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Harmony on the way out?
This thread has 93 replies. Displaying posts 1 through 15.
Post 1 made on Monday December 28, 2020 at 12:44
Short Stop
Long Time Member
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70
[Link: avgadgets.com]


This can't be real.
Post 2 made on Monday December 28, 2020 at 13:33
CI256
Long Time Member
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59
Well I hope it's not because I literally just went full circle and bought a Harmony remote. Before I was in the industry (15+ years ago) I was all in on Harmony and thought they were awesome. Then I got into the industry and discovered how much better and more flexible the professional products were and with employee discounts I was able to buy and program my own stuff from URC or ProControl or whatever my employer carried. I looked down on Harmony and thought they were total crap (and they were in many respects from a pro standpoint).

Fast forward to today and I'm 5 years removed from the industry. I still have an A/V setup at home but it's become pretty basic with just an AVR, TV, Apple TV, and Xbox One. I pretty much only use the Apple TV and I was using my projector so rarely that I unhooked it so it would stop messing with the HDMI handshakes between the AVR and TV. I had been using Roomie Remote to control everything but the lack of a physical remote was getting annoying and so was paying $50/year to literally just turn on my TV and AVR and then I would switch over to the built in Apple TV remote on my iPhone because it worked better.

So literally two weeks ago I bought a Harmony Companion to see if it would be adequate. I must say I am impressed. It works great. Setup took less than 5 minutes. It scanned my network and automatically found all of my devices except for the TV which is not connected to the network. I didn't even feel the need to make any changes to the auto generated macros. It's a far cry from the old days of Harmony and I really hope they don't shut it down because it would be just my luck. I guess if they do I'd have to get in contact with my former employer and grab a ProControl or something.
Post 3 made on Monday December 28, 2020 at 14:52
goldenzrule
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8,470
Harmony 5 or so years ago were miserable to work with from a pro standpoint.  Harmony of the past couple of years, have been far, far better.  They have been innovative and produced a easier product to program with a better library, more functionality, and much better 3rd party integration than URC has.  Pros will generally look down on anything that is not strictly a pro product, but that does not mean it is not a good product.  I've been impressed the last few I have worked with
Post 4 made on Monday December 28, 2020 at 15:44
MNTommyBoy
Senior Member
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1,060
Interesting [potential] news.

Harmony has its place. It's better than nothing, I suppose, depends on the client. I don't sell it because I don't want to have to stand behind it. Anywho, all that is a different conversation.

I don't know how much of a barometer this is, but Sn@p just picked up Pro Control this month. Also, a few of the Harmony skus are OOS.

We will see....
"There's a big difference between winging it and seeing what happens. Now let's see what happens." ~MacGruber
Post 5 made on Monday December 28, 2020 at 16:01
buzz
Super Member
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May 2003
4,366
The early Harmony's were terrible, the current line offered to pros is reasonable.

I'm not using it because I want a little finer control, but I know some companies specializing in hang and bang use a lot of Harmony because Harmony is quick to setup. While one member of the team is finishing the paper work and packing tools, another programs the remote. The team can hang several sets a day.
Post 6 made on Monday December 28, 2020 at 16:48
Audiophiliac
Super Member
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August 2006
3,309
I have been selling the Pro and Pro 2400 where it makes sense. Having a way to make changes remotely (pun intended) is invaluable, and the Harmony gives me that. And people seem to like the remote itself and the app. I have only had 1 callback on all of the Harmony remotes I have out there and it was fixed in 30 seconds using the app on my phone. Brilliant.

If they go under, they go under. I will go back to using the MX990/MRF350 combo. Maybe try the MXHomePro stuff?
"When I eat, it is the food that is scared." - Ron Swanson
Post 7 made on Monday December 28, 2020 at 18:37
FP Crazy
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Isn’t this the third time that harmony has bailed on their control system?
Chasing Ernie's post count, one useless post at a time.
Post 8 made on Monday December 28, 2020 at 20:31
Rob Grabon
Founding Member
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1,392
If not today, then tomorrow.

THEIR market is shrinking, ....AppleTV and a Soundbar.
Technology is cheap, Time is expensive.
Post 9 made on Monday December 28, 2020 at 20:38
iform
Advanced Member
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760
I've heard the same thing from 2 different distributors.
Post 10 made on Monday December 28, 2020 at 20:53
Duct Tape
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On December 28, 2020 at 14:52, goldenzrule said...
Harmony 5 or so years ago were miserable to work with from a pro standpoint.  Harmony of the past couple of years, have been far, far better.  They have been innovative and produced a easier product to program with a better library, more functionality, and much better 3rd party integration than URC has.  Pros will generally look down on anything that is not strictly a pro product, but that does not mean it is not a good product.  I've been impressed the last few I have worked with

a friend of mine wanted a remote, but didn't have URC money (even at my cost) at the time, so I recommended a harmony hub with the thought that I'd have to program it for her.  To my surprise she took care of the whole thing herself and is happy with it.

Last edited by Duct Tape on December 29, 2020 13:32.
[Link: facebook.com]
Post 11 made on Tuesday December 29, 2020 at 01:39
Ernie Gilman
Yes, That Ernie!
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On December 28, 2020 at 20:31, Rob Grabon said...
If not today, then tomorrow.

THEIR market is shrinking, ....AppleTV and a Soundbar.

Complete Truth. Remote controls in general are a shrinking market, brought about by the integration of control found in Apple TV, Roku, and other remotes, as well as LG and I'm not sure what else in TV remotes.
A good answer is easier with a clear question giving the make and model of everything.
"The biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place." -- G. “Bernie” Shaw
Post 12 made on Tuesday December 29, 2020 at 07:53
highfigh
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8,311
I was told earlier this year that Logitec was having a hard time delivering their most in-demand products which, because of COVID, are web cams. They may have needed to shift production emphasis to those which is, hopefully, temporary. I sent an e-mail to Pike Schouten, head of the the remote control group. I'll post the response if he doesn't come here to do it.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 13 made on Tuesday December 29, 2020 at 20:15
sirroundsound
Senior Member
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1,097
This was mentioned somewhere else not too long ago. When I tried to find more info I did find something about Harmony discontinuing a particular remote that had voice control on it, nothing about the whole line up going away.
I have done a few systems using a Harmony Pro with the Hub and found them to be very easy to set up and they seem to work well too.
But then I have also installed a new LG TV with a Cable box and Apple TV. The LG remote controlled everything and it could be explained to an 80 year old customer how to use it, so go figure.
Post 14 made on Wednesday December 30, 2020 at 08:11
highfigh
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On December 29, 2020 at 20:15, sirroundsound said...
This was mentioned somewhere else not too long ago. When I tried to find more info I did find something about Harmony discontinuing a particular remote that had voice control on it, nothing about the whole line up going away.
I have done a few systems using a Harmony Pro with the Hub and found them to be very easy to set up and they seem to work well too.
But then I have also installed a new LG TV with a Cable box and Apple TV. The LG remote controlled everything and it could be explained to an 80 year old customer how to use it, so go figure.

They had a very simple remote that didn't sell well and they have made some changes to the 650, now called the 655 (different color and it allows more pieces of equipment to be added to the account).

Pike was out yesterday, but I expect to talk with him later to get a clarification.
My mechanic told me, "I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder."
Post 15 made on Wednesday December 30, 2020 at 13:16
cconklin1
Long Time Member
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18
lol, that article is nothing but click bait and fear mongering.
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