Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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96 of 99 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderfully capable remote., October 2, 2005
I picked up this remote today at Wal-Mart, which is currently the only retailer carrying it.
Since a number of my friends have 600-series Harmony remotes, I decided to give it a go. I don't need program listings on my remote, nor a color screen. This remote does one thing, and does it well: Simplifies your life. I was previously juggling 5 remotes- not cool.
The unit comes with a USB to Mini-USB cable and a driver/application CD for Windows and (Mac) OS X. I can't comment on the Windows software, but the OS X software worked quite well. Uses some of the opensource Mozilla web technologies, too. That gets them a Gold Star, in my book.
The USB cable is used for programming the remote, based on programming data delivered from the website. The remote itself has a mini USB port on top, and an IR receiver on the bottom, for the off chance that you've found an unsupported device. With my setup, I had no need for it at all.
I can't comment on the Windows software, but the OS X software worked quite well.
Once I'd registered, and followed the extraordinarily simple "wizards" on their site, I was controlling my DirecTV TiVo PVR, Sony AV receiver, Phillips DVD player, and my XM Satellite Radio receiver. All in all, its now set up for 7 devices, all of which it controls flawlessly. No learning IR codes or punching in long digits.
My only (minor) gripe is that the DVR layout isn't the same as the TiVo remote- it has VCR-style Pause/Play/FF/RW controls. No biggie, actually.
The real test for me was giving it to my wife. She is in no way a technophobe, but she has a "thing" for things that "just work." If she has to fiddle with something, she won't use it. She picked up this remote, and a few clicks later, she "got it." I asked her to try to switch it to the DVD player, and she had no problem at all.
Outstanding remote. Very stylish, too.
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29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Device for Fiddlers, November 25, 2005
I programmed this remote using the Logitech Harmony Remote Software on my MacBook (Mac OS X 10.4.8). It is a marked improvement over the old web based system, and makes setting up the remote remarkably painless.
I chose this remote because of its manageably small number of buttons, something I could control in the dark. Sometimes, I wish for more buttons: closed caption, clear, PIP, etc. but in general I'm satisfied with the labels and choice. The buttons are of a variety of textures: rubberized playback controls, metallic volume controls, hard plastic navigation controls, contoured specialized buttons, etc; this aids blind usage. I don't care for the "Activity" button or the 4 raised buttons around the display, they are hard to press, and my wife especially has trouble pushing them.
My remote controls the following devices:
* Sony DVD player DVP-NS501P
* Dish Network 411 set top box
* Syntax LCD HDTV LT26HVX
* Phillips Series 1 TiVo HDR312
* Logitech Z-5500 Speakers
* Kensington iPod StereoDock
* LG LST-3510A HDTV Receiver/DVD Player
Harmony's database was missing a few codes for my Syntax TV, which I easily taught the remote with the learning wizard, and the direction buttons seemed to be sending out two presses instead of one, which I fixed by having the remote relearn these commands. None of the other devices required any training. It was also missing a few useful codes for the LG 3510A, again they were easily added.
I've had it for over a year and am generally satisfied with it. It makes the task of watching video from 4 different sources (satellite box, TiVo, DVD player, HDTV receiver) manageable. The new configuration application is fiddler friendly, and I've spent plenty of time getting things just right (for example I never want the cable box off because the TiVo might use it as a video source) and the site allows you to mark devices as always on.
Update: Do not let your baby chew on the end with the USB port. Baby saliva will ruin this remote. Believe me.
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24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Returned it with mixed emotions, January 4, 2006
This review, like the item in question is a dichotomy. I just returned mine to Wal-Mart after a two month love-hate relationship. I purchased it to control a Kenwood A/V receiver, a Panasonic DVD recorder, a Motorola set-top-box, and an H/P plasma TV. Since H/P TV's are new to the market and their IR codes are unique, most other remotes won't control them, but the Harmony's will (learning remotes would work but are cumbersome). When I saw that Wal-Mart carried the model 520 I high-tailed it to my local outlet to pick one up. My impression in the store was that it looked sharp but some of the buttons seemed rather small (something later confirmed).
I had no problem loading the software onto my Wintel XP PC. Configuring the remote took a little time but was no worse than I expected and was not terribly difficult. I had one issue that was easily resolved using the on-line troubleshooting guide (I needed to add a time-delay to one command). Given the tremendous versatility of this remote I think the setup software is logical and straightforward. If you get stuck there's a fairly good on-line help to assist you. I didn't need any personal support so I don't know how good (or bad) that is. I've seen other reviewers complain that some pieces of equipment would not consistently behave as programmed. This will occur if you don't keep the remote pointed at the equipment until all commands are executed. In my opinion this is reasonable and should be expected (you do NOT have to continually hold the button down). Even if this should happen, the remote has a nice interactive help button that will allow you quickly resolve the issue. So far so good, now to the bad part...
With the remote working the way I wanted I thought we'd settle into a long and happy relationship but almost immediately the poor quality of the hardware began to show. From day-one the DVD buttons would intermittently stick. The channel buttons were very small, forcing you to push them with your fingernail, but if you pushed too far the button would hang up on the edge of the case, causing it to also stick. Since a stuck button stopped all remote functionality you would have to turn on a light, find the offender, and un-stick it. Even the buttons that didn't stick were poorly designed, I.E... The volume up/down and channel up/down buttons don't protrude far enough to easily locate by touch. Occasionally the remote would go dead and you'd have to remove and reinstall a battery to get it working again. Basically the ergonomics and construction of this remote are awful. I'm dead serious when I say that I've owned $15.00 remotes that were better built. The final straw was when the channel/up button stopped working altogether after two short months.
I don't believe that this was simply a defective unit, it seemed like many of the problems were inherent in the design. The pity is that I loved it when it worked! Because of that, I just ordered a Harmony 659 from Amazon as it has basically the same features and will hopefully provide better service. I feel that if Harmony could couple their excellent system to a remote with decent build quality and ergonomics they'd have the market all to themselves. So close and yet so far...
I'll submit a review of the 659 after I receive it.
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