Logitech Harmony 688 Universal Remote Control (Silver)

Rating:
Summary: Finally, the universal remote that does what I want
Review: I've been looking for a universal remote for a few years - and purchased a few - but they were always lacking something. The Phillips Pronto was not tactile enough, "universal" remotes either weren't or you needed to spend hours trying out remote codes for your 10 year old VCR or your three day old TV.

That ended with the Harmony Remote. After entering the model numbers of my devices (RCA TV (no, not 3 days old), Sony receiver, Mitsubushi VCR (yes, >10 years old), Sony DirecTivo, Sony DVD - Note: spend a little time writing all of this down before you start - Logitech even provides a workbook in the documentation), I hooked up the remote to the USB port on my computer and it worked. It wasn't perfect (user error), but that was quickly fixed.

The true test was having someone who has never operated our equipment before come over and give it a test run and it worked out great.

Things I would note: if you turn on something manually, turn it off manually. It's not perfect, but what is?

Rating:
Summary: Solid Remote
Review: I've had this remote for about 2 weeks now and really appreciate the ease that it provides for working all of my electronic pieces. I have a cable box, satellite dish, TIVO, DVD player, Stereo, Satellite radio and CD jukebox. The internet setup was nice and easy, but when things get a little complicated or you have little issues like component inputs not changing correctly or timely, you turn to Logitech support. The support was the best I have experienced for any electronic item that I have ever purchased. The Rep literally spent 45 minutes on the phone with me fine tuning every aspect of the remote. It now works perfectly for every piece. I only have 2 knocks.

1. Reviewers are right in saying that the activity buttons are too small.
2. The sensitivity and speed of the infrared commands are not as quick as the remote that I replaced. (Sony RM-VL1000)

I'd buy this remote again and I'm very interested in checking out the Logitech 880 which I hear is very sweet.

Rating:
Summary: One word ... FANTASTIC
Review: Like most A/V enthusiasts, I have many devices to control.

A/V Equiptment:
- TV
- DVD
- VCR
- LaserDisc (yes they still exist!)
- TiVo
- HP MP3 Jukebox
- Cablebox
- Xbox

The Harmony remote setup program makes it very easy to program the device. I got home and had it setup in about 20 minutes. It took me longer to find and write down all the model numbers from the various components than it did to program the remote. After entering your devices, the wizard asks you some simple question about how you watch DVDs etc to program the Activities buttons. Once you answer those quests, voila you are done.

Buttons are well placed around the center of the remote. The LCD it easily readable, the backlit display does not stay on long, I imagine that the battery will not drain too quickly.

The only negative comment I would have is regarding the wizard, why do I need to type the model number. There should be a drop down in my numble opinion.

I highly recommend this to any A/V enthusiast.

Rating:
Summary: A universal remote that will last you years
Review: My Dad got the 688 for Christmas and I had the pleasure of setting the unit up for him using his mac Powerbook. The setup was a breeze and it was amazingly easy to find each and every piece of equipment he had stacked in his A/V cabinet on the Logitech website. This is a huge improvement over having to search through a list of manufacturer's codes that may or may not work. This worked the first time.
On top of virtually guaranteeing compatibility with everything you've got in your system now, the macros that can be set up (e.g. Watch TV) save you the hassle of having to flip switches and press various buttons to get your system turned on.
The only thing I was disappointed in was that the only buttons that were not easy to read - and did not show up with the backlight - were the macro buttons! This was very surprising. If they change this on the next revision, this remote will be hard to beat.

Rating:
Summary: Universally Zen!
Review: With the Logitech Harmony 688, I've achieved remote nirvana! Finally, a universal remote control that really works.

In the past, despite having only Sony equipment, I was plagued by 2 or 3 remotes on the couch at a time. Other remotes simply didn't cover all the functionality of the original remote to be a real alternative.

The Harmony enables one to program each button with your favorite function. At the same time it offers standard constellations which elminate most of the setup work. So although it's not all plug & play, you should be 'one' with the 688 within a week of occasional fine tuning. In addition, this remote looks & feels good in your hand.