Logitech Harmony 670 Universal Remote
by Logitech
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Our Price: $159.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $50.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 670 Universal Remote
Customer Review: Hard to set up, but eventually, there will be joy in Mudville
Summary: 4 Stars
If you are lucky, and that's a big "if," you might have all your remotely controllable appliances working in short order. The software ambitiously attempts to guide you via wizards to set up every possible device for every possible activity. And if the software that runs on your PC fails to get everything right, the "Help" on the remote tries to correct any errors.
If you manage to get everything working via those two simple activities, you will be one happy camper. But if the simple process fails, you will find that the software is much less user friendly in troubleshooting mode. Here are a few of my biggest complaints.
1. Power on/off problems: I ran into this problem with both my television and with my AC/Heating unit. If the software erroneously thinks your device needs to send a "Power Toggle" command rather than separate "Power on" and "Power off" commands, it's hard to convince the remote to use the "Power on" and "Power off" commands since there is no easy way to delete or disable an extraneous command from the list of commands held in the database for that device. Even more frustrating is trying to use the on-remote "Help" button to correct these errors. When it works, life is good, but when it fails, it goes into an infinite loop of asking "Is the Device On?" then "Now is the Device On?". Well, "infinite" is *probably* an exaggeration (at least, I hope so), but I attempted at least two dozen cycles of that game before giving up. There's no way of knowing whether the remote is trying the same failing command over and over, or whether it is trying new commands every time, but from a user friendliness perspective, I would say the "Help" software should give up after about six failed attempts.
2. It was completely non-obvious which device type I should select to program my iPod docking station. It seems to me that this is one of the most common devices likely to be controlled remotely, yet there is no device type that includes "MP3 Player," "iPod," or "Docking Station" in its name. Eventually, I stumbled across the correct device type ("Digital Music Server"), but it should not have been so difficult.
3. When you enter your device brand and model number, it's completely unknown whether or not your device type was matched in the database. Sometime during the rest of the setup, you'll realize the answer is "no" when the software says, "I found a similar device: Acme 123. Is this OK to use?". Whether it helps or hurts to say "yes" for a device type you don't recognize is not clear. If you say "yes," the remote may be programmed to send some commands that are not actually available for your device, and as I mentioned in the "Power on/off" section, having an extra "Power Toggle" command might mean lots of troubleshooting. If you say "no," on the other hand," you'll have to manually "teach" the Harmony 670 every single command by shooting commands at it with the device's original remote.
These were the big hitters that caused me to spend half a day getting my TV, DVD, VCR, CD Player, iPod dock, Receiver, and AC/Heating unit all playing well together. Despite all the initial frustration, however, it truly is nice to have all the necessary devices power themselves on to the correct settings for the various audio-visual activities, replacing the five remotes that used to be required for those same activities. Since I'll hopefully be amortizing that initial pain over many days of happy button pushing, I'll still give this item a 4-star rating.
P.S. As I'd hoped, that initial setup pain is now a distant memory 8 months later. I love this remote so much, I bought one as a gift when I noticed my brother-in-law's complex, multi-remote machinations to change settings on his multimedia setup. He's also a big fan now. Try it, you'll like it.
Customer Review: This Remote Has Changed My Life
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this remote to replace six remotes, including two DVD players, an AV Theater Receiver, and a Dish Network receiver/DVR. I've had mixed experiences with a few universal remotes over the years, but I can't say enough about the Harmony 670.
I bought this remote over some others because of the button layout. I prefer the distributed, knobby buttons of the 670, as opposed to the flat, adjacent buttons of other harmony's. Eventually, I'll be able to know all the buttons by touch -- more useful in a dark room than a light. The buttons around the center ring are not the same as my DVR remote layout, but they still make sense. Face it: you're going to have to learn a new remote if you're upgrading.
The computer software interface is pretty good, but it could be better. Still, it's worlds better than punching in endless trial-and-error sequences on the remote to program it. The software programmed my remote for all devices without a hitch.
