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Logitech Harmony is $249, patience in programming the universal not included
By Dwight Silverman
Houston Chronicle
Published on Monday, Feb 18, 2008
I've got remotes for a TiVo, a television, a DVD player, a seldom-used VCR, a CD player and an amplifier. That's a half-dozen devices just to ensure I never rise from the couch to adjust any of my audio and video gear.
I have thought about trying to replace these with a universal remote. However, the process of programming them seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. And there was never a guarantee that a universal remote would work with all my toys.
Despite these difficulties, a decent market has sprung up for universal remotes, and one of the big players is Logitech, the company best known for its joysticks, mice, keyboards and speakers. Logitech's line of remotes is called Harmony, and they range from classic baton-style remotes to touch-screen tablets.
At this year's big consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, Logitech introduced a model that combines these two types. The Harmony One has the traditional baton design, along with a small color touch-screen at the top.
The Harmony One has a shape similar to that many modern baton remotes — a narrow middle and a slight flare at both ends. It's made of glossy black plastic that's molded ergnomically. It's a pleasure to hold and use.
It has relatively few buttons. That's because the touch-screen is used to display additional virtual buttons that change depending on the device you are controlling. In theory, this makes the One easier to use than other universal remotes, which have a reputation for being button-happy.
Indeed, once you get the One programmed, it is easy to use. But it can be hard to set up, and I found that the One didn't do what I thought I'd told it to do.
Programming the One involves installing software on a Macintosh or Windows computer, then connecting the remote to the computer via a USB cable. I never was able to get the One to work with my MacBook notebook — the software couldn't tell that the remote was connected. I switched to a Windows-based PC and was then able to program it.
The Logitech software connects to a database of thousands of devices. Its thoroughness is astonishing — as you scroll through the brands, you're sure to see many you've never heard of. Your gear is almost certain to be included.
There's one big catch: You'll need to know the model numbers of your TV, digital video recorder, VCR, DVD player, etc. I spent a lot of time digging up old manuals I forgot I had, or peering at labels on the back of my equipment, trying to figure out the exact models.
Once you tell the software what devices you have, it programs the Harmony One accordingly. Next, you turn your attention to what Logitech calls Activities, which are combined actions using multiple components.
For example, if you have a TiVo, watching television involves at least two devices — your TV and the TiVo box. To watch a DVD, you turn on the TV, the DVD player and, if you have a home theater, the amplifier. The Harmony One's Activities lets you turn on all these things at once, with each device talking to each other appropriately.
However, I found the programming didn't always work as it should have. For example, I told the Harmony One that my TiVo uses the Video 1 input on my Toshiba TV, but instead it decided to lock in on Video 2, which I use for my DVD player. And, for some reason, it wanted my TV to be on when I was playing a music CD, but my CD player doesn't go through the TV.
I had to go back into the software and reconfigure these Activities, and then it worked fine. But it was never clear why the Harmony One's configuration process didn't do it right the first time.
Using the Harmony One for common tasks — starting and stopping a DVD, fast-forwarding through commercials in TiVo, changing channels or lowering the volume — uses the physical buttons on the baton. They're well-positioned, and it's easy to learn where they are by feel.
Using the touch-screen, however, takes some getting used to. You must look at the screen in order to see what buttons are available. There are only six buttons visible at a time on the touch-screen, and you might need to page through several screens to find the right one, and for some components, the right button you want might be several screens deep.
The Harmony One comes with a stylish docking station — which matches its slick black finish — that lets you drop it in to charge it. If you forget to do this, the One's charge lasts a little more than a week.
Dropping it into the dock puts it to sleep, so you never have to worry about turning it on or off.
The Harmony One costs $249, which is fairly steep. But if you have too many remotes in your life and spend plenty of time tending to your home entertainment needs, you might find it's worth it.
Get the full article here.
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