Annoyance with remote controls...

[davester]

So you dumped an excellent Panny plasma and bought an inferior LCD set because the bolt holes were 1" off? That's what drills are for. You can also buy inexpensive plates to match offset mounting TV holes...in fact I bought a set for my own 50" "free from a neighbor" Panny plasma but then decided that a little "adjustment" of the mounting bracket was all it really needed. My suggestion is to get some of those plates or do a little mod of the wall mount and take those expensive TVs back to the store.

[Bimwad]

Those who aren't afraid of geeky DIY/hacking should look into a JP1 programmable remote.

They are extremely flexible, and can be extremely powerful.

Unfortunately, there aren't as many to choose from now, but at least the newer ones use a common micro USB interface cable.

[Article Accelerator]

Onamuji wrote: …my Harmony 650…was rebooting after just one or two key-presses and sometimes just when I picked it up

So were you using rechargeable batteries in it by any chance?

[datbeme]

pdq wrote:
My elderly FIL got sold a Harmony 700 a few years back at a big box store as a cure-all. Then he asked me to set it up.

"A few minutes" is not fair- I would say a minimum of a half hour for something simple, and all afternoon to get a more complex situation working right. On the other hand, "a bag of hurt" is not an unfair characterization, although I'm sure it's not this way for everyone.

In any case, I spent enough time with that remote and it's glitchiness over the years to put me permanently off Harmony solutions.

I keep hoping for an iPad-based solution. Apple's "Remote" program has worked well in my experience, but that's just with my ATV. There are a couple other apps out there to theoretically replace multifunction remotes, but your TV and media boxes have to be on your ethernet or WiFi network, and my TV's not there yet.

C'mon, Apple! The world is waiting for a simple solution!

"A few minutes" meaning "to add basic functionality for a new device." If you want to customize all of the physical buttons and screen buttons to your heart's content, then yes, you're in a for a lot more. Or if you need to set it up for a family member and account for all the contingencies and potential trip ups, then—yeah—it could take awhile.