Black Boxes:
Logitech Harmony H688 Remote Control
$250
Logitech, Inc.
6505 Kaiser Dr.
Fremont, CA 94555
(800) 231-7717
www.logitech.com
Universal remotes can be large and clumsy because they have memory chips in them to hold the drivers for every conceivable TV, DVD Player, VCR, satellite box, etc. The Harmony remote, however, has a device database on its Web site that downloads only the drivers that you need, allowing for a sleek and ergonomic design.
Along with this improvement, the H688 remote also brings one-click technology to your entertainment center. To watch a VHS Movie, just click the activity button named "Watch Movie" and the H688 turns on both your TV and your VCR.
Watching DVDs can be a little more complicated. Using a standard universal remote, after the TV and DVD player are turned on, the DVD player has to be set to DVD and the TV usually has to be set to an Audio input such as AV2. For many, this can be a frustrating series of steps to keep up with. The Harmony remote does it all with one click.
As for the entertainment wizard in the family, the one who is called on every time family or friends want to watch a DVD: this device can save you some time. Just program the Harmony Remote once, then with the touch of a button it will set the player on DVD, put the TV on channel 3 and set the input to AV2. All your family and friends have to do is put the DVD movie in and press Play.
If this is all the functionality you need in your remote, then you might consider Logitech's step-down model, the Harmony H659. If, however, you use a DVR device such as a TiVo, then the H688 is the model for you, because it provides one-button access to these devices as well.
Getting Started
Setup of the Harmony remote is quick and painless, if you follow the provided directions faithfully. First, write the name of your devices and the model numbers on the form provided. Log onto the Internet and plug your remote into the USB port on your computer. The remote will automatically take you to the Web site.
Once at the Web site, select the model number for your remote. The Web site is clean, easy to understand and quick even for a 56k modem connection. The instructions are simple and straightforward, usually one sentence. There is a yellow column on the right with tips pertinent to the operation and each page has a help button.
Getting the Drivers
After entering the name and model number for each of your entertainment devices, the Web site tool searches the database to see if it has the drivers for those devices. If not, it will ask you to get the remote for that device and do an infrared transfer between remotes. It then adds your device to the database. This is what the company calls a community-driven database. It learns and stores information right on the spot.
Once your device drivers have been identified, the Web site tool will download the drivers to the remote. This is the first of two file transfers that happens; the second occurs when you are downloading the information for the Activity Buttons. Tip: It is important to note at this point that you may have a security setting on your browser which blocks Web sites from downloading files to your computer.
Activity Buttons
The Web site walks you through the setting up of your Activity Buttons: Play Video, Play Music, Watch TV, Play DVD. When you are done and you're finished updating your remote, it's time to give it a test drive.
When using Activity Buttons for the first time, be sure to use the Harmony remote to shut off the devices before pressing the next Activity Button. One click will shut off all the devices it turned on. Using the old remotes to shut them off or doing it by hand causes some problems when selecting the next activity. Just remember, if you turned it on with the Harmony remote, turn it off with the Harmony remote.
In Harmony
It is comforting to know that if you break or lose your remote somehow and have to buy a new one, all of your settings are saved on the Web site. Just log on with your new remote and download your previous settings.
This remote is everything it claims to be and more. Logitech did well to acquire this excellent device, which can help you orchestrate your entertainment center like a fine conductor does a symphony. Its main drawbacks are its somewhat confusing array of buttons, and of course its price, which is in fact in the range of many full-featured DVD players on the market today. Even so, if you're the kind of consumer who has to have the very best of everything, you might want to consider the Harmony remote; it's truly a work of art.
Tom Kelley has been an electronics and software writer for nearly a decade.
Digg This!
del.icio.us
Technorati
Reddit