Compras Nikon Bluetooth |
The SST-768's activities are completely Web-configured through Web Wizard questions on member pages created at HarmonyRemote.com. The Smart State database of electronic devices makes set-up a snap. Even if a brand-new device is not already in the database, your remote will learn any command and add any IR-capable device to the database.
Your online system configuration is transferred directly from your personal account to the remote via USB connection (a Windows PC with a USB connection is required for use). The configuration is always safely stored on your Web page so you can make changes any time you want, right through your Web browser.
And, with the SST-768 you'll never have to utter complaints like "I can see a picture, but I can't hear the sound." Simply press the Help button and the Harmony remote poses a few simple questions on its screen, such as: "Is the television on?" or "Is the stereo set to the DVD input?" Just click yes or no to each question and the remote will automatically send the correct commands to get your entertainment system back in sync.
Each button is tailored to a specific activity, but is also customizable. "Seldom used" functions are always available through the backlit LCD.
What's in the Box
Remote control, Harmony Software installation CD, a USB cable, 4 AAA batteries, and a Quick Start Guide.
This remote not only satisfies my technogeek leanings - update and change via the web, preprogramming tasks to prevent messy macros and room for many of the remote devices I have to be fully integrated inany combination, but also allows for dead simple navigation and function, clear and concise instruction as well as help should you get confused or lost.
In addition, it's a one-hander, that is to say, I used to have one of the massive touchscreen Sony remotes, and that was a nightmare. Six batteries, two hands, skipping through various screens...mood killer and time waster. This one is smaller than ANY of the remotes for ANY of the individual components and functions better. Even the TiVo was behaving in an orderly fashion, and the controls were intuitive.
Definitely the move for people who have the nerdish leanings but have a mate that does not share your love of the LEDs, with the flashing, and the blinking, hoybin glabin....
That is until I purchased the SST768.
The online set up guide for this remote is very comprehensive, flexible, and easy to use. I was able to designate all the necessary functions for all my components (even my NAD receiver) via the online set up program. I can now switch between HD television stations, regular digital cable, DVD playback, etc. at the touch of a button. You can also specify favorite stations based upon the cable lineup offered by your local cable company. All this without writing a single macro.
Highly recommended!
Once I got the hang of the web site and configuring, wow! The on screen TV guide makes life so much easier, though the web interface needs some work. Control of multiple units (TV, Satellite, DVD and VCR) is simple/stupid with it.
All in all, aside from a bad experience with the ordering and customer service (see below), it is a wonderful device.
The Bad:
I ordered the Harmony remote directly from them a couple of weeks ago. A week later I was told that they had been swamped with orders, but that they were being shipped in the order that the orders were placed. At the end of that week a fellow employee who had ordered via fax a week after I did had already received theirs.
When I last spoke to them, the owners wife (very rude) essentally told me I'd get it when I get it. When I asked for a tracking number she stated "What do you want me to do? Dance on my desk? If you ordered 20 of them I would get the number for you." Obviously the individual consumer is not of a great concern to them.
If this is how they treat their customers before they get the product, I'd hate to see what will happen once they have your money and you have a problem!
Finally:
Peter Evans the customer service manager called me back and seemed to have a good handle on what customer service is. Following my conversation with him I have high hopes that the problems that I experienced are being looked into and hopefully will be resolved.
Based on reviews I'd seen on this remote, I purchased it from Amazon. Like another reviewer mentioned here, the Amazon price is amazing - don't know how, but makes it all the better.
Finally, with the Harmony, I have found a remote that is truly universal. I have been able to get rid of all other remotes and replace them with one simple, small device.
Basic setup is extremely simple - register and login to the website, enter the make/model of each component, then define the tasks you want to do (eg. watch television, play a video, watch a dvd...). All is done through a series of "Wizards" that prompt you through the process.
If you don't know your make/model number, you can press a few buttons on your existing remote, and let the Harmony figure out what you have.
What makes this remote different? Several things, in my opinion:
1) Task-based menu structure and context-sensitive buttons
Organizes functions into tasks, which consist of the components required, and the actions that will take place. For example, "Watch a DVD" turns on the TV and selects the proper input, turns on the receiver and sets it to DVD mode, turns on the DVD and optionally starts playing.
Each task also defines button activities (for example, which buttons control which component), as well as contexts (eg. control mode vs. menu mode vs. number entry). All very intuitive *** AS LONG AS YOU DOWNLOAD THE USER MANUAL FROM THE HARMONY WEBSITE ***. (The printed manual is way to brief, and doesn't discuss the button functions for each mode.)
You can easily add additional commands for each/any component to a given action (start/stop). And, you can customize menus and buttons.
2) Internet-based setup wizards and remote control learning
You can easily extend the capabilities of the default tasks by learning any additional remote control functions you might want. In this scenario, the web site prompts you through the process, and the Harmony remote reads the remote control commands, storing them on the web site.
