High-Def Digest Gear Review: Logitech Harmony One & PS3 Adapter

[Attebery]

High-Def Digest Gear Review: Logitech Harmony One & PS3 Adapter:

http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/sh...3_Adapter/5966

[gravis778]

Great article.

I just purchased my first Harmony last night off of Amazon for $40 for the bedroom. Basically, ordered a used Blu-Ray player, didn't read the comments, it didn't come with a remote, and my Dish Remote will not control it. I wanted something cheap for the bedroom, and to get down to one remote. Depending on my experiences, I may get one of the nicer ones for the living room, one with a display (the one I ordered has no display).

My remote should be in tomorrow. I am glad Logitech decided to make a cheaper remote - I have been eying the Harmony line for years, but plopping down more than $50 for a remote has always left me a bit hesitant. Hands on with a cheaper model might convince me to take a plunge to a more expensive one. :-)

[DrMaustus]

I guess I disagree with the author regarding the Harmony software. I find it so much of a pain in the ass to configure that I dread adding a new device to my system because I know I'll have to dig around in that crappy software to configure everything.

Also, I own more than one Harmony remote. In my case, I have to use two separate logins to configure each one. I should be able to log in with a single username and password and then choose which remote I want to configure.

And another thing: I have the RF extender for one of my remotes. Why must I also plug that into my PC to update the software. It should be a simple, single update for both devices.

Once they're set up correctly I agree that they're pretty good remotes. I just think the software is holding it all back. It's to the point where I won't buy one for my father as I'm sure he'd have issues trying to update it/configure it with that software.

[DustoMan]

I thought maybe I was stuck in a time warp when I saw this story because it's been quite a few months since the PS3 adapter was released, and the Harmony One it's been at least two years in January. (I snatched that thing when it first came out.) I was probably one of the only ones praising the PS3 adapter when it came out. Everyone else thought it was either too expensive or it should have been built-in with the remote. But really it's the only way to control your PS3 with IR. Using the other 3rd party solutions just do not work in a way that would be helpful. The PS3 ports are not powered when the unit is powered down so any of the USB IR dongles can turn on the PS3. And those IR adapters are limited because they emulate using a controller. This Harmony adapter works seamlessly with their remotes which are hands-down the ONLY universal remote that isn't a pain the butt to use or has a confusing setup process.

I have two Harmony remotes. A One which is their flagship product and a 700 which I tested for Harmony right before release. The 700 is a nice remote which uses the One's ergonomics, but has been toned down in the feature department to lower the price but not enough to make it useless. These remotes are well worth the cost. Especially if you need something that needs to pass the "wife test."

[HuskerGuy]

Have both a Harmony One and the adapter and I love them both. Only reason I picked them up though was so the wife could easily turn on the TV and watch movies. She wouldn't even try with the 3 different remotes we had before, but now it's no problem what-so-ever.

[almadacr]

I have a Harmony remote since the beginning ( 550 ) but lately as being acting weired like play BR it turns on my xbox , so i figured out that maybe is time to upgrade . The PS3 adaptor is useless for me since i barely use it and its already in my kid gaming room , so i was regarding the Logitech site and i`m looking for at 2 models , the Harmony one or the 900 . Any input will be appreciated .

[somekevinguy]

I have been using universal remotes since the beginning before Harmony even existed. I had a Sony one and then I had the original Pronto and then color Pronto Pro. I didn't really like the Pronto's but they were the only game in town because all the hard button universal remotes could never come close to covering all the buttons I needed for all my equipment. I hate touch screen remotes though. They were hard to operate one handed and I had to look down most of the time to see what I was doing. After simplifying my system a few years ago I retired the Pronto Pro and was just using my factory remotes. The DVR remote turns on the TV and controls the volume on my receiver. I only have to use my receiver remote to turn it on and off and change inputs and I need the Playstation 3 remote to operate that.

I just happened to stumble across the Harmony PS3 controller a couple of weeks ago and started looking at the latest Harmony remotes. I decided to get the 900 for it's RF functionality and of course the PS3 controller. I already had my factory DVR remote setup for RF and I wasn't willing to take a step back to IR since I love the RF. Now all my stuff is RF. I love it. All my stuff is line of site but it seems like the wife or kids are always getting in the way or some toy gets left out right in front of a piece of equipment. No problem now. It is my best universal remote setup so far. It just works. I did flip flop the menu and list functions for the DVR because I use the list function a lot more than the menu function. I just ordered a 700 for the bedroom last night.

Also I didn't even read the instructions for the PS3 adapter and I put it behind the TV. I didn't even realize it was IR. Seems to be working fine back there. Maybe it works off RF with the 900?

[mak99]

I have two Harmony remotes. A One which is their flagship product and a 700 which I tested for Harmony right before release.

Wouldn't the 900 or the 1100 be considered more the flagship product(s)?

