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| Brand: Logitech
Category: CE
List Price: $149.99
Buy New: $99.23
You Save: $50.76 (34%)
New (52)
Avg. Customer Rating:  288 reviews
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 3
Dimensions (in): 8 x 10 x 6
Warranty: 1 year warranty
MPN: 915-000002
Model: 915-000002
UPC: 097855042927
EAN: 0097855042927
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
Works great, some setup hassles February 10, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
As with many items, this remote seems to get 4-5 stars or 0-1. People seem to love it or hate it. I was a little worried after reading things like: "buttons so small I can't read them." The button size and text size are comparable to any other remote out there. If you can read a newspaper you could easily read the buttons. If the buttons are too small, you must have large fingers. I have 4 remotes I hoped to consolidate with this unit. They are: 27" Hitachi TV, RCA DVD, XBOX 360, Dish Network DVR-510. Surprisingly the Dish receiver/DVR was the only problem. Since it is such a common unit I thought it would be set up easily. I picked the unit out from the wizard and it seemed like everything should be fine. It asked me to beam my old remote at the rear of the Harmony. I tried this, but it would never pick up any signals. I thought this might be due to the fact that the Dish remote is UHF in addition to being IR. I could never get it to work no matter how many times I tried. I tried several different configurations with the wizard to no avail. I finally decided to try having the Harmony sense the old remotes output again and it finally picked it up after quite some time trying. This solved all problems but skip forward and skip back. I used the learn function, and although the software predicted that it wouldn't work, it did. I can easily see how someone would become annoyed if they have such setup trouble; I was quite annoyed myself until I figured it out. The overall quality of the remote seems to be about 4 out of 5. Probably 90% of people will experience no trouble whatsoever. Even if you do, you are likely able to solve the problem if you persevere.
 The best purchase I have ever made April 24, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I searched Amazon and about a dozen other sites for weeks, reading reviews, comparing features, looking for sales, and even though I found this off Amazon for a special deal several weeks back, I love Amazon and wanted to share my experience with other potential buyers since this is where I come for product info and reviews.
I chose this model over the higher end Logitech models because this has slightly larger buttons, even though it isn't as fancy (it's also less expensive). After a few searches, I realized that the Logitech Harmony brand was the only remote really worth looking at for ease of use, both the remote itself and the software used to set it up.
I liked the design of this remote as the layout of the buttons most closely resembles my TiVo remote. My biggest concern was whether my wife could use the remote. We have an older TV, newer odd-model Onkyo AV receiver, TiVo, cable box, DVD player, VCR, and an old Technics Tape deck and CD player. I needed something that could be used for everything easily. This purchase was much more for my wife than for me. If you could read her review of the remote from the standpoint of someone who fears new technology and hates having to use complex remote controls, you would buy this remote instantly.
I am what you would call a Power User, where I like to customize everything in extreme detail and this remote lets me do this. It also is very easy to use once it is configured. One of my devices was not found in the Logitech database, but I pointed the old remote at the back of the Harmony and it figured out what it needed to do. Now, instead of using two remotes for most things and three or four if we want to do something other than watch basic TV or TiVo, this remote does everything with minimal button clicks.
I've read a couple of complaints that people feel the software is too confusing or takes too long to set up - it's not for complete novices or people who want something to work out of the box with no setup, but I challenge you to find a remote that will work as well as this one without some configuration. Some slightly less than obvious features need to be brought closer to the main configuration screens, such as leaving my TiVo and cable box on when I turn everything else off, but all in all, this remote is really fantastic. Mac users - the software works beautifully in Mac OS X, but I expected no less from Logitech. Using the software makes it obvious that adding or removing a device and/or activities (such as "Watch TV" or "Play VCR" or "Watch DVD") should be easy, and if I need a replacement remote, I can simply plug the remote into the computer and click one or two buttons and be off with a fully customized remote again in two or three minutes. My guess is that the remote stays configured when the batteries die, but even if it doesn't, you can simply plug it in with the new batteries and the software will reconfigure it.
I also heard a few people complain about battery life. I have had it working for about six weeks straight and it is still going strong. Even if the batteries don't last forever, how much do 4 AA batteries really cost when compared to the convenience of this remote? It is an excellent trade-off in my mind.
Now that it is set up, it is so easy to use, it's not even funny. You point the remote at your stuff, press a button and leave it pointed until the indicator light on the remote says it's done turning everything on or off (1-3 seconds). My in-laws and a couple of friends have seen it in action and now want the same model for themselves. My biggest complaint with this remote from the entire experience of taking it out of the box to using it every day for over a month now is that it takes some getting used to when you are so used to using other remotes, especially TiVo. The placement of the rewind, forward, pause and play buttons is a bit different than I am used to with the TiVo remote, but the other day, I went to my in-laws house to fix their TiVo and it took me a few minutes to get used to the TiVo remote which I used to think was the best remote ever. So if that is my biggest complaint, I have to think I made the right choice.
