Home Video : Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal

I've owned several other "universal/programmable" remotes,
all under $250. This one is the best so far. However, it's
not perfect.

What I do like is that the buttons are a good set and
work well with Tivo (many other remotes don't), my DVD player, my Cable set-top box, and my TV.

Another likable attribute is that the Web programmable UI
is pretty comprehensive and that there are many many
opportunities to remap buttons.

Okay, now the downsides:

1) Less than stellar ergonomics. The oval arrows (up, down, left, right) ring is too small for my hands (and I have small hands). It's uncomfortable to operate Tivo menus using this ring. The volume and channel buttons are too
stylistic to operate comfortably with your eyes off the
remote. Logitech designers should take styling cues from
the Sony Tivo remote.

2) The WebUI is very clunky. All programming operations must be done via the Web UI. The UI is appallingly slow.
There is no reason for the UI to be as slow as it is.

3) The default key mappings are not always correct and will
take multiple iterations with the slow Web UI to get it
right. But atleast you can eventually "get it right".

4) The Activities menus and Help features are interesting
and more "intelligent" than most other remotes -- they
remember the operating state of all components. However,
if the state is not correct for any reason (a component is
on when the remote thinks it is off), you can end up in
20-questions hell as the Help walks you through each
component one-by-one-by-one-by-one. I really want a menu
of buttons for changing power and A/V inputs on a component
by component basis. You can add these virtual buttons to
the menu yourself, however, there is no macro feature for
programming a sequence such as "TV/Video menu, 5" to get
your Tivo input set up correctly on the TV.

So, should you buy it? Well, the wife and baby sitter can
now operate the AV system with a single remote. I've yet
to teach my 6 year old to operate the system with the remote
(he has, however, mastered the Tivo remote).

Maybe Logitech will listen and a future software update
will get me the features I want.

It's a tough call. At the price, it's a bit expensive. It
does work as advertised, but there is certainly room for
improvement. Hide Full Review

Much research on the web showed many (mostly) negative reviews and this made me uneasy but I decided to take the plunge based on the positive reviews I read. I consider myself above-average when it comes to configurining electronics.

Equipment I needed to set up included a Samsung DLP 50" TV, Toshiba HDDVD, a Panasonic HT system that's about 4 or 5 years old, XBOX 360, and a Motorola HD DVR cable box.
My configuration is as follows:
Watch TV: TV on and set to S-Video, Motorolla cable box on, HT on and set to Aux. Watch a DVD: TV on and set to HDMI, HT on and set to TV, Toshiba on. Play XBOX: TV on and set to component 1, HT on and set to TV, XBOX on. Naturally, it took 4 remotes plus one game controller to do all of the different settings plus having to go in and out of menus.

The remote arrived and I immediately liked the asthetics of it. It appears to be well-made. The battery had enough charge to begin programming it. I managed to get everything set up via the USB and software. Entering the devices was very easy. All I had to do was write down the make and model numbers. There were a few problems synching the devices to power up and down together but the remote's built-in help quickly solved it.

I did have one problem. It was getting the DVR and OnDemand buttons on the LCD screen. I called Logitech customer support and was not on hold very long when a lady attempted to help me. Unfortunately, she did not speak or understand English very well. While she really did try to help, it just wasn't working and I ended the call. At this point, I was really thinking about returning the remote because I simply couldn't get the two buttons on the screen. After a bit more fidgeting with the remote, I decided to call back to see if I got someone else. A very cheerful guy answered and quickly solved my issue for me. He could actually go into my software on his end and set up the remote the way I wanted. I found out he was on the West Coast. After call #1, I was afraid Logitech does what many computer companies do, and have call centers manned overseas.

I now have everything working perfectly and couldn't be happier with my purchase. Logitech sent a customer satisfaction survey following my second call. I never received one from my first experience.

The remote is an absolute joy to operate. My wife loves it and my 4 former remotes are safely tucked away in a drawer. MOST OF THE NEGATIVE REVIEWS SEEM TO BE CENTERED AROUND BATTERY CHARGING AND/OR PROGRAMMING THE REMOTE. MY BATTERY CHARGES VERY WELL AND IF YOU CAN NOT GET THE REMOTE TO SET-UP PROPERLY, CALL TECH SUPPORT, THEY WILL MAKE IT WORK FOR YOU IN A TIMELY MANNER. Hide Full Review

This remote is very important because it actually deals with graphical input when controlling multiple sources putting you into a management position instead of scrambling to find other remotes. It's also better for the environment because of the ability to recharge with a lithium ion battery. In this new green generation we should find this a very valuable addition. Also it is very important because it is one of the first aftermarket remotes that actually interacts with a DVR which sets another standard for remote controls for any couch potato or those that use their TV as a display and learning tool this is a very important product. Hide Full Review

If you have 3,4 or 5 remotes to control your home theater system then this is your honey. Setting it up for basic operations (Watch TV, DVD, etc) is a cake. Considering their remote code database is so expansive, you may not even have to do anything except enter your components model numbers. Bad thing is, if you want to make the remote more user friendly you're out of luck. You can't rearrange functions under each device as you see fit. And doing any kind of advanced programing is out of the question because the setup software is very restrictive in this arena. Hide Full Review

I am fairly particiular when it comes to my AV equiptment... I received this product...and had everything all set up w/ TV, Receiver, Cable box (HD DVR), DVD & PS2 in no time at all.

very intuitive..had one small change to the remote that I could not make using their on-line software....I called the logitech help line on SUNDAY and they quickly "sent" the instructions to my remote while I was online and the phone with them.

outstanding support!! my cable box DVR works great with it as well... wife is very happy with the ease of use... outstanding Hide Full Review