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Originally Posted by thecoalman
It does for my home theater, it's the cable box and the TV that don't have a discreet command. Either they don't have it or Harmony doesn't know it.
I don't know what more you can ask of it, I can program custom keys, key sequences etc. That's where the LCD screen comes in because you can name your function. For example I have custom "acitivity" for listening to the music over the cable. That one button turns on the cable and the home theater. I used the custom keys on the lcd screen to program the different channels. Classic Rock, Pop Rock etc.
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Obviously.
I have designed, sold and overseen the installation of systems in which the system controller:
*operated a media room level system with at least 11 components in it including 3 TVs, while also being able to operate a projector based outdoor viewing area, AND controlling the music from half a dozen sources in two adjoining rooms. All from one controller, of which the client had two that were identical.
*was tailored for each of several family members. Dad wants everything, mom wants 10 TV channels and one FM radio station, the kids want 43 kinds of music and streaming TV.
*Operated separate surround and music systems in simpler setups. This is common.
Then you get into the even more flexible setups like Control 4 and Crestron which can control any or all of the home's electrical and mechanical systems (with interfaces) from one controller. Only one's imagination is the limit with those.
But for all systems, reliability is a primary focus for the controller and its programming. By that I mean that anyone can use the entire system,
to the fullest extent of its capabilities, while needing little more than the ability to read and touch a screen. That means correcting things that the casual button pusher has messed up, like speakers A/B, anchoring surround modes to individual inputs AND knowing the difference between music and video, etc. Touchscreens offer a higher level of simplicity because most of the buttons on the remotes do not need to be available for daily use of the system. We only put the necessary buttons on the system controller, at least under the main pages.
As with anything, until you've used one and seen firsthand what I can do, you may never appreciate what a better product can offer. You don't know what you don't know, just as I don't in many subjects. If a base model Camry is the highest performing car you've ever driven, and your interest in cars extends only as far as simple transportation, you may have no idea how much faster/better handling/comfortable/exciting an M3 BMW or Cadillac CTS-V could possibly be.
A question for you-does your controller set a different (or no) surround mode for cable music than it does for watching TV, or a disc, or streaming video?