Digital Home Thoughts: Harmony 688 Advanced Universal Remote

"Remotes. In the living room I’ve got one for the TV, one for the DVD player, one for the stereo, and one for the PVR/satellite receiver. They’re all critical, since even if you want to cross the room and poke buttons on the device, there are functions that are difficult to find by navigating menus, and some simply can only be accessed from the remote. My TV remote can control some of the functions of the DVD player, and a few of the functions of the stereo, but none of the PVRs. The PVR remote can turn the TV on and off and control the volume, but not control the stereo or the DVD player. The DVD player is supposed to control the TV, but I’ve never gotten that to work right, and the stereo’s remote won’t talk to anyone but the stereo. No matter which one you need, that’s the one you can’t find, despite the fact that a couple of them are HUGE."



I've been looking for the perfect remote for years now, and the Logitech Harmony lineup is among the very best. The biggest problem with universal remotes is that most can't tell whether the devices they are powering on are on or off. Also, if the remote isn't pointed at the device you're trying to use, sometimes it will miss a command or two, and that whole macro you were trying to execute goes out the window. In order for a universal remote to truly work well, a standard protocol for remote communications needs to be developed, and a remote needs to be able to tell if a device is on or off. But until that happens, if you go with a Logitech Harmony remote you really can't go wrong!