Customer Reviews

Logitech Harmony Xbox 360 Remote

5 star:		(170)
4 star:		(48)
3 star:		(17)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Pros: Easy to use, easy to program, supports Xbox 360 out-of-the-box

Cons: Some of the usual Harmony buttons are missing, small number pad takes some getting used to, Expensive

This is not my first Harmony remote. Even though I don't yet have a 360 (I know I'll be getting one sooner or later), I decided to go ahead and upgrade so that I could pass my older Harmony 688 on to a relative who really could use it. As soon as I heard about this remote, I knew I had to have one. As someone who is excited about the Media Center Extender abilities of the new Xbox 360 (because I've been looking for a way to hear my multiple gigabytes of mp3's and wma's through my home theater's sound system), I was thrilled to find out that I'd be able to use a Harmony remote to control the 360.

I really need say only one thing about this remote (or any other Harmony remote, for that matter), and that is that once you've used this device for a week or two, you'll wonder how you ever got along without one. Sure, I've got small gripes about the Harmony 360. Because of the added Xbox 360 compatibility, some of the buttons usually present on other Harmony remotes (such as Sound, Picture, Page Up/Down, and dedicated Activity buttons) have been replaced by the YXAB buttons necessary to emulate the Xbox 360 controller's inputs. Additionally, the number pad feels as if it's been squished into the bottom of the remote; the number buttons are extremely small and very tightly packed together, and I've already inadvertently switched to the wrong channel several times. And then there's the price: $130 initially seems a bit high for a remote. However, I firmly believe--and I don't say this lightly--that this remote is worth every penny of its price tag (even without the $30 rebate for 360 owners). Ultimately, these gripes are very minor drawbacks to one of the best universal remote controllers ever.

The biggest draw of the Harmony remote--and what sets it apart from the other 99% of universal remotes available today--is its simplicity. Whereas other universal remotes have a dizzying array of buttons and modes for individually controlling every component of a home theater system, the Harmony keeps things simple by operating a home theater the way it should be operated: by understanding and executing the activities that the user wishes to experience. When I want to watch DirecTV, for example, I simply press the large Activities button at the top of the Harmony remote, which then displays all of the available activities on the backlit, easy-to-read screen. I then press the button next to the option for "Watch DirecTV," at which time the remote turns on my television and switches to the Video 1 input, turns on my home theater system and switches it to the Video 1 input, and then turns on my DirecTV reciever.

What's even better is that the remote's "Smart State Technology" is cognizant of the power status (on/off) and current input setting (video 1/2/3/etc) of all of my devices, so that I always get to do what I want when I press that Activity button. And even when something isn't quite right (such as having the sound system set to the wrong input, resulting in no audio--which occasionally happens), the remote's Help button guides the user through a step-by-step troubleshooting procedure that even the most technologically impaired can use, by asking questions such as "Is the stereo receiver on?" or "Is the stereo receiver set to the Video 1 input?" As soon as you press the "no" button, the remote then changes the input of the stereo receiver and asks, "Did that fix the problem?" Because of this activity-based functionality and intuitive help system, my wife can operate our fairly complex home theater system like a pro, even though she doesn't have the first clue as to how each component is connected to all of the others. For those of you who have friends and family who are "technologically challenged" (and you know that we all do), this is the perfect gift.

The remote's setup couldn't be any easier, either. Programming the remote is accomplished using Logitech's web-based software and a mini-USB cable (included in the box). You simply input the brand and model number of each of the components you desire to control with the Harmony, and the software automatically configures all of the buttons and settings, in addition to suggesting which "Activities" (such as Watch TV, Play Xbox, Watch a DVD, Listen to CDs, Play Radio, etc) it can setup for you on the remote. After initial setup, the software allows you to add and remove devices, activities, and even individual button functions, so if one feature is working exactly as you'd planned you can manually "teach" the Harmony a specific command from that device's own remote and program it to a specific button. I, for instance, wanted my Harmony's "back" button to jump to the previous channel on my DirecTV receiver, so adding the new command was as simple as pointing my DirecTV remote at my Harmony, telling the web-based software to learn a new command, and then pressing the "back" button on my original DirecTV remote. Voila!

