User User Manual Manual Harmony 900 English Version 1.0 Version 1.
Contents Introduction.............................................................................................................................6 Getting to know your remote................................................................................................6 How your Harmony 900 works.............................................................................................6 Activities............................................................................................................
5 RF Controls Behind Closed Doors.................................................................................... 19 Why do I need these pieces? What to expect when setting up your RF System.................. 19 1 Setting up your Blaster and Mini Blasters.........................................................................20 2 Assigning your devices....................................................................................................
Teaching Your Harmony 900 New Commands..................................................................35 When do I need to teach new commands to my Harmony 900?........................................35 Teaching your Harmony 900 new commands using your old remote..................................35 Naming a new command your remote learned..................................................................36 Making More Changes..................................................................................
My devices don’t work the way I want...............................................................................44 I want to add improved version of my device in the Logitech database..............................44 My device responds too slowly to button presses...............................................................44 When I press my volume button, my volume increases too much.......................................44 I have to hit some buttons more than once to send a command....................
Introduction The Harmony 900 Universal Remote is your answer to effortless home entertainment. The Activities button puts control of all your devices in one convenient location. You can go from watching TV to watching a DVD to listening to music with the touch of a button. You no longer need to type in codes to get your remote working with your entertainment system.
How your RF System works Your RF System allows you to control devices that are behind closed doors. Remote controls generally use infrared (IR) commands to communicate with your devices. These IR commands need a direct line of sight between the remote and the device to work. Your Harmony 900 also sends radio frequency (RF) signals, like the ones used for cordless phones, that can go through objects, such as a closed cabinet door.
The buttons on your Harmony 900 The Harmony 900’s buttons may have different functions or control different devices depending on which Activity you’re in. For more information, see Customize your buttons. The system off button turns off all the devices in the current Activity. Off The arrow keys help you page through items on the touch screen. Options Devices The function buttons are dynamic and select different functions on the remote or the Activity.
The lights on your Blaster The lights on your Blaster provide the following information: A B Status Power Indicates that your Blaster is sending commands Indicates that your Blaster is powered by either AC or USB Status Power 9
Setting Up Your Remote What to expect during set up Be sure you have gathered your device information using the Device Worksheet before you start. When you insert the Harmony remote CD, the guided online setup launches. Follow the easy setup instructions to install the Harmony Remote Software. After the software installs, your Harmony Remote Software will start, check for updates automatically and download them if necessary.
Before You Get Started Charging your remote Your Harmony 900 comes with a charging station. The charging station plugs into a wall outlet and charges the battery every time you put the remote on it. Simply place the remote on the cradle to begin charging. You will need to have your remote at least 50% charged before set up. Off * Collecting your model numbers You will want to collect all of your device model and manufacturer numbers before you set up your user account.
An input by any other name... You probably know what an input is but you may call it something a bit different. Source, channel, TV/Video button, port or connector. An input simply defines how your devices are connected to each other and how you switch between watching TV to watching a movie. Collecting the inputs for your devices You will want to collect information about how your devices are connected to each other - in other words, your system’s inputs.
1 Creating Your Account and Connecting Your Remote Creating your user account When you start the Harmony Remote Software for the first time, you must create your user account. From the Harmony Remote Software: 1. Click Create New Account. 2. Complete the required account information. 3. Follow the instructions in the Harmony Remote Software. 4. After you create your user account, the Harmony Remote Software opens your account each time you log in.
2 Setting Up the Devices you Want to Control The guided online setup asks you to enter your device information. Enter the information for all the entertainment components you want to control with your Harmony 900. You should use the Device Worksheet to gather all your device information before starting the setup process. 1. 2. 3. Select the Device Type for each of your devices. Select the Manufacturer for each device. Enter the Model numbers for each device.
3 Creating One Touch Activities What is an Activity? Activities are the basis for how the Harmony 900 works. With Activities, the Harmony 900 eliminates the need to use multiple remotes for simple tasks. Just select the Activity and the Harmony 900 does the rest.
