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User reviews for the Harmony 768 / H768 / SST-768 from Logitech.
Harmony 768 / H768 / SST-768
RatingsReviewsMSRP (USD)
Average: 4.27/5.00
Median: 5.00/5.00
32$299
Available in three stylish colors, the H768 is the ultimate Harmony remote. Featuring a large number of hard buttons, the compact SST-768 makes no compromises with its blend of powerful programming features and ease-of-use.
Get it
at:
Amazon.com


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Now viewing user reviews page 2 of 5 for
the Harmony 768 / H768 / SST-768 remote.
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Written by Giovanni Intini from Modugno, BA, Italy.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 25 made on Wednesday February 4, 2004 at 1:43 PM.
Strengths:Support
Easy to use after it is configured
XML Support
Weaknesses:Difficult to fine-tune
Review:I bought this remote control without testing it or seeing it in real life. I just followed RemoteCentral advice.

I have to say I have not been disappointed. At first I thought it was difficult to configure, mainly because of my complex home theater setup, but I discovered Harmony Support, and I never ever found another company that has such a good customer support. They will even configure the remote control for you!

Then, after you succeed in configuring it it works like a charm. It's easy and its small size is a big plus. The backlit keyboard is also very nice, it allows you to use it in your dark home theater room without any problem at all.
Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Rain Man from Seattle, WA.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 24 made on Sunday December 28, 2003 at 10:16 PM.
Strengths:Really replaced all my remotes. All my hi-fi components were in their database.
Weaknesses:Setup might be frustrating if you are not web or gadget savvy. My ISDN speed worked good; anything slower might be a problem.
Review:Ordered my sst-769 remote from montgomreygrant.com for $179, which was a great deal. After a lot of research this appeared to be the remote for me. It was pretty easy to setup using the web. My hi-fi setup revolves around the Marantz SR-9200 receiver. Their database had the SR-9200 all my components. The DVD select did not seem to work but I was able to teach it that one. I have a DVD VCR combo. Their trouble shooting walked me through what it took configure how to toggle back and forth. Pretty straight forward to setup. Downloading TV listings was some work because I have DirecTV and had to filter through all the channels I never watch. You have to make sure and select the option that uses the next channel function of your original remote otherwise it will enter each number when you press next channel. Selecting this feature was pretty quick and easy. Their search help was very useful too. All in all I an very happy and I replaced 4 remotes!
Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Brian Luczywo from Cicero, IN.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 23 made on Tuesday December 9, 2003 at 7:21 PM.
Strengths:State Variables
Downloadable TV Guide
XML Customization
Simplicity of Design
Activity-based Concept
Harmony Customer Service
Weaknesses:XML Documentation
Lack of button back-lighting
Lack of dedicated menu buttons
Review:This is my second attempt at a high-end remote to tame my home theater system. My first attempt was with a Theater Master MX-1000.

The primary attraction of this remote was the tantalizing hint that it could possibly be a remote that was usable by normal human beings. Now, I'm no slouch at gizmos and gadgets and have spent 15 years in the computer industry, but unless you are a masochist, no one can claim to actually enjoy using 6 poorly-designed, ergonomically attrocious manufacturer's remotes. The thought that I could click a button marked "Watch TV" and have everything just right was too much to resist. I was pleasantly surprised that the Harmony comes very close to living up to its hype.

Out of the box, setup on the web site is easy -- pick your manufacturer, pick your model number and the activities self-populate. The activities worked as promised right off -- up and running in about 10 minutes with reasonable functionality.

However, being an engineer, I just couldn't keep my fingers off things so I decided to see if I could make it even better. My quest started out with an attempt to cure 2 minor annoyances:

Annoyance number 1 was the lack of the Surround Effect Modes for my Sony A/V receiver.

Annoyance number 2 is the fact that the Harmony database includes many more commands than your device will have -- if you select Panasonic TV, you get a command set that is a superset of all Panasonic TVs in the stable. They all show up in the all commands section and they probably control many features your device may or may not actually have.

Thus, I began to dig into the XML programmability feature. The best way to learn this is through Harmony's advanced section. I plan to write a how-to guide when I complete my programming for others to save them the pitfalls I encountered. There is a wealth of information on Harmony's site and here at Remote Central, but it is NOT easy to find or learn what you need to know.

I want to stress that I greatly love this device so my criticisms should be viewed as constructive suggestions NOT deal breakers -- I highly recommend this remote. It does more than any other I've encountered and lives up to my expectations. That having been said, the following would take it from very good to excellent:

- Good documentation on the XML. Harmony may be right in their claim that a DTD is hard for most people to read, but a schema, or listing of valid syntax and valid tags for the different sections would go a long way.

- A PDF of the documentation. Web is nice, but it is also nice to print the whole thing out for reference. I think most programmers like the ability to spread pages out and jump around to see the docs while they write code.

- Backlight the buttons

- Add a dedicated menu button set (a joystick of some sort would be even better)

- Add the ability in the database to deselect invalid commands

- Allow a command set to be viewed for its IR codes.

- A way to download and upload ALL HTML at once instead of having to pop to 1 screen per device, 2 per activity, and some overall customizations.

