Logitech Harmony 676 Universal Remote Control
by Logitech
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 676 Universal Remote Control
Customer Review: At first it was better than anything else I had
Summary: 3 Stars
Ok, I bought this so that I could control the many pieces of equipment I have and I couldn't find a Universal Remote that had my Maganovox TV.
At first I set it up for my TV, TiVo, DVD1, DVD2, and VCR. I am very technical and although I didn't find the set up difficult, I found it complex. I don't feel that the average joe is going to be able to go through the set up without difficulties.
I didn't like the fact that all your information is shared with the logitech company online. What information they collect, who knows? I just don't want my information there. In addition to that the software wants to install desktop monitors for updates. What else, again...
Having said that, the remote did handle my components pretty well. It was missing the LiveTV button for TiVo and you'd have to scroll through the menu to get to that option. It never controled my TV quite right. Most people shouldn't have this problem because their TV's should be in the database of codes but mine was not. I had to get the original remote and line it up with the Harmony and send it a number of signals before it decided that it recognized the original remote. Unluckily it never quite worked the input selection right. I tweeked it several times and finally came up with a several button push fix.
After 3 weeks some of the buttons stop responding well and then the display went out. I returned the remote and got another one. So far the buttons and screen are working but there is definitely a reliability problem.
How the remotes worked for me--
The on-screen help menu (on the remote) never fixed my problem for the next time. So if you have the same problem over and over, it just goes through the same steps, each time.
The circular selection key (cursor pad) which has the select button in the center would sometimes take a moment to register and I would push it again and the selection would move twice. That is maddening. Also because of the smallish size, it is hard to chose the left, up, down, or right without sometimes hitting another direction.
All that said, it did control my components and I was able to use only one remote, yeah! But I decided to look for something else and found the One for All 6, 8, or 10 Device Learning Upgradeable Universal Remote. For around $20 bucks on Amazon I can get whatever key I want to do what I want. I don't have to go online or share information. I don't have to cluter my memory with uselessness.
Although the Harmony still controls my system and is around, I only use it when I can't find the ONE 4 All. Today I feel it wasn't worth the $100 I paid for the Harmony 676 at Sam's Club.
UPDATE
2008 -
A month after a wrote this review, I took the remote back to Sam's because the screen stopped working. I did not replace it since the All-For-One (AFO) remotes work so well. I tried to uninstall the software but it never uninstalled the updater/ monitor, so even after uninstallation, I would get the icon in the start up tray. It was horrible, slowing down start up and popping up every-once-in-a-while. I ended up going into the configsys and turning it off manually from my start up. It was not in the startup folder in the start menu so probably not easy for the average computer user. I researched it further and ended up finally deleting it from my registry. Logitec's monitoring software is very invasive.
Customer Review: An Amazing Product
Summary: 5 Stars
Amazing doesn't even cut it. This remote control is in a class by itself. You can customize it as much or as little as you wish, and it just works.
I have an HDTV cable/DVR box that connects to the TV using the component inputs. My DVD player runs through my AV receiver via the s-video inputs/outputs, and my VCR runs through the receiver using the regular analog inputs. With the remote set up, I can:
1. Press "Watch TV" and the remote will turn on the cable box and TV, and turn the TV to the comonent inputs.
2. Press "Watch DVD," and the remote will switch the TV to "Video 1," turn the receiver on and switch its input to DVD. The DVD player will turn on.
3. Select "Watch Video Tape," and the remote will switch the TV to "video 2," switch the receiver to "VCR 1," turn off the DVD player and turn on the VCR. I can control the volume of the TV or the receiver as wanted.
4. Press "TV surround Sound" and the TV gets set as in (1) above, but the receiver turns on and changes its input to TV. Volume is then controlled by the receiver.
5. Press "off," and everything that was on turns off; anything that was off stays off.
There are so many ways to set up this remote to do things as I want it to do, no matter what I want it to do. It really is amazing, and I have only listed some of the "activities" that I have set up.
