Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote with Color Touchscreen
by Logitech
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote with Color Touchscreen
Customer Review: Okay remote, poor config software and worse customer support
Summary: 2 Stars
First the good: the remote works well, and is fairly versatile. It can learn any IR device you have, and the online database of ready to go remotes is huge, so if you have lost your old remote, it is probably in the database for you.
The form factor is easy to hold and press the buttons with one hand. The keys are back lit, and the full color screen is easy to read.
It's rechargeable, and the remote cradle helps you keep track of where you left the remote!
Now the less than good:
A) The remote does not sit solidly in its cradle - you have to wiggle it to make sure it charges. Even the updated cradle after the recall is problematic.
B) The setup software leaves MUCH to be desired: UPDATE: Software still is very poor. below is my recent analysis of the poor software:
1) You cannot reorder the devices list - it is created in the order you create devices, and that is the order they appear on the remote. If you have more than 8 devices, then some will be on a second page on the remote screen - while it would be preferable to have certain "hot" devices on that main screen.
2) The database if full of commands that don't exist, and that end up on your list of commands for you to delete - and deleting commands, and moving commands around is tedious - in some cases there are 10 pages of "additional commands" on the remote to page through - and to delete them and reorder these commands is simply annoying.
2b) Database commands frequently don't work, and commands that should stream, don't stream. (I.e. continuous actuation).
3) When you try to create your own device, the software will push a device template on you that may or may not work well.
4) You cannot set "evergreen" commands. For instance, the volume +- should be work the receiver volume REGARDLESS what device is active. You can only make this happen as an "activity", and have to individually program it for each activity.
5) In general, the software is a bit clumsy to use - it's a Java based app, and therefore does not use the drag and drop functionality of the operating system (Windoze or Mac) - and leaves much to be desired.
6) You cannot assign commands to "stream" such that when you hold down a button, the command is continuously sent - this is allowed for volume, but for any other command, you have to pay Logitech $29.00 to set a command to stream.
A well designed application would allow for drag and drop command arrangement, setting evergreen keys (such as making volume and mute affect the receiver at all times), Assigning the order of devices both on the main device menu, and while a specific activity was active.
7) HORRIBLE SUPPORT. Absolutely useless. And if you ask questions on their user forum with even a hint that you may not like a feature, they will delete your account.
At vers 7.7 I'd think it would be a bit more customizable, but they are a long way from an easy to use and highly configurable product.
Here are the principal issues:
1) General cludgyness: the setup is so terribly long, involved and "Fisher-Price" simplified. It is annoying, cumbersome, slow, tedious, and limiting.
Specifically, adding and moving custom buttons, navigating through the "wizards" and trying to find where you have hidden some particular "option" is utterly aggravating. Seriously, you expect us to guess the difference from "Settings" or "Options" ??!?! - how unclear can you get?
"Customize buttons" is on the main activities page for activities, but buried in the "options" or "settings" page for devices. The inconsistency throughout the application is aggravating.
2) LACK OF CONTROL: you have designed the remote to function around "activities", yet they do not provide full control of activities. WHY? In order to have functions of a certain device available in an activity, then you have to add that device TO the activity.
3) CAN'T REORDER DEVICES (in or not in an activity). Okay, so you want us to program the device around activities - but as noted above, even then you do not have accurate control of devices added to an activity.
We need the ability to reorder devices when not in an activity, and reorder them separately if desired for each activity. they way you have it now, the devices move all over the place in seemingly random ways, and when you have more than 8 devices it is INCREDIBLY annoying to hunt and find them in some new location each time.
Random device positions? Yea, great idea. NOT. This is a horrid "feature"!!
4) BAD IR COMMAND DATABASE. Okay, here's a case of quantity does not equal quality. It seems like every user's custom programmed commands get stuck into this database. While this might be an easy way for you to "grow" your database, using the database becomes cumbersome at best. Moreover, many commands are mislabeled, or do not function as expected. It seems that mis-named commands get into the database and never get out.