THe design, styling, and fit-and-finish of the Harmony 360 remote are top-notch. Even though I prefer the TiVo-esque design and button layout of my old Harmony 688, the 360 remote is nice; and it's definitely sleeker and sexier-looking than the 688 (or just about any other Harmony remote, for that matter). It also has a nice, solid, and substantial feel to it; it doesn't feel as if it's simply made of flimsy, brittle plastics. Bottom line: if you're home theater setup includes more than just a television and an Xbox 360, then go buy this remote now. If you don't have an Xbox 360 but your home theater has more than one or two components, then go buy this or any other Harmony remote now. Truly, the greatest products and technologies are those that are so successful that we can't imagine how we ever got along without them (the Web, anyone?), and this remote definitely falls into this category.

This thing rocks!

I do not have a X-Box 360 yet, but I bought this in anticipation of getting the new X-Box. Really what makes this an X-Box remote is a pre-configured profile for X-Box and the Y X A B buttons (like on the controller).

What you get with this is an impossible to open (like all things in plastic these days) package - but in that package is a software CD, a set of 4 AAA batteries, a USB cable, and the remote. The remote has 4 AAA batteries installed, but these MUST be replaced by the inlcuded extra batteries. It won't work otherwise.

The remote is configured online using a very extensive database. The remote works by creating "profiles." For example, when setting up the remote, there are already templates ready to go: Watch TV, Watch DVD, Listen to Radio, Play X-Box, Play CD's, and Watch VCR. You tell the software what you have (you will need your model numbers) and asks how your setup works. When all is ready, the Watch TV action does the following (for me anyway): Turns on the TV, turns on cable box, sets the TV inputs and I am ready to go. For DVD: Turns on TV, turns on receiver, turns on DVD, sets TV inputs, sets receiver to DVD.

How cool is that.

The difficulty was my TV. I had to do some tweaking in the setup - learing new commands and re-assigning keys - mostly because their database did not have the correct commands for my remote.

What remotes are not in the database can be easily learned, and you can completely re-configure the "profiles" as you wish.

It takes some time to set up but it is well worth it. I have no need for any of my other remotes: TV, Cable, VCR, Receiver, DVD, Media Center, and CD.

This is truly a Universal remote!

I just bought this remote and I can't get over how simple life is now. Let me get rid of all those remotes hanging around. With a touch of a button I can have my 360 on and running perfectly. The same with all my other units. I couldn't get over how simple the program makes this remote to set up. Well worth the price.

then you really should get this remote. As for me, mine does not, but I bought it any way because Ive heard good things about Harmony remotes. This is my first Harmony remote if you havent gathered that yet. I must admit that having this remote allows my fiancee to enjoy the home theatre that I have put together, without this remote she would probably rely on the TV's speakers. Logitech includes the necessary software and USB cable to get you up and rollin'. I have a Sony HD, JVC Digital A/C Rec., XBOX 360, XBOX, PS2, and a Sony DVD Player all purchased in the past 6 months, so the hint is its all new stuff. The Harmony website makes programming the remote easy, I would say very easy but there were more than just a couple when I had to restart a function. The compatability of this remote and nearly all other Harmony remotes is phenominal. I have never heard of 90% of the brands the Harmony remotes support, WOW! In the case of this remote it is pre-prgrammed to support the XBOX 360. I am very meticulous in the care and use of my home theatre so it took me a few hours to program this remote, if you arent so peticular it could take as little as 15 minutes. I dont like the look of this remote so much, its monochrome green screen doesnt have the cool factor that the 880 and 890 have (check them out!) but the glow feature wow'd me for the first day, its very bright....in case of a power outage just grab your Harmony. In the time I spent setting up my remote I havent used all the customization options for this remote. For example when I tap the watch DVD button I plan to have all the components turn on, the rec'r change to the proper input and have the DVD door open ready to accept a new disc, yes you can do this. All in all the remote is very slim, where you see the number keypad the height grows to approx 1.5" at the mid section 1/2", top section 1/4". The numerical keys are tight but if you are a homo sapien with 2 thumbs you'll be ok. I would have given this remote a 5/5 if the white part of the body was silver, if the screen was color, and the website a little more reliable. You must understand that the $130 dollars was worth the ease of use, and the freedom from 4 remotes! If you dont plan on using the media center capabilities of the xbox 360 (ie just playing games) then get the 880/890 with the great color screen and much more attractive looking unit, yes they are XBOX 360 compatible!