The last 2 comments relate to my original issues. I ended up using a state variable for the Surround Mode which is ideal. I made nested menus for my devices which gather the PIP commands, select disks, and other lesser-used commands that do not make sense to use a hard button for.

Much of the menu customization would not have been necessary at all if I could have tweaked their database list a little bit. You can learn your own commands over top, but you cannot delete their commands from the list even if other users before you used senseless labels or captured incorrect or useless codes.

Two notes for users: DEVICEID 49 is an empty set which I made heavy use of and just captured my own complete IR code set. Also, I found the freeware editor "Crimson Editor" which is perfect for keeping track of the html code you write for the harmony.

The request to view commands from a code set comes due to my "wonderful" SONY remote. Sony remotes NEVER capture right. The way they send codes goofs up 90% of the learning remotes because they send strange repetitive preambles and it is hard for the learning remote to find the real code. By dumb luck I found that "next band" was really "next surround effect", but I had to send it from the Harmony to another remote and then learn it back with a correct label because there was no way the Harmony was going to grab the code from the Sony.

It worked, and gives a nice, clean discrete code, but it sure would have been nice to look it up. One of the nicer features is the ability to enter a pronto raw code string and get it converted into Harmony's IR syntax. So far, it seems like most vendor IR sets are poorly documented and the companies that sell databases keep them closely guarded from public consumption. You've got to wade through A LOT of chaff to find valid information and I spent hours reading the internet to find spotty details on Sony's command set.

Lastly, I'd like to comment on Harmony's Customer Support. They have been fantastic, which is good, because it makes up for the work-in-progress documentation on the XML. They are very busy because of their success, but they have been proactive at bringing extra servers on line to keep the performance of the website good, I've never waited more than 5 minutes on hold at any time of day and the support people pick up the phone themselves! Emails were a mixed bag on response time, one never got a response, but the next 2 I sent were replied to within 24 hours and the information was top-notch. On point, knowledgable, helpful, and answered the questions.

I experienced one non-fatal manufacturing flaw. I bought my Harmony from a web-retailer before I knew that you had to buy from an authorized vendor to have a valid warranty. My unit's screen would drop out occasionally when I turned the selector wheel. The normal recommendation in this case is to tighten the screws which did not work. I opened the unit and found that there was a cold-solder joing on the wheel itself. A quick touch with a soldering iron and it works flawlessly now.
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Written by Marko Köhler from Germany.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 22 made on Wednesday November 5, 2003 at 5:45 AM.
Strengths:Small, lightweighted, nice design, ir-emitter powerful enough, XML-programming is a very powerful tool to customize the control
Weaknesses:need some time to understand, how to programm.
Review:What shall I say? The remote is awesome! Used a Pronto before - after one day with the Harmony I never want a Pronto again. The illuminated buttons are useful in the dark, I have very much fun examining the features of configuration...

My Harmony controls:

- Sony DA50ES Receiver
- Philips TV
- Kiss DP-450 DVD
- Panasonic DMR-E50 DVD-Recorder

No need to pull out any of the original remotes anymore - THANK YOU HARMONY!!!
Quality: Features: Value:

Written by lovestheharmony from Edmonton.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 21 made on Tuesday November 4, 2003 at 9:34 AM.
Strengths:This remote is amazing. All my babysitters have no problem using my system now, it great not having to teach all visitors (and the kids) how to watch a dvd or video!!!!
Weaknesses:Scroll wheeling is a little hard for the kids - and the young ones can't read so we're using a weemote for them.
Review:I would have just used the SST-768. I love the fact that it's red - I never lose it. Talk about taking a bunch of confusing AV equiment and sorting them out. We went from 6 remotes to just one.
I also liked the web-set-up. It was a lot less confusing than trying to set up macros. Simply answer the questions & we were set up.
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Written by Harlan Bachmayer from Texas.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 6-12 months.
Review 20 made on Friday October 31, 2003 at 8:29 AM.
Strengths: Terrible product
Weaknesses: Backlight stays on all the time. Batteries ned to be replaced daily. Manufacturer won't honor warranty.
Difficult to program. Website doesn't download updates correctly.
Review: Stay away from this product mainly because they won't honor their warranties and mine was broken after 6 months.
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Written by chris q from Ontario, Canada.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 19 made on Wednesday October 29, 2003 at 2:31 AM.
Strengths:Small enough to be pocket-able, and operated not just by one hand, but by one thumb. Discrete on/off codes are not needed thanks to the brilliance of SST. Top notch support. Free tv/satellite program scheduling. So intuitive its creepy....
Weaknesses:None.
Review:What an unbelievable remote. There is nothing that it can't do, and i've been 'doin' big time since i got it 1 week ago. All i can tell anyone contemplating the purchase of the harmony 768 is full steam ahead, but for the love-of-god, have a little patience for the first few days. Yes, it has it's wrinkles at first, and it's website setup process is quite time-consuming, but support was (for me) less than 24 hours away, and it was only needed for one issue (input delay times) which they fixed for me. Two days later, and it works BETTER than I imagined possible.
Quality: Features: Value:


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