ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 มี.ค. 2024
- Did I just make a 16 min video about a very very cool universal remote control?
Yes.
And I think the Logitech Harmony 885 / 880 deserves its spotlight, even 18 years later.
Thanks to CNet and Remote Control Central for some archival video footage, old web page snippets and images!
And thanks for the UnlikelyVee for the voice cameo!
Patreon: www.notaponzische.me OR / f4mi
Twitch: / f4micom
Twitter: / f4micom
Discord: / discord
Outro: Bee Line (YM2151 Cover) - John Tay - เกม
Gotta love the call back to the OG Linus Tech Tips kitchen!
I'm Glad I'm not the only one who noticed that hahaha
I was gonna post the same exact comment!
langley kitcheeeeeen
omfg I somehow missed that, my brain is just still so used to it
That kitchen is my childhood (I caught the ass end of that era when I was 12-13, still nostalgiac ASF for it lmfao)
tfw i forgot to beep the word "shit" at the end so yeah enjoy some RARE uncensored swearing
one uncensored swear per video 💖
Keep it.
Yippee!!!
You might have just Streisand effect-ed yourself here lol. Didn't even notice.
My poor, innocent ears!
"I am 14 and I want a high end logitech remote" is a very specific flavor of nostalgia.
when I was 14 I hated the concept of universal remotes because all we had were those stupid Walmart ones with no LCDs, and there were always commands missing. So we had to keep all the original remotes accessible *anyway*, why even bother?
Discovering Harmony about 10 years ago changed my life
Lol high end 😂😂 funny cause if the Mario smoking weed picture
I convinced my parents to buy one for our living room. My dad still uses it a decade later. 🤣
It truly is
I Love the dankpods AAA reference
dont forget "Smasnug"
@@schztinky2820Absolutely!
@@schztinky2820True, also "Spicy Pillow"
aw my pkcell
@@benmatsuda863 Though calling them Spicy Pillows is a fairly common internet term
10:17 That is a glorious AAA right there
Wade would be proud
Very dank
@@dkjoses12 Pods even
6:43 smasnug
scared the shit out of me 😭
I'm so glad someone is taking a deep dive into more Logitech products. The only Logitech controller that people remember is the one that sank an entire submarine.
TBH, the controller was probably not has fault in the submersible fiasco. The ego of a stupid CEO, and a very bad choice of material for the hull probably was
I know they also made Rock Band mics and the wireless keyboard-mouse combos
I have a logitech flightstick from like 2012 and it works so godamn well i sometimes forgor ir costed 10 bucks
That's so funny to me, because I was considering getting it years before that happened
And after a few years, I kinda wish I did. If only because the start and select buttons suck.
I got a SteelSeries Stratus Duo, for anyone that may ask. And wired is more reliable
I recently bought a Logitech wireless mouse, so seeing this video felt like a huge coincidence. I actually saw an increased interest in their wireless game pads, though I don't know if they're reliable, at least for casual PC gaming.
In a bit of black comedy, after the Titanic incident some companies began advertising that specific model on sites like Facebook for some reason
This is like that Technology Connections idea on the really fancy toaster, in that I’m going to look at my TV remote and always seethe slightly that it could be so much better :’)
Saw a listing for a $15 Harmony 880 on eBay after watching this video. The listing sold 5 minutes after I bookmarked it. What have you done, f4mi
If it was one that didn't have a battery then I might have been the one to snipe that. I don't wanna be buying one when scalpers get to it. lol
@@chrisfratzHow are you going to use it without a battery?
It really does go like that 2 which is funny. Happens to me all the time
i was able to snag one with a battery for 25$... price seems to have gone up since the video but that also included shipping so it's not that bad.
My opinion is no one needs anything above and beyond their Harmony 350. It's far more ergonomic with a far better button layout and battery life similar to a standard remote. HOWEVER I would tolerate the 880 at $15.
It's like this product came from a different universe where people have absolute control over the things they buy.
A different dimension called: before 2010
@@affegpus4195 Nah, planned obsolescence exists since the light bulb.
