Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote with Color Touch Screen
by Logitech
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List Price: Our Price: $169.16 You Save: $30.83 (15%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $125.00 (click here) Category: CE See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote with Color Touch Screen
Customer Review: Save your money, many problems and really bad tech support
Summary: 2 Stars
This product sounds great and if you only have one device connected to your TV it is probably OK. It is slow, after you pick up the remote you have to wait for it to be ready, otherwise the buttons do not do anything. My brand new unit has gotten stuck on different commands. When I first programmed it (which you have to do on your computer) it just would not work right. Modifying the setup did not fix the problem. Eventually I deleted everything and started over and it now works sort of. There are still things I have to do with the TV remote as this one is too difficult to use. It gets stuck in odd modes and cannot get out.
Whatever you do, do not use your other remotes or device power button for power on/off as this really confuses the Harmony remote to the point that you have to turn everything off, put the harmony into its cradle and then turn on the hardware again with only the Harmony remote. This can be really irritating as I frequently turn the TV on/off when I am by the light switch. I habit I have had to change.
The worst part is the really bad technical support. You have to use the online system and wait 1-2 days for a response. In my first request I sent a very detailed explanation of the problems I was having and that I had already read the FAQ, Help, Users manual and used help on the device so please do not tell me to read the manual. Their response was first to ask me to send them more information (without telling me what was missing). Then they opened another account for me for no reason. I replied that I already had an account. They responded that I need to read the help and FAQ. I replied that I already had read the help and then they emailed that they assume the problem was fixed.
By then I had all new problems which I detailed to them and they responded with please tell us the problem. My response was please read my problem explanation and their response was we assume your problem has been fixed - which it had not. There were actually several more rounds of my requests for help and their really bad responses that did not help at all - I will not bore you with all of them, you get the idea.
Then the company submitted a software upgrade (a regular thing and not part of my requests). I upgraded the device with the software, thinking this might help with my problems and guess what? I have even more problems now then before. The device no loner successfully finds the correct video input for DVDs or for VHSs, I have to manually set the video input with the TV's remote. This feature used to work on the Harmony and now it does not.
Bottom line, I should have bought the $400 remote my brother uses and has no problems with. I wanted to save money - you get what you pay for. This device is too complicated and has too many bugs. The most irritating of which is I have to pick it up (to activate it) and point it at the devices to get it to work. My old, simple device works anywhere by bouncing off the walls so I do not have to pick it up (I'm not lazy but have 2 lap dogs that do not like my reaching for the remote every time I want to change the volume, etc..
Bottom line - either buy a less expensive simple device or get the expensive one if you have a number of different devices to manage. This one is not worth the money or the aggravation. I would have sent it back but I had already thrown away the box it came in before I discovered how bad it was.
Customer Review: Best $250 I've ever spent (Wife Agrees)
Summary: 5 Stars
It took me about a week after getting the idea in my head to choose and purchase a higher end universal remote. I initially was leaning towards a Philips Pronto model due to the customizability, but after further reading I was shying away from the thought of it becoming another "hobby" (just from the complexity of configuration perspective) I would have had to work on the Pronto remote for weeks to get what I got in about 20 minutes using the Logitech Harmony software.
A friend at work had a lower end Logitech Harmony remote and brought it into work and loaded up the software.... all I could say was I was amazed at how easy it looked to set everything up. So I started reading about the Logitech harmony 1000 and then found the Harmony One at 1/2 the price. I started to really think about sitting back and how I'd be sitting most of the time (laying on my side on the couch etc) and the standard shape of a remote vs. a PDA touch screen appealed more to me. The Harmony One ended up winning the $$$.
I ran to Circuit City at lunch and picked it up since it was the same price as the cheapest online anyhow and instant gratification :) I spent the rest of my workday incognito loading up all my devices into the software and setting up activities (this is really where it shines) when I got home it ALL worked the first time.
So I sat my wife down with it and said use it! She said HOW? I said USE IT! She chose the activity of "Watch Cable TV" that I coded in.... Of course she fumbled with her fingers and touched something else too.... so I said push "HELP!" It did something and said "Did that fix the problem?" She answered "NO." Then it asked "Is the TV on?" She answered "NO" and sure enough the TV came on. She was like WOW!!!! (Instant Wife Approval Factor)
A few days later and I've added more and more tweaks to it. I found a complete set of Vector art of all the cable channels. You can import 24 of these as favorite channels into the remote.
