The Ultimate Remote?

Tommy B · 28 Aug 2006 at 13:37

Having upgraded to Sky HD, I now have Sky+ in a different room with the signal going to a bedroom upstairs. Obviously, I now need a new Sky+ remote so I can operate it in two locations.

It then occured to me; do these fancy "everything in one" remotes support Sky+? I just realised the benefits of being able to control my DVD player, my new Sammy LCD TV (delivered tomorrow) and Sky+ from one unit. Does anyone know of a remote that can do this?

The Logitech Harmony 525 Advanced Remote looks quite promising. Is it worth buying?

Tommy B · 28 Aug 2006 at 15:11

Why on earth would anyone want to spend thousands on a remote?

£40-£50 is my budget I guess. It doesn't have to control a stealth bomber though, just my TV, DVD and Sky+

Tommy B · 29 Aug 2006 at 12:26

pinkaardvark said:
A good thing about them is the setup is online and the database is constantly updated so new devices are added every week.

That comment has convinced me to order the Logitech Harmony 525.

It better be good!

Tommy B · 29 Aug 2006 at 12:33

Surely it doesn't stay illuminated the entire time?

It looks awesome in the dark.

Tommy B · 29 Aug 2006 at 15:59

kidloco said:
no its not illuminated all the time, you can change how long it stays on for, pretty good remote though. had mine a while. its pretty easy to set up etc.

What happened did you end up lobbing it at the wall during setup?

I only hope the rainforest place don't stuff up delivery like they usually do!

Tommy B · 30 Aug 2006 at 00:11

Shimmyhill said:
I gave up on the Harmony ages ago, they are almost good but take far too much setting up to perfect.

No macro modes and terrible to actualy use. The Sky HD has a better feel and weigh to it. I have a 885 (sent back as so poor) and the one before the 525 (forget the model, same setup just dif casing)

Pronto's are in a diff league and vastly better, obv they also cost far more. They are however a total replacement, with the Harmonys they can be good day to day remotes but no good to fully control devices - you still need to pull the originals out to really tweak an amp for example.

If you want to control sky, adjust the volume and do the basics on dvd players etc they are good. As a total remote replacement they are useless.

Desired funcions include

TV on
TV off
Sky next channel
Sky prev channel

and the various functions of Sky+ ie live pause, planner etc

Tommy B · 30 Aug 2006 at 09:22

begbo said:
erm the sky remote?

It needs to be kept downstairs and a spare one costs £25 so I figured I'd splash out on something that can do everything. I forgot to mention DVD player and amp

Tommy B · 30 Aug 2006 at 09:32

lowrider007 said:
from having a little gander around the net it looks like the 520 version has a tilt sensor but not the 525, they look identicle tho.

The review above states the 525 has a glow button.

What the hell is it with the rainforest company. I placed an order 10am yesterday, paying £2.50 for first class delivery and the lazy bast**** still haven't dispatched it. They are really awful when it comes to fast delivery.

Tommy B · 31 Aug 2006 at 12:49

I don't know why people have such problems setting it up? A 5 year old could probably do it as it's just a case of reading the instructions

It's excellent and just what I wanted. Looks really nice too, especially in the dark. I just hope it works with my new Samsung LCD I'm getting on Sat.