Best Remote for XBox 360

[hsben]

Just got everything setup with my new Ceton infinity 4 and the 1 Xbox 360 I have(will be getting more). I don't have any remotes at the moment, so its going to be an issue when the wife needs to start using this thing.

A couple of the rooms will have just a TV + Xbox 360 setup. So I just need something that will turn the tv on/off, and change the volume, plus make it easy for the wife to get into the WMC software on the 360(is there a way to make the 360 boot straight into that ? I have seen the older 360 white universal remotes have the green button on them, will that work for the 360?

The main living room uses the TV, sound from the receiver, then the xbox. I do have an older Harmory remote which should work, but was wondering if there's a better solution, the main thing here again is getting into WMC on the xbox 360 quickly/easily....

[bmblank]

The harmonies work great for xbox. The xbox is already programmed in.

[hsben]

The harmonies work great for xbox. The xbox is already programmed in.

So you would suggest even something like the super cheap harmonies instead of the universal xbox remote?

i.e. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... 6880111041

[bmblank]

In my opinion, yes. I'd actually go for the 600 series more, but is imagine a 300 would do all you need and more.

[mdavej]

The 200 and 300 have several drawbacks:

- Can only do one activity macro
- No LCD for extra functions
- No sequence (macro) capability
- Very limited number of devices

Those models are ok if you need to replace a single OEM remote, but are not appropriate for a home theater. The 600 is the lowest model I'd consider.

[adam1991]

No, they don't have any drawbacks.

They have feature sets that are unique to them, just like every other Harmony has a unique set of features.

We watch TV. Power, volume, mute, source--all of that is on the 300. Controlling 7MC is quite easy, also completely on the 300.

No drawbacks there.

[richard1980]

The lack of an LCD and the basic feature set is exactly what attracted me to the 300. Everybody has their own preferences. For what the OP is wanting, the 300 (or even the 200) would be perfect.

[nuclearxp]

Just bumping this thread because I'm in almost the exact same scenario and am looking for nearly the exact same set of requirements (basic xbox, TV, simple stereo on/off/volume) control.

I want to make sure the remote can turn the TV(s), XBOX, stereo on, change channels (in WMC), change volume (TV or stereo, depending on which part of the house).

Also important are keys that intuitively navigate WMC e.x. a d-pad, buttons for pausing, back buttons etc. It seems like the Harmony 300 does all that without the total excess of introducing macros and LCD screens.

[mdavej]

A one-for-all can do everything a 300 can do and more for a fraction of the price. And there's no place for the mouse controls on the 300, nor are any of the extra functions labelled. So I still don't see the attraction when much better and cheaper options are out there. If it works for you, great, but folks need to know how limited this model is since many are surprised when they try to add a second activity macro and can't.

I fully understand the 300 is an entry level model and is crippled on purpose. So I'm not faulting logitech. I'm just saying its limited capabilities may not be apparent until you try to program it. If you go in with your eyes open, and it meets your needs, then go for it.

As an aside, my favorite harmony of all time is actually the Xbox 360 model. It's 12-device, has the XYAB colored buttons, a nice LCD, and is small and stylish. Works beautifully, and a used one can probably be had for the price of a 300.

Here's a picture:

[nuclearxp]

Works beautifully, and a used one can probably be had for the price of a 300.

Unfortunately for me I have to get 3 remotes for the 3 TV/XBOX combos I have in my house. With that said, I'm not sure what planet everyone else lives on but even $300 for one remote borders on asinine if you ask me. My life and especially my home media solutions are not that complicated to warrant a $300 remote.

I know I came here for help, but recommending a $300 remote for people that have asked simply for one that turns things on/off and just does the basics makes me believe your ability to gather requirements and match a recommendation to that need some work.

[foxwood]

Amazon has one for $230 (plus shipping!). You could buy a dozen 300s for that price! (There's on on ebay with a broken LCD screen that's currently at $20, but that hardly counts). Overstock has it for $63 plus shipping.