It sounds complicated, and in some ways it is, to set up. But once set up, anyone and everyone can easily use your TV/home theater in ways you cannot even imagine. As if everything were designed to work together in the first place. In other words, once set up, using it is E-A-S-Y! And isn't that the ultimate goal of a remote control?
Believe me: with this remote, you really can get rid of all your other remotes. In my case I can get rid of the cable/DVR remote, the receiver remote, the DVD player remote, the VCR remote, the TV remote, the cassette deck remote and the Sirius satellite radio remote. Really get rid of them too (well, put in storage) ... EVERY COMMAND from the originals, not just some or most, can be put on the Harmony remote. Amazing.
I have no real complaints, but a suggestion: The web site needed for setting up the remote could be set up a little easier. Not that it is hard to use once you figure it out, but the website itself is a reason for a harder learning curve than is necessary. That being said, I found the site, while occasionally frustrating, very flexible and thorough. Yes, the database isn't as model-specific as I'd like (some listed commands for my TV weren't actually supported by my TV, for example), but once your account is set up and you get the remote basically the way you want, future changes take little time ... just a few minutes. Learning commands from your old remote is amazingly easy, and the website/program lets you know right away if it didn't pick it up correctly. And if you buy a second remote as I plan to do, it will be programmed almost instantly ... unlike other programmable remotes that would take a long time each.
I recommend this remote control highly. I plan to buy the new top model when it is released, and will probably wind up buying one for every TV in the house.
Customer Review: Hang in there...
Summary: 5 Stars
Like many people, I got this remote on Christmas day and spent the next couple days cussing about how terrible the Logitech/Harmony website was. They got overrun and the system just wasn't working. Apparently lucky, I managed to get a basic initial setup late on xmas night (~2am), but when I went back to do some tweaking, I couldn't maintain a reliable connection. Now, things seem to be very snappy and the site is working fine. I've made about 4 minor tweaks to my setup and they've all compiled/installed very quickly and easily. I agree with everyone else here that the application should be local, not server based, and that the website layout is a little confusing even when it's running correctly, but let me also recommend to everyone to hang in there. Once set up, this remote is positively wonderful. It's worth the initial effort.
I've used many universals over the years, and they've all ended up stuck in a drawer. This one is a keeper though. The button layout is very well done. My criteria for a good remote is being able to operate it w/out looking down, and I had this one memorized after only a couple days. It would be slightly better if the Forward/Reverse buttons had a slight taper to them (to better identify them by feeling), but I might just fix that with some light sandpaper. :) Once getting used to this one, the TIVO remote (my previous favorite) seems very limited and basic.
After my configuration was all set up, I found one item that really bugged me: the volume control of my Yamaha receiver was too course. If you just tapped the button quickly, you got a big change in volume. Searching the site, I found a LOT of very good technical info in the Troubleshooting FAQ (make sure you read it! You'll be surprised how much stuff you can adjust!). It explained exactly how to adjust the time delay of that function and now my volume controls as accurately as the original remote. The FAQ is also a good road map to find an adjustment feature hidden in the confusing website.
Another point is that the signal strength and field of view of this remote is very, very good. I was concerned about some devices missing their signals and causing things to get out of sync with each other, but the signal is so strong I can actually turn it around and point it behind me and still control most of my devices.
The alternate faceplates are painted in attractive colors - they look fancy, not gaudy. I'm sticking with silver for now, but I like the idea of swapping to blue or red to keep things fresh. This feature had no impact on my purchase decision, but it's still a very nice extra.
You really can adjust almost every aspect of this remote to get it all dialed in just how you like it. I hestitated to give it a full 5 stars due to the annoying (and perhaps sometimes overloaded) website, but decided that the remote itself really does deserve it. I HIGHLY recommend it.
Also, a special thanks to Weldon Dodd for his detailed review here. Your comments were very helpful to me for narrowing down which Harmony model I wanted, and a strong influence on my final decision to get this item. Thanks!