Worse, for use users, there is no way to permanently edit the database to suit our particular device. In other words, we'd like to be able to make our own localized version of a particular device and customize the entire command list - this would not affect your main database, just our remote. This way, everytime we went to adjust the programming of our remote, we wouldn't have to scroll through the hundreds of useless commands that do not apply to our device.
5) IR COMMAND LEARNING LIMITATIONS. Yes, you can learn new commands. But you have little control over those commands.
For instance, on original remotes, some commands will "stream" a commands when you hold a button down. With harmony, you seem to be able to do that only with volume. A serious deficiency.
The only way to get the remote to stream commands is to PAY customer service ($29.00 as of this writing) to set a command to stream - after spending hundreds on a remote, this is ludicrous. There should be an option to stream any command, but again, tis is left out of the software.
6) CAN'T SAVE SETUPS. Right, so we make a mistake, but after we re-configure, there is no way to "get back" to a previous programmed state.
7) MUST BE ONLINE. If order to program your remote, you must be online, and you cannot work offline to program or configure the remote. Why? why should I have to be online for a learning remote? You should allow for offline configuration, learning, saving, etc.
SUMMARY OF FEATURES THAT ARE NEEDED:
For the config software: Put all settings for a device in ONE place, under ONE menu. Stop spreading config pages all over the place.
Consistency: Chose one term, "settings" OR "options" and stick with it. Put related settings in the same relative place throughout the application.
Allow for direct settings controls instead of cumbersome wizards.
Allow devices in activities to NO CHANGE STATE when entering that activity.
Allow device reordering, both outside of activities, and in each activity.
Allow deleting IR commands for a device.
Allow "stream" commands (like volume) but for any command (selection choice).
Be able to "save as" setups, to store previous configurations.
Be able to work offline.
Final comment:
Seriously, it's 2010 - these things should be self evident. It seems instead that Logitech hired programmers that got fired from Microsoft. Poor implementation, and other much more feature rich remotes out there - I am sorry i made this purchase, and I refuse to ever buy another Logitech product. My encounters with the utterly abysmal tech support have left me less than satisfied.
Customer Review: It took some time and effort, but now I love it.
Summary: 4 Stars
Unlike others who have reviewed the Harmony One, my initial experience with the remote was horrendous. The set-up software left me feeling like I had entered a maze which was filled with dead end paths. I turned to the internet, but I could not find a helpful overview or summary of what I should do. The Logitech User Manual seemed superficial and simplistic. I was about to send the remote back to Amazon, but I because I REALLY wanted it to work, in a moment of utter defeat I decided to turn to Logitech tech support for assistance.
I divided my remote's "Activities" into manageable parts, which resulted in four separate calls to tech support over several days. Logitech's technicians turned out to be very helpful and they got me up and running, which was an immediate relief... for I then possessed a device which could turn on my new HD TV and internet radio, it could set up Netflix on the new Bluray player, etc. I began to relax. However, I soon realized that as a practical matter, I did not want to keep the remote if I could not program it myself.
Eventually I sat down in front of my new home theater system and I studied the manual for each individual component - an Onkyo 708 (networked), an LG HD TV, an LG Bluray (networked) player, and an iPod Touch 4. I also studied their individual remotes and I charted how to manually do every thing directly on the components. I turned on every device and studied every function, and then I did it all again. I went through all of the menus. I noted all the steps I had to take to start and control each activity. I then went to the Logitech software and poked and probed until I had a good working sense of what was there and where it was located. I made notes. I studied the programming that Customer Support had done. Finally, I read many of the customer reviews here on Amazon, and noted specific helpful suggestions. (This all was done over several days, NOT in the 30 minutes others have reported.) And then I decided to take a day or two away from thinking about the Harmony.
Of course you have probably figured out the ending of this drama...One morning I woke up and felt that it might have all come together on a subconscious level...that perhaps I had finally "Got It". I grabbed the remote and went to the Harmony software and I proceeded to program a fairly complex activity (more complex than any I had had Customer Support do for me), and when I tried it out... it worked!