I have a touch screen Harmony.. it was a game changer but they pulled all support now.. 😭
Those of us who chose Android back then largely did it based off of the fear that if Apple's standards (locking the user out of everything) became dominant, everyone would just start designing things that way, and consumers would forget what value tech could offer as it's increasingly designed to extract money from you for non material goods.
@@daldladla no... I did that Becouse apple phones cost 5x more
13:55 That's exactly what I was thinking when you first mentioned the Harmony database. Hopefully someone manages to download the whole database at some point, it would be a shame if those codes just got lost once Logitech finally decides to stop supporting the Harmony line.
I mean, it DOES cache the whole database on each install so it's not that hard to write a program to filter through them and host them online.
I suspect that the hub-based remotes will eventually go bye-bye when logitech kill the servers, but the simpler ones will stick around forever. I've got two kicking around as a contingency plan.
@@LordVarkson You actually don't need to have the hubs internet connected. You can control them over LAN. I'm not sure how (as I haven't bothered poking into the code), but there's integrations and controls with Home Assistant, so there's an API somewhere.
@@coleisforrobotDoes it store the codes in hex format, like Remote Central and other things that use IR codes (PSP homebrew IRShell, and the Flipper Zero etc.)
I always had to use the PSP (and now Flipper) to download missing codes that weren't in Logitech's database, then teach it to my Harmony as a missing command. Using one programmable remote to teach another one - because they wanted to keep it user-friendly and not expose an interface to add or edit hex data.
All remotes are doing is sending a series of binary data using the LED, after all. So you can represent that in hexadecimal, which is the de-facto standard.
There is Remote Central, a forum/community that stockpiles IR codes for remotes, and it's used in more high-end applications (I worked for a company that sold integrated smart AV solutions, including an iOS app that people could use to control their TVs - we'd download codes from there and bake them into the little transmitter units for their equipment)
That 4:3 aspect ratio hits like a drunk dad YEAH BABY
Playing this on my huge WEGA. It's perfect.
Huh I didn't notice until you brought it up.
i hate it
Was looking for this comment! Well…. Not exactly this comment but you get what I am saying. Oh and I agree with the 4:3 thing too.
You’re my favorite niche internet micro celebrity 🙏🙏
everybody stop what you're doing right now f4mi just uploaded
Who?
@@bland9876 Steve jobs
@@rinnnnnnnnnnrin f4mi is Steve Jobs?
The Margaret thatcher jumpscare got me fr
Margaret simpson?
^ That's Marge simpson, not Margaret
@@KangJangkrikyou got a problem with Maggie Simpson?
f4mi has suddenly become the perfect synthesis between LGR and thorhighheels, wasn't expecting it but i'm also not surprised
I still use a Harmony remote (a new version with the hub). It's so convenient to have everything in one spot and consolidated into your home assistant (google, Alexa, etc). It doesn't just program buttons, it programs timing and sources too, automatically. It account for the model of TV and how long it can take for something to turn on and switch channels, on top of that it can turn other thing on and off in the same instance. like a sound bar. So if I have my TV playing and press the music button it'll turn off the TV and put the soundbar in Bluetooth mode.
That sounds great, what model do you have?
@@felkmane Harmony Smart Control and Smart Hub
Yeah I've got the Ultimate and I love it. Saved me from some truly nasty CEC problems. My TV would literally crash once a week if not more.
just thirding or fourthing here that the logi smart hub with Home Assistant is great. Rock solid and it works locally over the LAN. Although the Smart Hub seems to call home and stuff so someday when Logitech unplug some servers somewhere I'm pretty sure it will just flash a little red light forever 😡
I'm surprised nothing newer has came out but I'm still good. I got an ultimate for my basement, living room and bedroom have smart control, and everywhere else uses fire stick remotes.
the SMASNUG tv being used is just awesome
7:52 and again, i guess this was just a reference to the tv.
The way the videos are edited, the way f4mi talks, the very interesting themes, and the fact that the videos look very retro, makes this one of my favorite TH-cam channels without a doubt. f4mi deserves more attention for sure. Hope you continue with these great videos!
Looks retro cause its formatted into the aspect ration old televisions used.
also all the extra care put in lol.
