One Remote To Rule Them All

I proudly have numerous remote controls on display in my den. My wife, however, does not share my pride -- she finds the collection to be annoying. A friend had a solution: the Logitech Harmony 670 remote control. What better way to satisfy all parties than to invest in one remote to rule them all.

I can appreciate that the Harmony remote caters to a particular segment of the population, basically geeks with complicated AV setups (read: me) that either want the convenience of a single remote or have a significant other demanding the convenience of a single remote. Either way, the Harmony 670 is an advanced universal remote, one that requires more work than pointing two remotes at each other or typing in a four-digit code.

First, you’ll need to collect the model numbers of all the components you will want the Harmony to control. This isn’t a big deal, unless your components have their model numbers printed on the back of the unit instead of the front. Once you have collected your model numbers, you’ll need to install some software on your computer, wait for the unavoidable online update, then create a user ID. Finally, you get to the fun part -- creating a personalized universal remote designed specifically around the components in your home.

What’s cool about the Harmony is that it will walk you through all the steps, making sure your remote will provide you with the functionality you need for various AV activities. It’s also going to make you think about how your components work and interact with each other. When you’re done designing the ultimate remote control workflows, you connect the Harmony to your computer via USB so it can be automatically programmed.

The remote itself fits comfortably in your hand and is clearly designed with TiVo and other PVR users in mind, with common playback controls and a D-pad within thumb’s reach.

At the top of the remote, “activity” buttons let you watch a movie, watch TV, or listen to music with the touch of one button. That’s right, press one button and the Harmony turns on your TV, receiver, DVD player, or whatever components are required for the activity of your choice. The remote automatically controls the proper component -- for example, when watching a DVD, your Harmony will control your DVD player, not your TiVo. An LCD screen provides a window to various controls not assigned to specific buttons on the remote.

At least, that is what’s supposed to happen. To be honest, I’ve had some issues with the Harmony 670. It had problems with my Toshiba TV and Pioneer receiver, so it took a little more work to program than expected (though I was able to solve the problem without having to resort to a phone call to customer service).

In its defense, the remote has a help feature that will go through component by component to solve your problem. For example, if I press the “Watch A Movie” activity button and I don¹t see or hear my DVD, the Harmony will make sure that my TV is turned on and switched to the proper source, then it will troubleshoot my DVD player, followed by my receiver. I appreciate that the remote is willing to work hard to get everything to function, but I¹d prefer it just work right the first time. This process is ponderous.

Perhaps what is most frustrating about the Harmony remote is that it¹s not supposed to be frustrating. It¹s supposed to work. Period. Unfortunately, it doesn¹t always do what it is supposed to do. My wife quickly took a liking to the Harmony, but cast it aside after less than a week. It just couldn’t seem to reliably find the proper TV input. For her, it was simply easier to go back to the standard TiVo remote and choose her input instead of fumbling through the Harmony’s exhaustive help screen to fix the problem.

I had better luck with the Harmony remote with the secondary AV system in my home. This time, it had no problem controlling my Vizio LCD TV (though the brand name was misspelled online) and other components. In fact, it’s safe to say that the new remote will have a permanent home controlling my less complicated system. I suppose I needed a universal remote in that room, anyway.

When you’re spending in the neighborhood of $100 for a universal remote control, you want -- you expect -- perfection. There is a lot to like with the Logitech Harmony 670, but its performance is far from perfect.