A few more comments for those of you who are - as I was - new to remote control programming:
Basically, the Harmony can only do what your original individual remotes can do. I had never really used remotes before and my lack of experience was a disadvantage. But eventually I grasped the ramifications of the fact that remotes are essentially collections of commands which are assigned to buttons and ultimately sent to your individual components, imitating the sequence of commands you would enter manually on the component itself. One of the first things the Harmony software has you do is put the exact commands found on your equipment's original remotes into storage on the Harmony so that the commands can then be assigned to specific Activities, and to specific buttons, either by the software, or by you should you so choose. (If Logitech has the commands in the database they are transferred to your Harmony, otherwise you must copy them from the original remote. )
When you first set up an Activity you draw on the transferred commands. The Logitech software can do this for you: it will gather and put whatever commands are necessary for an Activity together for you in the proper order -with the correct timing- based on your answers to specific questions, so that you only have to push one button to make all the commands execute correctly to get you to where you want to be - watching TV, for example, with your home theater speakers on. However, and perhaps more importantly, you can, if you want, go beyond simple basic commands (beyond mere turning on and turning off components). You can assign any commands which are relevant to a specific activity to specific hard or "soft" (LCD) buttons on your Harmony. Alternatively, you can choose to do the set-up yourself - using the option to set up a "utility"/"Generic Activity", which I did. This choice enables you to set up activities that are a bit more complex and you can customize your remote so that it has the capability of doing everything you might want to do within a particular activity so that you will not have to switch into device mode.
In my case such customization had the effect of making the Harmony act somewhat like a chameleon. My remote changes according to which Activity I am in...the buttons do different things in different Activities...one time my Harmony is a primarily a TV remote, another time it is primarily a DVD remote. Now that it is finally set up properly it effectively mimics all the original equipment remotes at different times. You can even mix and match commands for different components on the remote for a single Activity. (For example, I added LCD commands so that I could turn my TV on or off when I was in my Listen To Internet Radio Activity- when my Harmony's hard buttons mostly control my audio receiver. This enables me to see a menu in order to switch radio stations without having to leave that Activity to turn on the TV.)
As I became more familiar with my home theater components, and with the Harmony, I developed a better sense of what commands I wanted to have on the remote when I was in a particular Activity, and I developed preferences for where I wanted those commands to be. To keep things simple and easy to remember I chose to have my Harmony hard buttons mostly work the same way as the original (primary) remote, and I put other extra commands on the LCD. After several tweaks to my individual Activities my remote now does everything I always wanted it to do.
(One of the Eureka moments for me in my programming journey occurred when I discovered that the original transferred commands from a component lived on the "Customize Buttons" pages. After I explored the "command" drop down menus and saw that all the custom commands for a specific device's remote were there, I realized that these were the tools I needed to program my Harmony. I did not have to make up commands...they were all there, waiting to be used or assigned.)
I am SO glad that I persevered. I love my Harmony One. It is a great remote.
As much as I like my Harmony remote I have not given it a five star rating because Logitech needs to make the software more user friendly and to provide much better instructions and an overview for those who have never programmed a remote before.
p.s. Keep in mind that any mistake you make in your programming can be undone, so don't worry about that.
Customer Review: It's A Wonder That It Works At All
Summary: 5 Stars
The remote is definitely worth the cost, provided you get it from Amazon or an equal online source or discount outlet. If instant gratification is required, like from BestBuy, then you're really going to pay for it, as much as $100 more depending on your location. I'm located in a town of about 70,000, and I use the local BestBuy to read boxes, try out stuff, and kibitz with reps about features. Then I order what I want online. To me, the name BestBuy is an oxymoron.
Now to the remote: for the most part it works great. In my man-cave, I have expert knowledge, and my spouse, in the past, has always deferred operation of my CAVE to me. CAVE is an acronym I made up that stands for Coordinated Audio Visual Ensemble. I use the acronym since one is no longer just turning a TV on and off, and the distinction is important.
My system is older, requires five remote controls, and lets face it, I'm the only person on the planet that can make it work. That has changed for the good and the bad. The good is my wife can use all the functions of the CAVE, and the bad is I no longer have expert power or total control of the remote.
The set up is not easy. If one does not understand why three remotes may be required to watch a DVD, then it may take some help getting it set up. For example, in the setup process, say for the TV, one needs to know, which video function is used for this operation. (In my system--pre HDMI--there is Video 1, Video 2, and Video 3 and I use the latter for TV.)