6:42 - Don't think we didn't notice the Smasnug. I'm sure DankPods is pleased.
f4mi actually has a whole ass video about Smasnug from a few months ago!!
I kinda miss how "out there" Logitech was with their products during this era, i remember one of my first controllers as a kid being a logitech wingman rumblepad, which had an interesting layout to say the least lol
This video just popped on my TH-cam feed and I thank the algorithm for that. Great quality, interesting use of 4:3 ratio with modern HD video, well-edited and funny. +1
Awesome vid! Speaking of remotes, you should cover the Mission Impossible game for the Game Boy Color. It was your generic, run-of-the-mill movie tie-in game, *except* it came bundled with an entire suite of utility programs, one of which was a remote that used the Game Boy Color's IR sensor. It was fun to mess around with - if you took it to a department store where they had those huge walls of televisions, or pointed it at a neighbor's TV through their window at JUST the right angle, you could control other TVs and wreak all kinds of miniature havoc💀
Man, and my thing with universal remotes was that I very rarely had one work 100% with my TV's over the years. There were always quirks like menus being mapped to buttons like "info" or things like "previous channel" not working at all. You basically had to pick the code that had the most functionality.
Is this tech björk
yeah kinda
@@f4micomdon’t open a P.O. Box lol
I owned one of these, the coolest thing about them was all the hidden IR codes. Like SONY TVs have a button to go immediately into their service menu, or switch to input 7. No consumer device would ever have access to that stuff without the online IR code database.
Yeah, but OEMs have done a better job at hiding or disabling those. I had a Samsung TV which I bought in 2013 for example (an actual Samsung, not a Smasnug 😉) with four HDMI inputs. The only discrete codes I could find anywhere were for HDMI 1, 2 and 3. So how did you get to HDMI 4? Well, assuming you had sources plugged into all the inputs (the TV would hide disconnected inputs from even appearing in the list), it would send a discrete command that switched to HDMI 3, then press the Input button, right arrow key, and OK key. That way it would take you to HDMI 4, without you having to select it yourself.
That was actually all built into Harmony's database, I didn't come up with that. Some user thought of it, submitted it to Logitech, and it got merged. "If it's stupid but it works, is it really stupid?"
Of course the problem was if you didn't have anything in HDMI3 that entire process would fail; it also took a few seconds opposed to instantly switching like the first three inputs.
Now, in 2022 I bought a Sony TV. I looked everywhere for a discrete on and discrete off code, to no avail. Tried a dozen different models. Harmony's database had them programmed in, but they were identical and just did the power toggle of the factory remote. To this day I still don't have that working because Sony never made a code available :(
So yeah, tl;dr Logitech can only add codes that exist, if the OEM doesn't provide one then it won't happen. Most of the time, someone has to call them and bug them enough to get some IR codes sent to them, then those get shared with everybody. I used to work for a company that did integrated smarthome solutions and we literally did this ourselves, calling up TV manufacturers and pestering them day after day until some fed-up representative emailed us a file to get us to stop calling them.
That reminded me of when my stepdad had a fancy LG "XStudio" plasma TV (that had a built-in DVR which could pause, rewind, and record video inputs!), and he used it with a Logitech Harmony 650 which was able to load commands for jumping to specific video inputs, and I later learnt that it was part of LG's external control stuff for allowing TVs to be controlled by hotel headroom systems and AV systems and the like.
AAA batteries killed me lmao
damn this birch got great opinions about having separate controls and devices for each individual task
Harmony remotes are still, to this day, the most useful tech product I have ever purchased. I still use the same remote that I purchased in 2010-it’s still working.
My autistic daughter has peeled off some of the buttons, destroyed the faceplate that protects the IR LEDs, and poured drinks on it several times. It continues to work. It’s incredible.
I love how you can hear the smile F4mi has, and then when you see fami on screen, the smile is ever-present.
my favorite lost feature on samsung phones was the infrared emitter on the top of the old galaxy phones. They let you program them and use your phone to control literally anything that uses remotes (it's still a lot of devices) from air conditioners, to lights to random fans it was so cool. RIP lil light.
