Review on 📱 Logitech Harmony 1100 Universal Remote: Color Touch Screen, Discontinued by Manufacturer by Brandy Robinson

This is my first universal remote control. It's not the greatest after sliced bread, but it adequately, if not perfectly, does the job of a remote control to control them all. I use this remote control to control the following devices: Atlanta 8300HD Cable Box/DVR(3) Sony DAV-X1 DVD/Home Theater System Speakers (hereafter "Sony HTS”)(4) The Playstation 32-4 is behind the closet doors. The 1100 manages them via a wireless RF extender and PS3 adapter. OK. First reduction. Instead of four remote controls, we now only need one. Second, ease of use. Starting an action, e.g. B. watching TV or turning on a Playstation 3, requires only one button press on a single remote control and not a complex sequence of actions on multiple remote controls. To illustrate: TV up to version 1100 (1) Open the door of the cable box (2) Switch on the cable box (3) Switch on the TV with the TV remote control (or cable remote control) (4) Set the TV input to "Cable" using the TV remote control (5) ) use the wired remote to change channels, control the DVR, etc. boxPlaystation 3 to 1100 use (with Sony HTS audio output)(1) Open Sony HTS cabinet door(2) Sony HTS input for PS3 audio turn on with Sony HTS remote control (3) turn on TV with TV remote control (4) turn off TV sound (5) set TV input to HDMI port for PS3 (6) turn on PS3 (7) PS3 with Bluetooth remote control or game controller control, control sound com with your sony hts remote, control your tv with your tv remote Use Playstation 3 Use 1100 (1) Press Play PS3 (2) Use 1100 to control PS3, TV and Sony HTS control In addition, switching between actions is fa st just as easy. Simply press the Actions button to go to the Actions screen and select the action you want to switch to. The remote control automatically turns on and sets up all the devices you need and turns off any devices that are no longer in use. Beautiful.SETTING. The installer will walk you through the steps to create activities (e.g. Watch TV, Watch DVD, Play PS3). You tell it which devices to turn on, in what order, and with what settings for each action. Once the remote is programmed, simply pressing the icon for a specific action will activate all of the commands in the correct order to start that action. (For a long sequence, it may take a few seconds for all commands to be executed.) At each step, the installer provides you with a set of default commands/icons for different screens (e.g. favorites screen, custom screen, numeric screen, and playback control screen). You can change the default commands on the remote controls for the devices associated with this activity. For the "Television" campaign, you can also select your favorite channels at the touch of a button. BAD. Being a bit of a gadget and tech savvy, I found the setup and remote system software quite easy to use, but not without quirks or issues. Here are some.1. The installation software requires a little technical understanding. It was pretty easy for me to figure out what I want and what I need to do with the installer, but it was trial and error. I'm not sure if someone non-technical like my wife could do this without cussing a few times. She certainly couldn't set up/tweak the remote like I did. Sometimes instructions or explanations are not so clear. Other times they are not.2. The setup software did not recognize the 1100 or the HF extender half the time. I had to disconnect and reconnect devices multiple times to allow the program to see them and update them with new/different commands. Finally found out. The software seems to like it when only one device is connected at a time and only just before that device is updated. Updating the console with new/different commands will also require updating the RF extender if you are using it. Considering I changed the settings dozens of times in just the first week, this is no small inconvenience. The RF extender must be unplugged from the power supply and IR cables and plugged back in. I don't understand why it was impossible to force the remote control to reprogram the RF extender over the wireless network.4. Missed orders. Sometimes, especially on long startup sequences (like when my Play PS3 is active), one of the devices will skip commands from 1100. For example, my Sony home theater may not switch to the correct input to receive sound from the PS3. The help menu on the remote corrects missed commands. Fatal PS3 controller error. One of the advantages of the 1100 is its ability (with the PS3 adapter) to power on/off and control the console. As every PS3 owner knows, the four buttons on a gamepad - circle, square, triangle and cross - are used frequently. These buttons appear in the setup program, but do not appear as intended on the remote in the center of the controller screen. The screen is just blank. These missing buttons are a bug that Logitech seems to be aware of, but hasn't fixed in over half a year. This is inconvenient and unforgivable for a remote of this caliber and cost. The workaround that users have used is to program this functionality into side tab buttons or into a custom controls page. This solution is workable, if not the most convenient.6. Could be more customizable. While you can add icons for your favorite channels (google "squareees icon Harmony" for a large database of logos), you can't add custom icons for commands on the remote. The included icon database is negligible. TWO HANDS against ONE. Unlike some others, I don't find it cumbersome to hold and control the remote with two hands. One hand is often sufficient anyway, such as when using the hardware buttons or one of the tab buttons on either side of the screen. True, you can't grab it like a regular remote control. But the contoured back makes it comfortable and easy to balance in your hand. LOOK DOWN. I also have no problem looking at the touchscreen. I could never remember all the buttons on my 4 other remotes so I had to look at those too unless I just wanted to use the volume, channel or power buttons. These are all hardware buttons on the 1100. CONCLUSION. This remote control eliminates all others and makes it easy for anyone to control my home theater system. It sounds almost banal (and a bit sexist) but it's so simple even my wife can use it. And children. And her nannies. However, it takes some work to program it for optimal use, and as mentioned, it has its own quirks. I would almost heartily recommend it. PS If you have any questions or need help setting up your remote, you can try the AVS forums. The remote control forum has a thread for 1100 owners with lots of information as well as helpful people willing to share their knowledge and experience with you.