My point here is, if you do not understand what each remote is doing and how the video and/or sound from the DVD, VCR, TV, Roku, tape deck, tuner, turntable, etc is distributed to your output devices, the setup will be difficult. I consider myself reasonably tech-savvy, and it took me a few hours.
Of course, it took longer since I have a tendency to think I understand how the setup works, and skip or skim over reading the directions. Most things I purchase, a new camera, computer, phone, etc., I can figure out by skimming or skipping the directions. The Logitech remote is an exception. To paraphrase from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, "Setting up the Logitech Harmony requires great peace of mind."
It's not that the design is poor; it's what we are asking it to do. The remote can support up to 5,000 brands and up to 16 devices. Add the various types of functions for the device, like sound fast forward, record, etc., and one can see this a very big number. It's a wonder that it works at all.
I've set up three of the remotes, one for myself, and two for relatives. They all love their remote control a lot. And I very seldom get calls about a problem with the remote. So, for the most part, it is very reliable.
The remote sometimes makes a mistake, and not everything comes on like it suppose to. Consider that if you are going to watch a DVD, the remote must turn on the TV, audio amplifier, and DVD unit. If, something happens, maybe the remote is not pointed just right, and only the TV and DVD turn on, Logitech has a solution with its Help Key. Point the remote at the components and TV and press Help. From this point the display menus on the remote will get things working properly.
The Harmony will also control each device individually exclusive of the other components. For example, to adjust the speaker volumes of a surround sound system, press the Device Button on the Harmony Remote and follow the menus to access all the functions of the audio amplifier.
The thing I REALLY liked about the Harmony is the ability to personally name each viewing function. In the various setups I've done for relatives and myself, I've used names like TV Satellite, TV Antenna, Roku Box, and DVD-VCR, to mention a few. I prefer may labels to the Harmony default labels.
So what are the cons? Rather than cons they are more nitpicking on my part. At the time I set up the last Logitech Remote, late September of 2010, there is no category for home digital media products (HDM) that have proliferated lately. (Note: The HDM usage is the reviewer's, used for brevity, and is not official)
The most well know HDM example is the Roku box, formally known as the Netflix box. These devices permit streaming access to Netflix, Amazon, Facebook, YouTube, and a lot more. HDM devices are currently lumped in with DVD players in Harmony's hierarchy. Lately, HDM capability is being added to DVD and Blu Ray players and TVs.
When I set up a system with a Blu Ray player that had HDM capabilities, I discovered that the Harmony has no functionality with the HDM. That is, the Harmony will start the DVD/Blu Ray player and display the menu, but at this point the user must navigate with arrows and/or buttons to get to the HDM functions. I would prefer to have it work so that I could label one function Blu Ray, and label the other function Home Media.
So far as I know, this is not possible at this point in time. In fairness to the folks at Logitech, I never talked to technical support, so I don't know this for a certainty. The setup was late on Saturday night and I had an early flight on Sunday morning, so I was out of time. Yes, in this instance I did read the directions, went online at Logitech, and spent 15 minutes with Google.
I explained this to my sister, and she has since used the remote and understands the extra steps needed to watch her Netflix shows. It's important to mention that all require remote control functions work on the HDM product, e.g., one can fast forward or pause a Netflix movie with the Logitech remote.
Next, and this is really picking nits, the remote, by design requires more battery power, and it needs to be tucked into its cradle frequently for a refill. My natural habit is to think remotes should stay charged with conventional batteries for six months to a year. In the past five months, I've let the remote run out of power maybe three times. It would be nice if the remote would beep or talk when it needs a charge, the way my cell phone and Bluetooth do.
Finally, I wish the remote were a little smarter in selecting channels. That is, some remotes know that after say a "7" is pressed and nothing happens in two seconds, the desired number is actually 7 and the remote changes the request to 007. With the Harmony remote, one must enter "007" or "7" and then "OK." I know it's a small point, but is it too much to ask for something that costs $150 to $250, depending on where it's purchased?
