Harmony 680 - which button for "prev" (previous channel)?

[Charlutz]

Newb to the forum. I searched the Harmony threads and saw a host of other issues, but nobody asked about this, which leads me to believe there is a simple answer or no good answer. :) Just swapped my Hr10s for Hr20s and need to program the two Harmony 680s we have. The 680 does not have a "Prev" button like most of the other Harmonys do. This wasn't an issue with the tivo because the "enter" key doubled as the "prev" button. Am I relegated to using one of the LCD soft buttons as a Prev? Or mapping another button for it like the Pic button? Without the dual tuner buffers, I think I am going to be using the Prev button a lot more with the Hr20 than I did with the HR10.

PS - I am in the office right now and can't access my Harmony account to see if the solution might be more evident. :blush:

[packfan909]

Newb to the forum. I searched the Harmony threads and saw a host of other issues, but nobody asked about this, which leads me to believe there is a simple answer or no good answer. :) Just swapped my Hr10s for Hr20s and need to program the two Harmony 680s we have. The 680 does not have a "Prev" button like most of the other Harmonys do. This wasn't an issue with the tivo because the "enter" key doubled as the "prev" button. Am I relegated to using one of the LCD soft buttons as a Prev? Or mapping another button for it like the Pic button? Without the dual tuner buffers, I think I am going to be using the Prev button a lot more with the Hr20 than I did with the HR10.

PS - I am in the office right now and can't access my Harmony account to see if the solution might be more evident. :blush:


First off...

:welcome_s

I am using the 676 which does have a prev button. I do use this a lot having moved from the R10 and HR10 to the HR20. Not familiar with the 680 but there are "a" and "b" keys on mine that you could also use. I would say find another key to map if you are the only user. If someone would have trouble remembering a key for a different purpose I would just use a soft key.

pf

[Charlutz]

Thanks, glad to be here. :)

Not thinking we'd ever leave tivo, I chose the 680 over the 676 as it didn't look like we'd need the prev button. Drew2k posted a link to pics of the 6 series remotes in another thread, but I can't link threads til I have 5 posts. Forgot what it was like to be new. I'll clean that up once I have the requisite posts. No A or B buttons on the 680. I'll figure a way around it. I need to use one soft button to control the lights in the room. I figure four more go to the red/blue/yellow/green buttons, but I haven't gotten a feel yet for how often we'll use those. Hate to commit another soft button to Prev.

I also realized that my backup option is to not have a prev button and just use the HR20's menu option for prev channels. This isn't a one button press though as far as I can tell, which is a hassle. Any help from other 680 users would be great.

[BuffaloDenny]

First off...

:welcome_s

I am using the 676 which does have a prev button. I do use this a lot having moved from the R10 and HR10 to the HR20.

pf

I'm a 676 user myself. Not to hijack this thread, but just curious what method you or other 676 users are using to get the red, yellow, green, and blue buttons on this remote? Mine are currently setup in the "additional" buttons area and I need to cycle through options and select from the remote's lcd screen. I couldn't find enough buttons on the remote itself to accommodate the colors, but wondering if anyone came up with creative ideas.

[HarleyD]

There is a button that looks like an arrow pointing to the left ( <--- ) on the 680.

This is the previous channel button. It is just above and slightly to the left of the record button.

[packfan909]

I'm a 676 user myself. Not to hijack this thread, but just curious what method you or other 676 users are using to get the red, yellow, green, and blue buttons on this remote? Mine are currently setup in the "additional" buttons area and I need to cycle through options and select from the remote's lcd screen. I couldn't find enough buttons on the remote itself to accommodate the colors, but wondering if anyone came up with creative ideas.

Thats all I use as well. I remember seeing a harmony remote that was for the xbox that actually had colored buttons. Can't remember the model number.

I'm afraid that is the only way to do it right now.

pf

[Charlutz]

There is a button that looks like an arrow pointing to the left ( <--- ) on the 680.

