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I do a Synology NAS running Sonarr / Radarr and Kodi on Fire Sticks as they're cheap, with them running Kodi. It works great, and the Synology uses much less power than my last PC.
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Dec 4, 2020 03:32
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interrodactyl posted:So I'm out of the loop and it's been a while since I've thought about changing my HTPC setup. Looking for some help in modernizing my setup. Look into an ODROID H2+ which supports 2x SATA3 drives and 2x USB3, m2 SSD, 2x2.5GigE, HDMI/DP, and is x86 unlike the RPi so there's just more software it runs. 10 watts on 12V is nice too for an always-on server.
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Dec 10, 2020 08:56
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So is the new "Chromecast with Google TV" the new go-to Android TV based streaming box @ only $50? From the reviews I've watched, the interface seems snappy, remote seems decent, and supports all the latest formats (4k@60, Dolby Vision, HDR10+). Only feature it really seems to be missing is an ethernet port (which I'd prefer to use over wi-fi as I already have a cable run to the TV, but it's not the end of the world). What really would the extra $80 for a Shield get me? I know the Shield can do some smart 4k upscaling, but the TV this is for is only 55", so I don't think that would actually be very noticeable in this case. My TV has Android TV built in, which while the UI can be incredibly laggy at times (especially since the most recent major version update that was pushed a few months ago), it's still in general 'usable' (especially if I turn it off at the end of the night so it gets a daily reboot). That makes it hard to justify the $130 for a Shield, but only $50 for a smooth Android TV experience is much easier to swallow.
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Dec 17, 2020 18:57
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The CCWGTV seems to be the Pixel of the TV device world in that it's somewhat the reference device for the newest generation of the OS but it also gets things that aren't in the base OS. As I understand it the rest of the Android TV lineup still gets the old dashboard for now, and IMO the new one is worse. It's also pretty quirky in my experience. Surround sound beyond PL2 doesn't work at all for me and Youtube is just as unstable as it is on Fire TV.
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Dec 17, 2020 22:16
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Looking at purchasing an entry level NAS to update and streamline my home media setup. Current setup is an Nvidia Shield TV hosting a Plex server going to the TV over HDMI, with media storage on a single 7-8 year old 2TB platter drive inside a external enclosure direct to router via USB. All devices are wired to the wall through a custom installed CAT6 network. Use case is streaming 1080p video at the most to a single TV locally. Only streaming to just the TV, no other devices or any simultaneous streaming. I'd like to also use the hard drive for general backup of photos, videos, documents, etc. Biggest concerns: The HDD is way past it's lifespan, and it's just a matter of time until device failure and data loss, it takes ages to copy files over USB, and I'm full up to capacity on 2TB and could really use more storage. My current rough idea plan is to get a minimum 2 bay NAS to wire to the network, throw in a pair of 4+ TB platter drives in a RAID 1 setup for backup, and decide whether to continue running Plex off the shield, or switch to running the Plex server off the NAS. I'd like to keep the price point at or below around $200 for the NAS, but I can be flexible here. Questions: 1) Are there any benefits to running the Plex server off a NAS instead of the Shield TV? The Shield seems to work fine, don't know if I'd need to spend the money on processing power in the NAS if its main purpose is just going to be media/general storage. I'm only ever going to be streaming to 1 device (the TV). 2) Is it worth it to continue to consider platter drives in a RAID setup in 2020, or should I just look at SSDs? Just a cursory glance around the internet, it looks like at a rough $200 price point, you can get SSDs at 2TB, or platter drives at 8TB. 3) Assuming platter drives, 5400RPM drives would probably be fine here for this use case right? 4) What are some recommendations for NASs that would fit my profile here? I've scrolled back the past several pages, and the Synology NASs seem to come up much. I'm not sure I'd need the processing power of a DS220+ versus just going with a DS200j. I don't know if I'm off the mark here. Are there any better/comparative options? Thanks guys! Praxis Prion fucked around with this message at 17:14 on Dec 20, 2020 |
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Dec 20, 2020 06:39
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The NAS thread in SH/SC can probably answer specific questions: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=2801557 For your use case a platter drive is fine and an SSD would be extremely overkill though. If the Shield TV is working for you there's no need to move Plex to the NAS.
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Dec 20, 2020 17:34
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My server seems to be struggling running Plex (streaming to an AppleTV) while also running SAB/Sonarr and me streaming 4k stuff to my Shield. I'm looking into building a new server, but it just occurred to me that I could potentially move the Plex server to the Shield and get some more life out of my existing server. Is the (new) Shield TV capable of watching a 4k/HDR file over the network on top of streaming a different file to a different device? The server and Shield are connected via ethernet, the AppleTV is wifi.