First off, I LOVE this remote, don't get me wrong. But instead of repeating all the awesome features and reviews already plastered all over this page, I'd just like to point out a couple things you might want to know before buying this remote:

1) There is a (very short) delay between pressing a key and sending the IR signal. For most uses this is a non-issue, but for TiVo it's quite annoying. In short, it causes you to always be late resuming playing from fast-forwarding, even with the TiVo's built in skip-back feature. While some of this remote's delays/timings can be modified (like the time between macro commands), this is flaw and cannot be fixed.

2)If you don't have an xbox360, there *IS* a reason to get this over the 550: There are MORE buttons. X, Y, A, and B. I use Y and B for the coveted "List" and "Live TV" buttons, which are printed right next to the keys.

I have 4 things I do with my home theater:
Watch TV via Tivo, Watch a DVD, Listen to a music CD and Play on my Xbox 360. Once I set up the harmony I can do all this with one click of a button.

If I want to watch TV I press a button and my TV turns on and switches to line 1, my AV receiver turns on a switches to input 1 all automatically. The harmony remote now has all the functions of my Tivo controller for me to record and change channels plus the volume buttons on the remote, control my AV receiver.

Want to watch a DVD? Hit the DVD button on the remote and my TV switches to line 2, my AV receivers switches to DVD input and the DVD player turns on ready to play. The remote now changes to have all the functions of my DVD remote control but still using the volume control from the AV receiver. This is really slick.

Setting up the remote control:
You basically hook your remote up to your computer using the provided USB cable and install some software and answer some easy questions about what components you have in your home system. For me it was TV, Digital Cable Box, Tivo Box, DVD Player, CD Player, Xbox 360. FYI be sure to have the NAME OF THE MANUFACTURER and the MODEL NUMBER for each component of your system written down before you start. It will save you from having to get up each time to check.

I ran into two problems during set-up. The first one was that the harmony software would start up but I couldn't get a screen to pop on so I could start putting in my information. Needless to say I was wee bit pissed being that one reason I bought this remote was that it was Mac compatible.

So I went to their support site and clicked the link for harmony 360 support and my Safari browser tells me that this site ONLY supports Internet Explorer. I really hate websites that force you to use a specific browser, especially in light that Microsoft has discontinued its support for the Mac version of Internet Explorer. I happen to already have the last version of IE on my system so I was able to get back to the website pretty quickly but it would have really rankled me if I would have had to download and install Internet Explorer just to get this thing going.

So I'm on their site and can't find anything related to why this harmony software won't start up properly. So I call their tech support line and now have to wait in line for technical support with that recorded voice telling me that I could go online to find an answer or email them my question yadda yadda yadda. After the third time listening to this I actually pay attention when the voice mentions that you need to temporarily disable any Anti-virus or Firewall software you have. Doh! I have a software Firewall which runs completely transparent on my system and hardly ever remember that it is there. I turn it off and start over and Presto!, their software is now working. My fault about the Firewall but they really should look into making sure their software works at least with Firefox Browser or Opera Browser and not have it Internet Explorer only.

I go thru the set-up answer all the questions like to watch TV I want to use my Tivo but I want to control my audio through my AV receiver, stuff like that . Really easy to answer. It then generated a file and downloaded it into the Harmony remote and I was done. I unplugged the remote from the USB cable and tried it out, everything worked perfectly.

