Pros: Makes life with complicated home theaters a joy! Your wife will love it!
Cons: Small buttons.
The Bottom Line: This model is wonderful because of it's sleek design, rechargable batteries, and motion sensor. This is the king of universal remotes!
pgrobin's Full Review: Logitech Harmony® 880 LCD Remote Control
I now own two Harmony remotes the first being one of the originals. If you are familiar with these remotes you can skip this introduction section.
Introduction to Harmony Remotes Harmony remotes stand out among universal remotes. They are, admittedly, expensive. But when you compare their capabilities and features with other generic universal remote controls you will quickly realize that there is no contest, the Harmony wins hands down.
The Harmony remotes, as a family, share the following characteristics: - One button operation, clearly labeled, for your common activities such as 'Watch Television', 'Watch a Movie', 'Listen to Music' and so on - Tens of thousands of remote control codes - Easy setup via the Harmony internet-based application - Easily add and delete system components in the application - Unique Help function when systems don't respond as expected
Simple Operation
The Harmony Remotes make complex Home Theater systems simple for your family. One button press, such as 'Watch TV', turns on all systems required, turns off those not required (if desired), sets the TV to the required input, selects the channel, sets the A/V receiver to the correct input, and so on. No matter how you have your Home Theater setup the Harmony can be configured to operate it.
Stylish
The 880 is very sleek in appearance and has many new features. The LCD panel shows lots of good information, but I find the buttons to be on the small side. Too much focus on style over function. I don't have big hands, so I can imagine a very large person will have trouble with them.
Helpful
Since the remote uses infrared signals to control the components there is always a chance that you won't have it pointed in the right direction or that something blocks the signal. So when the systems don't respond as required you simply press the Help button. The remote will ask questions which you answer simply Yes or No to until the system is working as desired. This helps make the remote foolproof!
Always Ready, Easy to Find
There are two aspects that really make this a worthwhile upgrade from the early model.
Charging base. Always charged, no dead batteries! I read one review that said they had trouble putting the remote on the base, but that was an early version. I've not had any trouble. Just set it on the base, it's done. I would like a longer cord but I plugged mine in behind the sofa and set the base on the end table.
Find the remote. The base has a lovely blue light so it's easy to find at any time. And the use of the base means that you can find the remote, and the batteries are always charged. That is an aspect of the older unit that used AAA batteries, because when they got low the remote would work sporadically. Some units would respond, others wouldn't and you'd spend time getting things right.
See the remote. Another item I like is the motion sensor. Move the sleeping remote and it lights up for you, no more having to use the 'Glow' button! I love that!
A few months ago I told a friend about these remotes. He had not been aware of these sophisticated remotes, and so did some research himself. He decided to buy a Sony unit, then told me. I looked into it and the Sony does not connect to the internet, so you can't get product updates, etc. I told him I thought it was a bad idea, that he should really consider the Harmony units.
He decided to take my advice (after I told him my reasoning) and shipped the Sony unit back without opening it. He then ordered a Harmony unit and after he'd set it up he emailed he that this was the single best buying advice he's ever received (he's 60, so I'm sure he's had lots)! Very happy with the unit.
For those who think the setup of the Harmony units is complicated, try the competition! I changed my remote without having to do anything more than click a few buttons, connect the remote and let it work. Yes, the initial setup requires knowing the exact model of your equipment, and you may have to move things around to find that information. But the pay off is so impressive I didn't mind the effort!
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