It looks like a nice remote, but at best it's twice to 3 times the cost of a refurb 300i.

[foxwood]

for the price of a 300.

recommending a $300 remote

He didn't recommend a $300 remote - he was referring to a Logitech 300 (or 300i).

[socbrian]

Usually any programmable remote. I have the TWC remote to work fine and the Comcast one too, just set it up on AUX

[mdavej]

for the price of a 300.

recommending a $300 remote

He didn't recommend a $300 remote - he was referring to a Logitech 300 (or 300i).

Correct. But it looks like the market for these has changed drastically since I bought mine for $30. Sorry for the bad info. I have a hard enough time paying over $30 for a remote. I'd never pay $300 either.

I also have several cable remotes like the previous poster mentioned which work great for MCE and volume punch thru. Those really do run less than $10 on eBay, usually much less. The beauty of those is you can add every possible MCE function using codes, no learning required. Plus they do as many macros as you want, unlike the 300.

[nuclearxp]

mdavej can you recommend any specific models you're referring to that are more programmable yet cheaper than the 300?

[mdavej]

mdavej can you recommend any specific models you're referring to that are more programmable yet cheaper than the 300?

Depends on where you live. If you are in the US, the RCA RCRP05B can be found most anywhere for around $15. Any number of cable remotes from ebay will also work fine. If you are in Europe, the price difference is less. A low end one-for-all like the URC-7557 works well.

But most any universal remote does learning, macros and volume punch thru. Low end Sony and URC models are also popular, though not as programmable as the ones I mentioned above.

The biggest problem I have with the 300 is the lack of macros. If you don't need macros, then the 300 will work fine and is very cheap and simple to program. So don't let me talk you out of a simple solution if you don't need macros. I was just trying to make the point that many cheaper remotes have more functionality than low end harmonys.

[nuclearxp]

Great info, thanks for that. Could I trouble you for some examples of macros that are useful in WMC?

[crawfish]

Great info, thanks for that. Could I trouble you for some examples of macros that are useful in WMC?

In general, you don't need remote macros to operate programs on your computer such as WMC. You can catch single button presses in Autohotkey and do anything you want with them, and this works better and is more reliable than using remote macros. For an example of this, see my recent thread Adding MediumStepBack, BigStepForward, and BigStepBack, where I specifically talk about the advantages of AHK over remote macros. Now, I do use remote macros to set up Harmony-like "activities", for example to start Media Center and to turn on my TV and AVR and switch them to the correct input; my Sony RM-VL610 lets me record a sequence of button presses, bind them to device selector buttons, and activate them by long-pressing the device buttons. So by pressing my TV button for 2 seconds, everything gets turned on and set to the right input for WMC. I have other buttons set up for XBMC and my standalone BD player. For this to work right, you really need discrete on/off commands and input selection commands, which typically aren't on the device remotes. That's where the JP1 remote comes in for those of us who think Harmony remotes suck.

[mdavej]

Logitech's terminology makes this issue even more complicated. They have 2 different classes of macros. The kind crawfish is talking about, they call a "sequence", which many recent harmony remotes can't do at all. The other kind is an "activity". That kind consists of turning on any devices, switching inputs and mapping any buttons you need to perform a task like "watch TV" or "listen to music". Harmony remotes are great at this kind of macro, and all models except the 200 and 300 can do as many of these as you want. The 200 and 300 can only do one of these.

So if you only do one thing, then a 300 will work fine. But in a home theater, you usually do many, many things, so the 300 is inadequate. Without macros, it may take a dozen or more button presses to perform an activity. Think of all the steps it takes to watch a movie: turn on tv, turn on blu-ray, turn on AVR, set proper tv input, set proper AVR input, map blu-ray functions to the playback and nav buttons, map vol buttons to the AVR, and possibly pick sound and picture modes. I'd much prefer a remote that can do all that with a single button press.

[adam1991]

seems like most people here are in a heavily involved and complex home theater setup, and that an extreme minority of people is just watching TV. Is that true?