http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/ Engadget Comments for http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 6:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
Well no, since it's not Bluetooth. However, there is already a remote that Logitech makes for the PS3, so technically it doesn't matter.

Such is the peril of using technology other than IR...]]>Mar 31st 2010 6:33AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
Well now you mention it my Harmony 555 doesn't control my oven! It's now universal!!!

Seeing as Sony decided to use a technology other than that every other media device on the planet that comes with a remote uses what is it you expect Logitech to do apart from developing the PS3 adapter they've been selling for a couple of years now?]]>Mar 31st 2010 6:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 7:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
My PS3 Slim supports HDMI-CEC as does my Panasonic TV set. So while I'm playing PS3, remote commands sent to the TV get forwarded to my PS3 as HDMI-CEC instructions.

Yes, it's cheating, but it works well and it means I don't have to pay Logitech's absurd price for the Harmony PS3 adapter.

If you have a PS3 Slim and a TV that supports HDMI-CEC, give it a shot.]]>Mar 31st 2010 9:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
That's pretty freaking cool. Too bad my TV doesn't support it.]]>Mar 31st 2010 10:43AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
Are you sure? Even mid-range TVs support it these days, and manufacturers use a variety of brand names for it such as Viera Link (Panasonic), Bravia Sync (Sony), AnyNet (Samsung) and Aquos Link (Sharp.) They almost never refer to it directly as HDMI-CEC.]]>Mar 31st 2010 1:09PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 3:28PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/I would expect Logitec to add bluetooth so I can control my PS3 Slim. So it becomes a Universal Remote like it says, for all AV appliances.

I got downranked for saying what I did, but considering that lot of us use a PS3 for BR/DVD playback, it sucks that I have to buy a dongle on top of a remote (both from Logitec I might add), so I could fully replace DS controller, and have ONE remote to control all.

/rant]]>Mar 31st 2010 4:49PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
HDMI-CEC is the spawn of Satan's own loins. The worst thing to ever happen to home theater electronics since Monster Cables. However way you've managed to get around the control issues that almost always crop up with macro based remotes and HDMI-CEC, it almost never works right. ]]>Apr 1st 2010 3:05AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
works well with my toshiba tv as well. I use my tv remote almost more than the sony sucky bluetooth remote.]]>Apr 2nd 2010 1:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 6:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
Yep. So much nicer juggling between three or four remotes to watch a DVD..

]]>Mar 31st 2010 6:38AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 10:18AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
]]>Mar 31st 2010 10:44AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
You can remap virtually EVERY key to this remote through the software. So, while the label may not be the exact same as the factory remote you can retain the same functionality 99% of the time.

I don't find my Harmony remotes any slower than the OEM remotes that ship with my devices.]]>Mar 31st 2010 11:27AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Have you ever used a Harmony One, or any of the other Harmony remotes? I can say the same for my FiOS Remote, or my Onkyo remote, and neither of them do half the things the Harmony does. I have owned 4 of these remotes, and each generation has gotten so much better. The H1 is a thing of beauty and replaces 6 remotes in my setup. So yeah, it HAS to have a lot of buttons, but my family has no problem using it in my setup.]]>Mar 31st 2010 12:52PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Universal remotes in general, agreed. Especially when you go for the lower end of the market. The "type in a number and cross your fingers" type are horrible. Even the learning remotes are a pain.

But these are not low end remote handsets. It took me about 3 minutes to set up all my devices for basic use, and a few days of tweaking to get the activity based macros just right. Now I have, it's a doddle to switch to the right input and just enjoy my setup.

I got the slightly more expensive 555 model at Christmas. And I still feel it was money well spent. If the application worked in Linux, it would be perfect. ]]>Mar 31st 2010 10:44PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
i was referring to the visual impact of the device, not the functionality]]>Apr 1st 2010 2:53AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
And dont get me started on TV sets. One reason why I dont buy any Samsung equipment, for example, is their absurb gloss fetish that goes as far as making the otherwise good technology behind it suffer from horrible reflections in any room that is not pitch black all the time.

