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digital_silence
Joined: 22 May 2004 Posts: 257
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 6:56 am Post subject: Harmony 200: Any use for JP1-related activities? |
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Hi all,
I seem to vaguely remember few mentionings of Harmony remotes in these forums, but I don't recall the context...
Anyway, I picked up Logitech Harmony 200 universal remote today. Not JP1-compatible, obviously...
Pretty much every remote in my house is JP1 or JP1.x (I use 8811s, 8910s and Comcast URC1067Bx3)
Can someone tell me how this Harmony device can be used (if at all) for helping me in my JP1 tasks, which mainly involve finding the upgrade protocols and codes for various unknown/undocumented devices?
I realize that my question is not very specific. Just to start, I can assume that Harmony would have an access via a web to a vast database of various devices, and if I find the one I need, it then can be transferred to JP1 (by learning and analysing the IR stream, for example...)
Thanks for your thoughts/guidance. |
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vickyg2003 Site Admin
Joined: 20 Mar 2004 Posts: 7073 Location: Florida |
Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 11:27 am Post subject: |
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Harmony has a huge database of codes. If you tap into there data base you can include it in the remote, and then shoot them at JP1 tools that can decode signatures.
I had Harmony. After about 30 downloads over a 3 month, Logitech terminated me for excessive downloads... |
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digital_silence
Joined: 22 May 2004 Posts: 257
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 9:21 pm Post subject: |
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vickyg2003 wrote: | Harmony has a huge database of codes. If you tap into there data base you can include it in the remote, and then shoot them at JP1 tools that can decode signatures.
I had Harmony. After about 30 downloads over a 3 month, Logitech terminated me for excessive downloads... | :-)
What about opening another account?
Or the account is linked to the remote serial number or any other unique device signature?
That's what I assumed (regarding the large database). Thanks Vicky.
Just out of curiosity: someone must've made an offline backup of their entire database, one would've thought... |
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mdavej Expert
Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 4519
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Posted: Sat Apr 11, 2015 11:54 pm Post subject: |
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Last I heard, it was about 250,000 models. I don't think anybody has the time or inclination to load and learn all of those. Even with a 15 device remote and 30 minutes per config/learning session, that would take about 10 years if you worked on it every day for 2 hrs per day.
But, yes, you can have multiple accounts. I have about a dozen accounts altogether for my 3 Harmony |
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digital_silence
Joined: 22 May 2004 Posts: 257
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Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2015 3:25 pm Post subject: |
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mdavej wrote: | Last I heard, it was about 250,000 models. I don't think anybody has the time or inclination to load and learn all of those. Even with a 15 device remote and 30 minutes per config/learning session, that would take about 10 years if you worked on it every day for 2 hrs per day.
But, yes, you can have multiple accounts. I have about a dozen accounts altogether for my 3 Harmony | I didn't suggest trying to transfer all their database into JP1 just for the sake of it... That would indeed as you pointed out require a lot of manual labour.
I was more thinking of making the offline snapshot of their online database, just like offline browsers and web crowlers do... Depending on how strong their protection is, that process could be potentially automated... That would simply remove the silly access restrictions to the dbase, as in the Vicky's case above.
Transferring it to JP1 then could be done as a shared no-obligations activity, bit by bit, at the voluntary pace, perhaps mostly by those motivated by their chance to find the right JP1 code thereby...
For the latest additions, one would still have to check the db online, of course...
Just thinking aloud... |
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mdavej Expert
Joined: 08 Oct 2003 Posts: 4519
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Posted: Mon Apr 13, 2015 8:11 am Post subject: |
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Nobody has figured out how to do that, unfortunately. But it really isn't necessary. Since most models within a brand share most of the same codes, we pretty much have everything covered already in our JP1 database. The only time we need to resort to the Harmony database is to get codes for new devices for other people with no OEM or learning remote. I personally, in my 15 years of doing this, have rarely had to resort to the Harmony database to get codes for myself. I can usually find all the codes I need somewhere else.
UEI's code database isn't too shabby either. It's as large or larger than Harmony's. And much of it resides in our JP1 remotes.
I think mining the Harmony database is a solution in search of a problem since we have to do one device at a time for the latest additions anyway and already have most older codes. |
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alanrichey Expert
Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 3529 Location: UK/USA |
Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 3:05 pm Post subject: |
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I'm probably the main user of the Harmony database. I use it to 'mimic' other people's remotes so I can build Slingbox Custom Remotes for the ones with devices Sling do not support. Interestingly I have been doing this for nearly 5 years at the rate of 5-6 a week and, unlike Vicky, they seem to tolerate me But as you say, you simply create a new account until that one is blocked.
I have probably built over 1500 now and those that were proven were uploaded in the 'Slingbox Binary Files' section and the RM files in the 'Slingbox RM Files' and the individual device-specific RM sections
So they are really no direct use for getting codes, just for 'mimicking' other devices. |
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vickyg2003 Site Admin
Joined: 20 Mar 2004 Posts: 7073 Location: Florida |
Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 4:01 pm Post subject: |
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it was my remote that was banned, not my account. I dinked around with them for 3 months trying to reauthorized my remote after my excessive downloads caused them to disable the serial number. _________________ Remember to provide feedback to let us know how the problem was solved and share your upgrades.
Tip: When creating an upgrade, always include ALL functions from the oem remote, even if you never plan on assigning them to a button. Complete function lists makes an upgrade more helpful to others.
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alanrichey Expert
Joined: 24 Mar 2008 Posts: 3529 Location: UK/USA |
Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 6:26 pm Post subject: |
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Interesting. I actually have 2 remotes. one in the UK and one in the USA and I switch between them every couple of months. Maybe that confuses their algorithm |
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