[Jonthomasdesigns]

Wow Harmony One ? Really really old .. i am already on my Second Harmony 900 (someone stepped on my first one and crushed the screen , i promptly replaced it the next day on my own dime) .. If you even thinking about the Harmony One .. Buy the Harmony 900 .. i cannot recommended it enough , almost a perfect remote , RF works great .. Everything the One can do any more

[thebatman355]

I own the harmony remote 510 and then got the 720. I like the 720 alot. I also have the ps3 adapter and that has worked well with the harmony remote. I have used it first with the ps3 80 and now with the slim.
I do have the low battery problem with the 720. I try to remember about charging it every night. for the most it seem to do that just fine.

Jacob

[gravis778]

I just got my first Harmony today - it was a 300. Its a great remote for someone like me who has never seen a programable remote - just in the right pricerange to get my feet wet. I LOVE this thing! I think I will pick up a 900 after the holidays for the living room! And, shoot, this is the year of the Rokus for Christmas, next year may be the year of the Harmony Remotes!

[FLskydiver]

For me, the perfect Harmony hasn't quite been released yet. It lies somewhere between the 900 and the One.

I love my Harmony One, but I miss the extra four colored (physical) buttons that the 900 adds to the layout. I have a DirecTV DVR, and those buttons are gold. The touch screen of course works, but I'd rather have physical buttons.

All my stuff is line of sight, so I don't need RF. RF does make for a more versatile remote, however, and it is nice to use on a cold night when you want to keep your hand under the blankets.

HOWEVER:

The 900 isn't ideal either, for it lacks, for some unknown and unexplained reason, in-activity macros. This is simply a software hindrance that I don't understand.

I use macros daily. On my DirecTV activity, mostly for one-button toggling of sub-titles (the remote sends the necessary sequence of button pushes with just one touch). I also use macro's to call up the "Manage Recordings" menu and some other options that require a few menu screens to get through too.

Macros give people who really go all out customizing the hell out of their remotes ultimate control. It stinks they aren't included on what otherwise would be the flagship "single-handed" model.

And maybe I just have slightly bigger hands than this reviewer, but I find the Harmony One to be nothing less than the most perfectly ergonomic, comfortable to hold, and well balanced remote ever made; at the exact perfect weight.

P.S. I do agree, the PS3 Adapter is a must buy add-on. Try to get it as part of a bundle.

[Bill]

My PS3 is no longer my main Blu-ray player - but I still use it often enough that it's in no danger of ever going away. Anytime I play a Blu-ray on my PS3, I grab and hold the official, Sony PS3 blu-ray remote, and I make sure that any other remote that can control volume/muting on my receiver is within reach. Of the many remotes on the coffee table, nearly all of them have been programmed with volume and mute control for the receiver. So - with volume control within reach and with the Sony PS3 Blu-ray remote in-hand, I'm ready to watch my movie.

I like the Sony PS3 Blu-ray remote because I know where the physical buttons are. I can quickly - by touch - find the buttons for Top Menu, Title Menu, menu control/select. Or rewind/ff/skip forward/skip backward/pause. Or - fairly important - Info display, Audio (change audio tracks), and Subtitle control. And lastly Eject and Power.

If I were to switch to a Harmony remote and the PS3 add-on, for the functionality of use during movie playback - what would the Harmony provide? What makes it better than the official Sony PS3 Blu-ray remote? Anything? And could I still control all of the functions I listed with physical buttons? Or would I have to program one or more of those functionalities to a touch-screen button/paging system?

[FLskydiver]

^ With a Harmony you NEVER have to give up the features or buttons of any remote you currently use. Every physical button on your old remotes is mapped to the physical buttons on the harmony; any leftover hard buttons on your old remotes are included in the soft buttons on the Harmony's touch screen LCD; and any of the Harmony's hard buttons can be remapped to send any button press or macro of your choosing. Plus, Harmony's software often allows remote features your hardware was programmed with but were left of the original manufacturer remote.

Plus, the incredibly well designed layout of the Harmony One or 900 improves on factory remotes in a number of ways. Here are a few examples:

The PS3's massive "stop" button — Hit it by accident when you are looking for pause (in the dark, the PS3 remote is not backlit) and it can take five minutes to find your way back to the same part of the movie. I did that often enough that this alone is worth the price of the remote.

DirecTV's "active" button — accidentally push that and say goodbye to your up to 90 minutes of live buffer. Before I got a Harmony, I had to shave that button off all my DirecTV remotes with a knife.

All non-backlit remotes — Harmony One and 900 are backlit. 'Nuff said.

All poorly designed remotes — Now you can save the batteries, and toss the crap remotes all in a box and put them somewhere in the attic of basement. You won't be needing them.

[kayesque]

I just picked up the 1100 last week for $200, refurbished (logitech.com). Once I played with it a bit, I bought the ps3 adapter and the RF extender. PS3 adapter was necessary for obvious reasons. The RF extender is gold, though -- I tire of pointing the 1100 at everything while the macro completes (one is over 17 seconds) and it's just hard to hit every device from everywhere I want to use the remote -- so for the cost, this was essential -- it's so cheap!

I am a happy camper. I have some gripes and not everything is perfectly set up but it's still a dream.