Customer Review: Highly customizable remote
Summary: 5 Stars
Probably the most overlooked aspect of a home A/V center is the remote control. Instead of having to deal with a host of remotes (4 in my case), with Harmony 676 you get a fully customizable single remote to control all of your components. The online configuration tool is flexible and gives you almost full control for programming the remote the exact way you like it. The activity-oriented interface saves you time and frustration when changing from one device to another. And the online database is so extensive, chances are slim your components won't be there. Note that the free web tour on Logitech's web site does not do justice to the actual interface once you purchase your remote.
Some very useful unadvertised features:
- Explicit control over timings per device: pause between commands, boot time, pause between commands for different devices, duration for input switch
- Dual mode of operation - activity mode and device mode to control an individual device
- Three sets of layouts for each activity - activity, sound control and picture control
- Multiple tabs of programmable buttons (in groups of 6 or 4 plus title for the Harmony 676) and you can cycle through them; this is very useful if you need more than the provided number of extra buttons, which was the case for my Cox Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR
- You type the title for each programmable button - you are not constrained to the predefined device function names
Some small gripes I have with the remote are:
- The default timings for my Olevia 237V TV were very far from reality and needed radical adjustments (I still haven't found the right ones it seems since the TV sometimes doesn't switch the input correctly on power up)
- There's no control over the duration of each IR signal and as a result my TV always increases and decreases the volume by two notches (accepts two presses for every one); this also leaves a feeling of slight general sluggishness, but not very pronounced (you'll only notice if the original remote is faster as was the case with my Olevia remote)
- Harmony 676 is advertised as targeting DVRs, but it lacks a C button in addition to A and B for my Cox Scientific Atlanta 8300HD DVR, thus I ended up reprogramming the Prev button to be C; the other important and missing DVR buttons from my original remote were: DVR list, Live, Replay, Page- and Page+, which while I assigned to the programmable buttons, are still cumbersome to reach
Other observations:
- No support for macros aside from the activity buttons (I haven't needed macros myself for now, just mentioning in case it's important to others)
- Supports multiple modes for switching inputs based on device capability
- Supports multiple modes for direct channel input based on device capability
- Intended for tech savvy users; don't go for it unless you like tinkering with the settings
Customer Review: Excellent, but not lasting
Summary: 4 Stars
I've owned this model for two years now, so I'll review the problems I've encountered. Others have described the positive aspects and the operation of the unit, so I won't repeat them, but don't interpret that as an indictment of this model.
The biggest problem I've faced is that the key contacts on this remote are simply not built to last. The buttons you use most WILL wear down much faster than the ones you use less. When this happens, the worn buttons will start to occasionally fail to make contact. The first few times a button fails, you think you somehow missed it, but it quickly gets worse and you have to press the button more than once to get it to work. As it continues to worsen, the button works only if you wiggle it or jam it down. This makes using the remote a very frustrating experience. And yes, I could reprogram a different button to do what the broken one does, but that would screw up the layout, and the layout is an integral part of the experience. Mine is at a point where I need to replace it and it doesn't seem reasonable to me that an $80 remote should last only 2 years. It makes me hesitate to get a more expensive Logitech model.
The second problem is minor, but might be confusing for some users. When you program the 6 buttons around the screen, the software sometimes rearranges the order of the buttons. There's a pattern to the shuffling, so natural problem solvers will figure it out and play along, but some users won't want to bother with puzzles. It's my understanding that the higher end Logitech models use the same configuration software, so I'm not sure if upgrading would fix it.
Lastly, this isn't so much a problem as something you should be aware of. The backlighting is fully configurable. You can turn it to manual or set how long it stays on after you hit a button. The issue is that if it's used at all, the battery life takes a serious beating. This isn't Logitech's fault; it's just basic physics.
Aside from the disappointment of throwing away an $80 remote after 2 years, this is still a great little product.
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Addendum:
Taking apart the remote revealed that the contact pads (little black disks made of pressure-sensitive rubber) on some of the rubber keys had literally melted, which is why some of the keys stopped working. I contacted Logitech for a replacement keypad and a couple of days later, they replied telling me that I could have one for $15 including s/h. I requested two, in order to have a spare, and that came to $20 total including s/h, which is a very fair deal. After replacing the keypad, the remote works and feels like new and I now expect it to last for many more years.