New Harmony 650 user, input problem with Toshiba TV

[Flashy]

Hi. I've been searching all over the place and seems this is a common issue, but I can't work out how to fix it, so hoping someone can give me an idiot's guide to how to resolve it so I can fully enjoy my new Harmony 650.

In short, the TV (Toshiba Regza 32AV615DB) won't go to the correct input when switching on from everything being off. I've only got two activities, Watch TV (Sky, via HDMI 1), and Watch A Movie (DVD player, Ext 3).

Using the Harmony's Help button I can get it to the correct input. Once there, it's fine. For example, say I'm watching Sky, pressing Watch A Movie will switch off the Sky PVR, change the input to Ext 3, switch on the DVD player and open it's drawer (the last one being a setting I added). From there, pressing Watch TV will turn off the DVD player, turn on the PVR and scroll through the inputs to HDMI 1. (It may not necessarily do it all in those orders, if that's significant I'll happily go and note down what it does in what order.)

It's only from a "cold start" that there's an issue. I've followed the Troubleshoot options based on my symptoms and tried various-length power on delays (from default 1000ms up to 8000ms), but it's made no difference.

Hopefully it's something simple and it's quite possible I'm going about it wrongly, but it's got me utterly baffled, hence me asking for some help from people who know what they're doing.

First time user of a Harmony remote, so please forgive my ignorance. Thanks for looking, and any advice will be hugely appreciated.

 

[logiciel]

That's OK - we all have to start somewhere - and you'd normally fix this by going to Devices> TV> Adjust Inputs> Method 2 and following the instructions to specify the Commands that you use, which eliminates the scrolling.
If you have to use the simplified myharmony web site to set up this model, and if that doesn't give you the option, let us know so that we can take it from there.

 

[Flashy]

Thanks for the reply. I'm using the Harmony Remote Software 7.7.0.

I've given Method 2 a go, but to no avail. The TV remote doesn't have individual buttons for each input, just one which when pressed will bring up the list of inputs, with further presses cycling through them in turn, from top to bottom, changing the input as it goes without the need to press Select.

I thought I might find success with Method 4 (Select this method if your TV is a Toshiba, or if you press a button to bring up a source input, and press other buttons that select their own input (no cycling).), given that my TV is a Toshiba. But it wasn't to be, as I don't have the "other buttons that select their own input".

Method 1 (Select this method if there is only one source input button on the remote, and each time the button is pushed the next input label is cycled to in a set order) best describes how my TV behaves. That was what it was on originally.

Despite the TV not being a Samsung, Method 3 (Select this method if your TV is a Samsung, or if you press a button to bring up an on-screen menu of source inputs, press a different button to cycle between them, and press a third button to accept the selection) also describes how the TV can behave, as I'm also able to press the input selection button on the TV remote, then use the up and down arrows to select and input, and then press the Select button to choose one. The difference when changing inputs this way is that it won't go to the highlighted input until I press Select. I gave this Method a go, but it wasn't as successful as when I was using Method 1, as it would often cycle to the wrong input (HDMI 2 instead of 1, just after scrolling to HDMI 1, which was annoying, especially as it would go from Watch TV to Watch A DVD without problems), and the original problem of not selecting the correct input after powering-on was still happening.

With Method 1, it does work (or did, since changing back a minute ago I'm having some teething trouble again), provided the Activity chosen was the same as it was on when everything was powered-off. But ideally I'd prefer to not have to remember which one, choose that initially, and then change to the right one.

 

[Flashy]

After three hours of trying every possible combination, I think I've cracked it. Couldn't get Method 1 to behave quite right, even with using the Help button when it went wrong. Got Method 3 working perfectly, barring the problem at power-on.

Then decided to revisit the power-on delay options, and set it to a whopping 15 seconds – and it worked. It's a bit of a wait, so I've been working my way down the numbers and found the lowest it will work on is 9 seconds, just one more than I'd tried the first time I fiddled with the delay settings...

Feel a bit of an idiot now, as the solution seems so simple now, but hopefully this can be of help to someone else in a similar position.

Thanks again for your advice about Methods, logiciel. I would have carried on going round in circles for hours had I not known that was the part of the software to be looking at in the first place.

 

[logiciel]

That's OK and it's good to hear that you've got it working. The TV should have defaulted to Method 2 so none of the hassle ought to have been necessary. Do you recall changing from that default? The point is that although the "TV remote doesn't have individual buttons for each input" the Harmony database does have separate commands for each input! It's one of the big advantages of Harmonys. For a TV 8 to 10 seconds is a normal Power-On Delay.

 

[Flashy]

I don't remember changing from the default of Method 2, but I didn't know the Methods section was there at all until you pointed me in the right direction. Suspect it was changed when I initially added the device at some point during the set-up.

I did try to set up Method 2, but wasn't sure what to put for the individual input selection commands. Strangely, there are options named things like "Input Ext1" and "Input Hdmi1" in the drop-down lists. Those same options are present on the remote, too, if I go to Devices and then TV. But pressing the soft-buttons for them doesn't make the TV do a thing. Any suggestions regarding this would be welcomed, as I'm more than happy to do some more tinkering.

