Logitech Harmony One

The Logitech software is quite helpful; everything is laid out step by step. The good thing is you do not need to program the full remote, just a few buttons. After that, I assume the Logitech relates to some similar device from the same manufacturer in its database.

Even though Logitech has really tried to make things simple, there are buttons that do not get automatically programmed. There is a ‘customize buttons’ option which needs to be accessed, for making the Harmony One learn buttons.

Now, what if the user wants to quickly program a button, while watching his HT in the Living room, or worse still, what if a user he/she doesn’t have an internet connection? This is where the Logitech Harmony falls short, as a PC is required to install and update the remote each time, and that doesn’t really mean more convenience. A power user might want to push buttons on the spot to configure, which is not possible in this model.

Another caveat: this is an IR model only. There's no RF, so you can't control gear from other rooms. This is not really a negative, but still, a little RF never hurt anyone.

Operation
Once set up online via the software, activities are set up in the remote, like ‘Watch TV’, ‘Watch DVD’, ‘Listen to music’ etc. These involve simple one-touch operations, and the truth is they actually do become that simple. If you set up the remote carefully once in the beginning, later operation is very simple. The IR is very strong; so there's no need to point accurately.

Conclusion
Ergonomics, attractiveness, accessibility, ease of setup, all make this a great product. But what about the price? Well, it costs Rs 18,500 in India, which is expensive, but then the Harmony One is a quality product. If you don't mind splurging on a good home theater system, the price is justified. After all, it will be the hub of your system, and has the power to operate as the central controlling unit way better than other models. Barring the high price, perhaps the only downside is that learning is not possible without a PC. That aside, this is a superb universal remote.