I think I had one on my Palm Treo too
Xiaomi phones also USED to have IR blaster. Mine from 2020 has it.
Sadly, with recent Xiaomi 14 line they decided to get rid of IR blaster. Some non-flagship model may still have it, but cease and desist has alreay began...
old tech goes so hard
You know what else...
no... no...
don't be creepy.
"18 years old, that's definitely enough for me" quote of the year
This is my first time watching your video.
You seem so chill!
Great stuff!
Can't wait to see you crush 1m subs. Your editing style and choice of topics is so refreshing. Keep kicking ass out there :)
I'm surprised that servers for this thing are supposedly still online, considering it's discontinued for three years now.
Logitech could just do the usual corporate thing and silently shut it down, and don't listen to complaints, but if it works in 2024 it's pretty awesome. Still would back up the whole database and upload somewhere just in case. O_o
preferably have said database in a oss project like the flipper zero's
Yeah, we need an offline alternative for when Logitech decides not to maintain it anymore. I use a newer version of the software than what she shows here, that runs natively on Windows 7 (and was the one you could download in 2020 before they discontinued the products) but it still requires you to sign in with your account and needs an internet connection for it to work.
Lol, my parents still have that remote in their movie theater. I'm pretty sure I was the last one to use it.
You got a new super loyal subscriber here. The video in itself was super interesting but the moment you got the G15 out I HAD to subscribe. I love and own every keyboard Logitech ever DARED put and lcd screen on. GG, looking forward to new content.
Cute nerd girl has me compelled.
My family has the harmony one (2010) back in our house in Kiev. It’s beautiful, and was the best.
My Xiaomi smart phone has a IR-sensor and so far it has worked with every device I have tried it on, from 80's Hi-Fi amps , OG xbox DVD controls to modern smart-TVs. It can even record inputs straight from the remote, super useful feature!
9:36 just a quick shout out, Apple TV does actually accept Infrared input! Not only do all revisions of the the Siri Remote have an IR blaster, the Apple TV itself, including the latest Apple TV 4K with A15 Bionic, has an IR sensor. This is to keep compatibility with traditional TV remotes, Accessibility related remotes/accessories, and also Apple's older Apple TV remotes that don't have Siri or Bluetooth
I love hearing you talk, your accent coupled with the advanced way you structure English sentences makes my brain happy, you communicate your ideas very well.
I bought the older 555, the customisation is amazing, like I set "Eject" on my HD DVD and Blu Ray players to the "Record" button as I'll never use it and I made "Mute" the power button for everything, having one remote for my TV, AV Amp, HD DVD and Blu Ray player is so cool.
Thanks to the image of that guy with that hateful expression on the cover, I almost didn't watch your video and discover your channel. By pure chance, I hovered over the icon of your video and there you appeared, and I realized that the guy on the cover wasn't the TH-camr who made the video.
good video like all your videos. i like how you go into detail and present all the background info about stuff most people wouldn't even think of. i like your blue hair by the way, you're so cool!
I just stumbled across your channel and I'm amazed! Easiest subscription ever. Great video!
I'm glad this was in my recommended. Love the nostalgic aesthetic and obscure topics you cover on this channel. Subscribed!
Great video! I used to have a Harmony remote back when I had a projector, TV tuner and audio receiver. I remember programming it to power everything on and set the inputs, even dim my living room lights all with the press of a button!
YES i remember seeing product pages for these back then and they looked like the coolest gadget to ever exist! been hyped to watch this video ever since you announced it!
This remote perfectly captures the feeling of what tech was like in 2005. The way it looks and works, with these features from when they'd make things like this just for the sake of it. Except this one is actually pretty cool. It's weird reflecting on how much the iPhone really changed things…
This is specific, but this remote really feels like something my grandma would buy, never figure out how to use, and forget about until she let me use it.
such a dope channel. i'm so glad youtube recommended this video to me!!! can't wait to see what other gadgets u find!
Thank you F4mi, I was actually looking for a remote for an old LCD TV I got but I couldn't find it online. Great timing for to upload a video on a 2005 remote, Thanks!