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Jan 15, 2021 15:21
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One of the cool new features I've noticed lately on the Shield is it will just lose connection to my NAS for no reason, so I try to queue up a show in Plex and then after 30 seconds of spinning I go look and notice the NAS isn't mounted anymore. I'm somewhat keeping an eye out for a desktop I can make into a Plex server/NAS
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Jan 15, 2021 17:43
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Splinter posted:So is the new "Chromecast with Google TV" the new go-to Android TV based streaming box @ only $50? From the reviews I've watched, the interface seems snappy, remote seems decent, and supports all the latest formats (4k@60, Dolby Vision, HDR10+). Only feature it really seems to be missing is an ethernet port (which I'd prefer to use over wi-fi as I already have a cable run to the TV, but it's not the end of the world). What really would the extra $80 for a Shield get me? I know the Shield can do some smart 4k upscaling, but the TV this is for is only 55", so I don't think that would actually be very noticeable in this case. I've tortured my very much non-techie husband with generation after generation of streaming devices, including training him to sign into HBO Max on our den Chromebox which is normally reserved uses that he has no interest in setting up, e.g video conferences. Chromecast with Google TV is the first streaming device that he actually seems to like? Like whole experience wise, his Bluetooth earbuds reliably pair directly to the Chromecast, the remote is easy to use, he doesn't have to interact with SmartCast or the TV remote that he hates. It's absolutely worth $50, just hoping Hulu Live TV gets integrated into the live TV view soon.
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Jan 16, 2021 02:11
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I've long been apologetic of the original Shield remote even though every time one of the dogs jumps on the touch our show turns off or volume is hosed up or something. But I have a problem lately where I cant get the loving battery compartment open, just refuses to open. And it seems to be loving up worse because its telling me batteries are low and then dies, but after loving with it trying to open it, it goes away and starts working again. Looking at the new remote though, and $45 CAD being ridiculous for a remote aside, I dont think I can forgive the loving skip button placement. How the gently caress do you have backwards and forwards aligned vertically?
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Jan 20, 2021 18:20
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codo27 posted:I've long been apologetic of the original Shield remote even though every time one of the dogs jumps on the touch our show turns off or volume is hosed up or something. But I have a problem lately where I cant get the loving battery compartment open, just refuses to open. And it seems to be loving up worse because its telling me batteries are low and then dies, but after loving with it trying to open it, it goes away and starts working again. The vertical arrangement is annoying, but I got used to it fairly quickly. The play/pause button has a tactile bump on it, so it's easy to find the skip buttons without looking at the remote. The remote is very nice though. The remote beeper function alone was worth the price for me. I've had mine a little over a year now and have only went through a single set of batteries.
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Jan 20, 2021 19:21
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Three Olives posted:I've tortured my very much non-techie husband with generation after generation of streaming devices, including training him to sign into HBO Max on our den Chromebox which is normally reserved uses that he has no interest in setting up, e.g video conferences. Actually ended up getting one of these for xmas and it's been great, pretty much what I was hoping for: an Android TV experience that is actually smooth and snappy (as opposed to the Android TV built into the TV that is often times super laggy). The "Google TV" UI changes are also nice compared to stock Android TV for the most part (e.g. selecting what streaming services you're subscribed to then having the OS presenting all of these together in a seamless manner, rather than having to search for content by streaming service). I'm not trying to play 4k HDR bluray remuxes on this TV and it's not hooked up to a fancy surround receiver, so not sure how well it handles passing everything around in the proper format for that sort of use case, but as a basic streaming device it's great. Setup was a breeze, the remote is decent and voice search works really well too. Only issue I've run into is live streams from the NBC Sports app don't work (seems to be an issue specifically with the NBC Sports app with the GCwGTV, as it worked fine on the TV's Android TV version), but I expect that will be fixed soon and I can just cast that from the same app on my phone in the meantime.
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Jan 20, 2021 20:21
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I think it's time for me to move to Plex? I used to run a Kodi database, which was annoying with multiple devices, so I switched to Emby, but am having a bunch of little issues with it (I'm afraid to update Kodi at this point as I don't want to break the integration with Emby). How do I handle custom movies and TV shows with Plex? I've been using nfo files, but I gather that Plex doesn't like them. I have custom movies made out of behind the scenes features and custom TV shows made out of random YouTube videos and music videos. Ideally I'd like to automate any process as manually reentering information for dozens of files doesn't seem like fun.
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Feb 13, 2021 21:28
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Hey thread - does anyone here use any fibre-optic HDMI cables? I have to move my PC into the office which is about ~30 feet away from the TV, I could use Nvidia Gamestream with my Nvidia Shield, but I'm looking for a different solution because my 3080 has HDMI 2.1 and HDR and I want to take advantage of that, and I haven't been successful getting Gamestream to switch to HDR. But I think I've been spoiled on local streaming, I've been playing Tetris Effect on the couch through Nvidia Gamestream and it feeeeeels okay when the TV is on Game mode, but there is some noticeable input lag. Playing Tetris streaming is a night and day difference between playing it locally. I'm aware HDMI 2.1 has a length limit of like 8 feet or something, so I would need to get a fibre-optic hdmi 2.1 cable - does anyone have experience with these cables, or frankly, this kind of setup? Also, I have done a bit of research into Moonlight - has anyone used it, and does it produce less latency than Gamestream?
