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i’m a huge fan of the universal remote control…but not the ones that you point at eachother and “learn” the codes…i’m talking programmable.  it used to be that hard-core home theater fanatics were the only ones that could get them, and they were RF controlled and had to be programmed by the pros.

enter logitech.

they have a line of harmony remote controls that are programmed via the web/usb — very cool.  you just enter your model number(s) of your device(s) and it configures the remote.  you set certain activities (macros) so all you do is click one button ‘watch dvd’ and your tv turns on to the right input, the receiver turns on, and the dvd player turns on, etc.  it is very slick.  get a new device, just plug it back in and update.

i’ve had the harmony 659 for a while now and it has been great and reliable.  recently i started building out my home theater ‘stuff’ and acquired a new tv and xbox 360.  I figured with the xbox i’d use the harmony remote for xbox 360 and got it.  it sucks.  it looks cool, but sucks.  it doesn’t control my cable box well for some reason and the numbers to change channels are just way too small.  i’ve not been happy with it.  but i was too lazy to return it in time, so i was stuck with it.

i finally couldn’t take it anymore, and went out and got the harmony 880.

sweet!  i updated everything (i wish logitech would change their site so i could have one login and choose the remote i want to configure, but i guess they figure not too many people will have many universal remotes ).  at any rate, it updated quickly and controlled everything beautifully — even the cable box.  i’m as happy as a kid in a candy store.  it’s even rechargeable so i don’t have to worry about batteries.

yeah, i thought about the 890 for the added bonus of RF control, but i couldn’t justify the extra dough for that feature alone — i don’t have any walls to penetrate, etc.

so, if you have a stack of remotes, stop whining and get yourself to a store that sells the harmony from logitech…you’ll be glad you did!

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