soup_ca's Full Review: Logitech Harmony® 659 LCD Remote Control
I've had my harmony remote for several months at this point and hesitated in writing a review before I had fully tested all of the programming options that the remote offers.
My Harmony remote has replaced six remotes, tv, satellite, digital cable, vcr, receiver and dvd player. Where before I would have to use three or four remotes to turn on the television, receiver, satellite receiver, I now hit a single "activity" button which automatically turns on each of the units and directs them to the appropriate input, volume level, etc...
I have yet to replace the batteries and find the range acceptable though not extraordinary, approximately 10-12 feet. The backlit buttons and LCD are also very useful, although it would be nice to be able to leave the backlit on and turn it off manually instead of the 10 second bursts pressing the button triggers. In terms of the layout of the buttons, I found it initially rather confusing with the cursor pad being surrounded by the play buttons which I believe would be better placed if the two rows were directly underneath each other. However, after a few weeks I find using it to be second nature. Lastly with regards to the physical build of the remote, I would have preferred a "PIP" button somewhere on the remote because I like to constantly use the PIP function on the my television and had to customize the programming on the remote to allow for that functionality.
With regards to the programming of the remote and PC connectivity, I had absolutely no issues with connecting the remote, software installation and updating the firmware and device list. It's very easy to adjust the remote to meet your needs. After using the remote for a few days or weeks I'm sure you'll want to move some of the buttons around or change certain orders, which can all be done very easily. Additionally, since Logitech bought the company that originally developed the Harmony Remote, they've upgraded the website and many more devices have been added. However, those obscure devices like my Sharp XG-E800U projector, which is listed in the database, isn't actually the proper programming for the remote and my Harmony remote will not control the projector. Yet, because it's a user driven database and community I'm sure it's only a matter of time before the proper code is added to the system.
In conclusion, I'm very happy with my Harmony Remote, it certainly speeds up basic functions, and is great for guests or novice users who just want to watch tv and do not care to adjust settings or perform advanced functions. Don't put away your other remotes though you'll need them occasionally to perform advanced tasks or to program the remote.
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