Logitech Brings Harmony to Remote Chaos

If you'd rather have one universal remote control vs. many for your home theater needs, check out the simple, affordable Harmony One

by Cliff Edwards

Editor's Rating:

The Good: Fully programmable, with touch-screen interface and easy Web software

The Bad: Changes channels incorrectly on occasion; glossy black surface prone to smudging

The Bottom Line: An all-in-one remote that's affordable and easy to use

Reader Reviews

Over the years, I've tried quite a few so-called universal remote controls that aim to replace the half-dozen or so remotes most people have cluttering their coffee tables. None have come close to meeting my admittedly unique needs; I test new devices so frequently that the time it takes to program each into a universal remote isn't worth the effort. But now I've found one that's worth even my while.

Logitech's (LOGI) new Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote, which replaces the Harmony 880, offers some welcome improvements, including better ergonomics, a beautiful touch-screen display, and revamped software that makes programming up to 15 home theater and home automation devices a relatively painless affair.

Welcome Improvements

The company's product designers clearly put a lot of effort into this glossy black-finished remote. They completely revamped the placement of keys and buttons, making them larger and more evenly spaced. With a good weighty feel and a nice rounded indentation on the underside where your index finger would typically go, this remote feels very comfortable in the hand. The larger buttons for changing channels and adjusting the volume are perfectly positioned to let you press them without having to look directly at the device.

My only real quibble with the design is that the glossy finish highlights smudges, requiring almost constant cleaning. When not in use, the device sits on a matching glossy black base that charges the lithium-ion battery, though it can work for about a week without recharging.

Aesthetics aside, the biggest improvement comes with Logitech's Web-based software for programming the remote to operate different devices. If you're a new Harmony remote user, you first must create an account, which you can also log into periodically to update the remote with new internal software.

To program the remote for a particular component, you typically choose a brand from a huge drop-down list of choices. Indeed, I was surprised by the vast breadth of electronics models in Logitech's database, from TVs and digital video recorders to stereo receivers and CD players. Once you've selected the type of device, brand, and model number, the software pulls up the particular commands associated with that device's remote and programs them into your Harmony One.

Added Bells and Whistles

That might be enough for most people, but Logitech also offers the ability to program the remote to handle specific activities that require commands to multiple devices, such as watching a movie, playing a video game, or listening to a CD. This type of programming was a little more complicated, but worth the effort, as it eliminated the piecemeal pressing of buttons that even a universal remote can require.

To watch an HD DVD movie, for instance, I'd need to use the remote to turn on four separate devices, and then select the inputs for the connections to my Panasonic (MC) HDTV, my Sony (SNE) stereo receiver, and my Extreme Mac HD component switcher. But once you program all that into the Harmony's memory, you simply press a button on the big touch screen to automatically turn on the correct components and set the correct inputs. In fact, if your home has remote lighting and temperature controls, you can even program the Harmony to dim the lights as the movie starts.

At $250, the Harmony One is a relatively inexpensive alternative to Crestron and Control4 systems, which cost more than three times as much and require an installer to program. It also beats the solution increasingly offered by consumer-electronics companies such as Pioneer (6773.T) and Samsung—they let you operate a number of components from one of their remotes, so long as those devices are all made by the same company.

Some Inconveniences

It did require some tinkering and about 45 minutes to program seven different activities into the Harmony One—from watching the TiVo (TIVO) in the kitchen to watching a Blu-ray movie in the den—but I was generally happy with the outcome.

That said, I did encounter some problems worth noting. For example, when I tried to program the remote to operate my Sony PlayStation 3, the software informed me it wasn't possible since the PS3 only operates with a Bluetooth-enabled remote. And I occasionally had trouble with seemingly simple activities like watching TV, though that particular issue may have been the television maker's fault rather than Logitech's.

I could overlook such minor inconveniences, however, as I shoved most of my other remotes into a drawer. The Harmony One, with its new software that makes adding new devices and activities a much more pleasant experience, is just the thing to bring true harmony to my home theater experience.

Edwards is a correspondent in BusinessWeek's Silicon Valley bureau.