Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control
by Logitech
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Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: LogitechBrand: Logitech
Edition: Electronics
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: CD
Platform: Windows
Model: 966187-0403
Publisher: Logitech
Studio: Logitech
Music Label: Logitech
Product features:
- Optimized for complicated HDTV and PVR systems
- Quickly choose a 16:9 or 4:3 ratio depending on the program source
- Includes a sleek docking station that keeps the remote fully charged
- Color LCD is both functional and stylish, with user-customizable backgrounds, button icons and text
- On-screen battery level indicator shows you charge status
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control
Customer Review: Harmony through the Harmony
Summary: 5 Stars
First note that the 880 I bought was from the refurbished listing here on Amazon, but my review should still apply here to the brand new 880.
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The Harmony could not have a more apt name, it brings harmony to your entire home entertainment system. In my case 6 remotes are now tucked away in the drawer and only the Harmony remains to control it all.
The best part of the Harmony is not that it simply replaces the remotes you already have, after all any simple budget universal remote (that costs a fair amount less) can do that. Where the Harmony exceeds it that it is an intelligent remote. Yes it will act as a bridge to replace all your other remotes, but the Harmony is smarter than even that--it brings interaction between all the remotes. Through setting up of activities, you simply need to press a single button on the Harmony and it will do every single command action necessary to bring up the viewing mode that you desire to do--Press "watch TiVo" for example and the Harmony will turn on your TV if it is off, will cycle the TV to the correct input, turn on the TiVo if necessary, turn on a audio receiver if necessary, set the audio receiver to the input it needs to be on, and though that may sound complicated as you think of all the steps--it's all automated, to you it's just a button press away. Then if you tire of watching live TV and want to watch say a DVD, press your watch DVD activity and the harmony will change the input on the TV to what it needs to be, turn off the tivo (If you've set it to do so), switch the audio receiver input as need be, turn on the DVD player, and (if you set it up to do so) even eject the dvd tray for you so you just need to walk over put something in and retract the tray.
And it's not hard at all to set this up: simply attach the Harmony via the included USB cable to your computer, fire up the Harmony software, and the software will guide you through setting up your entire home entertainment center, all you need to know is the make and model of all your components. The software will search it's massive online database of devices, download the configuration, and set up most everything automatically for you. I did not run into a single device that the Harmony software didn't have database info for, and that included a 10 year old VCR.
Don't like how the software pre-configured the remote layout for one of your devices, or the way it goes about activating an activity? No problem, the software lets you fine tune and adjust every little action that you can think of. You can change the assignment of commands to any of the Harmony's hard buttons, and you can configure the "soft buttons"(the commands that show up on the LCD) to whatever you like, rearrange them as you like--whatever. It's brilliant. There's nothing really to say short of that this device was thought out--and thought out well. It can handle most any different ways that your devices do things. (for example it has different modes for chaning inputs on the TV, use the one that your TV's included remote uses. Does your TV have direct buttons to each input? Harmony can control that. Does it have one button that cycles through the inputs? Harmony can control that too, and it always remembers the input it left the TV on for the next time you choose an activity to switch inputs).
The versatility is astounding. If you like tweaking, you'll love this remote. Yes you can have it up in running in 10 minutes about if you're happy with all the default configuration--but if you want to tweak so it's exactly how you want it--you may end up spending additional hours getting everything just right. But the great thing is that you CAN get it jsut right, it is fully customizable.
What the harmony does not have hard buttons for, can be set up in the LCD soft buttons. The LCD is a small rectangular color screen, with four buttons on each side (for a total of 8). When you switch to an activity or a device it switches the screen to the soft buttons you set up for that activity or device. one command enxt to each button, for a total of 8 commands per page. But don't worry if you have more, because there are previous page and next page buttons on the harmony that let you scroll through more pages of commands if you have that many you want to use.
The 880 has a built in motion gyroscope. The Harmony turns off the LCD after a few seconds of non-use to conserve batteries. But the gyroscope allows the remote to detect when it's been lifted and tilted, meaning that everytime you pick up the remote, if the screen is off, it will instantly light up just for you. (But don't worry, if that doesn't sound appealing to you, you can turn this feature off in the software just like anything else! There's a "glow" button that can be pressed to manually light the screen in that case)
The 880 has the advantage of coming with a included base station/cradle. When you place the 880 in its cradle, it automatically begins to recharge the battery. The base station is a nice looking horizontal cradle, with a depression that is molded to fit the entire horizontal bottom of the remote. The cradle also has a round Logitech logo in the middle of it, which is surrounded by a translucent plastic ring which glows blue when the cradle has been attached to the AC adapter, so you know that it has power. Placing the 880 in the cradle is no harder than simply laying it down horizontally upon the cradle (so the LCD and button side of the remote is up). That's it.