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Feb 19, 2021 18:46
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I mounted a USB drive to my Shield to host my Plex library. The drive is spinning all the time and never idling, even when the Shield is "asleep". I'm worried about the drive lifetime. Anyone else hit this issue?
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Feb 25, 2021 18:45
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I use a NAS, I just have a flash drive connected to expand the truly shameful onboard storage
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Feb 26, 2021 03:25
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I hope this is the right thread, i'm doing some very basic media streaming with a powered external hd hooked into my router via usb and an inherited Fire TV stick (i'm not exactly sure when it was purchased, 2018 or 19 i think?), and the stick just doesn't seem to have enough power to play some higher bit rate/file size 1080p videos. with vlc it'll just outright choke, kodi for some reason seems to be better at it, but still stutters occasionally. i have 0 experience with these devices, but i was wondering if there's a similar kind of thing to the fire stick but with some more power...and i guess not having to look at ads whenever i pause would be cool too.
site fucked around with this message at 02:50 on Mar 2, 2021 |
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Mar 2, 2021 02:47
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site posted:I hope this is the right thread, i'm doing some very basic media streaming with a powered external hd hooked into my router via usb and an inherited Fire TV stick (i'm not exactly sure when it was purchased, 2018 or 19 i think?), and the stick just doesn't seem to have enough power to play some higher bit rate/file size 1080p videos. with vlc it'll just outright choke, kodi for some reason seems to be better at it, but still stutters occasionally. i have 0 experience with these devices, but i was wondering if there's a similar kind of thing to the fire stick but with some more power...and i guess not having to look at ads whenever i pause would be cool too. Chromecast with GoogleTV.
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Mar 2, 2021 03:03
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ty. i forgot to mention it in the first post but would that be good enough to also decode (much smaller) x265 videos?
site fucked around with this message at 03:20 on Mar 2, 2021 |
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Mar 2, 2021 03:16
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site posted:ty. i forgot to mention it in the first post but would that be good enough to also decode (much smaller) x265 videos? Yes
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Mar 2, 2021 03:26
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perfect. thanks a bunch
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Mar 2, 2021 03:30
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I've been using Fire Sticks for years with 1080 video without stutter. If you're using Kodi, you may want to check the cache settings.
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Mar 2, 2021 12:48
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Well I already ordered the chromecast but can you be more specific
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Mar 2, 2021 16:15
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site posted:ty. i forgot to mention it in the first post but would that be good enough to also decode (much smaller) x265 videos? Support for H.265 in devices intended for 1080p use is less common.
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Mar 2, 2021 20:26
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site posted:Well I already ordered the chromecast but can you be more specific See here: https://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Modify_the_video_cache I can dig up what my advanced settings specifically has when I'm back on my computer tomorrow.
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Mar 3, 2021 02:36
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oh, yeah, ngl i dunno how to access that folder let alone how i'm even supposed to make that file using nothing but the remote. the thing's already shipped, i'm just not gonna worry about it
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Mar 3, 2021 03:08
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Oh yeah, I use my computer to access the file structure of the Fire Stick, the same way as an Android device.
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Mar 3, 2021 03:09
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Honestly the CCwGTV is a solid step up from a years-old fire stick in basically every way.
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Mar 3, 2021 14:59
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LinYutang posted:I mounted a USB drive to my Shield to host my Plex library. The drive is spinning all the time and never idling, even when the Shield is "asleep". I'm worried about the drive lifetime. Anyone else hit this issue? I ran my shield like this for a year and didn't have any issues, but did have the same concerns, it definitely didn't go into sleep mode . Eventually I built a new pc and just use that as the server now, seems snappier. Recently had to move server to wireless for time being and it is still pretty snappy. Though the plex server worked well it just isn't as fast as a pc, and little things (plus a very old pc in need of upgrade) motivated me to get a faster server than the plex. I was tired of dling poo poo to my shield HDD over the network. Occasionally had issues with network mapping disappearing. These may have been resolved with a recent shield update adding more modern SMB support though. I bought the new shield remote as soon as I could, as they kept selling out. Much nicer than the old one.