Customer Review: Harmony One vs Harmony 650
Summary: 4 Stars
I have experience with previous Harmony remotes. About two years ago I bought a 670 (peanut-shaped) for my girlfriend, and then a 550 each for my mother and myself. I have found that I really *don't* like the layout of the peanut remotes. When using the 670 I am constantly having to turn on the backlight to look at the buttons to make sure I don't hit the wrong one. OTOH, with the 550, I rarely hit the wrong button. It is easy to feel the buttons to find my place on the remote.
I have three TVs in my house. The 550 is still working fine with the one. But the then-fancy remote that came with my 15-yr-old receiver has started to fail. While replacing that one I decided to go ahead and splurge and get a Harmony remotes for the third TV, also.
I was dithering between the 650 and the Harmony One. So, I decided to get the Harmony One for the living room and the 650 for the computer room. I toyed with getting a 550 for either or both, since I knew that I liked it. But I decided to try out these newer models, just on a whim.
The two remotes are not identical, but they feel very similar when holding them. I think they're a little heavier than the 550. The button layouts are very similar to each other, but significantly different than the 550.
These are still new to me, so I'm not sure how much of this is just long-time familiarity. But at the moment I think I like the layout of the 550 over this new style. Sliding the remote down in my hand to put my thumb up at the top to hit the skip button on the 550 feels like less work than bending my thumb to get at the skip button that is below the halfway point on these. It seems a small thing, but it is actually a mild contortion to get at that button. And I use that button *a lot* when using the DVR. It would have fit my hand a lot better if they had moved the colored buttons below the DVR controls (the Harmony One doesn't have the colored buttons) and also swapped skip to above the fast forward button. That would have put the skip button at a much more comfortable spot.
I do have fairly long fingers. Maybe it's not so bad for someone with smaller hands.
(It just occurred to me that I don't use the colored buttons for anything, so I'm going to assign those to skip, back, etc.)
The Harmony One has a rechargeable battery. I actually don't like that. I don't like having to be careful to put the remote in its cradle or risk it being discharged next time I want to use it. I prefer to just toss it onto the couch and take the 60 seconds to swap batteries when necessary. Either with disposables or rechargeables. The 650 takes standard batteries, so that fits what I like.
The Harmony One has a touchscreen for the soft buttons at the top. Again, cool technology, but operationally less convenient. With my 550 I have noticed that I often absentmindedly slide my fingers over the buttons while watching TV. That won't work with the touchscreen. I would inadvertently trigger a function.
The Harmony One does have a couple of advantages over the 650. The screen of the Harmony One is a little larger than the 650. And, the Harmony One does not have dedicated Activity buttons. The soft button area at the top is where one chooses the activity. Also, the Harmony One has six buttons at the top vs the four for the 650.
I like the behavior triggered by tilt/motion sensors on these new remotes better than the 550. With the 550, the remote has to be perfectly still for a very long time before the motion sensor resets itself. With these new ones, the light will turn off while you're holding it. But if you tilt it to look down at it then it'll light back up. Meaning, that it doesn't have to be sitting on a table to reset. A very small thing, but I do like it.
As I said in my 550 review, for those devices that use toggles rather than discreet commands, sometimes the remote does get out of sync with the power state or input source of the actual devices. For those situations I have programmed some of the soft buttons to the most common out-of-sync situations. Like, TV Power, DVD Power, Input Source, etc. I find that to be the easiest way to fix the situation. My mom tells me that she prefers to go through the "Help" button. It steps her through trying those same things. It's a personal preference thing. I would find the help system to be slow and cumbersome. But then, she didn't set the system up, so she has trouble keeping track of how everything is hooked together.
One note on having multiple Harmony remotes. The username does *not* have to be your email address. It just needs to be a unique user name. So, I've named my new remotes based on what rooms I have them in.
Actually using the remotes, it's nearly a toss-up. Both are easily Good Enough. Overall, I have to say that I like the 650 a little bit over the Harmony One. And, since the 650 is half the price, that makes my recommendation a no-brainer.
