Harmony 520 Remotes Under $30

I have a question about this remote, and universal remotes in general. How "smart" are these things exactly? I'm seriously considering getting a universal remote for my dad. He CONSTANTLY complains like a crippled midget with a bad attitude about how he gets confused with what to press, and how the cable remote doesn't do everything and the tv remote, etc etc. He has 2 Toshiba HDTVs and a toshiba DVD player, a bose radio, a Philips DVD/HTIB system, a samsung HDTV, and 2 Comcast Motorola HD-DVRs. Would one of these things be able to A: Communicate with all these things (I care most about the toshiba HDTV, HDDVR and HTIB) More specifically, can the remote control specific functions of the components? The HTIB has an audio input, MP3, AUX, CD, and Radio functions. Will a typical decent Logitech remote be able to take care of all of those functions?
 
I have a question about this remote, and universal remotes in general. How "smart" are these things exactly? I'm seriously considering getting a universal remote for my dad. He CONSTANTLY complains like a crippled midget with a bad attitude about how he gets confused with what to press, and how the cable remote doesn't do everything and the tv remote, etc etc. He has 2 Toshiba HDTVs and a toshiba DVD player, a bose radio, a Philips DVD/HTIB system, a samsung HDTV, and 2 Comcast Motorola HD-DVRs. Would one of these things be able to A: Communicate with all these things (I care most about the toshiba HDTV, HDDVR and HTIB) More specifically, can the remote control specific functions of the components? The HTIB has an audio input, MP3, AUX, CD, and Radio functions. Will a typical decent Logitech remote be able to take care of all of those functions?

Absolutely. That's the value behind them.
 
Got mine.

So far I'm not impressed. I try to set it up, and get an error message (see attached). It stays up for a half second, then closes the dialog box. I've tried multiple USB ports, all of which work for other devices. The remote seems to recognize I'm connected to USB. What's my problem? DOA?
 

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Alright, think I got it working. I had to download the latest software manually. Apparently the software on the CD, which supposedly updated (but only to version 5.3.something), doesn't work. Needed version 5.5. Not a great way to impress me.
 
If you have any trouble setting up the remote, call Harmony support and they can set your remote just the way you want it while your remote is hooked up with the usb.
 
If you have any trouble setting up the remote, call Harmony support and they can set your remote just the way you want it while your remote is hooked up with the usb.

I was just gonna' say.... If you want to be impressed, call their tech support number. These guys are the best in the business when it comes to support.
 
I remember reading on some of the reviews that they said the software on the CD sucks. I never use included software anyways. I always look online for a newer version.
 
I have a question about this remote, and universal remotes in general. How "smart" are these things exactly? I'm seriously considering getting a universal remote for my dad. He CONSTANTLY complains like a crippled midget with a bad attitude about how he gets confused with what to press, and how the cable remote doesn't do everything and the tv remote, etc etc. He has 2 Toshiba HDTVs and a toshiba DVD player, a bose radio, a Philips DVD/HTIB system, a samsung HDTV, and 2 Comcast Motorola HD-DVRs. Would one of these things be able to A: Communicate with all these things (I care most about the toshiba HDTV, HDDVR and HTIB) More specifically, can the remote control specific functions of the components? The HTIB has an audio input, MP3, AUX, CD, and Radio functions. Will a typical decent Logitech remote be able to take care of all of those functions?
Not only Harmony remote will control all of your components and will replace ALL of your IR remotes, but it will even remember the latest state of each component: whether each component is on or off and what input it is set to. Unlike some other universal remotes, Harmony remotes do not require you to program any macros or to be concerned about discrete codes.

The 520 is an entry-level Harmony. It lacks some features, like dedicated activity buttons. But at this price it's definitely a bargain!
 
Well, after not being on the Harmony wagon ever, Im kicking myself now. This thing ROCKS.

I had no idea setup on these was soooo easy, and I love how it turns everything on properly, depending on if m watching tv or dvd, and swap between the two is cool.

Controlling a Panasonic plasma, Panasonic bluray player, HR-22 DVR and Onkyo 605 without issue.
 

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