This looks like a really cool remote.. with a great screen feature too! (I swear I remember seeing something like this at a vacation home one time.. so cool! Awesome video! Just found your channel and it’s very cool!)
I miss the days when smartphones had stuff like an ir led (not irDa sensor, that died in the feature phone era with Nokia sadly) to use your phone as a remote or and FM radio with way more functionalities than a hardware one...
At least we are finally getting remotes with embedded rechargable batteries and small calculator style solar panels...
I love your arguments about using touch screens for almost everything, this is one of the reasons why gaming still uses gamepads and not any game can work the same on a mobile device, it just isn’t the same feel
Oh god, I love the Harmony remotes! I got SUPER lucky with a good deal on a used higher end late model (Harmony Elite with hub, charging dock, and IR extensions) months before they got discontinued and it still works great to this day.
This is the first video I've watched of yours and I love it! Instant subscriber
My parents have been using the harmony touch as a daily driver for years and even before that, they were using the 885. It was so cool to use this remote as a kid
New favorite content creator! Glad i stumbled across your video (: so informative and funny with awesome editing
My boss has one of the new touchscreen ones shown towards the end and it’s so nice when you have a big home theater setup with lights, sound, tv etc because you just press the macro and it works
Consistently the best channel topics of anyone I see on here thank you I loved this
Still killing it with these videos!
10:17 - I love the DankPods reference.
linus kitchen background, screaming AAA like dankpods, and you're talking about the remote that is the source of some of my oldest tech memories??? instant sub
One of the few times algo suggestions actually hit, I'm glad I came across your channel !
My grandfather had one of these and I was absolutely in love with it as a kid, the thumbnail alone threw me hard into nostalgia town
I love how extremely niche my youtube algorithm is to know i'd watch a video about a remote control from 2005
man, i love this channel, you rock f4mi !
Actually so glad I’m supporting you on Patreon! I don’t even watch the special content I just like how you are posting more regularly!!
Your videos are truly unique and I look forward to every upload
Ah yes, "universal" remotes, the bane of my grandparents.
More recent ones, even if generic and cheap, can still be reprogrammed by using either some IR interface on your PC, or plugging an audio cable to a socket on the side. Yes, a simple remote has an headphone port, while phones do not.
This is the first time I found your channel and I'm so happy I did , you are hilarious and very informative. Ten thumbs up
Great video! Been watching your tech escapades on Twitter and it's been pretty interesting looking at the weird tech things you find
Another banger video from f4mi, keep up the good work!
this was such a good video, looking forward to future uploads!
Never thought I'd love so much a video about a remote of all things 😭 keep making bangers fami!!!!💕
I was going to post something like "life hack: use the remote that came with the device" but this is actually a huge leap forward for universal remotes. I wouldve been all over this if i knew about it at the time. But now i dont have much that uses infrared.
I had a Logitech 880 in 2010 and my background was Hayley Williams' topless photo. Eventually the low battery would beep every day so I just ended up getting a newer touch screen version. It looked cool but I gently tossed it on the couch and the screen broke! A couple years ago I got (I assume) one of the last versions of the remote. I rarely use it, only if I cannot find some specific remote for playing SACDs, CRT or VCR.
i bought a Harmony 650 for $3.99 at the thrift store a few years back, and man it's amazing! it doesn't look nearly as cool but does all the same things (except takes AA's instead needing to recharge) and it's seriously amazing when you get everything passed down with no remote to sport it lolll
Damn. Your channel is awesome and humorous. And also super educational! I love your content from what I see. Just subscribed!
Yep, they were expensive when new, but the test of time has worked for this product. My 12-ish years old Harmony 650 is still working, been dropped hundreds if times, not been used for some years, then rediscovered. It operates some older tech of mine, were the original remotes have been long lost.
My grandpa had a Harmony H659. I absolutely was OBSESSED with it.
I still have that exact remote. It still works flawlessly with all my devices. It's battery loses charge faster than it used to, but with the charging station I don't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon. It's a great remote.
Glad that we have better ones of these in 2024, my parents actually own one for our movie room in our basement, I never actually knew this existed as old as 2001, keep up the great videos!
