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| Brand: Logitech
Category: CE
List Price: $499.99
Buy New: $299.99
You Save: $200.00 (40%)
New (51) from $295.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  273 reviews
Color: Silver
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 5
Dimensions (in): 10.7 x 7.4 x 3.4
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: 966230-0403
Model: 966230-0403
UPC: 097855042224
EAN: 0097855042224
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 Colossal disappointment February 18, 2007
21 out of 26 found this review helpful
This device is a great disappointment to me; I was waiting for it with great anticipation. After multiple reinstallations I still could not get to the manual so what I am writing is based on reverse engineering the options presented by the software.
The remote is based around the idea of activities. The user first tells the software about the components that will be controlled by the remote. The software then allocates groups of components to activities. For example, a dvd player and a tv can be combined into the "Watch DVD" activity. When an activity is selected the remote takes you to the corresponding activity screen which contains control buttons Logitech designed for the activity. E.g. with "Watch DVD" you may get standard Play/Pause/FF/etc controls. It is also possible to control devices (e.g. a dvd player) directly if some button or control sequence is missing from the activity screen.
If you think that predefined activity screens cover what you need from the remote then this may well be the device you will be perfectly happy with. But read on ...
Activity screens are fixed; there is no way to edit layouts or even the button labels. Some buttons can be disabled by disassociating them from a command but they still appear on the screen.
The pictures in the advertising materials hint on multiple screens of colourful, customizable buttons. In reality you get the following screens: dvd like control screen, numerical screen, activity screen and the devices screen. You can customize rows of drab grey buttons (labels only, not the appearance), but as far as smart controls go this is it.
The software is full of quirks and is extremely inflexible. You can not pick the devices to include in an activity; the soft decides this for you. For example, for some inexplicable reason the software insists on including my portable media player in the "Watch TV" activity together with my Satellite PVR and the TV. I could find no way to convince it not to do this (the soft simply refuses to define the activity without the player) or to remove the media player from the activity once it has been defined.
Devices can also be controlled individually by choosing the appropriate section for the component from the devices screen. If Logitech has your component in their comprehensive database it will map the functions of the component remote onto pages upon pages of uninspiring grey buttons. I heard that Logitech is spending hundreds of millions of dollars on programming for Harmony remotes. If this is so I am at a bit of a loss as to where this money goes. Device screens have surely been designed by a monkey.
To give an example of this programming brilliance; on the device screen for my Satellite TV/PVR the fast forward button is on screen 4, reverse button is on screen 5 and the play button is on screen 6. So to fast forward I need to scroll to page 4, then scroll down two pages and press play. If it overshoots I then have to go back a page click reverse, scroll down again... well, you get the picture. Buttons can be remapped, so they can be placed in a sensible order but be prepared to spend a lot of time with the software. Again, you can edit button labels but not the appearance of the buttons.
The remote comes with something called remote assistance that pops up unhelpful messages once in a while. Every time it does so you need to click two or three buttons to get back to the main screen. I think of it as Clippy (remember the old MS office) for the new millennium. I could find no way to disable it.
Pros:
Looks good and appears to be well constructed. Comfortable to hold in two hands.
Works as advertised if you are happy with activities as they are defined by Logitech software.
Cons:
The glossy black plastic around the touch screen is of the type that shows every fingerprint.
Can not be operated with one hand.
Inflexible button layouts; lack of customizable buttons.
Useless standard device layouts.
Awful software. Terrible help system.
Annoying remote assistance software.
