Logitech Harmony 900 Rechargeable Remote with Color Touch Screen
by Logitech, Inc
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Category: Speakers
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: Logitech, IncBrand: Logitech
Edition: Electronics
Format: CD
Model: 915-000030
Color: Black
Publisher: Logitech, Inc
Studio: Logitech, Inc
Music Label: Logitech, Inc
Product features:
- Complete RF (radio frequency ) wireless technology lets you control out-of-sight devices hidden neatly away behind cabinet doors from up to 100-feet away.
- Full-color touch screen for simple one-touch access to your favorite channels and activities, like "Watch a DVD" or "Listen to music"
- Sculpted backlit buttons in logical zones for easy entertainment control even in the dark
- Recharging dock eliminates the hassle of searching for and replacing batteries
- Replaces up to 15 remotes with universal control of virtually any home entertainment component
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 900 Rechargeable Remote with Color Touch Screen
Customer Review: Not unlike previous Harmony remote models, only better
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
BRIEF EVALUATION
The Harmony 900 can replace all infrared (IR) remotes used to control the various devices associated to an entertainment center. Once configured, its activity-centric interface effectively shields the user(s) from having to explicitly control individual devices, unless they want to. The Harmony will allow 'everyone', including the less technical members of a household to get the most off an entertainment center's capabilities without having to worry about switching the remote's 'modes' or remembering the correct I/O ports before watching a Blu-ray movie, watching TV or listening to the radio.
As compared to its immediate predecessor models (880, 890), the Harmony 900 offers a number of incremental but generally welcome improvements or changes
- Ergonomic shape, well-balanced body with sculpted buttons for a tactile feel.
- Surprisingly good, hi-res, full color touch screen that allows for up to 6, context defined 'soft' buttons.
- Included IR Blasters that make controlling devices behind walls or inside locked cabinets possible and improve remote's ease of use - no need to 'point' the remote.
- Better designed, wider charger base.
The new Harmony 900 is an elegant and efficient way to operate one's audio-visual equipment and it's should be a 'must have' for anyone who can can afford it. PS3 owners should be aware that Harmony's lack of Bluetooth support will require the purchase of another add-on.
PACKAGING AND PHYSICAL SETUP
The Harmony 900 comes in a well-partitioned box that keeps the various components well-protected during shipping and makes it relatively easy to open and access its contents.
The following are included:
- Remote's body
- Charging base
- Remote's rechargeable battery
- IR master blaster
- 2 Mini Blasters
- 2 Power Adapters (one for the charger and one for the IR blaster)
- 5-ft. USB cable
- System software on a DVD
- Multi-lingual poster-style manual
Putting it together is as easy as inserting the battery into the remote control - it's designed such that you can't do it wrong, attaching the power adapter wire to the charging stand and then performing the initial charge.
CONFIGURATION
An Internet-connected computer with a USB port will be needed to install the software and configure the remote. Once installed and an account is established, the software will guide the user, step by step through all the configuration/setup activities.
[To make setup quicker and easier, one should have the EXACT make and model number (like Sony KDL-70XBR7, not just Sony Bravia) for all the devices about to be registered or one will have to go through a time consuming process involving 'teaching' the Harmony what every button on the unrecognized device's remote does.]
Once all devices are registered and recognized, the software will suggest a series of 'activities' that it believes you should be able to perform with the registered devices. You can accept them all and then refine your requirements, remove some or add some of your own. For the basic setup to complete, Harmony will need to know which devices need to be on, which specific device is to be controlled when turning the volume up or down (TV or receiver) or changing the channel (cable box or TV) and which specific ports/channels are used (HDMI-1 or Satellite-IN)
After the basic setup is completed and tested, it's possible to further customize your activities. Typically, you will add 'favorite' channels to the touch screen. For reasons I can't understand, the only 'channel' icons Harmony carries are for a number of FOX outlets but Harmony-compatible icons for most known channels (other than C-SPAN) I could find at a site whose URL I posted as the first 'comment' made to this post (can't post URLs inside the review). Optionally, you can add some 'soft' buttons for each device if the remote does not have physical buttons for all the available functions.
It is also possible to customize the way your remote behaves: several color schemes are available, you can decide for how long the 900 will stay lit after a button is pressed, whether the 'favorite channels' or the 'controls' are displayed by default when a TV-related activity is selected, you can add custom commands as 'soft buttons' on the touch screen or change the default mapping of physical buttons to different commands.