I chose to give both remotes four stars based on that button layout issue. Also, while it was my choice to spend this much on a remote, ($75 for the 650 and $150 for the Harmony One) I do have to say that it's kind of a lot of money. I think the 650 is pretty close to worth it. I prefer the 650 over the Harmony One for the battery and touchscreen, but those aren't enough to drop the Harmony One an entire star. It's still a very good remote.
Customer Review: Very good but not quite universal ...
Summary: 4 Stars
Other reviewers have articulated this remote's many positive features. And there are many. Were it not for its few but significant shortcomings, it would warrant an easy 5-star rating for me. Still I do use the Harmony One instead of my other remotes 95% of the time. That being said, let me point out some details that Harmony could revise in future remotes that I think would enhance the Harmony One's utility for most users, especially those of us who are older.
1. While black may be the color of the day in electronics, it makes the buttons of this remote less easy to visually distinguish from the background surface. Shadows are by definition dark. Unlike remotes of a lighter color, such as the DirecTV RC64R remote, the individual buttons of the Harmony One cast shadows on a black background. I wish Logitech had produced the One with a lighter-colored surface.
2. Shiny surfaces look cool, but light reflections make the printed words or symbols on the buttons more difficult to read. I wish Logitech had used a non-reflectice surface surrounding the buttons.
3. It is clear that Logitech didn't beta-test this remote with the over-60 crowd. A slight decrease in the space between buttons and a slight increase in button size and print size would have made the buttons easier to read without resorting to reading glasses. Younger users, please don't scoff at this. Presbyopia begins about 40 years of age as the lens becomes less flexible. We all go there eventually.
4. One reviewer referred to the Harmony One as slick. And slick it is! It slips out of your hand more easily than the DirecTV remote mentioned above. Though a bit heavier and thicker, the DirecTV remote is much easier to grasp and retain in hand. It only slips out of my hand when I'm eating some great New York style pizza!
5. The Harmony One separates the remote into areas of buttons with related functions. I wish those thin silver lines that separate the areas were also back-lit, or Logitech had backlit with alternating colors for alternation functional areas (even better). Again, it would have made the remote easier to navigate in low light conditions.
6. When compared to the DirecTV remote, the choice of the up, down, left, right buttons that border the OK button makes them less easy to use than the arrangement on the DirecTV remote.
7. I am less impressed with the utility of the screen than others seem to be. The six screen "buttons" are a better fit for slender fingers than larger ones. When tapping the lower right button, I end up hitting the "device" bar more often than I would like if trying to do so with one hand. Using four buttons instead of six would have been more to my liking, but this is more of a personal preference. In fairness to Logitech, you can just program only the top four buttons and resolve this issue.
8. Does anyone use the number buttons very often? I don't, so I wish Logitech (and the other remote manufacturers) would have made them as horizontal elongated buttons like the Guide and Info buttons. That would have saved space and enabled more function buttons.
9. I programmed the remote for channel level (a Denon AVR-3310CI function). I can get the initial GUI screen to come up but no matter how I program it, I cannot get the up or down direction to work on this screen, making it useless. I guess this is one function that I will HAVE to use the Denon remote for.
10. You can get a custom button for the screen to replace the absent Red, Green, Yellow, and Blue buttons, but come on, Logitech. Those colored buttons are on almost all remotes, these days. There is just no excuse not to have the colored buttons on a current Harmony model.
So, in view of my complaints and recommendations, why did I give the remote 4 stars? Because it is difficult to harbor a grudge against a "universal" remote. I'm glad I don't have to use four remotes all the time (DirecTV DVR, Panasonic BD70V Blu-Ray & VHS player, Denon AVR-3310CI receiver, Pioneer 151FD plasma TV).
The Harmony One is better than having to use multiple remotes, but as currently configured, it is NOT the best. For example, if you have an AV receiver, you will find some functions for which the Harmony One does not have a corresponding key AND cannot be programmed using a custom button. It is likely that you will have to resort back to your AV receiver remote more than your others, not surprizing since the receiver is likely to be the most complicated of your gear. So, be realistic with your expectations for the Harmony One. It will enable you to to drastically cut back on use of other remotes, but you will not be able to just pack the others up and put them in a closet.