Logitech acquired in 2004 the Harmony line of universal remotes, originally created in 2001 by a Canadian company. A universal remote is a remote that allows the user to control multiple devices with a single remote. While the benefits may not have been important in the past, the increasing number of audio/video devices in home theaters today makes this product attractive to consumers.
I am reviewing the Logitech Harmony 550 but many features apply to other Harmony remotes. The difference between the Harmony remotes and the other universal remotes is the approach taken to control the devices. With standard universal remotes you select which device you want to control and then you can control it. With the Harmony remote you select which activity you want to do and then you control any device related to that specific activity. Let's say that I want to watch a DVD movie. With a standard universal remote I would select my TV to power it on and set it to the right input, then I would select my audio receiver to power it on and set it to the right input, then I would select my DVD player to power it on and start playing the movie, then I would select my audio receiver because I want to adjust the volume which is not loud enough for this movie... Most remotes do have more advanced features but that is how a basic universal remote works. The same activity is different with a 550. With the single touch of a button to chose my activity (watching a DVD) the remote will power on my TV and set it to the right input, power on my audio receiver and set it to the right input and power on my DVD player. Pressing on the arrows allows me to navigate through the DVD menus while pressing the volume buttons changes the volume on my audio receiver. Then if I want to use my Xbox 360 I can press the Xbox 360 activity button and the remote will power off the DVD player, change the inputs on the TV and audio receiver and power on my Xbox 360. It's as simple as it can get and you won't need to provide technical support next time someone tries to watch a DVD but doesn't know which input to use on the TV and audio receiver!
As you may expect all those features take some time to set up before the first use. Fortunately Logitech developed an easy to use software to program the remote. The remote comes with a USB cable so that you can plug it to your PC. The first configuration step is to select all the devices that you own. Logitech built a major database online so it is very unlikely that you won't find your device. However if it does happen, the remote has a learning mode that you can use to program the device and then automatically upload the results to the Logitech database so that other users can benefit from it. Any device that has an IR port can be controlled by the Harmony 550. IR is standard for controlling low end to high end home theater devices: digital cable terminal, DVD/BR player, audio receiver, TV, Xbox 360 (unfortunately, while Sony advertises the PS3 as a game console and a BR player, it cannot be controlled because it lacks a simple IR port). The next configuration step is to create activities and associate devices for each activity. You can even add custom actions to each activities. To fully use your remote you can expect to spend 2 hours configuring it (that is how much time I needed).
The remote has backlit controls and a LCD display which can be useful when watching a movie in a dark room. Unlike some higher end Harmony remotes that have color displays to show pictures, the 550 has a monochrome display for text. In my opinion this is a benefit since having a bigger color LCD screen isn't very useful but does eat batteries more quickly. The batteries that came with my 550 lasted about 6 months before I had to change them. The 550 also has a "help" feature. This button can be used when you start an activity but one of your devices is not set correctly (ie something was in front of a device so it didn't registered the command).
The Logitech Harmony is not an essential device, it doesn't allow me to do things I could not do before. However it allows me to do the same things much faster using a single remote instead of 6!
I am reviewing the Logitech Harmony 550 but many features apply to other Harmony remotes. The difference between the Harmony remotes and the other universal remotes is the approach taken to control the devices. With standard universal remotes you select which device you want to control and then you can control it. With the Harmony remote you select which activity you want to do and then you control any device related to that specific activity. Let's say that I want to watch a DVD movie. With a standard universal remote I would select my TV to power it on and set it to the right input, then I would select my audio receiver to power it on and set it to the right input, then I would select my DVD player to power it on and start playing the movie, then I would select my audio receiver because I want to adjust the volume which is not loud enough for this movie... Most remotes do have more advanced features but that is how a basic universal remote works. The same activity is different with a 550. With the single touch of a button to chose my activity (watching a DVD) the remote will power on my TV and set it to the right input, power on my audio receiver and set it to the right input and power on my DVD player. Pressing on the arrows allows me to navigate through the DVD menus while pressing the volume buttons changes the volume on my audio receiver. Then if I want to use my Xbox 360 I can press the Xbox 360 activity button and the remote will power off the DVD player, change the inputs on the TV and audio receiver and power on my Xbox 360. It's as simple as it can get and you won't need to provide technical support next time someone tries to watch a DVD but doesn't know which input to use on the TV and audio receiver!
As you may expect all those features take some time to set up before the first use. Fortunately Logitech developed an easy to use software to program the remote. The remote comes with a USB cable so that you can plug it to your PC. The first configuration step is to select all the devices that you own. Logitech built a major database online so it is very unlikely that you won't find your device. However if it does happen, the remote has a learning mode that you can use to program the device and then automatically upload the results to the Logitech database so that other users can benefit from it. Any device that has an IR port can be controlled by the Harmony 550. IR is standard for controlling low end to high end home theater devices: digital cable terminal, DVD/BR player, audio receiver, TV, Xbox 360 (unfortunately, while Sony advertises the PS3 as a game console and a BR player, it cannot be controlled because it lacks a simple IR port). The next configuration step is to create activities and associate devices for each activity. You can even add custom actions to each activities. To fully use your remote you can expect to spend 2 hours configuring it (that is how much time I needed).
The remote has backlit controls and a LCD display which can be useful when watching a movie in a dark room. Unlike some higher end Harmony remotes that have color displays to show pictures, the 550 has a monochrome display for text. In my opinion this is a benefit since having a bigger color LCD screen isn't very useful but does eat batteries more quickly. The batteries that came with my 550 lasted about 6 months before I had to change them. The 550 also has a "help" feature. This button can be used when you start an activity but one of your devices is not set correctly (ie something was in front of a device so it didn't registered the command).
The Logitech Harmony is not an essential device, it doesn't allow me to do things I could not do before. However it allows me to do the same things much faster using a single remote instead of 6!
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