If you're wondering if the Harmony has support for controlling your device--ask yourself this: Is the original remote for the device infared? If the answer is yes, then the answer is that most probably to the point of definitely the Harmony supports it. It most likely will be in the Logitech software database, but even if it is not, the Harmony is also a learning remote--it has a IR receiver on the bottom of the remote. If there is no pre-existing configuration for your device in the database, you can simply go through a wizard for having the Harmony learn all your original remotes commands. That process only involves aligning the front of your original remote with the sensor on the bottom of the Harmony, and pressing the appropriate buttons and clicking through wizard on the Harmony's website. Be wary of devices that use RF for their remotes, as the 880 does not have the ability to control RF--not without help. Some devices such as home environmental systems have optional devices you can purchase that will accept IR commands (from the Harmony for example) and then the device will translate that into RF commands. That would be an additional purchase of course, but it's worth looking into if you find yourself in that situation.
I cannot speak any more highly about Logitech's customer support. I had to contact them on a couple issues, and my experience was a great joy. One was a configuration issue, which was that my TV simply did something in a certain way that is out of the usual and not easily setup through the Harmony software (I believe this was really a fluke case though). I contact Logitech about this problem and within a couple of days a very courteous and helpful technician responded saying that they had altered my Harmony setup online to rectify the problem, and to simply reconnect my remote and update it, and it should work properly now. Which I did. And it worked first go! The other issue I has was that in my package from Amazon I received the wrong USB cable.. I believe this was also a major fluke. Logitech not only agreed to send me a replacement USB cable, but they did it no questions asked, and free of charge, and I received it about a week later. Great company--great product.
There is only one thing you probably should be mindful of with the 880, which is that there are two versions of the cradle. The original cradles had a known problem that made charging very difficult and inconsistent (As in the remote would not charge most of the time as it didn't make proper contact). Logitech released a revised cradle that solved this problem. I've had no problems charging, so I believe I received the new one. If you do have problems--please don't give up. First try cleaning the charging contacts on the cradle and remote with a small amount of rubbing alcohol, if that doesn't help, then get in touch with Logitech right away! They'll make it right and send you a new cradle right away. (I've read about this problem on a few message forums, and in all cases Logitech always took care of it).
So it goes without saying I highly recommend this remote. I balked at first too about paying so much for a remote, but I couldn't be happier with my decision to give it a try. Once you use the Harmony you realize it is so much more than a regular universal remote--it really shouldn't even be compared with the run of the mill average universal remotes. If you're in the market for unifying your home theatre experience, or if you simply just want to retire a mess of remotes that you have to juggle, give this remote a very serious consideration, I think it'd be hard to be displeased.
Description of Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control
The Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote puts you in control of your entire audio-video system with just one button. Optimized for complicated HDTV and PVR systems, the Harmony 880 helps you tame tough configurations like switching your television between video aspect ratios depending on the program source.From the Manufacturer
Harmony 880: Power and Versatility in a Universal Remote
The Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote puts you in control of your entire audio-video system with just one button. It's home entertainment the way it should be--simple.
Optimized for complicated HDTV and PVR systems, the Harmony 880 helps you tame tough configurations like switching your television between video aspect ratios depending on the program source. The interactive color display lets you quickly choose a 16:9 ratio for movies and HDTV, or a standard 4:3 ratio for basic television programming.
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Why settle for another boring remote? The Harmony 880´s color LCD is both functional and stylish, with user-customizable backgrounds, activity selections, button icons and text.
- Ample space for up to eight custom activities or controls
- On-screen battery level indicator shows you charge status
Recharging station
Never replace batteries again. The Harmony 880 includes a sleek docking station that keeps the remote fully charged. Your family will always know where to put the remote?and you´ll always know where to find it!
- Lithium-ion battery provides up to a one-week charge under normal use
- The horizontal docking station allows remote to be used while charging
Award-winning Logitech Industrial Design
High-end systems deserve a high-end remote. Designed with brushed chrome and charcoal accents, a color LCD display and a low-profile recharging station, the Harmony® 880 Remote will match your most advanced audio-video components perfectly.
Logitech has won a total of eight Industrial Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) in the past two years, including five of Japan´s prestigious 2004 Good Design Awards. This experience helped us design the Harmony 880. Featuring a comfort grip shape and a centered directional pad, it fits easily in your hand and naturally guides you to the most frequently used controls. Even the buttons are sculpted, to help you locate them by feel not sight.
Patented Smart State Technology®Smart State Technology allows the Harmony remote to completely control an entertainment system by knowing how to control each separate component while tracking the current state of up to 15 devices simultaneously.
Get the Logitech Harmony Adapter for PLAYSTATION 3. Finally, control movies on your PS3 ? drama free.
 | Wish you could control all your movies, music, games and entertainment gear ? including your PLAYSTATION 3 ? with one remote? Wish granted. Add one touch PS3 control to any Harmony remote with the new Logitech Harmony Adapter for PLAYSTATION 3. Now your entire entertainment system and every PS3 command is at your fingertips. Want to watch a DVD or Blue-ray Disc movie? Play a game? Turn the console on or off? Easy. Just press one button on the remote to experience instant entertainment gratification.
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Package Contents
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