Further fine tuning can be done to change the default buttons mapping for any registered device or even to establish the exact order in which the various components are turned on and off and, if needed, set specific delays between specific steps performed to start a particular 'activity'.
Even when there aren't any devices behind walls or inside cabinets, the Blasters can be used to enhance the user's experience. By placing these IR-generating devices (one big 'master' and two attached 'mini blasters') on the shelf/shelves or inside the cabinets you no longer need to worry about pointing 'at' whatever it is you want to operate because the Blasters communicate with the remote via radio (RF) which means no need to point and less severe distance restrictions. The Blaster use is an either-or proposition for any individual device. For example, Harmony allowed me to exempt the AV receiver from the Blaster treatment (it was not responding to Blaster commands reliably), meaning that everything but the AV receiver could be controlled through the Blaster while the receiver was getting 'traditional' IR commands from the remote.
While it's true that the initial setup can be completed in about one hour, I found that the more I use the Harmony the more I think of further refinements so it can take several setup refining sessions over several days before the configuration could be called 'stable'. Once that's accomplished, everything is set more or less on 'automatic pilot' and there's very little to worry and a lot to enjoy. Once used to the 'cycle', updating is easy: fire up the software, enter changes, connect the remote to the computer and get it updated.
THE EXPERIENCE
Anyone watching a Harmony at work for the first time should be impressed. I know that I was when I first used my Harmony 880 a year or so ago. It's almost like it's talking with the TV, the satellite receiver, the Blu-ray player, the AV receiver box. Devices turn themselves on or off as needed as you switch from one 'activity' to another, they reconfigure themselves, opening the proper input or output channels and the Harmony appears to conduct 2-way communication sessions with each one of them individually - probably not true since, as far as I know, IR controllers don't get feedback from the devices they control - if anyone knows otherwise, please correct me.
Once set up, the typical interaction with the remote is to select an 'activity' and then enjoy the show. The Harmony will turn off the devices not needed for the activity, turn on and properly set up those that must be on, set up the soft buttons on the touch screen and map the 'hard' buttons to various functions. To switch to a different activity, simply touch the 'activity' button, then select the desired activity from the touch screen and the Harmony will go through a similar cycle. To turn everything off, touch the 'off' button and everything is turned off unless the setup asked the Harmony to keep certain devices 'on' all the time - the satellite box, for example.
Whenever the Harmony makes a mistake or gets confused about the status of a particular device, pressing the Help button will place the Harmony in a troubleshooting mode. It will try to interactively fix the problem or, if the user knows exactly what to do, telling Harmony 'I know how to fix this' will give the user the opportunity to address the problem without assistance.
Besides 'activities', it is possible to command a specific device, independently. And, of course, the Harmony's own settings can be tweaked to some degree - and for minor, remote specific changes such as the color scheme, the setup can be performed on the remote directly - no need to connect it to a computer.
Unlike its immediate predecessors, the Harmony 900 designers opted for the 'groovy' look. Sculpted, well-defined buttons, instead of the smooth styling of the 880 and 890. Just about every button you would expect on a respectable remote is there, including the 4 'colored' buttons used with some satellite/cable boxes and Blu-ray players. Since Harmony 'knows' a lot about all the devices it works with - it loads data from a 200,000 electronic devices database - the functions usually map correctly to the expected Harmony button. In addition, the full color touch screen allows for 6 additional 'soft' buttons to be visible at any given time and, if more than 6 buttons are needed, it's possible to 'flip' page after page of more buttons - there are 'touch' page-flipping buttons to the right and left of the touch screen. In our case, we used 4 pages worth of 'favorite channels' so we have 'my' page, a movies channels page, the kids page and Ms. D's page - most convenient.
The remote lights up whenever a button or the screen are pressed or when the remote is moved, shaken or rattled (gently, hopefully). It would stay lit for up to 30 seconds (configurable) if nothing else is done to it, waiting for additional commands. Clearly, the shape was scientifically determined to fit the average human hand as comfortably as possible - it feels well balanced and comfortable to hold and it's easy to pick up from a table or from your armchair's arm. When not in use, the preferred resting place should be the charging cradle which holds it securely until it's needed again.
WARRANTY AND SUPPORT
The one year limited warranty appears to be standard. Harmony reserves the right to replace your unit or parts of it with either new or refurbished components at its own discretion. You are not covered if you abuse your Harmony and, depending on local laws and regulations you may or may not have to pay for shipping the device back and forth.
