Logitech Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote (Silver)
by Logitech
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote (Silver)
Customer Review: great idea but not mature
Summary: 2 Stars
I returned my Harmony 1000 after a few days. Before buying it you should consider a few inherent limitations of universal remotes, as well as some specific flaws of this device.
First the inherent limitations: the remote combines your original remotes into one and can send commands to multiple devices with one push of a button. For example, it tells the TV to turn on, go to channel 3, and tells the DVD to turn on. So far, great. But if you happen to have aimed your remote a bit wrong and the TV missed the command to turn on, the Harmony won't notice. It will think everything's fine and you're watching a DVD. You can't just press the "watch DVD" button again to fix it--you'll have to navigate through a series of screens to select the TV and repeat the "on" command. Ouch. Not convenient. (This problem isn't specific to the Harmony 1000--because your TV doesn't send any reply, any remote doesn't really know whether a command was received.)
Also, while the Harmony can be successful at simplifying your control of your entertainment systems, expect to pay for that simplicity by spending several hours to set it up. Even if you're fairly knowledgeable about your equipment you'll likely spend at least 4 hours to set it up, and another few to polish the settings once you've used the remote for a bit.
A second problem was that the Harmony library didn't recognize two of the four devices I have; for example, it didn't know the DirecTV HD TiVo model I have. What made this worse was that the remote's "learn" function didn't work reliably (it would claim to have recognized and learned a command, but afterwards that command wouldn't actually work; this happened for a small fraction of commands but was still disappointing).
Finally, Logitech's setup software is quite cumbersome to use because it forces you to do everything in a certain order, and many screens don't have a "back" button. For example, you have set up your devices first, then you define your activities. If you realize you forgot to add your amplifier when trying to define the first activity, you can't go back and add it. No siree, no can do--please finish defining all activities, then define your commands, update the remote's software, and "verify" that everything "works", and *then* we'll let you go back and add a device. Very annoying.
To summarize, while the Harmony 1000 has a good core idea, looks beautiful, and may work beautifully for others, it didn't work for me.
Customer Review: Works great for simple tasks...
Summary: 3 Stars
Beginners and professionals look somewhere else. This is another mid-range decent quality product that requires a lot of fine tuning. Beginners will be turned off from the complications post setup and professionals will hate the lack of customization all around.
The application interface is geared toward AOL internet users (no offense) with some neat advanced features and functionality that are generally retarded by the setup application itself (ex. taking 30 minutes for the remote to learn my MCE 2004 remote functions which works in Vista + media center then having the software telling me the remote is not eligible for the activity).
Rare but PITA remote glitches requires a hard reboot of the remote and even worse if you have the extender (like me) which requires 're-attachment'. This makes it very hard to trust the rf-extender to be hidden along with the devices it's attached to since you need to manually press a button on the extender to reset.
Also no matter what little thing I update (even the background on the remote) requires updating BOTH the remote and the rf extender!
Why even give this a 3? Because it does the 'normal' tasks very well i.e. activities that involve pre-qualified devices work ok while doing 'fancier' tasks (like working media center) requires more work (but probably due to my MCE remote receiver).
PROS:
* Looks awesome, works well for 'known' devices.
* Once everything is configured 'well', it works great - don't expect magic for legacy devices or non-standard ones.
CONS:
* Software requires SIGNING UP, OVER THE INTERNET (WHY??!)
* Programming the remote updates require plugging in the remote AND RF Extender (if you bought it)
* Line of sight is just as bad as your normal remote without the RF extender (an additional ~$100 purchase).
* Requires a moderately technical person to setup and maintain (until configuration maturity) due to some devices not responding properly the first time around.
* Sometimes the remote hangs and requires a restart, if it restarts you'll need to reconnect any rf extenders attached to it.
* Learning RF commands is painful and after the process may not even be eligible for the activity you want to do.
* Little customization available, Activities are pre-determined by the software.