The only thing I wanted to change is that when watching TV via Tivo I wanted to use the Y, X, A. and B buttons to open up the channel guide screen and movies recorded screens etc. I plugged the remote back into the USB cable and on screen clicked the button that lets you customize the buttons on your remote. It took me to a screen that showed me the layout of the remote and what each button does when in TV mode. It was very easy to make the Y, X, A, and B buttons do exactly what I want them to do. Of course when I hit the button to Play Xbox 360 those buttons revert back to what I need for controlling the Xbox.

All in all this was a pretty painless operation to program the Harmony remote and so far it is working exactly as it should. For giggles I might add a new device to my remote; I have a floor fan that can be remote controlled as well... I'd like to give this product a 4.5 out of 5. I'm penalizing them for having an Internet Explore ONLY support site and that in their instructions they don't emphasize that you need to temporarily disable any Anti-virus or Firewall you may have.

I own this remote and another more expensive one in the Logitech Harmony lineup. If you own an Xbox 360, I highly recommend this product. It is an excellent value and well designed from the standpoint of both usability and ergonomics.

The lighted keypad is very helpful for viewing in a dark room, and the activities button is a godsend. I use that button to run macros for various things such as watching a DVD movie, watching satellite TV, or playing a game. The best part of the macro is not having to turn off each item separately on the way to bed. Just one click on the power button and I'm done. I also find the controller buttons for the XBOX 360 interface moderately useful, especially when playing music.

One caveat, and the reason I didn't award five stars - my first remote's LCD screen shattered when it was knocked off the coffee table onto a tile floor - a distance of about 16 inches. While I realize I should have been more careful, I would also expect a little more durability from a remote control, as it is inevitable the thing is going to get squashed under someone's [...] or trampled on at some point.

This is my 4th Harmony remote, and my favorite so far (others have been 688, 680, and 520). In particular, this model has the best ergonomics of any I've tried. There are several different styles and textures of buttons, making it easy to find the right button in the dark without looking. It's also very light and comfortably weighted, and it has a very large number of programmable buttons, giving you more programmable buttons instead of dedicated buttons such as "Sound" "Pic" and "Media" on some other Harmony models, which I've found to be of limited use.

Although designed to work well with the XBox 360, it is a good choice even if you don't have an XBox. It's concession to the XBox 360 is 4 colored Y,X,A,B buttons, but they can be used for other functions as well. For the XBox 360 it works fine, although it only provides the same functions as the XBox 360 infrared remote. Some functions of the XBox 360 are not controllable through infrared and require the XBox 360 controller.

As with all Harmony remotes, setup requires a computer with a USB port and internet connectivity, and is a bit slow since it goes through a web site. However, set up is easy, and once it is configured it works flawlessly, automatically determining which input and power settings need to be changed for whatever activity you choose. A minor limitation is that it will only handle up to 12 components, while most other Harmony models go to 16.

This remote is truly a universal remote. I have been so frustrated with all of our remotes and also disappointed with the many "universal" remotes we bought in the past which turned out to be not so universal. With this one remote I can do everything -- tv, cable, xbox, dvd, vcr, radio, everything. The unit did more than consolidate all of our remotes, it EMPOWERED me so that I can access all of these media without having to ask my husband for help. The remote rates right at the top as one of our most useful tech purchases this year.

Logitech makes superior products and the ones that I own have performed well over time, except for this remote. After four years of use, buttons that control DVD playback have failed. It is a physical problem . . . the contacts under the buttons started to lose connection and slowly deteriorated to make the unit useless.

This is an expensive remote, and there is no excuse for a product of this type and design, used exclusively in an adult-only household, to fail from its physical design and construction. As with most consumer items, repair will likely cost as much as I paid for the remote, new. The alternative is to discard it into the global Himalayas of electronic device garbage. Totally unacceptable.