Adding an Activity To set up your Activities, you need to enter the information related to the Activities you will be using on your Harmony 900. The Harmony Remote Software shows you a selection of recommended Activities based on the device information you provided. During the initial set up, you will be walked through the steps to set up your Activities. To add later, In your Harmony Remote Software account, select the Activities tab. • To add an Activity, click Add Activity.
Selecting inputs When you begin to add an Activity, the Harmony Remote Software will provide you with a list of inputs for your devices that use them, such as your TV or AV Receiver. The software will provide you a list of the inputs that it has on record as matching with your device. This list, however, may not match exactly and so, you can rename or add names in this list.
4 Update Your Remote and Test Update your remote Once you’ve added your devices and your Activities, it’s time to update the information to your remote. 1. Make sure your remote is connected to your computer. 2. Go to your Activities page. 3. Select the Update Remote button in the top right hand corner of the page. Test your remote Before you set up your RF system, you should test your remote to make sure all of your devices and Activity settings are correct.
5 RF Controls Behind Closed Doors Why do I need these pieces? What to expect when setting up your RF System Your RF System extends the range of your Harmony remote so that you can control devices that are not in plain view. For example, you can put the devices of your entertainment system inside a cabinet, close the door and still be able to turn them on and off, or you can turn on a device that is located in a different room. For more information, refer to How your RF System works.
1 Setting up your Blaster and Mini Blasters Your Blaster receives RF signals from your remote and flashes IR commands to your devices. Your Mini Blasters add extra coverage by flashing devices that your Blaster can’t reach. To set up your Blaster and Mini Blasters: 1. Plug the Blaster into the wall. 2. Place it on a shelf in your cabinet. 3. Plug the Mini Blasters into the back of the Blaster. 4. Place each one on its own shelf in your cabinet.
2 Assigning your devices You can control your devices with either your Harmony remote or your RF System. Typically, you use the Harmony remote to control devices with which you have a clear line-of-sight, and you use the RF System to control devices that are in a closed cabinet or that span different rooms.
Using Your Harmony Your Remote and Screen What you’ll see - the Touch screen Activities Off My Activities 1/2 pages 4:51 Watch TV The Activities screen is your starting point on the Harmony 900. From this screen, you can select your Activities. Watch a DVD Listen to Music Devices Options Commands common to your Activity Off Watch a DVD 1/2 pages When you select an Activity, your Harmony 900’s screen displays all the important or commonly used commands related to that Activity.
Status icons A The status indicator flashes whenever an IR command or an RF signal is being sent from your Harmony 900. B The sleep timer indicator appears when your sleep timer is on. C The battery indicator shows you the status of the battery. To ensure your Harmony stays properly charged, see Charging your remote. D B A C Off My Activities 1/2 pages 4:51 The current time display on your remote screen.
Charging your remote Your Harmony 900 comes with a charging station. The charging station plugs into a wall outlet and charges the battery every time you put the remote on it. All you need to do is pick up the Harmony 900, use it, and place it back on the charging station when you’re done to ensure it stays charged. Off * No waiting to charge Your battery is a lithium ion so you don’t have to wait until your remote goes dead to charge it.
Cleaning the screen Your remote screen can be locked so that you are able to clean the screen without sending commands to your system. To turn the Cleaning Lock on: 1. Press Options on your remote’s My Activities screen. 2. Press Cleaning Lock. To unlock your remote’s screen, press any hard button on your remote. 25 Cleaning Lock Touch screen disabled. Press any button to reactivate your touch screen.
Your One Touch Activities Activities are the basis for how the Harmony 900 works. Things like watching a DVD, listening to radio, playing a game are all examples of Activities you can set up for your remote using the Harmony Remote Software. For information on setting up your Activities, go to Creating One Touch Activities. Selecting Activities The Activities screen displays the Activities you have created for the remote. You can start an Activity by touching the item on the screen.