Now that it's all working, I'm very impressed. I've just been through the sticky thread http://www.avforums.com/forums/remo...-tricks-ideas-harmony-remote-controllers.html and some of the things in there would never have occurred to me, such as adding max-speed fast forward as a sequence, and creating a one-touch passcode.

Also pleased that I understand it a bit better, as I picked up one for my brother for Christmas, so will hopefully be able to give him a hand if he runs into similar issues to me. Thanks again.

 

[logiciel]

That's OK -it's good that you got there - and better that you'll be able to pass things on to the brother.
The idea with Method 2 is: on the first page edit the list of Input Names to include only the ones that you actually use - then on the next page assign to each of the remaining names the appropriate command - it doesn't matter if the list includes some that you don't want, or that don't even apply to your model of TV - and finally set each activity to use the appropriate entry from the newly edited list of Input Names.

 

[Flashy]

Thanks, I'll give that a go tomorrow, safe in the knowledge that if I can't get it to work I've always got Method 3 to fall back on. I'll report back either way, but don't be surprised if it's to ask yet more questions.

I'd been hankering after a new gadget toy for months and was toying with an Apple TV that I definitely don't need and actually have very little use for. So pleased I opted for this, especially as it was in one of Logitech's blemished box sales (box of this one and the one I bought for my brother were absolutely pristine) and only paid about £25 each.

 

[logiciel]

Method 2 is by far the best - it's like a special bonus from Logitech so don't waste it - stick with it!
You did very well with those prices.

 

[Flashy]

I've taken a proper look at Method 2. It may well be me, but it doesn't look quite right.

I've tried to keep things simple so left the TV with just the inputs the Harmony will be using at the moment – TV (digital television), Ext 3 (DVD player) and HDMI 1 (Sky PVR).

I click next and on the following screen I can choose any of the numbers to select TV, and the option InputHdmi1 for that. But the other connections don't match up. I have the option of InputExt1 and InputExt2, but not 3, which I need (unless I delve into the jungle of cables and switch things around, which I don't really want to do).

The opposite is true of the HDMI options and I've got more than I need/should have, with InputHdmi having options for 1, 2, 3 and 4, despite the TV only having three HDMI inputs (which the Harmony software has known and reflected at every other point).

Bit confused again, but happy that it's coupled with still being able to use the remote very happily, as opposed to not being able to get it to work at all over the last few days.

 

[logiciel]

I think the point that it doesn't look right is covered by the comment that I made: "it doesn't matter if the list includes some that you don't want, or that don't even apply to your model of TV".
What does matter is that the inputs that you use have commands that work, and it's turned out that in fact you have only two out of three, that Ext3 is missing - correct?
In that case you make a temporary fix by setting the activity that needs Ext3 to Ext2 and including an Input Next command as Additional When Activity starts.
For a permanent fix you can ask Logitech to combine Ext2 with Next to form a new Ext3 command.
My Toshiba, that's was a similar model to yours, defaulted to Method 2, as most Tosh's do, and that worked correctly from the start - it IS a big advantage of Harmonys to have the separate input commands that the original remote doesn't have.

 

[Flashy]

Thanks again, I'll do some further tinkering.

Yes, that's correct – Ext 3 is missing, as is the currently unused Ext 4 (the Wii is plugged into it, but not too fussed about adding that at the moment as it's turned on so rarely now).

Forgive my ignorance, but how does using Method 2 with an addition command added for Ext 3 (InputExt2 > InputNext) work out as better/more beneficial than Method 3, which I'm currently using? Is it because it removes the need for scrolling through inputs, which it does now, so means there's less chance of anything going out of sync, as the remote will always know what's what, because it's not relying on a preset number of button presses as it does now, so only "knows" where it is if it was in the right place to start with on the list? Not being contrary and sure it is a better option, just trying to have a better understanding of it.

In other news, currently debating with the other half whether "Watch a VHS" should be added to the activities. I say no, as I'd rather have "Listen to a CD" and add my stereo amp and CD player as the final two devices, which means the video can't be added at all. She says yes because she wants to be able to watch videos. What she can't tell me is when she last watched one, though, so I suspect I'm winning that one.

 

[logiciel]

The other three methods rely on the "cycling" working properly - Method 2 simply sets the input and that's it.
In this case of the one command being missing the temporary method is also more reliable as you know the first automatic command will go to Ext2 and then the Additional Command must immediately follow up and send it to Ext3.
When Logitech combine the two for you that takes over and acts like all the others, going direct to the right setting.
As I said earlier about Method 2 "it's like a special bonus from Logitech so don't waste it - stick with it!".
When it's available, as it is for you, it's usually the default and if it isn't the default it's the one to select.
I gather that your Harmony is one that allows only a small number of devices, but I've heard reports that some people have been able to add more by using the standard setup procedure instead of myharmony.