So far this thing has done nothing but impress. The best $250 I've ever spent on a toy.... it actually is the FIRST UNIVERSAL REMOTE that has truely done what it advertised! Logitech builds the database of remote codes off of our devices... if you have something not already submitted, it can learn each function by pointing the remote of that device at the Harmony. Then it will be available for the next person. They even had codes for my Archos 604 media player... suprised.
I saw a lot of gripes from OPPO DVD users that remote codes weren't in the manuals... they have OPPO codes as well.
Now on to the negative:
It is real easy to hit the wrong button on the LCD touchscreen.
As many other's have said Fingerprints all over the place due to the shiny paint.
The only thing I would change is the ability to change and import graphics to replace the ones that Logitech forces you into.... like I have a Wii and I am forced to look at a Gamecube.... pretty petty complaint but when you setup about 6 activities on the remote it would be real cool to be able to import your own graphics. They let you import graphics for favorite channels. I also wish you could import graphics to replace certain buttons that end up on the touch screen.
I rate this 4.75 stars... with the dinged .25 just being petty feature desires.
:) Hope this helped.
Customer Review: Impressive remote - only minor faults
Summary: 5 Stars
I recently finished my home theater and needed a universal remote to bring together multiple components (projector, receiver, dvd, xbox, and lighting control) in a way that simplified all the complexity for my wife or any visitors. The H1 has been on the market long enough to ring out the bugs and the price was reasonable - so I decided to give it a try. I will mention that I ruled out the Harmony 900 due to it's lack of a button sequencing (macro) capability.
Programming/Setup: The initial programming only took about 45 minutes, but overall I spent about 3 hours getting the devices, activities, and button layouts tweaked to the way I wanted. A software developer by trade, I would consider myself rather critical of interface design - and here, the Harmony configuration application is hit or miss. As I would expect it's geared for the causal user, and in this regard it succeeds. But for someone like myself looking for more advanced features, it can be very cumbersome with its odd mix of wizards, tables, and dialogs. I have only two real criticisms; First, there is no way to set the order of Devices on the touch display. You can set the order of Activities, but not Devices. Second, the Device setup page for the touch screen buttons needs a better way to order the buttons. As it stands you have to click an arrow button to move each button one slot up or down. This may not seem like a huge deal, but when your device (like my A/V receiver) has 40 or 50 buttons, rearranging them is a big hassle. I probably spent an hour alone just moving buttons around. But when it's all said and done, this is just a one-time setup issue.
Physical Design: The feel and shape of the remote seems just about perfect to me. I love the rubber-like surface on the back. The button layout is not bad. I would consider the TiVo peanut remote the benchmark - but the H1 is a much more complex design. The shape and layout of the hard-buttons allows you to navigate without looking at the remote, although the reach to the touch screen is long. Every button lights up legibly - so using the remote in the dark is no problem. My only minor quibble would be that the DVR Forward and Reverse buttons are above the Jump Back and Skip Forward which seems backward to me. I find myself hitting Reverse when I want to hit Jump Back. That being said, my wife had no problem learning the layout and you could always reprogram/swap the functions.
Touch Screen: Sensitivity is very good and the colors are bright. Audio beep when a button is pressed is a nice feature. I love that you can import button images for channel favorites, but I wish you could import images for any button. I have only two issues with the touch screen buttons; First, I find the Left and Right Page Arrow buttons are too close to the other buttons - I often find myself hitting page left or right when I had intended to hit an actual button. And second, the touch screen buttons do not register a 'press and hold'. So for example, I can't use those buttons to dim my lights.
Overall: It works! The activities turn the devices on and off, set inputs, and configure the audio. So far it has never missed a command (when aimed correctly). The IR works perfectly through my IR repeater and also hits my overhead projector. The recharging cradle is convenient. But most importantly, my wife can use our wacky/complex home theater - and likes the Harmony One!
