I currently have a Philips TSU7000 running my setup, just haven't finished programming it on the 990 yet and what little I have programmed has been a pain. I'm getting tired of everytime I get a new peice of gear I have to reprogram this darn thing so I'm thinking about getting a Harmony for downstairs so all I have to do is make a couple of adjustments, download it and I'm good to go. Is there anybody out there thats using a Harmony with there 990 and if so, does it operate the 990 pretty well?

Can't speak to the Harmony 990 (sorry) but the Universal Remote MX-800 (IR and RF) works great for me. You might try to download the programming software first to get a feel for setting it up. Takes a little getting used to, but once you have it down it works pretty well.

If you do look at the MX-800, you'll have a hard time finding the programming software (Universal's pulled all of that material from their site, so that they only way to get it is from an authorized dealer). Of course, old copies are still floating around the net . There are a number of satisfied MX-700 and MX-800 users around here. There are also a number of Harmony users (not many with the newer Harmony 990, but 880 and 890 users are fairly common). A few threads come to mind:
harmony 990 and power up to radio?
Harmony 890 with 990
990 and Harmony 880
990/Harmony 880 issue...

I just picked up the Harmony 890 and love it! I'm not using it with the 990, still have the 1050.

The programing is pretty cut and dry. Love the fact the LCD screen has simple commands like "Watch TV". The WAF is high on this. Jim

I'm using a Harmony 880 without incident. It occasionally gets confused when someone fiddles with a component manually or with its own remote, but by and large it works just fine with a minimum of configuration.

Cheers,

Gonk -- Thanks for the correction on the MX-800. Hadn't realized Universal had pulled the software off the site. Shame, really, as a try-out helped convince me to go with it, but I guess they are trying to cut back unoffical sales to non-installers.

I wanted a single remote the entire family could use and the Harmony 880 fit the bill controlling my 990 and other components. Please keep in mind that to get the most from the 880 you will need to spend some time working through Logitech's web based menu system. The initial setup takes just a few minutes but after a while you will want to tweak it and that is where you will spend some time. I didn't find the menus very intuitive when I was fine tuning the 880. However, I enjoy that kind of stuff so it was OK w/me. Logitech support has been great when I have called them on specific questions. All things considered the Harmony 880 has been a good deal.

It is a shame, RCF051. It's true that they should make efforts to protect their authorized dealers, but the manner in which they're going about it doesn't sit quite right with me. Rather than establish better controls on their distribution channels (those unauthorized dealers are getting their product from somewhere), they've decided to do something that's logistically easier for them but that seems to try to brush off the huge "enthusiast" customer base (one that has as often as not bought from authorized dealers but by and large has no interest in paying those dealers and custom installers for the labor associated with setting the remotes up) that has brought them significant sales over the years and makes it harder for prospective customers to research their remotes. Being able to download the software was a huge factor in my decision to get an MX-700. I still prefer the Universal Remote designs for my needs (the software interface allows somewhat easier "tweaking" than the Harmony approach), but this little maneuver hasn't impressed me.

I use the 880 with my 990. Don't think it could get any easier to use or to set up.

Well, I made the decision to just keep my Pronto, TSU7000 remote and continue using it in my H/T room. I took the time out yesterday to program it and everything is working beautiful. I have like 200 hours of programming into this remote and I fugured it would be a waste to let it go. If however I do decide to get another remote to replace the Pronto I would probaly get the 880.