Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control
by Logitech
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control
Customer Review: Best home theater investment I've made so far ...
Summary: 5 Stars
I've spent a lot of money and a lot of time putting together a righteous home theater, but I always had a dream to control everything with one remote control. I've purchased several so-called universal remotes, and yet my dream of total automatic control eluded me. Finally, I carefully researched all of the Logitech remotes and chose the Harmony 880 to fulfill my dream. Well, folks, mission accomplished at last!!! This remote is fantastic, and I have no doubt that the more expensive models are even better. This is a great product! I now control my 62" Sony Bravia KDS60A2000 HDTV, my Sony STR-DG710 A/V receiver, my Scientific Atlanta Explorer 8240-HDC hi-def DVR cable box, my Mac Mini computer (iTunes & Frontrow), my Sony PlayStation3/Blu-ray player, my coffee maker, and even my lights with this single remote. The setup and programming has taken a couple of days to get just right, but was not overly complicated or difficult. I love the fact that you configure everything online with your computer, and can even customize labels and the background picture on your remote. And the "Activities"-oriented functions really give you a lot of different ways to set up everything you like to do. I never have to explain to guests how they need to push this button on one remote, followed by that button on another remote, and then another button on another remote just to switch between cable, computer, radio, game console, etc. Nope, none of that. Now they just push the button labeled "activities" and every option is a single button mash away! For those who use their media center/home theater in a variety of ways, this remote is the answer. For example, sometimes I like to listen to the radio while I'm browsing online on the computer or checking email. No problem, because an activity can be created that sets the A/V receiver on radio tuner while the TV gets tuned to the PC input. Want to listen to music on your computer while playing a video game on the PS3? No problem, just create an activity called "Game + Music" --or whatever you want to call it-- and now you can listen to Sepultura while killing aliens in Resistance. Want the lights in your living room to dim slowly and then fade to off when you press Play on your PS3/Blu-ray movies? Easy. Just customize your setup and make some popcorn! Truly the best addition to my home theater, and one of the least expensive.Customer Review: My coffee table is finally no longer decorated by several remotes!
Summary: 5 Stars
I had spent a lot of money last year on a nice Living room setup. I had thought about getting a better remote but, after the thousands I had already spent I opted to save the money. I shouldn't of been so cheap and this should have been the first thing I bought with my lcd! It takes a little while to fine tune everything to your liking (took me about 45 minutes) and thankfully its done on the computer which makes life a million times easier than if you had to do it on the remote. It was a very happy moment for me to shelve all of my remotes and I have never looked back. For starters the remote just looks cool. The design and color screen really helps set the mood and shows off that much more how proud you are with the money you spent on your home entertainment. Almost every control for every device you could imagine is in the Logitech database and for a few obscure buttons for certain devices you can have your Harmony "learn" the command from the old remote which is really easy to do (you have to have the old remote though) and it makes it so there's really nothing this remote can't do. I built a HTPC and bought an IR dongle and I was able to turn the number pad into mouse controls so I can literally point and click with my remote instead of grabbing my mouse. I know there are a lot of different remotes out there Logitech and other brands and I first bought a newer model Harmony remote which was great too but it only controlled 6 devices which maxed me out and I ended up with this remote because it can handle 15 devices. This model has been out for years and its still selling strong for a reason. The screen is clear and easy to read, the included battery is a great money saver opposed to others that do not come with rechargeable and the charging cradle finishes the look off and turns this awesome device into a great center piece. This remote can be a tad daunting at first but, every activity has a name and picture attached to it and once you finish computer setup correctly its so easy to use that even our three year old son knows which button to push to watch his movies. I am about to buy another remote for our bedroom and I will definitely be buying another Logitech product! If you have a lot of devices like I do or even if you just want to make watching TV or movies easier. I assure you it is one of the best investments you can makeCustomer Review: Works like a charm
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had this for a couple of months now, and I have to say it's the best, most logical and easy to set-up universal remote I've ever used. I also just sort of stumbled upon an Amazon sale which had it on sale for $128 which I couldn't turn down. I doubt I would have ever paid the normal $250 for it.
For comparison, I had a Pronto, which I liked, but it was tedious at best to program and my wife could never master the macro-button driven logic that it uses.
The 880 was a breeze to program. You plug it in to your computer, go the harmony web-site, tell it what and how you use your devices, and it does the rest. Everything worked perfectly for me the first try except for one issue with video switching on my TV for the XBox 360. I still haven't been able to correct that. No amount of delay has helped, so I'm kind of at a loss, there, but it's not really that big of a deal. The "help" menu asks if everything is working, I say "no" and the first thing it does is switch to the correct video input. Even with the extra step to correct things, it still beats using 5 or 6 different remotes.