Once you register your Harmony, you are entitled to 90-day free phone support. This should be sufficient to address whatever issues you may have with the setup. Based on my prior experience with the 880, once configured, there's hardly any need to make further changes for as long as you don't add new devices to your entertainment center so 90 days of support should be enough. After that, support is available for a fee. I never required any assistance for my 880 and I am still within the 90-day free support with the 900.
ISSUES
Like everything else, the Harmony 900 is not perfect. I probably hinted at some problems above but it may not hurt to list them all in one place.
- It's a fingerprint magnet. Unlike its 880/890 sisters, the 900's shiny black surface not only takes fingerprints, it's attracting them and it's showing them off, possibly in duplicate (kidding). The 900 looks elegant and pretty when clean but all it takes is one touch for much the prettiness to go away and you MUST touch the 'touch' screen or you won't be able to do much.
- Lack of Bluetooth support requires to purchase an extra module for controlling a PS3 if you have one. I have one.
- No more than 4 screens of favorite channels (for a total of 24) per TV activity.
- The software does not support more than one Harmony device per account if they are to be configured independently. The requirement for separate accounts makes maintaining more that one Harmony device more difficult than it should be. Granted, at the price the Harmonies sell, this is not likely to be an issue for too many users.
- The IR Blaster stays on at all times - the only way to turn it off is to unplug it.
- Price, of course. How many people will be willing to pay more than they paid for their PS3 to be able to control 'it' and the devices surrounding it? Hard to tell.
RATING
I already discussed why using a Harmony 900 makes for such a satisfying experience:
- it simplifies life by eliminating the need of keeping numerous remote controls handy
- it saves time and reduces frustrations
- it allows those less technologically sophisticated (think children) to take full advantage of technology
Two of the issues that I listed above - need of an add-on for PS3 support and complications when managing more than one Harmony device - are not likely to affect most Harmony users.
I will not factor in 'price' when rating the Harmony 900 because prices can change and because the review guidelines state that I shouldn't. By the way, I was able to get my old 880 for VERY LITTLE when it showed up for a couple of hours as a 'lightning deal', refurbished, so prices can and do vary.
The 'fingerprint magnet' problem is real. It's possible that not everyone cares about it but it annoys me a lot. I will deduct half a star for that but the rounded up score is going to be a 5-star, given that individual reviews don't allow for half star increments.
Please note that (again) I did not factor in 'price', I did not need warranty repairs and my interaction with customer support was very limited.
Note: HARMONY 900 vs. HARMONY 880 vs. HARMONY ONE
Since I happen to own both the 880 and the 900 at this time and I saw the ONE in action at a friend's house, a brief comparison may help some decide on which model to pick.
Advantage 900 over 880
- IR blasters make control of out-of-side devices possible (can get as add-ons separately for the 880)
- Sculpted buttons provide better tactile feedback
- Touch-screen allows for a lot of flexibility in configuration
- Higher screen resolution
- Better designed shape
- (Apparently) better charging unit. The 880 known to experience 'charger' problems.
Advantage 880 over 900
- Price
- Matte surface does not show fingerprints
Advantage 900 over ONE
- Yellow/Red/Green/Blue keys on the remote
- Blasters
Advantage ONE over 900
- Price
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
I am adding this section after a few weeks and two customer support calls because I was pleasantly surprised by the quality and professionalism of Logitech's customer support team.
While it is true that, in both cases, it took more than 15 minutes for someone to actually pick up the phone, my issues - both having to do with programming the remote - were resolved quickly and to my complete satisfaction by the support person directly modifying my setup and, in both cases, the calls ended with some pretty useful advice.
Of course, it should be noted that 'free' support by humans is only available for the first 90 days. After that, it's the knowledge base or paying for human assistance.
Description of Logitech Harmony 900 Rechargeable Remote with Color Touch Screen
Logitech Harmony 900 lets you put your home-entertainment equipment behind walls or cabinet doors using RF (radio frequency) technology. Just place the simple-to-install IR blaster and mini blasters near the equipment you want to control to turn RF signals into IR commands your devices understand. Once you're set up, the full-color touch screen lets you see only the controls you need and start your entertainment with just one touch. You can replace up to 15 other remotes. And our software finds the control codes for your equipment from our online database of more than 5,000 brands and 225,000 devices.Digital Cameras and Photo Categories
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