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Mar 7, 2021 22:31
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This may be of relevance here. Logitech has announced they are going to stop making the Harmony Remote but will continue supporting the software as long as people use it (until they decide not to). https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/10/22377015/logitech-discontinues-harmony-universal-remotes quote:But with the rise of streaming services over the past few years, universal remotes are no longer as crucial as they once were. Logitech CEO Bracken Darrell told The Verge in 2019 that Harmony was a small business for the company; he said the remote business was only about 6 percent of the size of Logitech’s massive keyboard business, for instance. This reasoning makes absolutely no sense to me. People don't have a bunch of recievers and media players anymore, but most people have more than one device plugged into their TV. My TVs would be absolute nightmares to use without Harmony. It looks like prices haven't skyrocketed yet, so get one if you were on the fence about it.
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Apr 12, 2021 13:39
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I don't know why they didn't try a subscription model first, it's weird that they just decided "gently caress it!". Charge me $50-100 a year and give me a new remote every 4-5 years and we're good. We use the fuckin things every day so I'm way more willing to consider that. I'm super bummed about this and up here in Canada the inventory is completely cleared out so they're impossible to find. I've got 2 working ones left and just have to hope they hold out for awhile until HDMI-CEC is less of a clusterfuck. The worst part is that there's nothing else out there with the same feature set. Sofabaton is a pile of crap and IR only in a world where many devices are BT/Wifi now. Argh this is so frustrating. Every time I try to use CEC with my setup, it is cumbersome and annoying. PS5 wakes up to update itself while we're watching a movie, toggles the input and puts the Shield to sleep. Or just some random device ignores a command in the chain and you're starting all over again. The Harmony Hub + companion remote is bullet proof for me. Why couldn't they at least sell the division off with the patents and etc? They were going to do that before in 2013, just go ahead and sell it so there is at least a chance someone does something with it. There is no way they will open source the software due to the patents 
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Apr 12, 2021 14:28
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I feel like HDMI-CEC does a lot to alleviate the need for universal remotes. When input switching happens automatically and your streaming box's little remote will change the volume on whatever you tell it to, the need for a Harmony becomes a lot more of an edge case than it was 10 years ago.
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Apr 12, 2021 14:41
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The biggest piece to me is the database of devices and IR codes... I’ve been a harmony user for forever and have 3 of their remotes right now. That DB had everything in it. What I would do to get my hands on that... I feel like this could be a huge opportunity for someone to come in and fill the vacuum with smart home enabled stuff
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Apr 12, 2021 14:44
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namlosh posted:The biggest piece to me is the database of devices and IR codes... I’ve been a harmony user for forever and have 3 of their remotes right now. That DB had everything in it. What I would do to get my hands on that... That's kind of already happening. The smart TVs everyone swears are invading their privacy in a way the Roku they're plugging into it isn't all work with Alexa/Google at least as far as powering on, and a lot of them will do volume control that way too. Same goes for streamer boxes. If you've got an Android TV/GoogleTV device, it slots right into Google Home. Same goes for FireTV stuff and, to an extent, Roku. They'll also generally leverage HDMI-CEC to the point that "Ok Google, turn on Shield" or whatever will have your tv on, set to the right input, with your streamer box taken out of sleep. The better ones will also bark commands at your stereo receiver or soundbar that way too, as long as it's not powered all the way down. My kids can't read yet but they can get Mickey Mouse Clubhouse up and running with voice commands when they wake up at 6am on a Saturday and I can sleep another hour.
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Apr 12, 2021 14:53
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if you are a bit tech savvy you can spin up home assistant and program some crazy scenes to control all your movie lighting when you turn on your tv
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Apr 12, 2021 15:05
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Great time for one of you programmers to develop a Harmony replacement app for phones with IR blasters.
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Apr 12, 2021 15:38
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I don’t even use my Harmony anymore unless it’s to turn on OTA tv and that is a rare occasion. I only have a tv, receiver, and shield though so there isn’t a lot to go wrong with hdmi-cec. Also nice to be able to control it all through the shield phone app to turn down the volume or whatever from across the house if the kids turn it up too loud.
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Apr 12, 2021 19:42
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My receiver remote is so bad that I would buy a whole new unit if my Harmony dies.
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Apr 12, 2021 19:55
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Oh, I just got a Harmony 665. I bought a Samsung sound bar at Costco. But the HDMI CEC doesn't work properly. It takes about a quarter second before it responds. It also sounds worse than the old sound system I was using before, so I've gone back to it and I like it much better. The only problem is the battery contacts aren't very good, and if you whack it, it resets the whole thing.
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Apr 12, 2021 20:19
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Charles posted:Oh, I just got a Harmony 665. I bought a Samsung sound bar at Costco. But the HDMI CEC doesn't work properly. It takes about a quarter second before it responds. It also sounds worse than the old sound system I was using before, so I've gone back to it and I like it much better. The only problem is the battery contacts aren't very good, and if you whack it, it resets the whole thing. Yeah folding half a business card on top of the batteries inside the compartment solved that for me.
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Apr 12, 2021 21:43
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