and I find that the buttons are beginning to become unresponsive. I also have a small issue with trying to switch directly to the PC input for my Sony W4100 (it jumps to HDMI4 instead).

I'd give the remote 4/5 stars. Too bad some of the lag associated with my setup is from my Motorola cable box and not the remote (as you can program all functions with it yourself). It's also great for significant others who aren't sure how to turn on and set the tv, cable box and receiver; the remote does everything for you with one touch of a button if you define an activity.

informer
 
[quote name='informer']The remote does not count as a controller and does not register as a controller. You can have both a controller and a remote working at the same time under the same login.

I've had my remote for several years and I find that the buttons are beginning to become unresponsive. I also have a small issue with trying to switch directly to the PC input for my Sony W4100 (it jumps to HDMI4 instead).

I'd give the remote 4/5 stars. Too bad some of the lag associated with my setup is from my Motorola cable box and not the remote (as you can program all functions with it yourself). It's also great for significant others who aren't sure how to turn on and set the tv, cable box and receiver; the remote does everything for you with one touch of a button if you define an activity.

informer[/QUOTE]

On my system the remote does register as controller #1 as described here. I still can control the XMB via the Sixaxis or the remote at any time, so there's no "login/logout" issues. In spite of the controller number annoyance I still don't want to pay $50 for one of the custom PS3 IR receivers.
 
[quote name='NTolerance']On my system the remote does register as controller #1 as described here. I still can control the XMB via the Sixaxis or the remote at any time, so there's no "login/logout" issues. In spite of the controller number annoyance I still don't want to pay $50 for one of the custom PS3 IR receivers.[/quote]

informer was replying to prence; prence's question was about use of the remote with the Xbox 360.
 
[quote name='gantt']informer was replying to prence; prence's question was about use of the remote with the Xbox 360.[/QUOTE]

You are correct. The white avatars threw me off.
 
[quote name='lunker']It'll almost definitely work with the receiver, won't work with the DC at all and will only work with the PS3 if you get some kind of IR adapter, but I've heard it's absurdly expensive.

The way the Harmony remotes work is just excellent; you install software on your PC/Mac, plug in all the serial/model numbers of your various A/V components, answer some basic questions about your setup (like "Do you use the volume on your TV or receiver when watching TV?"), and it does the rest for you. It's literally idiotproof, one-button macro design with almost no fuss, and there's even troubleshooting on the slim chance the macro didn't take fully. I have four Activities set up: Watch TV, Watch a DVD, Play 360 and Play Wii, that all show up on the LCD screen. I just press the button next to each choice, and it auto-configs all the stuff for me: Turns on all components, switches to right video input, etc. It can't turn the Wii on, but it'll flip to the right video input and let me control volume on my receiver with the buttons.

The nice part is that it remembers the on/off state of everything you use, so you don't have to worry about it turning off the receiver instead of turning it on because you left it on by accident the night before.[/quote]

How do you get it to control your Wii. I have the Harmony 520 which I bout at Walmart on clearance for $35. Its the same as the 360 version and the Harmony 550. However mine cannot control the Wii because it says the Wii is bluetooth.
 
[quote name='gsugator']How do you get it to control your Wii. I have the Harmony 520 which I bout at Walmart on clearance for $35. Its the same as the 360 version and the Harmony 550. However mine cannot control the Wii because it says the Wii is bluetooth.[/quote]
You answered your own question. You can't control the Wii since it's Bluetooth. The Harmony remotes are IR or RF. You can use the remote to set your receiver and TV to the correct Wii inputs though.
 
[quote name='informer']The remote does not count as a controller and does not register as a controller. You can have both a controller and a remote working at the same time under the same login.[/quote]

Excellent. I'm definitely going to have to check it out then because it bugs the hell out of me to have to turn on my wireless controller and then leave it near the bed or couch (limited space in a studio apartment!)

Thanks!
 
[quote name='tokerblue']- The only difference between Harmony remotes is the button layout and battery type. The higher end models also have RF. For example, the 880 has a color LCD screen and rechargeable battery. The 890 has RF in addition to IR.

Functionality wise, all of the Harmony remotes can do the same things.[/quote]

Actually, it appears some models have a Favorite Channels feature and some don't (this one seems to not have it). Logitech doesn't note this difference in their comparison tool on their website, but I've found Logitech's marketing to be oversimplified on more than one occasion.

You can simulate Favorite Channels by assigning a sequence to a button (if you use the buttons next to the screen, you can configure the corresponding channel name as the label on the screen). Higher end Harmonys such as the 880 have more of these display buttons, and support logos as well as text labels.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
bread's done
Back
Top