Customer Review: Absolutely Worthless
Summary: 1 Stars
The Logitech Harmony 1000 totally fails. (1) It is incredibly hard to set up. The Logitech computer software is clunky and simple-minded, the Logitech "expert" server is buggy and ill-informed. For just three items (a new Samsung LCD TV, a new Yamaha receiver/amp/speakers, and a new Oppo DVD player) it took me several days of experimentation and programming (and I've been a professional computer programmer for years). A simple task such as "Play a DVD"--turn on all three devices, play DVD through Yamaha to the TV screen--could never be set up successfully. (2) It is infuriatingly hard to use. Even when programmed correctly, it is perpetually making mistakes which take many steps to correct. Worse, it offers very limited control of devices--so you have to get your original device remotes out all the time to handle specialized functions. (3) It is very hard to get help. Logitech's service is very poor, which is understandable since they would be inundated by customers with problems using such a poor product. (4) It is always out of date. The Logitech "database" which is supposed to have instructions for all devices is very spotty, and full of errors. New devices are not there yet, so perhaps you can find an older model and try to adapt it. Older devices get confused with newer model numbers, so that instructions for older devices are lost. (My Yamaha Y-4000, $1800 "digital sound projector", seems to have been displaced in their database by a Yamaha iPod dock!) Everything about this product is badly designed to produce maximum confusion. There are other minor problems, such as that the remote fits badly on its recharging dock, and if it is slightly displaced so it doesn't recharge, it totally dies. When my unit suddenly became completely inoperable (like a brick) just 13 months after buying from Amazon, I logged onto Logitech's website to find out that I would have to pay for a service contract to get any support at all. The unbelieveably high price for the Harmony 1000 just makes it even clearer that this is one product no one should buy. The product CONCEPT is a good one--who wouldn't want a single remote to control a complex media system?--but the Logitech product is unable to come close to delivering. (Amazon reviews of the very-similar successor Logitech Harmony 1100 remote suggest that it still has pretty much the same problems.)Customer Review: Almost
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a custom installer. Having installed 4 of these already I have had a tremendous amount of support from logitech and I have had numerous service calls pertaining to the 1000.
The remote is easy to program, but issues seem to randomly arise from time to time that make me believe this remote was released a little prematurely. Mind you, I would consider myself an expert at this stage of installing this remote.
Some of the problems I frequently get from my customers are the following: keys locking up (sometimes being able to free it up with a different button press, sometimes not), extenders not doing their job or not being able to connect to an extender OR the remote randomly says to add the extender (even after working perfectly for weeks). Just yesterday I received two calls from customers who complained the remote "stopped working." Usually replacing the battery after taking it out for 2 minutes will fix the problem, but this shouldn't have to be done every several weeks or so.
Logitech's customer support is top notch however. They go above and beyond in most cases to try to resolve any problems. Unfortunately, some problems cannot be resolved with a simple call. I had an issue where the remote simply would not operate a component properly. I estimated about 5 hours of support was spent working on this issue.
As far as the battery life goes: IT IS A JOKE. If I am programming a large system into the remote, I sometimes need to fully recharge the battery at least once before I can finish programming. This should not be the case. Instead, I drill it into my customers' heads to place the remote on the charger when they are done using their system. Unfortunately, some customers aren't even savvy enough to operate an elevator much less a remote control....then it's up to me to fix the problem.
The physical appeal is unquestionably one of the nicest looking remotes I have seen. Hard buttons are very appropriately placed and the screen is nice and bright, although items on the touchscreen would be better if placed further apart from each other.
All in all I will say this remote has a lot of potential though I will not be installing more of these remotes until the software and firmware have both been updated to where an install is profitable for me!
Customer Review: Excellent remote, though a few issues...
Summary: 4 Stars
Logitech are definitely getting there. Their remotes get better and better, but it's as if they hold back so that there's something for the consumer to buy later...
Anyway, I've owned a ton of Logitech remotes, from the XBOX 360 remote to the Harmony 720, to the new Harmony One etc. I've enjoyed them all, despite their missing something.
The reason I got the Harmony 1000 is for the RF support. This is VERY useful (you must purchase the Logitech RF extender for this to work), in that you can hide devices in cabinets or in other rooms and still be able to control them from the Harmony itself. This has worked excellently. It's the ultimate in laziness, since you can lean over and push buttons without even pointing the device anywhere.
This said, there are a few issues. First, the touch-screen needs to be a little more responsive. This is no iPhone. You have to stab a bit at the screen to make it register. Certainly not a deal killer, but if you use the screen a lot, you may find yourself wishing that the device were a little more responsive.
Second, the battery life is not phenomenal. It's not awful, but it's not great. I don't even use mine that much, and it gets through maybe a week-or-so. As long as you remember to put the remote in the charger, you'll be fine.
Speaking of chargers, this is one of Logitech's better chargers, though I still think they're holding back on the designs. Pretty much every rechargeable Harmony I've had needs to be wiggled on the charging station to make a connection. The Harmony 1000 is definitely not as bad (my Harmony 720 was awful at this - and I had two!).
At this point, though, I'd point out that if you're not using RF, you're probably better off with the Harmony One, since it's an easier remote to use, and has more customizable LCD button options. The Harmony 1000, for whatever reason, doesn't let you customize the names of buttons on the LCD screen. So, for example, my HTPC has a button named "START" on the screen by default, and you can't change it to something else. A call to Logitech confirmed this. Amazing you can't change these buttons, but oh well...
Anyway, great remote - could use some work - but great. If you want RF, this is the way to go. The Harmony One does not use RF...