 Nice Look and Feel, Same Great Features, Same Sluggish Software January 30, 2007
20 out of 21 found this review helpful
I have just received my 1st H1000. It is basically as I'd expected from the Harmony line-up. I'm a professional in the sound and video industry and have programmed and setup almost all the Harmony remotes that have been out. The H1000 is pretty much the same to set up as the other remotes. The biggest change that this remote brings is a simpler interface. If any of you are familiar with the H880 or H890 then you know how small some of the buttons are and how this can be difficult for some people to operate. This remote certainly will help in that regard. After selecting an activity such as 'watch DVD' for example; each activity has multiple screens associated with it. Touching the top left corner 'play/pause' icon brings up the main transport control icons on-screen, touching the bottom left small 123 icon brings up the number buttons, touching the bottom right 'star' icon brings up user custom buttons, and the top right 'disc' icon brings up... well nothing yet as I am able to program. It looks promising however. The programming interface is the same as it's been with the other remotes and when you 'customize buttons' the software automatically maps out which of the four corners that button will fall under. There is no way that I've found to custom map what buttons go in each of the four screens. I found a feature under 'devices' that allowed me to input the DVD Disc Names of the DVD's in my Sony 400 Disc Changer. I entered 20 names and updated the remote expecting them to be available under the top right 'disc' icon, but they weren't there! So my biggest complaint like before would have to be the software interface that allows you to program these remotes. It took me over 30 mins. just to upgrade the firmware, (not optional - it makes you do it before proceeding). I had to take the battery out and reset the remote 5 times to get it to finish. I think that Harmony had a great thing going that was new and inventive, cutting edge, before Logitech stepped in an bought them out. Now I'm feeling a little sold out. I still see the creative force driving these products, but it seems that rather than focusing on innovation, Logitech has focused on reaping the rewards of a past innovation. They really do need to update the software and test it more. This is the only draw back. You will have to work with the software to get it right. However once you do you will certainly enjoy this remote. It feels right in the hand, one or two hands. It has a responsive touch screen, and a bright clear display. Some minor issues: The hard button Volume and Channel buttons are hard to see in the dark even with the backlighting of the button, I did get them confused a few times at first. (You just can't read the blue etched 'vol' and 'ch' very well) The speaker volume is a little low even at max volume if you want to hear feedback clicks as you operate the remote. Other than that I really do like the remote. I've given it four stars because compared to what else is out there, Universal Remotes MX3000, Philips Pronto, Crestron, etc.. this really is a little wonder! I just wish the programming software would work like it is suppose too!
 I have rarely been so disappointed September 15, 2007
15 out of 18 found this review helpful
The box it comes in is spectacularly embossed with a 3D representation of the remote yet it is illogical and frustrating when asked to perform its purpose in life (to open).... a sign, alas, of things to come.
I have rarely been so disappointed with a purchase, particularly from Logitech; a company I always held in high regard from previous experience. To charge such a high price for a product which is not really usable in any practical sense, and then provide third-rate customer service is unforgivable.
The good points are the overall concept, the cool way it turns on when you pick it up, and the touch-screen interface.
The negatives start with the software which insists on only operating each time after a secure sign-in (god forbid, after all, that some high tech criminal conglomerate will gain illegitimate access to my TV remote settings) and will only work properly in one specific screen resolution.
Once set up the remote has a very narrow field of aim. This is a major issue as you press one button to activate all devices and, to be blunt, if any device is more than 18 inches from another the remote is next to useless.
If your TV (or other device) scrolls through inputs rather than has a button assigned to each do not purchase this remote as it will drive you nuts. It fails to find the correct channel on my Sony LCD TV about 70% of the time.
The help menu is cumbersome. When my Sony TV fails to go to the correct channel I have to answer every time the same 11, yes 11, yes-no questions to fix the issue. Even on the rare occasions it gets everything right you have to answer two questions before you can start using the remote. Surely it could be programmed to learn which are the most likely issues and ask questions relating to them first.
Some devices, for example my cable company's DVR, have important buttons missing from the remote's main screen. For example if I want to erase a recording it needs to be confirmed by pressing a button marked `A' on the original remote... to access this single button on the Harmony requires a complex sequence of 6 button presses.
There is no specific support of surround sound devices so do not purchase this remote expecting to control them. I consider this a major omission as most folks who would spend this much on a remote have probably purchased surround sound.
I emailed customer service (the contact method they prefer) and after 10 days received a response which was clearly automated and did not even attempt to cover my specific issues.