If you have not owned a high-end universal remote, you need to be prepared to change your way of thinking with this one. I knew it performed macros (or "activities" as Logitech calls them) when I bought it, but I didn't really think I'd use them. I was wrong. With an Activity, you press a button and it can perform several activities all at once, like turning on the TV, DVD and Stereo, changing inputs, etc. My old remote did this, but it was a pain so I stopped. With the 670, it's a dream. This is mostly because it remembers "state" -- the status of all your components. For example, if you're watching TV and decide you want to watch a DVD, when you press the "Watch Movie" button, the remote remembers that your TV was already on, but changes the input for watching a DVD, then turns on the DVD and any other component you need, like your AV unit. When you're done, you press "OFF", and it toggles the power for ONLY the components it knows were on. Because this of this, you will find no hard ON or POWER button on the remote -- only OFF. The Activity buttons take care of the ON part. (This is not to say you can't turn the unit on separately. With all my units, POWER is an additional function in the little screen area. I've used the software to move that to the top of the screen if I ever need it -- but I haven't yet!).
If something doesn't happen right with an activity (something doesn't turn on or off, for example), press the HELP button. This ingenious function asks you yes/no questions until IT fixes the problem. My wife couldn't be more confused about what needs to occur in order to, say, watch a DVD, but she can now fix any problem that arises just by answering the questions.
Pros:
- good button layout
- good backlight
- Activities (macros)
- help button
- computer programming
- phone tech (free for first 60 days - USE IT!)
Cons (pretty minor):
- The buttons are small. Might be a problem for someone with big fingers.
- Screen has a "next" button, but no "previous". Doh!
- The computer software could be better, such as in reordering functions for the screen. It's a slow process.
- No hard DVR button to access your recordings. I programmed mine as the first screen button. Kind of an unbelievable omission.
Overall, a terrific remote. Some little problems, but dwarfed by the positives!
Customer Review: Almost... just about perfect for me
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had this remote for a couple of weeks now, and I have to admit... the first two or three days, I hated it, and the only reason it's still around is that I hated using five different remotes even more. So it got its chance.
Over the next week and a half, I've grown very fond of my little remote. I have gotten so sick over the past few years of having to explain all the different device remotes to anyone that wanted to use our entertainment system, because if you don't know how things are connected (which no one else in the house cared about learning), then you have no idea which inputs serve which function, and when you have multiple inputs on an AV Receiver, a TV, and a system selector, people stop doing things themselves after a while. I literally got phone calls at work and in class from family members asking how the heck they were supposed to play the Xbox after watching TV.
Even these family members can use this remote to maneuver, even though none of them would actually listen to the descriptions I tried to give them. That part, I love. The fact that there's only one remote sitting next to the couch is amazing. I can't say enough about how easy it's become to move from playing video games to watching TV to playing a DVD or VHS, and even to playing the iPod from its docking station.
The only problem I have with it is the setup. The software is extremely slow to boot and maneuver, and it's not very intuitive at all. But with patience, it can be programmed to just about exactly what I want. The only issue I really truly have is that I wish I could tell the remote that the volume button ALWAYS means I want to turn up (or down) my AV receiver. It almost always knows that - as long as I've not switched from an activity (the screen it defaults to after you push an activity button) to a particular device. I guess since I don't do that too often - because I am able to program the functions I want into the activity itself - it's not a big deal. But it would be nice to program specific buttons on the remote to always perform a function if I choose, rather than having to do it by activity.
Oh, one other small thing - after I update the remote through the USB link, the remote thinks all devices are off, so if anything's on, it's confused. It's a simple enough fix to remember to turn everything off first, update the remote, then turn it all back on. Otherwise, I've noticed that this remote is pretty danged smart about leaving things on or turning things off when I switch from one activity to another (like, if both activities require the television and the AV receiver, it won't send another power signal to those devices, because it knows it's already on from the first activity).
So my recommendation? If you know your home media system inside and out (including where to find model numbers), and you have quite a bit of patience (or know someone that does), you'll make it through the setup phase and into the loving-this-remote phase. If not, really, stick to your three or four or five remotes. You'll probably be happier, and ~$100 richer.