Customer Review: A+ Product
Summary: 5 Stars
After receiving my Harmony One and going through the setup process, all I could say was, wow. I have to admit, I was skeptical at first after having purchased several universal remotes over the years only to find they really didn't fill the bill as being a total replacement for all my old remotes. It seemed there was always some function that still required dragging out the old remote to accomplish. That is not the case with the Harmony One. Logitech has done a superb job of researching thousands of products and creating a database on their operation so when you select these products in your entertainment system all the legwork is done for you in setting up the remote. I am very impressed with this truly being a one touch remote, as Logitech claimed it would be. During the setup process all you have to do is enter the make and model number of each of the items in your system and then answer some simple questions on how the components in your system are used. For example, if you were watching a DVD you would have your TV power on and set to the input that you DVD player is connected to, you would have your DVD power on along with your receiver amplifier if you DVD sound is played through this device. You would also select which input to the receiver the DVD is connected to. Once you have gone through this process with each of the components in you entertainment system. You just connect the remote to your computer via the USB cable, select update and a few minutes later you're done. After that is when the one touch feature comes into play. When you pick the remote up it automatically lights up, a feature that is obviously great in a dark room. No fumbling around trying to find the back light button or having to turn on a light to see the buttons. The activities you want to perform are displayed in the touch screen window. If you want to watch a DVD, all you need to do is touch the Watch A DVD icon on the screen and the remote turns on the DVD player, TV and the stereo amplifier. It sets the appropriate inputs into both the TV and the amplifier. When you're done all you have to do is push the power button and all the equipment is powered down at the same time. If for some reason you decide you do not want to watch the DVD to it's completion and you want to listen to your CD player instead. All you have to do is press the activities button below the touch screen, then press the Listen To CD Jukebox in the touch screen window and the remote will turn off the TV and the DVD player. It will turn on the CD player and switch the stereo receiver to the appropriate input for the CD player. When you're done, once again all you need to do is press the power button and everything is powered down. I could go on and on about the many other nice features of the Harmony One such as the lighted charging base, great layout of the buttons and the comfortable design but I have to stop somewhere. All in all I feel quite comfortable that this will be the last remote that I will buy for many years to come, especially if Logitech holds true to it's claim to provide updates to its database as new products are introduced down the road. If you are considering a universal remote for your system I believe you to will be amazed at the quality, functionality and well thought out product that you will find in the Harmony One. Fantastic Job Logitech.
Customer Review: Harmony One Numero Uno
Summary: 5 Stars
Just completed the installation, testing, and use of my NEW Logitech Harmony ONE Advanced Universal Remote.
Took about 35-minutes to set up operations for cable Motorola dvr set-top cable box, ViewSonic flat screen lcd tv, Sony av receiver, Bose speakers, and Panasonic blue-ray player, and another 10-minutes to upgrade and finalize the remote on my Mac desktop.
Had NO problems using this to set up on an iMac. No problems in any part of the set up, etc.. Encountered no bugs during the entire process. Made a few changes after completing the setup by following the EZ on-screen guide that one uses to. fine tune the device (during set up and after if you need to add or subtract functions, devices, etc..). Even added two functions that i later decided I'd like to have work in this mini-marvel home theater commander.
Very EZ setup. Certain that PC users will have as easy a task. Just allow yourself the time to install, test, fine tune, and then..... sit back and smile because for once in your recent memory, an electronic toy OUTPEFORMED expectations!
Bonus - my skeptical wife is now eager to use this remote and is glad, for once, that I went for the top of the line big bucks universal remotes. From near-zero to hero in less than one hour!
Harmony ONE lives up to ALL the praise one finds in the reviews on the web. And I did my homework on this product given the high retail price, and found wide confirmation that just about every new owner was extremely pleased with this product.
Tip - collect all your device data before you sit down to do your setup. Having the data at hand will save running back and forth to your components. In fact, you can go to the Logitech ONE web site and pre-check the compatability of each and every one of your devices so before you buy the unit you can avoid surprises. Just save that data and use it when installing. Anyway, that IS intuitive and helpful customer support and exceptional product design.
TIP - you can download the ONE firmware before you buy or begin installation. However, if this is not convenient, you can do this during initial install. The software is MAC friendly and the GUI is exceptional, both in the software and on the activity screen of the remote.
TIP - one complaint I saw again and again regarded the touch screen on the remote. It seemed to attract fingerprints. Ya shur, Simple fix. Hey, just apply a protective cover like one does on the viewing screen of the digital DSLR's and the iPhones and other devices with touch screens or touchy screens. When they get a bit smudged, just replace them.
Bottom line - in my humble estimation, the Harmony ONE IS actually worth $249 if you want to pay that much but at Amazon, where everything seems to have a decent discount and/or rebate, you can save $$.
This gadget works. It is fun, functional, and can bring a smile to a tired face at the end of a tough day in a tough world in tough times.
Treat yourself and your family to a Harmony ONE.
And NO, I am not associated with nor employed by Logitech (or Amazon), even though I'd be proud to be.
Please excuse the long and perhaps tedious review but I am pumped and pleased beyond brevity.