# Logitech Harmony 1000 Universal Remote Review



## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

[img]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/513FN5JPMDL._SS350_.jpg[/img]Device: Logitech Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote
Manufacturer Link
Street Price: $499 ($250 refurbished)
My Rating: :4.5stars:

I'm a big fan of universal remotes. With all the components and their separate remotes, one nice remote clears the clutter and puts and end to the fumbling for the right remote. In my somewhat brief excursion into home theater I've had the opportunity to use a few universal remotes. 

In the beginning I had an "8 in 1" type remote. It had a monochrome LCD screen, but all that did was display what input I was on. To operate it I had to press the corresponding device button and then it would mimic the original remote's IR commands. To program it was a pain. The remote came with a thick booklet that had a list of remote ID's by manufacturer. My old JVC TV had 5 numbers listed and I had to enter each one until I found the one that worked. That remote lasted about 2 years until it stopped working. I attribute the failure to overuse which in turn wore down the contact pads uner the rubber membrane.

I grin and bared using multiple remotes for a while until I acquired a Logitech Harmony 550 remote. This was a very nice remote and a big upgrade from my older universal remote. The huge plus about the Harmony's is that you connect them to your computer to program them. The included software connects to Logitech's servers over the internet and updates itself and there are thousands of devices to choose from. Much much easier than keying in numbers. 

The 550 also has a IR emitter on the rear as well as the front which improves it coverage. It does eat batteries though. I needed to recharge the 4 AAA NiMH batteries every two to three weeks. Another nice feature of the 550 is that you can set up activities like "Watch a Movie" or "Listen to Music". What that allows is the single press of a button to turn on all the devices and set them to the right inputs. You can also add in other steps like turn up the volume or send any other IR command from any device. I've had the 550 for two years and it still works well.

So on to the review of the Harmony 1000. In essence the 1000 is identical to the 550 in the way it works. The software is the same, the set up is the same and the basic operation is the same. The Harmony 1000 upgrades the monochrome LCD to a full colour touch screen and adds RF support. You can also display a slide show on the colour screen, although the images are limited to 160 KB and 320x240 pixels.

The Harmony 1000 also comes with a recharging dock and includes a square lithium ion battery. If left off the charger it does tend to loose it charge in only a couple of days. I also noticed when placing hte remote on the charger it emitted a high pitched whine while cycling through the slide show. The whining stopped after the timeout period elapsed and the screen shut off.

The Harmony 1000 has IR emitters on the front and back also just like the 550. The remote has a motion sensor that wakes up the remote and turns on the LCD display. The casing is very sleek with a brushed aluminum from with gloss black accents around the screen and several push buttons on the right hand side. The back looks like its a rubberized plastic and feels nice in the hand. It is very light but sturdy remote.

In operation the remote works very well. The IR emitters spread a fairly wide beam so you don't need a crosshair to aim it. Setting up the devices was easy as too was setting up the activities. It would be nice if you could customize the task icons and I was trying to set up an activity to just turn everything off. I like to have the movie still playing through the credits as my Lutron Grafik Eye turns the lights up. With a bit of playing I just added an activity that turns everything on, then when I press the off button it turns them off.

I am very happy with this remote, although if it was not a gift (an purchased as a refurbished model) I would not pay full price for one. I would give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5 total for operation, ease of use, styling and overall impression (the coolness factor).


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## Jeff Aguilar (Apr 11, 2006)

Great review on this remote. I have been doing some reading on it. It is a great price refurbished at $250. I have had the itch to replace my Pronto TSU2000.

Did you consider the Harmony One when looking at remotes? Why did you go with the 1000? Just curious. I do like the look of the 1000.

Jeff Aguilar


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## Strype (Feb 17, 2009)

Whenever I see very high scores for Harmony remotes I always wonder if the reviewer has ever had a RTI, Crestron or AMX remote in their hands or if they only deal normally with Radio Shack remotes.


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## MatrixDweller (Jul 24, 2007)

I liked the tablet style remote over the wand style, such as the Harmony One.

To add something...I recently bought a Niko Bluwave remote for my PS3 and programmed the Harmony 1000 to use it's commands. For the most part it is a good fit, but the 'OK' button on the Harmony doesn't seem to be reprogrammable. It appears that it should be from the software, but any attempt to make it emulate the PS3's X button does not work. That's not good because it makes menu navigation a pain in that I have to back out to devices then select PS3 and scroll to page 6 where the PS3 mapped buttons are. Other than that I am pretty satisfied with it. 

I see Logitech has a Harmony 1100 out. Looks like a black version of the 1000. The MSRP on the 1000 or 1100 is sky high though at $499 ($599 CAD). For that price I would have hoped the RF extender ($99) would have been included. A Palm Pilot with the OmniRemote software would be a lot cheaper. Not as flashy, but it gets the job done. You could concevably do that for under $50 using a second hand Palm Pilot.


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## clubfoot (Apr 12, 2007)

Strype said:


> Whenever I see very high scores for Harmony remotes I always wonder if the reviewer has ever had a RTI, Crestron or AMX remote in their hands or if they only deal normally with Radio Shack remotes.


What is the price of an RTI, Crestron or AMX?


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## cinema mad (Jan 28, 2007)

I have had the Harmony 1000i remote for well over A year now, my father bought it for me for programming his H-1000i, I like it but also use A hard wired IR repeater with it . The H1100 is basicly the same as the 1000i with non of the bugs of the older H1000i and A couple of extra features...

The Harmony remotes are very easy to set up but have there limits in how much you can customise them, Given A choice I would go with the Philips Pronto TSU9600 & wireless Extender or similar for its complete custom flexability....

Cheers....


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