3) Internal state variables
Transparent to the user, this allows the remote to remember the various settings a device was in. For example, what input is the TV currently on? Is the receiver on or off? Was a DVD playing or paused?
This provides a significant measure of intelligence to the remote, way beyond what "macros" do. And, if the components get out of sync there is an interactive context-sensitive "Help" button that prompts you through each item (eg. is the TV on? is it displaying the right input? ...) to get things back correctly.
4) XML-based programming for advanced customization
If you have any programming experience, customizing this remote beyond the wizards is a snap. It uses XML tags to embed commands and logic. The Harmony website has a series of detailed documentation on this, although it's not complete in all areas. Tech support for these features is oustanding however, with very quick turnaround to questions.
Support from the manufacturer is outstanding: toll-free phone support, as well as email. They are constantly upgrading their website functionality (unlike another observation here, you can re-run the setup wizards as often as you want). And, they support both Windows and MacOSX!
Unfortunately, two devices failed to work properly. The satellite TV unit did not respond at all and the Sony system I own was always off by one function.
I am returning the unit. For the price, I don't think only controlling half is worth it.
====
I heard great things about the original Harmony Remote (SST-748). But I wanted to be able to access more functions. So I bought the SST768 as soon as it became available.
The Harmony Remote concept is a unique and clever idea in the world of universal remotes. If you have several A/V components and find yourself operating several remotes just to switch from, say, watching a DVD to listening to FM radio, the Harmony Remote will allow you to switch in an instant, and in a very intuitive way. You program it on your Windows PC or Mac by visiting the harmonyremote web site. If your devices are listed in their data base, it takes a quick hour or so to set up your configuration and download it through a USB connector.
The advantages of the Harmony Remote decline if your needs differ from the scenario just mentioned.
You can download a TV program guide into the remote, and pick shows in the built-in lighted display window. But to refresh the guide, you connect the remote to your PC or Mac and visit the harmonremote web site at least once every two weeks. I do not find the guide to be as useful as the on-screen guides provided by TiVO and some cable companies. Fortunately, you have the option of omitting the guide from your configuration.
If you have a device that is not in their data base, you can teach the Harmony Remote using your old remote. Although they have made this fairly easy to do, the user interface is sometimes confusing. If the device is unlike anything they've seen before, the process can add another hour or more to your setup time.
You scroll through choices in the small display by rotating a wheel on the right side of the remote. You indicate your selection by pressing the wheel into the unit. It is not easy to press the wheel without also turning it. Even after considerable practice, I sometimes make an unintended choice.
But the main reason the Harmony Remote is not for me is that I don't use my remote controls solely for standard functions like switching activities and changing the channel and the volume. I am always fiddling with special functions like change-format/adjust-video/PIP on my wide-screen TV, PVR functions on my TiVO, and dimming on my room-lighting remote. My choices with a Harmony Remote are to assign unused keys to such functions or to choose from menus in the small display. But the user interface for assigning keys is frustrating, and I often forget what key assignments I chose. The alternative, getting to and scrolling through a long menu in the small display, is a ponderous process. It is easier to grab the original remote that came with the device.
The good news is that Harmony is continually improving their software. If basic functions are all you need now, then by the time you crave fancier functions, they might by then have made them easier to access. Alternatively, if you are technically inclined and have days to spare, you can learn TiVO's XML-based programming language, join a message board of like-minded souls, and make this device do almost anything you want. Or do what I do: Keep your original remote controls handy to operate those non-standard functions.
In summary, the Harmony Remote model 768 is an easy-to-use product for a basic user in a hurry, and a powerful product for a power user with time on their hands. For people like me who want the flexibility, but don't have the time, it helps out some, but not enough to replace a gaggle of remotes.
With the Harmony remote control I was able, within half an hour, to configure it so that I no longer need to use any other remote control. I was particularly impressed with the configuration for the PVR which was close to perfect.
Two devices were not recognized (the DVD recorder and the Sonic Blue MP3 jukebox). In one case (the DVD Recorder) there was a close analog. Since in the other case there was no close analog I used the learn mode to retrieve IR codes from the existing remote control. This was remarkably easy to do.
However, the controller isn't completely perfect. For example, I need to tweak it a little (I don't want to turn off the cable box when everything else is turned off - the PVR cannot then record programs) and I'm not sure how easy that will be. I also find it surprising that MP3 jukeboxes are not included on the list of devices since they are almost as ubiquitous as multiple-CD players.
It is probably worth mentioning that I have a broadband internet connection - I am not sure how painless this process would be if, for example, I was using a dial-up connection. These tiny issues take nothing away from the excellence of this unit. I highly recommend it.
Now - if I can just get my ReplayTV to work reliably!
Everything ends badly. Otherwise it wouldn't end.
Imagination is more important than knowledge.
-- Albert Einstein