How buttons work in an Activity The buttons on your Harmony 900 can change their control depending on which Activity you’re in and how you have set up your Activities in your Harmony Remote Software user account. For example, if you enter that you listen to sound using your AV Receiver when you Watch a DVD, then the volume buttons will control your AV Receiver when you’re in that Activity.
Using the Remote Assistant The Harmony 900’s Remote Assistant guides you through starting Activities. It also gives you more information about the status of your remote and the Activity you selected. For example, when you select the Watch TV Activity, the Remote Assistant asks you if the TV is on and if the other devices in the Activity are configured properly. You can turn this feature on or off from the Harmony Remote Software or from the remote.
Using the On-Remote Help When to use the Help button Because obstacles or distance can interfere with the signals the Harmony 900 sends when it starts an Activity (for example, someone walks between your Harmony 900 and the TV when you press Watch TV, or you’re very far away from the system when you start an Activity), your Harmony 900 can become “out of sync” with your devices. To fix the problem, use the Help feature in your Harmony 900. 1. 2. On the remote, press the Help button.
Your Devices Controlling your devices individually In some cases, you may need to control a device individually. You can use the device feature of the Harmony 900 to control devices one-by-one. When you press the Device button, the Harmony 900’s screen displays a list of your devices. Select the device you wish to control. After you select a device, the Harmony 900 controls only that device. You have access to all the commands for the device included in your Harmony 900 configuration.
Personalizing Your Remote You can personalize your Harmony 900 to make it work the way you want. The following pages will show you a few ways you can add, remove or change the buttons and screen on your Harmony 900. Off Customize Your Buttons My Activies 1/2 pages 4:51 Customize your hard and soft buttons Devices Settings Hard buttons on your remote are all of the buttons that are not on the screen. Most of these buttons can be changed to work the way you want them to.
Adding your favorite channels To set up your favorite channels, and to add your own icons, go to the Harmony Remote Software: Off Fav. Channels 1. 2. 3. 4. Select the Activities tab. Under Watch TV, click Settings. Click Set up Favorite Channels, and add icons Follow the online instructions.
Adding command buttons to an Activity If you want a button to do something specific, or there’s a function on your device’s original remote that’s not on the Harmony 900, you can create your own buttons that appear on the Harmony 900’s screen. You can also change the name of buttons on your remote’s screen to help make them easier to find.
Renaming commands The command names in your Harmony 900 may not always be the way you want them. You can rename any command in your Harmony 900 remote so that it makes sense to you. To rename a command in an Activity, go to your account in the Harmony Remote Software: Select the Activities tab. Click Customize Buttons. Select the Soft Buttons tab. Enter the new name of the command in the Button column for any buttons you want to rename. 5. When you are finished, click Done. 1. 2. 3. 4.
Teaching Your Harmony 900 New Commands When do I need to teach new commands to my Harmony 900? It’s possible that a device’s commands may not be recognized. Maybe you have a very rare device? Or a new one? Although we update our device list regularly, there are always new devices in the market. To remedy this, you can teach your Harmony how to control this device by using the device’s original remote.
Naming a new command your remote learned When you teach your Harmony a new command, you need to give the command a name. This way, you can refer to the command by name in various locations in the Harmony Remote Software. We recommend you use the default names listed on the Learn IR page. By using the default names, you minimize the chance of a button being assigned incorrectly on the Harmony 900.
Making More Changes Here are a few more ways you can make your Harmony 900 personal to you. Simply make these changes directly from your Harmony 900. Turning button sounds off Your Harmony 900 will beep when you press a button your remote’s screen. You can turn this option off. To turn the sound on or off from your Harmony 900’s screen: 1. Press Options > Sound. 2. Choose Sound On or Sound Off, depending on your preference. 3. When you are finished, press Done.