Customer Review: Not so Harmonious
Summary: 2 Stars
This is a really great remote, once you get it configured. It's extremely flexible and allows you to control so much more than regular universal remotes. You can control things like IR light switches, ceiling fans, satellite radios, Windows Media Center PCs, video game consoles and more. And more impressively, you can chain commands together so pressing one button, for instance, draws the blinds, turns down the lights, turns on your TV and switches it to the correct input, turns on your stereo system, and starts up a DVD. Any functions on the factory remote that aren't available as hardware buttons can be programmed to a menu displayed on the remote's LCD screen. You can also adjust the backlighting on the remote, a feature I really like.
The problem, however, is with the configuration software. It is excruciating to use. There are a number of bugs in the current version (7.5), such as being unable to change the Activity Buttons on the remote. The software's tip center mentions that there is a button to rearrange items in the remote's menu, but that button doesn't actually exist! The software could not identify the portable TV that I use in my bedroom (it thought I had a totally different 27" model) and I had to make it "learn" the commands just like a cheap $20 remote. It had difficulty with my satellite radio; many of the remote functions were not configured by default and I had to select to "play FM radio" rather than just "play music" to get it to work properly. The wording in some places is confusing ("Review the settings" and "Change Options" are right next to each other and do two totally different things), and it's often difficult or impossible to back out of a particular menu if it turns out you selected the wrong option. It also takes an obscene number of mouse clicks to make even minor changes. For instance, to tweak the timing of one particular command sequence required more than 30 clicks, to change just one numeric value. You also must have an active Internet connection to setup the remote. That's easy if you have cable or DSL, not so easy if you're on dialup or your ISP just went down. Most annoying of all is that you can only have one remote. If you have more than one to control different devices, say, one for the living room and one for the bedroom, you have to create a separate account, with separate username and password, for each remote. And you MUST register with Logitech and create an account to use the remote, there's really no way out of it.
If you have a fairly normal electronics setup, or don't have the patience of Job, stick to a regular universal remote and keep away from the Harmony series. I'd only bother with a Harmony remote if you have an unusual equipment setup that a regular remote can't handle AND you have several hours to throw away.
Customer Review: Very Good Universal Remote
Summary: 4 Stars
I've had this remote for less than a day, but it already controls all of my devices the way I want (TV, DVR, Tivo, Stereo, DVD). It's fairly simple to set up for anybody with a little technical ability. The software isn't quite straightforward, so if you aren't comfortable with technology, it might be difficult to tweak your settings the way you want. For example, somebody mentioned that they could only get 4 options per screen. That is easily remedied by setting it to 6 per screen via the software. But you do have to poke around to find it. Also, the default extra screens provided per device (one user said he had 17 screens to cycle through) are easily configured to provide only the necessary functions that you want. I had many screens for my devices as well, but I remapped them to unused buttons and I have all of my devices down to 2 screens. No need for a "back" button in this case. But again, you have to be willing to dig through the software to do this. If you aren't comfortable with trying different options in the software to configure the remote how you like it, you probably shouldn't get it. Many of the default mappings aren't really ideal (none of mine were). It took about 2 hours for me to get everything like I wanted. But once I got it there, it is great. That's the one good thing about the software. It may not be straightforward, but you can get pretty much any configuration you want on this remote if you are willing to dig around and try things. Logitech really needs to revamp the software and also their database to help with some of these issues. I'm sure many people just want the remote to work and don't want to spend that much time configuring their device.
The buttons are a little small for my taste, but they will do. The button layout isn't as well thought out as the Tivo remote. With my Tivo remote, I don't have to look down to the remote to do anything. Each Tivo button has a unique placement and shape. The Harmony 670 buttons are all pretty much the same size and shape, and their placement provides no clue as to functionality. So I do have to look down to the remote to fast forward, reverse, record, pause, etc. While that is a negative, there aren't any other remotes out there that are as well thought out as the Tivo remote. So it's hard to knock it for being deficient in that area. But this one controls my Tivo just fine, as well as a DirecTV HR20-700 DVR. I can switch back and forth between them with no problems. And those are the main 2 devices I use most of the time. Just getting rid of all my other remotes makes this one worth buying. If you have just a small amount of technical ability and are willing to put in a few hours to get what you want, this remote will be a very good purchase.