Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal

Price: $119.99 - $199

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The Only Remote You Need01/05/08

Pros:

Ease of use

Cons:

May be tricky to set-up for some

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.