Logitech 1000 February 1, 2007
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
just received this remote via overnight on mon jan 29th. i ordered direct from logitech and received a 20% discount off the total price. i had called logitech to ask them to notify me when it was in stock about a month ago, but maybe you can still get this bonus.
regarding the remote, i have mixed feelings. i have it hooked up to a samsung lns4095d lcd, directv hr20 hd dvr, an onkyo tx 804 receiver, ps3, xbox 360 and lutron lighting system. the onkyo receiver also has an ipod dock connected. first the good: as usual, the PC programming on the remote is much easier than programming macros on other similar remotes. i had to use IR learning to make the remote work with my ipod dock and customized the buttons, and this worked flawlessly. the activity buttons (e.g. watch tv, watch dvd) function very well, usually powering on and off all components and setting them to the correct inputs (BTW, i am using this without the RF extender). by adjusting the delay between signals, you can correct any problems with the the component's reception. samsung tvs take a long time to power on, but i had no difficulty in getting mine to change to the correct input by increasing the signal delay time. in the event one of the components did not receive a signal, you can press a help button which will walk you through and correct any problems with power or input. you can save up to 24 favorite channels and add logos. plus, this is a hell of a lot cheaper than a crestron or AMX system, and you program it all yourself, if you only want to control a simple one room home theater setup. my wife was still somewhat upset about the price, but after using the remote for an hour or so, she was thrilled at not having to ask for help watching tv anymore.
the not so good: the onscreen and hard buttons work well, but you often have to change through more than one screen to find the button you need, particularly with a component with many settings (e.g. receiver). as another reviewer noted, the blue lights on the vol and channel buttons are indistinguishable in the dark. when i tried to customize the buttons on my dvr component, the lcd screen stopped displaying any of the buttons (play, pause, rew, ff, pause, menu, guide, info, exit) necessary to contorl the dvr functions. the hard buttons still functioned normally, but i had to remove and add the component via PC setup to fix this problem, and it persisted even after several tries. so now i have the basic contorols for my dvr on screen, but could not program the skip forward or skip backward commands, one of my favorite features of the dvr, to the arrow hard buttons. I contacted logitech support via e mail and an awaiting a response.
overall, i am pleased with this product, and although it seems expensive, it straddles the line between a total home automation product and more simple universal remotes. however, it takes some knowledge of how components function to program the remote correctly. i took me at least two hours of tweaking to work out most of the kinks.
 The epitomy of convenience. August 30, 2007
14 out of 14 found this review helpful
If you have more than one electronic component for your home entertainment needs, then you need a Logitech Universal Remote!
I'm guessing that if you are the one who set up your home entertainment system you have gotten a call from your spouse or significant other. During this call, their voice likely sounded extremely frustrated and their question may have sounded a lot like this: "All I want to do is watch my favourite show, how in the %!&$ do I work this stuff?!"
While you may be savvy enough to set the TV to "Input 1", the receiver to "Video 2" and so on, your loved ones find it infuriating. Trust me on this one.
The answer is a Harmony Universal Remote from Logitech.
These remotes take the complicated combinations of inputs & outputs and reduce them to a simple one-touch button like "Watch TV". When the user pushes the button, the remote takes care of turning on the appropriate devices and setting each one to the right inputs. It really is that easy.
Now for the usual questions...
Q: "How does the remote know what settings to use?"
A: This will take a little of your time, but it is EASY. You will spend about a half an hour setting up the remote the *first time* you use it. The easy-to-use software loads on your PC and asks you what gear you own and what your configuration is like.
Q: "What do you do when it doesn't work?"
A: Every now and again you will hit the "activity" you want but maybe the sound doesn't come on. There is a convenient HELP button on the remote that will ask you a short series of questions. All you do is answer a few "Yes or No" questions and it will fix the problem 99% of the time.
Q: What if I don't want to spend $300 on a remote?
A: If the price for the Harmony 1000 is a little high for you tastes, then look at one of these: Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control or Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control.
The 890 is essentially the 1000, but with a smaller display and shaped like a "normal" remote. The 880 is the 890 without the RF feature included in both the 1000 and 890. The RF feature allows you to control your gear without direct line of sight- behind a cabinet door for example. Bear in mind the RF feature requires an RF Extender: Logitech Harmony RF Wireless Extender
In conclusion, this product is so amazingly useful that I think everyone should own one. Any issues others may describe are insignificant next to the benefits you will reap.
My wife, who just doesn't understand our A/V system at all, got acclimated to this remote in about 45 seconds. Since purchasing the remote I have never had to answer one of those "How do I work this thing?" calls.
Do yourself and your loved ones a favour and buy this remote right now.
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