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Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote
Control your entire Home Entertainment system with just one button! Simply select an activity and your Harmony remote will send the right commands so you don't have to juggle remotes or remember a sequence of buttons. The Internet-based setup on the Harmony 550 is a breeze, making home entertainment accessible to the whole family.
Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote Accessories
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Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control (Black)
Samsung LNT4661F 46-Inch 1080p LCD HDTV
Cables To Go - 40315 - 2M (6.6ft) Velocity HDMI Digital Video Cable (Blue)
Fiber Optical Toslink Digital Audio Optic Interface 6 Foot Cable
Next Generation Remote Control Extender
Cables Unlimited 6-Foot HDMI Male to Male Cable (PCM-2295-06)
Samsung LNT4665F 46" 1080p LCD HDTV
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Samsung LNT4071F 40-Inch 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV
Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote Reviews
You must redo the wizard if you change the model of a component, but this isn't something you'd do very often. This causes me to give it three stars. Although I don't like that have to "login" to configure the remote, the software wizard works quite nicely. Although the product works very well, the primary action I do with the remote is enter channel numbers and that is not easily accomplished. As for the remote, the buttons (as many have said) are too small.
May not sound like a big deal but when toggling through the LCD buttons on the remote and you have a complex Surround sound machine, the abbreviations other users come up with can be crazy. What this remote does is this: It turns on your TV, sets the TV to the correct AV input (i.e. The good of the online database is that if your computer crashes you don't lose your remote settings. You can customize how each activity is labeled (i.e. The load time takes longer than I expected - every time you set up your remote on the computer you have to "synch" it with the computer to upload your settings. AND makes sure that any device you aren't using for a particular activity is turned off. Why have the cable box on while watching a DVD.
Video1 for DVD, Video2 for cable box, whatever your set up is) sets the A/V to the correct input (DVD/DVR, TV/SAT, etc) turns on the DVD player or cable box (again whatever you select as wanting on) all with one touch of a button. This takes awhile as the software actually stores your remote profile on a Logitech database. I have a 3mb/sec connection and it is slow; very frustrating when "tweaking" the remote but once you're done does not become an issue (so not worth knocking down a star). I've owned it for 6 months now and highly recommend it IF you have a home theater setup with several different components. I am a huge fan of this product. Just remember - if you only have a couple devices in your setup this may not be worth the initial setup trouble. I highly recommend this to anyone with several components in their home theater system.
Some users might argue that it is too hard to figure out the software but consider this: with every new software program there is a "learning curve". You don't have to enter your personal information to register the remote, just a log-in and password. You can customize the key press delay (useful for equipment that takes a few seconds to read a key press - keeps it from losing a key command when several buttons are pushed sequentially); customize the inter device delay (useful for when a device takes a moment after receiving an IR signal to be ready for the next signal and signals are being sent to several different devices). Put those 8 remotes you were thumbling around with out of sight. This is the remote for YOU. As for flaws - not enough to knock off a star. If for some reason your unit is not in the Logitech database the remote has a learning feature that lets you upload every function of your original remote into the Logitech database. Keep that in mind while you shop.
Or the parents are in town and you're leaving the house but have to spend 30 minutes teaching them how to use your complicated home theater setup. watch TV, watch television, watch cable) customize what buttons are displayed in the lcd based on a particular activity (in my case the surround sound and subtitle options are available when I'm watching a DVD or surround sound and movie on-demand options available when I'm watching cable). Then you have picture but no sound.after several more button presses you now have no sound and no picture. Suffice it to say, if you want your system to do a particular function this remote can make it happen - even the specialized functions like "record" or "Chapter set" on your DVD recorder. I will never be without a Logitech Universal remote again. I did have to spend a few hours getting to know the software, playing with settings, getting everything "perfect" but now I am pretty familiar with the software and can do about anything with the remote. I could go on forever.
Want to watch TV but all you have is sound with no picture. If all you have is a TV and DVD player than don't spend your money. You also get to name the button- no more trying to figure out that SSS means "Standard Surround Sound". My remote can control my home theater system (TV, cable box, PS3, DVD recorder, A/V surround sound system), my bedroom TV and DVD player, Mutlimedia PC and PC speakers. All you have to do is input the correct brand/model of your unit in the computer software and Logitech finds the correct codes for you.
Sony Bravia KDL 46s4100. Comcast DVR.
Changing input sources usually requires between 3-4 selections which isn't much trouble but not the most convenient either. DVD, VCR, or cable.
The set up was a bit tedious. Once set up it works fine except for when changing between input sources i.e.
Sony VCR RDRVXD655 Philips HT 3565.
I can't imagine the battery will last long because of these multi selection processes but nonetheless this replaces a four remote set up.
The "activities" function works OK, but the preset options are limited so most functions need to be manually programmed and renamed. So I have three optical disc devices to choose from, not to mention the numerous other formats to watch a video. To top it off, the number buttons (used to enter channels) at the bottom of the remote are too small and hard to press. And manual programming, while fairly straightforward, also takes quite a bit of time (a couple hours in my case).
It drives me up the wall to scroll thru so many pages for basic AV tasks. This device doesn't have my Belkin 3x1 hdmi switch in their database so i had to teach the remote codes, and after all that trouble, it "found" a similar Belkin device with the same codes. Each activity beyond the preset 5 will need to be manually added, not automatically programmed. The Harmony comes preset with only one "watch a video" activity. There are only 3 "major" brands of HDMI switches on the market, and Belkin is one of them. This scrolling is very inefficient, usually taking many more clicks than the original remotes that came with each component.
And the dedicated Sound and Picture buttons don't control the sound and picture of my TV, and can't be reprogrammed, so those buttons are wasted. I understand there is limited physical space on the Harmony, but basic controls like Favorites, Recall and Setup should have dedicated buttons and not require scrolling thru different pages on the LCD. First, the device database is not comprehensive.
I suspect the average buyer for this remote prolly has even more options than me, including streaming media players, etc. Although many of the buttons on the Harmony can be reprogrammed, the Harmony's programmable buttons already have vital functions assigned. This remote would have greatly benefited from a few more dedicated buttons for the most popular tasks. Bottom line: If your setup is at all like mine with multiple "video watching" options, be aware that using this one remote may save space and reduce clutter, but may not save time or aggravation. Only an "A" and "B" button are unassigned and lend themselves to custom programming. Two hours may seem well worth it to some users, but not to me. I paid only half the retail price for this remote, and even taking that whopping discount into consideration, I was unimpressed.
For example, I have a media center PC for BluRay, an HD-DVD player for HD-DVD, and a 5-disc home theater for regular DVD. The Devices function requires scrolling thru many pages of options just to find a basic function. Because of limitations with the Activities functionality, I end up using the Devices option to control many functions.
It took me a little time to get it set up, but once I finished, it is the best remote I have ever used.
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