Changing Your Set Up There are many reasons why you may need to change your current set up. Perhaps you are adding a new DVD player or even changing around the order of your devices in your cabinet. You’ll find some easy solutions in the following pages to help you with those changes. Adding to your remote Adding a new device You can add a new device at any time by logging into your Harmony Remote Software user account. To add a new device: 1. Select the Devices tab. 2. Click Add Device. 3.
Adding to your RF System Adding new devices to your RF System After you add your device to your Harmony Remote Software account and update, you can add it to your RF System. You can do this directly from your remote. From your Harmony 900 remote’s screen: 1. Press the Options button on the bottom left hand corner of your remote’s My Activities screen. 2. Press RF System Settings. 3. Press Device Assignment. 4. Follow the instructions on your remote’s screen to assign your new device to your RF System.
Moving parts in your RF System Moving your Blaster and Mini Blasters around You may want to change how your devices are set up in your home entertainment system. In order to make sure your RF system continues to work the way you want, it’s a good idea to check the following things after you have moved pieces around in your system: Check you have placed your Blaster and Mini Blasters correctly. You should have a maximum ONE Blaster OR Mini Blaster PER SHELF.
Finding Answers - Troubleshooting We’ve put together some of the more commonly found challenges among users when setting up their system to make it easier for you to find answers to the questions you have about setting up and using your Harmony 900. You can also find a wide range of Frequently Asked Questions, regularly updated forums and support information at www.logitech.com/harmony. Take a look at some of the statements below and see if this helps to fix your problem.
I’m always using Help - Using the on-remote Help The TV doesn’t turn on when starting an Activity but Help fixes it Try increasing the Inter-Device Delay for your television. Sometimes commands are sent too close together for different devices and need to be spaced out more. You can also use the Troubleshooter feature in your Harmony Remote Software account. My TV doesn’t turn off without using Help fixes it Try increasing the Inter-Device Delay for your television.
My TV does not go to the correct input without Help when switching between Activities Using the Harmony Remote Software, check your Activity to ensure the Activity is set up to use the correct input your TV needs to be set on to get a picture. Next, check that the inputs are in the correct order for the Harmony 900 to know how to cycle through each input. If you’re still experiencing trouble, try raising the Inter-Device and Input Delays for your TV.
My devices don’t work the way I want I want to add improved version of my device in the Logitech database It’s possible that a device’s commands are not recognized. Maybe you have a very rare device? Or a new one? Although we update our device list regularly, there are always new devices in the market. You can add an improved version of your device’s remote to our database from your Harmony Remote Software account: 1. Go to your Devices tab. 2.
My buttons aren’t working the way I want The On Demand command isn’t on the Harmony 900 for the Watch TV Activity You can map the command to any unused button on the Harmony 900 or on the remote’s screen. The command is likely in our database, but wasn’t mapped to the Activity. If we’re missing the command, the Harmony 900 can learn it from your original remote. For more information, see Teaching your Harmony 900 new commands.
My RF System is not working the way I want I moved my Blaster and/or Mini Blasters and my remote stopped working If you have moved pieces in your RF System and are having problems, see our section on Moving pieces in your RF System. My devices got moved around and now they’re not working. If you have moved pieces in your RF System and are having problems, see our section on Moving pieces in your RF System.
I have two devices that are exactly the same. When press a command on one device, it sends to other as well. You can assign a device to a specific port on the Blaster. This allows multiple identical devices to be controlled independently from just one Blaster. For example, you can assign one DVD player to one port and a different DVD player to another port. See Assigning a device to a specific port on the Blaster for more help. Two of my devices are from the same manufacturer.
Types of delays or speed settings If your device doesn’t react to a command from the Harmony 900, it may be because the delay setting needs to be adjusted. By default, different devices take different amounts of time to react to a command from a remote control. To accommodate these differences in your devices, the Harmony 900 uses several types of delays, or speed settings, to control your devices. Any of these delays can be adjusted from your Harmony Remote Software account.