This is the previous channel button. It is just above and slightly to the left of the record button.

That button also has "back" printed below it. I was planning to use it as the "back" button from the original remote. My reasoning was that the back button was necessary to navigate backward through the menus, though the left directional button seems to work at least sometimes to go back to the last menu page. If the left directional will work for this always, using the <- button would work.

[Charlutz]

Here is the link that Drew2k posted, so that the thread might make a little more sense to non-680 owners.

http://home.comcast.net/~p.iott/659vs676vs680.jpg

Looking at the pic also reminds me that the Media key is a big waste of space. A little out of thumb reach, but there is another option. Not to mention, the "Live" button may be useless since "exit" will get you from a recorded show to live programming. Is there another use for the "Live" button on the original remote or can I do without it?

[DogLover]

I have the 670, so I do have a prev button. However, I don't really ever use the enter button. (There was a bug with it not always changing the channel when you didn't press enter, but that has been fixed.)

[HarleyD]

Here is the link that Drew2k posted, so that the thread might make a little more sense to non-680 owners.

http://home.comcast.net/~p.iott/659vs676vs680.jpg

Looking at the pic also reminds me that the Media key is a big waste of space. A little out of thumb reach, but there is another option. Not to mention, the "Live" button may be useless since "exit" will get you from a recorded show to live programming. Is there another use for the "Live" button on the original remote or can I do without it?

I use it as my 'Active' button.

It looks like we're the only two posters with a 680 (I actually have two)

[Charlutz]

I use it as my 'Active' button.

It looks like we're the only two posters with a 680 (I actually have two)

Yeah, I forgot about the Active button. Haven't played around with that feature yet nor am I familiar with what it does. Sounds like you use it enough that I can't ignore it.

[HarleyD]

Yeah, I forgot about the Active button. Haven't played around with that feature yet nor am I familiar with what it does. Sounds like you use it enough that I can't ignore it.
You can ignore it.

I programmed it because I could. I'm a little OCD.

[Chuck W]

I don't know how you enter your channel numbers, but if you don't use the enter key, all that much to actually enter the number(just letting it enter it itself, after a few seconds), what you "could" do is forego the Enter button and make that your back button.

Just a suggestion.

I have the 676 as well and oh how I wish I could use the Media button as an actual button. It would make the 676 perfect. The "A" button for Active, the "B" button for Back and the "Media" button for the media "List". As it is now, I use the "A" button as my List button and put the "Active" function on an LCD button, on the 2nd page, behind the color buttons.

[Charlutz]

I don't know how you enter your channel numbers, but if you don't use the enter key, all that much to actually enter the number(just letting it enter it itself, after a few seconds), what you "could" do is forego the Enter button and make that your back button.

Just a suggestion.

I use it. I'm impatient. Not opposed to changing my habits though.

[HarleyD]

Not opposed to changing my habits though.

The official slogan of the HR20.

[ElectronJunky]

Hello! Just got started configuring my Harmony 680 last night to work with the HR20. A couple of things...

Just an FYI - In the latest update of the Harmony software I noticed that there was mention that the Media button was enabled. What this means I don't know. We might be able to assign functions to that button now. I haven't had the chance to play around with it just yet.

Second, in my old Harmony setup with the old version of the software I could tell the remote to turn down the volume on the TV when I switched to an Activity using an audio input on my receiver. It was kinda like a macro. It would send the VolDown signal multiple times to the TV. I don't see that capability in the new software. Is this hidden in the software somewhere?

[volleygirl]

I don't know how you enter your channel numbers, but if you don't use the enter key, all that much to actually enter the number(just letting it enter it itself, after a few seconds), what you "could" do is forego the Enter button and make that your back button.

Just a suggestion.

I have the 676 as well and oh how I wish I could use the Media button as an actual button. It would make the 676 perfect. The "A" button for Active, the "B" button for Back and the "Media" button for the media "List". As it is now, I use the "A" button as my List button and put the "Active" function on an LCD button, on the 2nd page, behind the color buttons.