To answer my first question though, it is clear. Its the people who buy this crap. They want this cheap bling-bling look. Sad, sad world.]]>Mar 31st 2010 6:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Well maybe you should try cleaning your gadgets every once in a while, my remotes never get smudges, collect dust or such.
But yeah im not american and we tend to eat at the Dining table and take breaks from eating. ]]>Mar 31st 2010 6:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 8:12AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 11:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 3:02PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 7:08AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
Most online retailers play off the fact people for some reason, despite being on the net, tend not to shop around. You can get this thing, with no screen, for £59.99...or you could get the 555 for £40, or the 525 for £42.90, both brand new and with free delivery from Amazon.co.uk.

The people who benefit the most from this are eBay sellers. I tried to pick up a WDTV Live (£95 from Amazon) for a bargain price, but idiots keep bidding USED ones up to well over £100.]]>Mar 31st 2010 9:55AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
(obviously this is not an example of one that would have replaced my remote anyway, but it got me thinking about the other remotes they offer)]]>Mar 31st 2010 7:14AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 7:16AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 7:30AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
I have the 100, with the touch screen and it is a pain because, whenever you want to confirm an action, such as answering the asinine: "Do you REALLY want to record this," you have to look at the touch screen to find the yellow triangle with the "A" in it to press it.

It would be much easier, I think, the find the raised yellow button on this new model - especially as you could keep your eyes on the TV!]]>Mar 31st 2010 7:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 7:49AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
Logitech just make all the remotes 15 devices. The limits on Harmony remotes are just marketing limits,]]>Mar 31st 2010 7:59AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 8:02AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 8:01AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 11:57AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
Guess they are showing us who this product is aiming for....]]>Mar 31st 2010 8:20AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
What? You mean people who don't want to pay 200 dollars for a freaking remote control?]]>Mar 31st 2010 8:58AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 9:24AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 9:31AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
It's not a question of know how. It's a question of ease. If you have a 6 or 7 device set-up, manually entering codes and learning functions (traditional remote set-up) can take hours. In many cases it simply just doesn't work as well as you want. On top of that you need to walk through a series of steps unless the remote functions decent macro capabilities.

Contrast that with the Harmony set-up. You type in your devices on the website. It asks a few questions (like when you watch TV what device controls the volume) that virtually anyone can understand. When you are done the macros are created for you for.

In my case, when I press "Watch TV" the remote does the following :
-- Turns on TV
-- Sets TV to Input 1
-- Turns on DirectTV receiver
-- Turns on audio receiver
-- Turns receiver on to satellite
-- Turns off Media Center / Xbox / Blu Ray drive

So, while my old remote could do all these things, I literally had 9 button presses to simulate what Harmony's single Activity does. ]]>Mar 31st 2010 11:35AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
Let's be honest here. Your Fios remote might be able to control all your devices, I'll guarantee that you are most likely the only one in your house hold who knows what needs to be turned on or switched to. I had 6 remotes sitting on my table at one point and my fiance simply said 'No.' to that. I can switch remotes like nobodies business but sometimes simplicity is the best way to go. ]]>Apr 1st 2010 3:10AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Apr 1st 2010 9:12PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 9:32AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 9:46AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
yep. thats the one downside to the harmonys. i love my harmony one... bt ive had it for a few years now, and its wearing out (it was a gift). i wouldnt spend $300 on a remote to replace it... but cant get any of the lesser models because i have too many gadgets to control. ]]>Mar 31st 2010 10:07AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Do buttons wear out? I had this issue with other Logitech remotes but I was hoping Harmony One will be more durable. How many years did u have it?]]>Mar 31st 2010 11:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 10:22AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/Mar 31st 2010 11:21AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
Sounds like trouble.

]]>Mar 31st 2010 11:25AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/31/logitech-harmony-300-eschews-lcd-screen-for-universal-affordabil/
This is the biggest issue that I see. I use the Help quite frequently - my audio receiver is fickle at times. While it's pretty easy for me to troubleshoot what went wrong in the process asking my wife or kids to do the same thing will only lead to frustration.]]>Mar 31st 2010 11:37AM