Logitech Harmony 650 Remote (Silver)
by Logitech
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Category: CE
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: LogitechRelease Date: 2011-03-24
Model: 915-000114
Color: Silver
Product features:
- Replaces up to 5 other remotes, reducing complexity and clutter in your living room.
- Supports 5000+ brands, including devices you own today and add tomorrow.
- Simple online setup using your PC, live customer support available.
- Bright color screen shows your favorite-channel icons plus commands for easy navigation.
- One-click activity buttons like "Watch a DVD" automatically switch the right devices to the right settings.
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- AmazonBasics 4.7 GB 16x DVD-R (100-Pack Spindle)
- AmazonBasics 700MB 52x CD-R (50-Pack Spindle)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 650 Remote (Silver)
Customer Review: Works but a few Logitech software flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
With today's complex in home systems quite a few adjustments may have to be made to switch from TV to DVD or to use a game console. For example we output our TV audio to the AV Amplifier rather than use the TV speakers. This means the TV must be set up that way, and the amplifier must also be turned on when we want to watch TV. Then the Amplifier must select the TV audio as an input. With the Logitech Harmony remotes this is all accomplished with a single button.
We have owned a Logitech Harmony 890 for two years so we were already familiar with the general capabilities and how these are programmed. You make note of each piece of equipment that you want to control with the remote; TV, AV Amplifier, DVD Player, VCR player, and Game Console. Then you log onto the Logitech web site, enter the model numbers of each component, and your 1/2 way done with the setup. Next you set up the Activities which might be Watch TV, or Watch DVD, or Play a Game. When setting up the Activities you specify which components are to be used, for example for Watch TV we specify the TV and AV Amplifier. The basics are now complete. Beyond that basic setup you can make a wide range of modifications to the Activity setups. For example in our case we have to select TV Audio Output to the AV Amplifier on the TV, then the AV Amplifier must select the TV audio input. This is a little bit tricky for some people but if you have a complex setup you have to make the extra steps to get it just the way you want it.
Once the remote is setup all you have to do is push the TV button or DVD button and the remote does all of the rest of the work. My pretty tech savvy 16 year old son thought the remote wasn't necessary so I took it away and asked him to do all the necessary steps to get his Playstation 3 to output to the TV through the AV Amplifier. After a few minutes he conceded and asked for the Harmony remote.
So that is all the good news. Logitech suggests it should take about 45 minutes to do the setup and I think that is a fir estimate. However...
We were replacing the failed 890 with the 650. Logitech's user interface for the software setup of each unit needs to be updated to make it more user friendly. It hasn't changed in 2 years so I doubt if they plan to make any changes soon. Some of the steps to alter a basic setup are not intuitive, and one must walk through the menus trying to figure out exactly how to accomplish some of them because it isn't obvious. The first snag I ran into involved my desire to transfer all my 890 setup information to the 650. Logitech has a strange user interface that required me to create a new online account for the 650. I couldn't add the 650 to my existing 890 account. I thought this was pretty strange and certainly not intuitive. In the end there was no way to transfer the data from the 890 to the 650, even though the local-to-my-computer on screen user interface clearly indicated I could do this. The Logitech help desk copied down all the 890 data for me by hand and emailed it to me so I could reenter it for the 650. This is definitely not user friendly.
The old 890 worked except the Volume+ and Channel+ buttons have to be pushed very hard to use them. I took the 890 apart and cleaned the contacts but it only slightly improved the situation. The Harmony is the remote of choice for all entertainment system use so we were getting frustrated. I didn't want to spend another $200+ to get a new 890 after this experience. The other major complaint about the 890 was the remote wouldn't charge in the cradle. We used a rubber band on that one to force it to make contact. So we selected the 650 that takes batteries, and is much less costly, even though it has less features.
The 650 is a nice unit. It would benefit from a non slip back to make it a little easier to handle but that isn't a big deal. Also the batteries are at the very bottom so make a lump there and all the battery weight is concentrated at the bottom making the unit bottom heavy. It would be a little easier to handle if the batteries were in the center and the whole thing was balanced better. The buttons are much nicer than our two year old 890. They are rubber and have a good feel. The layout is good with the volume and channel rockers in the middle and the DVD controls below that. They keys are backlit but not very bright, we never use the remote in a completely dark room so that isn't a big deal for us. We'll see how long the batteries last...
One disappointment is only two Activities are shown on the screen at once even though there are four buttons to select with. I don't understand that at all. So one must use the < and > buttons below the screen to select another two activities to select from. Worse you can not specify the order of the activities. We normally use either the TV or Game Console and would want those to the on the first/default screen.
We use the Harmony 650 to control our entertainment center with these five devices:
A Sony flat screen TV
A Panasonic AV Amplifier
A Sony DVD player
A Hitachi VCR
A PlayStation 3
We also have an IR remote controlled sub-woofer but the 650 can only control 5 devices so we are just leaving that turned off all the time or will use the little remote that came with it.
The Panasonic AV Amplifier has an input for an iPod and an optional iPod base which we do have. Even though this is another device it is fully controlled through the AV Amplifier so we were able to set up another Activity to play the iPod through our entertainment center and control that too with the Harmony 650.
The Activities that we have setup are:
Watch TV
Watch a DVD Movie
Watch a VCR Movie
Play a Game
Use an Ipod
Activities are not limited to five on the 50 as are Devices. Our Amplifier also contains a radio tuner so I could set up a sixth Activity Listen to Radio, or a seventh Watch a BluRay Movie.
Overall I give this product 4 stars. It works great, solves the problem of complex setups, and the 650 seems to be well designed. The -1 star is for Logitech's poor user interface.
We've also ordered the Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3 (http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-Harmony-Adapter-Playstation-3/dp/B00267S7XW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1275272046&sr=8-1) so we can also control that component which uses BlueTooth rather than IR. Once we have that we will be able to use the single Harmony 650 to control everything, even to use it to watch BluRay movies using the PlayStation 3. Neat!
Description of Logitech Harmony 650 Remote (Silver)
Logitech Harmony 650 Remote is the remote that?s simple to set up and use. Its color screen shows the commands you need for the devices you?re using, and can even provide help if you need it.Digital Cameras & Photo Categories
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