The one thing that makes the Harmony so user friendly is also the one thing that annoys my wife the most. You can't just walk by the TV and turn it on or it confuses the remote. The remote remembers whatever state things were last left in, so if you manually change anything the remote doesn't know about it, and it assumes things are as it last set them. This can lead to mass confusion when later trying to use the remote and having things shut off, or on, that you don't want. So, the key is to remember to ALWAYS USE THE HARMONY FOR EVERYTHING or the whole thing will get out of whack. I don't have much problem with that, but our TV is very easy to walk past and turn on, or off, or change inputs, so it takes a concerted effort to NOT do that.
All in all, I think this is the easiest and best solution to most home theater needs. Some of the more sophisticated receiver functions have to be programmed in seperately the old-fashioned way (i.e. head-to-head IR copying from another remote), but it does a good job overall with it's on-line database of remote codes. I was able to do every major function of my entire system the first time I programmed it.
Customer Review: The most amazing thing ever
Summary: 5 Stars
Just got this today. After fighting with my wife for years over whether she should be using the A/V receiver or the TV to adjust the volume (she found the half dozen remotes on the living room table confusing), I was able to put all those remotes in a box and put the box in a closet. She's completely capable of working everything with this remote - it's absolutely foolproof. Pressing one button really does turn everything on... TV, cable box, surround sound. And if something doesn't work right, you just hit the "Help" button and it prompts you with some simple questions (like, "Is the TV on?" or "Did that fix the problem?") that resolve any dilemma you can run into.
Setup was a snap - install the software, then log into the website where you go through a web-based wizard that asks you simple questions about your devices and how you use them, then updates your remote through a USB cable. The whole process ensures that your remote is completely customizable and never out of date. The recharging stand also ensures that you never have to replace batteries.
I have a rather diverse set of devices - a Hitachi plasma TV, a Sony DVD player, Sony surround receiver, a cable box with a DVR built in, a Roku SoundBridge M1000, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Gamecube. The wizard *effortlessly* set up all of these devices, and everything worked on the first try. There were literally only a couple of things I had to manually edit (such as defining a button on the Harmony to act as the "Shuffle" button on my Roku remote), and it was as simple as a few mouse clicks.
You can also upload custom images for full-screen slideshows, as well as to use as icons for the 16 "favorite channel" slots. You can rename the "activities" and re-order them as you see fit.
You can find better programmable remotes, but you'll spend 2 to 5 times as much on them, and still have to use your old remotes to "train" the universal remote. For about $200 (less, if you know where to look), you can get something that practically configures itself. We've spent thousands of dollars this year on electronics like the plasma TV and Xbox 360, but this remote is the one device that is worth every penny we paid and then some.
Customer Review: One of my favorite pieces of HT gear... but not perfect
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Harmony 880 for use with my Panasonic Plasma TV, Denon Receiver, and Dish Network box. Having one remote for all of the components is great, and I find that I get more value out of my setup since I can activate all of the components with the push of one button.
All of my components were in the Harmony Database, so setup was pretty much straightforward. The Harmony software is easy to use, though I had problems with an early release of it on my ThinkPad. Fortunately, I have another computer where it worked properly. Also, Logitech has since updated their software so it works on my ThinkPad.
The "Activity" based system that all Harmony remotes use is great. Rather than manually turning each component on and then configuring each component's input settings, you simply press "Watch TV" or "Play a Game" and the Harmony turns on exactly what is needed and configures everything automatically. The turn on and configuration sequence takes about 5-10 seconds on my setup, mostly because the Denon takes a little while to "boot up" and the Harmony knows it has to wait for it. There is a "Help" function available if a component's configuration loses sync with what the Harmony thinks it should be, but I rarely have to use it.
The Harmony 880 feels solid enough, but it is a bit more plasticy than a lot of OEM remotes. Logitech made the remote very stylish, but at the cost of having small, hard-to-read buttons. The buttons in the silver trim are especially hard to read.
Although the Harmony can replicate every button on the stock remote controls with its LCD screen, it works best if your components use on-screen menus. This lets you stick with the Harmony's directional pad rather than flipping through "pages" of soft buttons on the LCD. Also, the 880 is an older Harmony model and its LCD and processing power are showing their age. If you are used to the snappiness and sharp display of an iPhone 4, you are probably in for a letdown.
Unlike some other reviewers, I have never had charging issues. My charger has a magnet that pulls the Harmony down onto the electrical contacts. I think some early versions did not have this magnet.