Inter-Device Delay The Inter-Device Delay is the amount of time between commands for different devices when you start an Activity. The Inter-Device Delay is also the time between the next sequence of commands that are sent to other devices within an Activity. Example: My DVD player doesn’t always turn on when I start the Activity. I can get the DVD player to turn on by using the Help button however I don’t want to use Help every time.
Troubleshooting your inputs One of the most important parts to creating your Activities for your Harmony 900 is determining which inputs your system uses for each device. This chapter gives you some suggestions on how to figure out which inputs your entertainment system uses if you’re not sure. Inputs are how the devices in your entertainment system are connected. For example, your DVD or cable box is connected to your TV through an input.
Option 3 — Select the input from an on-screen menu In this case, your device uses an on-screen menu from which you can select the input you want. When you press the source button, the menu appears on your TV screen. Then, you use another button on the remote to choose the input you want, and then a third button to select the input. For example, you press the source button to display the on-screen menu, the arrow keys to select an input, and then the OK button enter your selection.
Step 2 — Watch the TV In this step, you must use your TV’s original remote control to switch between inputs. 1. 2. 3. Using your TV’s original remote, select each input one-at-a-time. For each input, note which device appears to be connected to that input. For example, if you switch to VIDEO 1 and see your DVD playing, you know your DVD player is connected to VIDEO 1. Repeat step 2 for each input.
Getting help with your Harmony remote Contacting Customer Support If you’re experiencing problems and can’t find the solution, our courteous and expert professionals can assist! From your home page, click the Support button located in the Tip Center and then select the Contact Us tab. Finding answers to questions You can access our online help to search for topics or Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). From your home page, click the Support button located in the Tip Center.
Using the On-Remote Help When one or more of your devices don’t power on or off, or when they don’t switch inputs correctly, you can use the Help button on the remote for simple troubleshooting. Answer the questions on your Harmony remote to re-synchronize it with your entertainment system. See Using the Help button. Logitech’s Harmony Remote user forums You can also access the user forums to see what other users like you’re discussing. Simply go to http://forums.logitech.com/.
Appendix A - Device Information In the Add Devices step of the setup software, you will need to enter information about the components in your entertainment system. Fill out this worksheet to use as your guide. List the entertainment components below that you would like your new remote to control.
Appendix B - Glossary 56 Amplifier A stereo component that outputs to speakers, and increases the gain or level of an audio signal. An amplifier doesn’t typically include a radio. Anamorphic views Also referred to as Enhanced for Widescreen, or Enhanced for 16:9. The process that horizontally shrinks a 16:9 image into a 4:3 space to convert images between widescreen and typical television image aspect ratio. Used on many DVDs. Aspect ratio The ratio of image width to image height.
A video format that is used in the UK, and parts of Europe and Asia. PAL (Phase Alternating Line) Passthrough A device that routes video or audio from one device to another device. Personal Video Recorder (PVR) Contains an internal recorder and player that records and plays video without the use of a removable tape or disc. Typically PVRs can pause, rewind, instantly replay, and play slow-motion for live or recorded TV. Examples of PVR service providers are TiVo, ReplayTV, UltimateTV, and Keen PM.
Stereo receiver Also referred to as a tuner or a receiver. A stereo receiver is any component that receives or tunes, broadcast signals, or AM/FM radio. Typically refers to the single component that includes a preamplifier, surround processor, multi-channel amplifier, and AM/FM tuner. Tuner Also referred to as a receiver or a stereo receiver. A tuner is any component that receives or tunes, broadcast signals, or AM/FM radio.
Appendix C - Product Specification LCD Size LCD Resolution LCD Screen Touch Screen Technology Power Source Power Type Brands Supported Devices Supported Maximum number of devices per account Backlit keypad Backlight Color IR Learning Learning Capabilities IR Transmitters IR Transmission Range Memory Type Memory Amount Weight Dimensions Warranty Supported Platforms 2.