What a great nostalgia trip. Not just the top tier aspect ratio, but the remotes. I remember selling these at my job way back when. Folks with complicated A/V setups were so relieved to learn of them, and the people who would scoff at the price tag and wonder why any remote is so expensive were always impressed with a quick demo. Good times. Thank you😢
I KNEW you were eventually going to talk about the Flipper Zero. Just the way you structure videos I think is just perfect, it's hard to express how good it is. I can guess whatever the hell is going to show up next when you reference something sometimes, like uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh hannah montana LINUX DISTRO. Thanks for talking about kind of obscure remote from mid-2000s for sixteen minutes and thirty-two seconds
Your explanation of your shortcut TH-cam Xbox app single-handedly makes me want to buy one of these now. So much time saved
Thats really cool!!! I sorta remember them from when they were out! Thanks for the nems!!!
I might have to buy 4 of those at that price!!!
Cool video! I like retro tech and you did a good job showing it off. Subscribed.
I've had a number of harmony remotes and I loved them. I had the 720, though I dropped the remote and the LCD stopped working, plus it suffered from pillow battery syndrome as well and the charging contacts became carroded. I also had the 700 which I gave my parents but something spilled on it and it stopped working. That one came with rechargeable AA batteries which charged in the remote. I have the 650 which doesn't have an LCD and that still works! That uses AA batteries too, but now it's mostly used for controlling the AC and heaters in the house and the occasional Blu-ray movie haha
I have the adapter made for the PS3 which converted the IR to Bluetooth, I should dig it out and see if it works with any Bluetooth device...
I kept my G15 keyboard and put it back in it's box after it served me for a decade of WoW. Nostalgia for that thing is extremely high. Love that damn thing.
You make some great videos. I saw this on my recommended and it was pretty cool so i checked out your channel. I really liked the Burnout video. Makes me want to play those games, also the history behind them was really interesting.
Been watching your videos for about a year and a bit now so thank you for fulfilling my niche interests in weird tech and video games 👍
I had the Xbox360 branded Harmony in 2006.
This was a literal game changer because I had a TV, a stereo, and a 360. Also had a PS3.
But hitting a single button to turn on the TV, stereo, and Xbox was awesome.
These days I have a newer stereo, newer TV, and PS4. Everything except my stereo is controllable by Bluetooth.
I'm sure I could get a newer stereo, but I've had this one since 2013.
I loved the Blu-ray remote I had for my PS3 and finally got one for the PS4 and it barely works.
But because I have a Sony TV the sony TV remote mostly works for the PS4.
But I think this is the main reason harmony fell off. The TVs are starting to do everything. Less need for a remote to do everything.
It's the guys who have big home theatre setups that the harmony calls to. Or other similar universal remotes.
Because they control the lights in the room, the curtains, the AC, etc.
I've seen a setup where you hit theatre on the harmony and it turns on the projector, lowers the screen, dims the lights, closes the curtains, turns on the stereo and the bluray player.
That is where the harmony shines.
I almost purchased one of these. I have a projection mapped show for my house using four projectors. I originally used the Broadlink RM Mini 3, but sometimes a button press would be missed getting the signals over Wifi. So my end goal was eliminating the need for internet altogether, but I also needed something that would start up on its own. I ended up purchasing an old android phone with IR (LG V40) and using Tasker along with irplus to program everything. Now I can leave the phone plugged in outside in a box and the phone will automatically restart, launch into irplus, and send the sequence of IR button presses needed to launch the video on all four projectors at the same time.
Great video! I also remember that keyboard btw. Definitely wanna watch that video. I always wanted that keyboard when I was a teen.
You earned a new sub! Thanks for the video!
Some time ago I found a old harmony remote on the attic. Nothing fancy, without screen. I was amazed that it just worked. I just threw soms AA'S, connected to a pc and I was up and running. Cool to see that some companies are keeping old products alive
Just found this channel! Love it! Subscribed!
great video as always ^^ loved it
Apple in 2027: $1700 imote pros max. Now with built in tv. Yes the remote is the tv.
I think that’s called a Wii U
@@sweetcormnah the wii u flopped and if apple actually made the imote some american white girls would buy it because apple