I also use A for List and B for back on my 676. Then on my LCD I have Active as the top left LCD button, and the four colors on the bottom four buttons. That leaves me one more LCD button. Have I forgotten anything? Any other buttons I might want to map? Every other button on the remote seems to map to a 676 button. I didn't map the Format button anywhere, but I don't think I will use it. We just got our HR20, so I am still trying to get used to it, but I do think the 676 works great with it.

What else do you have on your LCD that you are having to go to a second page for the Active button? Did you know you can tweak the LCD to give you six actual buttons? I did it so long ago that I can't remember why the default is only four, what are the other two used for in that setup?

[kitchj]

I did it so long ago that I can't remember why the default is only four, what are the other two used for in that setup?

They are merely replaced with a title (IE - "Watch TV")

[DCSholtis]

Thats all I use as well. I remember seeing a harmony remote that was for the xbox that actually had colored buttons. Can't remember the model number.

I'm afraid that is the only way to do it right now.

pf

Its the Harmony Xbox model. No actual model number. I have that one and I got it specifically for the colored buttons.

[BuffaloDenny]

I also use A for List and B for back on my 676. Then on my LCD I have Active as the top left LCD button, and the four colors on the bottom four buttons. That leaves me one more LCD button.

Are you able to dictate where each of the assigned buttons shows up on the LCD? I have assignments in the LCD for my DLP TV, stereo receiver, and of course the HR20, so it goes on for several pages, and I just cycle through with the Next button. It'd be nice if I could place all the button assignments exactly where I want them, such as the colors all on one page, but as it is they show up as I add them. I'm too lazy to go back and redo them in order if that's how they show up.

For additonal HR20 commands, I have added the power on and off, just in case, as well as format and active and the colors. The rest are easily mapped on the 676.

[DogLover]

Are you able to dictate where each of the assigned buttons shows up on the LCD? I have assignments in the LCD for my DLP TV, stereo receiver, and of course the HR20, so it goes on for several pages, and I just cycle through with the Next button. It'd be nice if I could place all the button assignments exactly where I want them, such as the colors all on one page, but as it is they show up as I add them. I'm too lazy to go back and redo them in order if that's how they show up.

For additonal HR20 commands, I have added the power on and off, just in case, as well as format and active and the colors. The rest are easily mapped on the 676.

Yes, you can do this. However, it is not the most obvious. When you set up the programmable buttons, you have a list. Each item in the list can be set to whatever function you choose. The first x on the list will be on the first screen, the next x on the second screen, etc.

[BuffaloDenny]

Has anyone been able to successfully get the Replay and Advance functions to work on the 676? This is where you hold down the "skip forward" or "skip backward" button for 3 seconds to jump to the beginning or end? Mine will jump back for 6 seconds, for example, but if I continue holding it down it never takes me back to the beginning of the program.

EDIT: OK, I'll answer my own question since I just figured it out. You actually just hold down the skip forward or skip backward button for 3 seconds, release, and press again. Jumps right to the beginning or end of your buffer or recorded program.

[Chuck W]

Has anyone been able to successfully get the Replay and Advance functions to work on the 676? This is where you hold down the "skip forward" or "skip backward" button for 3 seconds to jump to the beginning or end? Mine will jump back for 6 seconds, for example, but if I continue holding it down it never takes me back to the beginning of the program.

EDIT: OK, I'll answer my own question since I just figured it out. You actually just hold down the skip forward or skip backward button for 3 seconds, release, and press again. Jumps right to the beginning or end of your buffer or recorded program.

I actually have them working that exact way the RC34 remote works(just hold the button for 3 seconds, not having to press the button again). I was able to get it to work, by using a JP1 enabled remote. There is a second set of codes, that the HR20 recognizes, that work much better than the current codes(they work like the original remote). I loaded the second set of codes to the JP1 remote, with software and then I learned the keys from that JP1 remote to the 676.