According to the Consumer Electronics Association, the average American home has four remotes. That means, you have four different sets of buttons which are required to configure your Audio/Visual equipment for whatever task you would like (watch TV, watch a movie, listen to a CD, etc). It also means you now how 4 separate devices to get lost in the vortex of your couch cushions, rendering your A/V equipment dead in the water! I personally have a remote for each of the following and know how big of a pain it can be to switch everything around: TV, DVR, Stereo, XBOX (movies), Media Center PC, and VCR (yes, my fiance LOVES tapes for some reason). Out of this proliferation of home entertainment devices came the universal remote.
If you’re not familiar with universal remotes of old, let me tell you they were complicated! You used to have to “Program” them using some cryptic sequence of numbers so that it could control your particular device. Many times, each manufacturer had a number of device-specific codes, and you would have to cycle through them to find the code which worked with your particular device. All in all, programming the old universal remotes took a long time. Also, even once you had all your devices setup, you still had to press a bunch of buttons to reset your devices if you changed activities (such as going from “watching TV” to “watching a movie”). Additionally, some remotes provided the functionality to “learn” devices they weren’t programmed to control, but it was a pain to do this. Plus, many of the old universal remotes didn’t incorporate “menu” and “function” buttons that were used for advanced control of the device (such as picture adjustments, etc).
It’s true, universal remotes have been around for a number of years, but manufacturers like Sony and Logitech recently started to make them more usable. It’s been about two years since I decided to end the war with my remotes. I purchased one of the Logitech Harmony Remotes and never looked back! Now, I have to tell you that these are not what I would consider “cheap” by any means, but they are well worth the money you’ll pay for them. Here’s why:
- Truly Universal – The neat thing about these remotes is the software you use to configure them downloads “setup” information for your a/v devices directly from Logitech. Logitech is constantly updating their database of device codes (currently more the 225 thousand devices are supported), so it’s pretty much a sure thing you’ll be able to control any device you can buy.
- Willing to Learn – On the off chance you find the ONE device which Logitech hasn’t added to their database, the remotes allow you to build your own device control profile by teaching it the commands from the manufacturer’s remote. Like I said though, it would be rare to find a device that wouldn’t work.
- Use of “Activities” – The Logitech allows you to configure “Activities” (such as “Watch TV”, “Play XBOX”, etc). This gives you one-touch configuration of all your devices by automatically powering and cycling through all the settings which need configured. Simply point the remote, push the button, and a few seconds later the Harmony remote has you up and running! It doesn’t get easier than this!
- I’d like to emphasize that this is a handy thing to have if you have visitors which may be using the audio/visual equipment in your absence (such as family, a house-sitter, etc).
- Control of Gaming Systems – By purchasing an add-on (PS3) or by purchasing the correct remote (Xbox), you can actually control your gaming system directly from the Harmony remote. This is especially convenient if you use the gaming system as say your DVD or Blu-Ray movie player.
- Rechargeable Batteries – Some Harmony remote models include rechargeable batteries and a base station. The particular remote I bought did not have this feature, and I constantly kick myself for leaving it out. The only downside to these awesome remotes (besides the slightly inflated price) and the price you pay for convenience is their consumption of battery power. At least in my experience, they’re very thirsty for battery juice. Opt for a model with a rechargeable battery if you can. You’ll thank me later for reminding you of this, trust me!
- Built-in Help – If you try to setup an activity and something’s not working, the remote has a built-in “help” feature which will allow you to figure out why something isn’t working. The remote will ask you a series of questions, and make adjustments to the configuration of your A/V equipment until everything is resolved. Way cool.
There are a number of the Logitech Harmony Remotes currently on sale at Amazon. If you’re looking for my personal recommendations, I would go with the following:
- Xbox Approved, Entry-Level: Logitech Harmony Xbox 360 Remote Control – Refurbished
- This one does not include a rechargeable battery. Just remember to keep a spare set of batteries in the house!
- Best All-Around: Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote
- Serious Money to Burn or Home Theater: Harmony 1100 Advanced Universal Remote Control with 3.5-Inch Color Touch Screen
As always, if you have questions feel free to Contact Me!
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