The remote has a built in Help screen which is really easy to use. My wife accidentally pointed the remote away from the screen too quickly the other day and it only turned on the TV and not the Receiver. So I told her to hit the Help button and within about twenty seconds, she had figured out (on her own) what to do, and now she doesn't need my help if the same thing happens again.
I highly recommend this remote if you are a DVR user with a lot of system components with the need for an easy to learn, easy to use remote, but be prepared to spend a good 30-45 minutes setting it up for the first time, and even longer if you are a power user like me or if you have a lot of system components. Being this was my first universal remote, based on what I have heard from friends and family who have had others in the past, this experience has been vastly superior to theirs.
Seriously, this is the best purchasing decision I have ever made, and I could not recommend a product any more highly than this.
 Does not work September 28, 2007
7 out of 8 found this review helpful
I have a very simple setup with no technology older than three years and this remote could not control my devices properly. I like Logitech and am a big fan of their trackballs and keyboards but this product let me down.
The remote has Action keys which when pressed power up numerous devices and set them correctly for use. But these action keys were never able to change my TV's input properly. Everytime I would power up it seemed that it randomly selected an input. Then some times it would get into a mode where it would start cycling my TV on and off based upon key presses that had nothing to do with the power.
Outside of the problems that I had it did have some other peculiar behaviors that I did not like.
I was very disappointed with Logitech.
 Good Start but not there yet December 11, 2006
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
I have had the Harmony 670 for about a month. I can see where they are going with it but it definitely needs improvement to make it useful. The set up was not bad and it handled most of my hardware. It did not handle my RF direct-tv receiver and it could not get the line-in on my Sony vcr to work correctly. I have worked around both of these problems but the main difficulty with this unit lies in the overall design. The buttons are tiny and very close together. The button labels are nearly unreadable because the font is so small. My eyesight is not perfect but I have no problem reading the newspaper without glasses. To read the labels on the harmony I have to have full light and magnifier glasses. Every logiteck device I own has been a delight to use but this thing will probably end up in the closet before long. This is a classic case of function suffering for form.
One of the Coolest, most Useful Gadgets I Own July 20, 2007
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Will this remote REALLY work with everything? That's the first question I asked myself when deciding whether to buy the Harmony 670. To me, $70 is a lot of money for a remote control. For me to spend $70 on a remote, it had better work perfectly. I understand that there are many more expensive remotes available, but still, the 670 is just a remote, right? Well it is just a remote, but it is a fantastic gadget that will replace all of your other remotes and make your entertainment experience much more enjoyable. To me, it was worth every penny.
I suspect that many people have had the same experience: you get a new piece of equipment that comes with a "universal remote," and though it claims to be universal, the new remote doesn't quite control everything. Of course, it will turn on your receiver, cable box, tv, etc, but it won't provide all of the functionality that the component's original remote provides. And so the remotes on the coffee table multiply until there is little room for a single coffee cup on an entire coffee table. Well, where other universals fail, the Harmony 670 succeeds. Currently, mine controls my receiver, CD player, DVD player, cable box, VCR, LCD TV, and yes, even my air conditioner. That means I replaced 7 remotes with the 670, and I haven't had to take out any of the 7 since I bought it. Every single function of every component can be controlled with the Harmony 670. Harmony indeed.
The 670 does take a little time to set up (circa 20 minutes), but once it's setup it works flawlessly. Hook it up to your computer ONCE through the USB, tell the setup program the required information (model numbers of your equipment and a few other tidbits), and you are good to go. If you go into the advanced setup menus, you can add additional equipment (e.g. an air conditioner). If the model of the equipment isn't listed (very rare), you can still teach the Harmony to work with a few simple clicks.
Once it's setup, tell the remote what you want to do. For example, if you want to watch TV, press "Watch TV." The remote turns on my cable box, TV, and stereo receives, and then it sets my TV and receiver to the proper inputs. Tired of watching TV, press "Watch Movie" and the remote turns off the cable box, turns on the DVD player, and switches my receiver and TV to the "DVD" inputs. Tired of watching everything? Press the "Off" button and the remote will turn off everything at once. Fantastic!
I have read some of the few negative reviews for this remote, and I have to say that I'm confused; I experienced NONE of the problems the lowest reviewers experienced. For example, one guy says that the USB port broke after a few weeks of hooking it up regularly. Well, there's no need to hook it up regularly. You just have to hook it up to the computer ONCE. Any of the other problems seem to be linked to the consumer's own computer or improper programming of the 670. I have not called customer support because setup was a breeze. The one negative thing that I can say about the 670 is that the "Help" button on the remote doesn't seem very helpful. Of course, I didn't need much help, so that's not enough of a downside to drop my rating from 5 to 4
So, I go along with the vast majority of the good reviews. The 670 is a must-have for anyone with a component A/V system or anyone with just a cable box, tv, and DVD player. It provides enough advanced features for advanced users, and is still friendly enough for parents who don't quite know how to turn on their DVD player and TV, while setting the TV to the correct input. Really, it's just a wonderful piece of technology. Unfortunately, it does not have a "Brew Coffee," "Make Popcorn," or "Pour Beer" button, but perhaps that will be on Logitech's next generation remotes. Happy Watching and Listening.
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