Thread: Using a Universal Remote

I have used universal remotes for many years. First it was a Philips Pronto. Then I moved up to different versions of Logitech Harmony remotes.

But I stopped using the Harmony remotes years ago because as I kept changing my equipment I did not bother to update the devices and activities.

In the last few days I decided to update the settings in my remote and learned a few things.

You no longer have to use a computer to log in to Logitech’s website and do the changes (in fact, that is not even available anymore). Today you do all the changes from your iPad or mobile device. I was skeptical of the new process at first but it actually works pretty well.

My wife already expressed her approval as she can now press one button to watch Apple TV/ Streaming or to listen to music (streaming, CD, LP).

I am now back to a single remote for everything. Let’s see how long it lasts this time.

Logitech has been a pioneer in many ways. I was surprised when they abandoned Logitech Media Server and their Squeezebox devices. I feel that today’s Roon is what LMS would have become had it continued to be supported.

My Logitech harmony hub is limited to 8 devices. I recall a time when I had to limit which activities to include due to the number of devices needed.

Today, I have managed to simplify and prioritize in a way that I no longer have to worry about the limit on the number of devices.

For example, playing LPs is now done all manual. (After all, for me LP listening is about the experience and not automation!)

Here is my approach for handling an activity (movie watching) that requires multichannel.

Watching movies in my case requires 4 devices: projector, AV Preamp, a streaming device like Apple TV, and Disc player.

The AV Preamp and the projector have triggering capabilities. I use those triggering functions to handle other devices. For example, I use the AV preamp “triggers” to turn on/off all amplifiers (1 amp is triggered on, then I use that amp to trigger the next, and so on until all 5 amps are on).

I have 3 subs. They have their own triggers (sound). They are always on standby mode and come on when they receive a low frequency signal. Playing any music with bass will turn them on.

Similarly, the projector is tethered to the screen. When I turn on the projector with the remote, the projector sends a 5V signal to the screen to automatically come down. (When I turn the projector off, the 5V signal goes away and the screen goes up).

I used to have Cable TV and three streaming devices (Roku, Apple TV, and Amazon Stick). But I cut the cord and settled on Apple TV for streaming.

I now have only two remote-controlled activities with the Logitech remote now:
- Stream music (I also use a computer and a DAC for streaming but I keep both of them always on).
- Watch movies (as explained above).