Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote Control by Logitech
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Digital camera reviews of Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote Control
Digital camera Review: 550 is only about 545
Summary: 4 Stars
Like the remote, button are a bit small and hard to use at this, programing is good, but still having problems getting to work the way I want. Have tried other remotes and have a box full of junk remotes, this is the best so far. This unit also drives my wife crasy, she can't figure out how to use, she still wants a rotory switch TV, go figure.Digital camera Review: 7.3.2.x software has a major bug
Summary: 2 Stars
Beware of software bug: I ended up being on the phone 2 evenings with Logitech support. Level one can not help you for this bug. Tell them you want level 2 support.
Background: The package comes with V7.3 software. The logictech website V7.3.2.x or later online. Nether the CD or multi downloads from the website would install. I tried it on 3 different WIN XP systems and all it does is hang while chewing up the CPU cycles.
Suggestion before purchasing a remote go to logitech.com and download the software. Try to load it. If it gets to the point where it asks you to plug in the remote to the USB port. You are OK, as it got past the install hang bug.
FYI the sofware shipped or downloaded is the same for most Harmony remotes including the new 1000.
What I ended up doing after talking with 5 different level one support people (5 hours of time over 2 nights waisted) They finally sent me to level 2. Within 15 minutes of testing they gave me a URL to download software V5.2.0.0. It installed and I had the remote configured in 20 minutes. Including the time the software auto upgraded it self to V5.3.x.x.
Again if you try loading the software before purchasing product you can save yourself a lot of time and trouble.
Hope this was helpful
By the way, as far as the remote goes and as I have only been using it for 3 hours now. I love it. Does every I need it to do and easy to use.
Digital camera Review: A Best Value
Summary: 5 Stars
For the price on Amazon, it is a great buy, especially compared to the much higher priced models. The only problem is when it is controlling multiple devices in a single click, it is quite slow and you have to keep it pointed at the devices for a few seconds or it will not turn on or off one or more of the units, so don't be in a hurry.Digital camera Review: A Great Remote for Middle-of-the-Road A/V Systems
Summary: 5 Stars
I already owned a Harmony 720 for my main AV system. I LOVE that remote, but I couldn't justify the cost of another 720 for my bedroom system, so I purchased a Harmony 520. Although it had great features, the LCD screen was nearly unreadable, so I returned it. For only about $10 more, I purchased this 550 and am VERY happy with it! Logitech made the font thicker and darker and modified the backlighting a bit to make the 550 LCD screen much more readable than on the 520.
This remote is perfect for people without a huge A/V system, or for people needing a second universal remote for a smaller bedroom system. The (4) activity buttons on the LCD are perfect for that, whereas the (6) activity buttons on the 720 are better for running a larger system.
The backlight on the 550 has a motion sensor, but it's an unusual one: It only comes on the first time you pick it up within a 2-hour period. After that, you can shake, rattle or bump it and the light will NOT come on by motion. You have to physically press the "Glow" button, or any other button on the remote. But set it down for 2-hours or more and it will come on the next time you pick it up (or walk by it - it's a sensitive sensor). I don't like that "feature", but I think it was done to make the (4) AAA batteries last longer. I guess it worked for that because I've had this remote for 2 months and the batteries are still just fine. The more expensive Harmony 720 has a true tilt sensor that will come on every time you move the remote. However, that remote also has a rechargeable battery which can handle running the backlight more often.
Programming the 550 remote is just like any other Logitech Harmony - it uses the Harmony online software. If you don't have an internet connection, you will not be able to program this remote. But that aside, the newest version of Logitech's Harmony software is terrific (currently at v7.2.4). Gathering the model numbers of all your AV components is the hardest part. After that, the Harmony software's "Wizard" will walk you through basic setup in about 20-minutes. That is often all anyone needs because it does an amazing job of making everything work the way you want on the first try. However, the ability to tweak the settings is endless. It's not always well covered in the documentation, but if you are willing to experiment - there's lots to be found. There are also plenty of online forums where other users (such as me) are willing to answer questions on advanced programming for Harmony remotes.
The Harmony 550 looks sleek & elegant, feels good in your hand and seems well constructed. All of the keys light up - even the chrome keys are surrounded by light. I like the fact that the "transport" keys for playing the DVD/VCR/DVR are high on the remote and are large enough to see well and use with large fingers. The chrome keys make a definite "click" noise when you press them. I like that, but I've read other reviewers who seem to hate it. I can't imaging that it would be a deal breaker since this is such a great remote.
I highly recommend the Harmony 550 (but get the 720 or one of the other, higher end Harmony remotes if you have a large or complex AV system).
Digital camera Review: A Love / Hate Relationship
Summary: 4 Stars
Summary:
A great remote, but one that may take many hours of your time to set up
Pros:
- Good ergonomics
- Nice tactile feel on buttons
- Highly configurable
- Seems to put out a strong signal (better then my factory remotes)
- Non-rechargable (I consider this a plus)
Cons:
- Setup is easy, but getting it right can take hours
- Not easy to map device buttons to activity buttons
- No dedicated "decimal point" for tuning digital stations
- Remote selection during setup doesn't allow you to pick from a list
I'll preface this short review by saying that I manage a group at work tasked with making human / computer interfaces work well. So I have a decent amount of experience in this area (but I'm also picky - caveat emptor). Having said that, I found that Logitech tried very hard to get things right, but are still missing the mark in a few areas.
I started by not installing the Logitech software from the disk (based on suggestions I had read here), but instead downloaded the software from the Logitech site. No installation problems, and my firewall software recognized and allowed the Logitech software to pass through without incident. I plugged the 550 into a USB port and XP recognized it and I was transported to the Logitech setup software. Good start.
The first part where I had issue was in telling the software what devices I had. You have to type in the name of your model numbers after selecting the manufacturer, and there is no real indication as to whether the software recognized the device or not. It would have been much better to select the device from a list.
After the devices are set up, you then tell the software what activities you want it to memorize. This is very powerful, a wizard-based method of macro programming. I soon had it programmed to perform the four activities I wanted (watch tv, watch dvd, listen to iPod, listen to music). I then downloaded the commands to the remote and tested it out.
This is where the issues started. Seems that some of the commands weren't recognized, and I was forced to endure an hours-long process of training the remote some of my specific commands. In most cases I believe that the software recognized the brand of my device, but not necessarily the particular model (I have Philips, Denon, and Sony devices - not really off-brand). Thus there were some generic commands that weren't right for my particular model. So I had to slowly discover which buttons worked and which did not, then go back and teach the unlearned commands to the remote. While this was not completely unexpected, it was very time-consuming and almost negated the value of the setup wizard.
The final issue that I had was in properly setting up activities. This takes a lot of trial and error. Additionally, there is no easy way to map device commands to activity commands. For example, I had to write down the TV remote commands down on a spare envelope and then manually input them into the activity commands section.
I can not properly express the joy I felt when, after hours of frustration, I finally had everything mapped out properly. The device works like a charm, and I am very satisfied with it overall. I'm sure that I'll completely love it after the setup fiasco has faded a bit.
So in summary, I would rate the device itself "5 out of 5", and the setup software "3 out of 5". Anyone with a fair degree of sophistication will be able to get it up and running, and behaving exactly the way they want it. But it may take several hours to do so.