At CNET, we like Logitech Harmony remote controls and also have suggested them for a long time. But--like every product--almost always there is room for improvement. To that particular finish, listed here are five changes we'd want to see designed to the Harmony line--some via software upgrades, others in forthcoming models:
1. Allow multi-remote makes up about each user. Harmony remote controls are designed via online software magicians--answer a couple of questions on screen, personalize your buttons, and also the codes are submitted towards the remote using a USB tether. To be able to make use of the online software, obviously, you have to create a free account--nothing burdensome, just an e-mail address and password. But for whatever reason, Logitech takes a separate account for every remote you register.
Which was fine when Harmony remote controls cost $200 to $300, however that the organization has several models within the $20 to $60 range, you will find lots of multi-Harmony homes who wish the benefit of getting all their remote controls under one account. Apple, The new sony, Netflix, and numerous others let customers manage multiple products from one account--Logitech is lengthy past due to become listed on the club.
2. Add real macro support to any or all high-finish models. For that "enthusiast" (geek) community, among the large benefits of high-finish universal remote controls was a chance to program macros--multi-step, multi-device programs that will handle complex home entertainment boot-ups and so on. Harmony remote controls offer two options to macros. Harmony "activities" handle the complex boot-up sequences which involve multiple products--"Watch Television,Inch "Pay attention to music," "Watch a DVD," and so forth--by which makes it simple to program energy-ups and input toggling for Televisions, Audio-video devices, and disc gamers. Also, some--although not all--from the Harmony models support "sequences," that is yet another reputation for custom macros.
Harmony remote controls are simple to personalize--unless of course you would like real macros.
(Credit: Screenshot by John P. Falcone/CNET)Regrettably, for reasons can just learn to Logitech, sequence support is just restricted to five steps. Therefore if I wish to produce a macro for my Panasonic plasma television to initiate its sleep timer, that isn't enough I'd need seven steps (menu, lower, lower, enter, enter, right, exit). For home entertainment fanatics rich in-finish systems which include light dimmers and rolltop screens, macros could be much more elaborate.
It's fine if sequence support is not in Logitech's entry-level Harmony models, but the truth that it's missing in the company's two flagship models--the Harmony 900 and also the Harmony 1100--is frustrating towards the extreme. (For this reason that CNET customers have nuked the otherwise excellent Harmony 900 lower to some 2-star user rating.) Logitech's response is that customers should choose the Harmony 700 or Harmony One models, but doing this means omitting the built-in Radio wave features around the 900 and also the 1100. The end result is it's a pointless choice--Logitech should add sequence support to each of individuals models, and expand the limit to 10- to fifteen-steps.
3. Build Bluetooth support into some models. The The new sony Ps 3 is perhaps the very best all-around home theatre device you are able to own--it handles Blu-sun rays and Dvd disks offers Netflix, Vudu, and Hulu Plus and provides an enormous library of games. However , The new sony forgot to have an infrared sensor on the one thing, to help you only manage it via Bluetooth. Which means--unlike the Xbox 360 360 and virtually every other device available on the market--the PS3 can not be controlled by standard universal remote controls.
Logitech's workaround ended up being to produce the Logitech Harmony Adapter for PS3. It is a small AC-powered gadget that converts the infrared instructions from the Harmony remote to Bluetooth signals the PS3 can process. The adapter works perfectly, however it costs around $60--that's a lot more than most of the entry- and mid-level Harmony remote controls presently available on the market.
The answer--for future Harmony remote controls, anyway--could be building Bluetooth in to the remote itself. As the impact on battery existence will be a concern, the energy-saving advances of Bluetooth 4. might be a right diamond necklace. Yes, it only offers compatibility with one product, however i think lots of PS3 proprietors would pay reasonably limited to possess PS3 control included in the remote.
4. Still embrace the smartphone and also the tablet. I'll admit I've mixed feelings about that one. The entire concept of touch-screen remote controls for Televisions appears problematic in my experience--you need to keep the eyes centered on the giant screen, not searching lower to touch-screen inside your hands (whether it's a tablet, smartphone, ipod device Touch, or perhaps a devoted remote such as the Harmony 1100). But many of people disagree, and real estate supplied by an adequate tablet screen certainly gives lots of room to complete stuff that wouldn't focus on an regular remote.
The Harmony program guide as seen with an iPad: A great beginning point, but it must be better.
Logitech has launched the Harmony Link, a $99 Wi-Fi-to-infrared adapter that sends instructions from Android phones, apple iphones, and iPads (running Harmony applications) to your house theater gear. It is a promising start, however the software must be better still. It is a challenge for TV viewing since the feature everybody wants--detailed programming guide look-up and Digital recording device control--is basically the purview from the satellite and cable companies, a lot of whom are actually offering their very own applications. But individuals competing applications show why Logitech must focus here: every Internet-enabled device could be controlled using a specialized application. So that as more products use the internet and Android and iOS applications proliferate, there's much less reason behind a devoted remote. That's the key reason why Harmony must stay relevant here, even when which means the near future Harmony is basically a $9.99 application, without any hardware component.
5. Streamline the merchandise line. Presently, you will find eight models within the Logitech Harmony products (not counting some stopped models that also remain offered at retail). That's a lot of. I'd suggest that Logitech streamline its choices lower to 5 models. Here's my recommendation, filled with new theoretical model amounts:
Harmony 410 ($25): The entry-level Harmony would replace the Harmony 200 and Harmony 300. Think the Harmony 200's body but upgraded to manage four products. Like individuals current models, the only real supported "activity" could be "Watch Television,Inch but this really is essentially a fundamental bed room remote that will cost only $25.
Harmony 610 ($65): This upgrade towards the Harmony 650 would keep that model's same fundamental design and have set--together with a color LCD screen and full activity support--but control six products rather than five.
Harmony 810 ($100): This alternative for that Harmony 700 would retain that remote's same fundamental set of features (backlit keyboard, rechargeable battery) but control eight products and add full macro support.
Harmony 1210 ($180): Changing the Harmony One and Harmony 900, the brand new 1210 would support the 900's fundamental design and have set (together with a touch-sensitive LCD screen at the very top, backlit secrets, along with a charging cradle), while adding full macro support and Bluetooth and Radio wave control (additionally to IR). It might control 12 products.
Harmony Squeeze ($120): This upgraded version from the Harmony Link would allow you to take control of your home entertainment gear with Android and iOS mobile phones and pills. (Additionally, it replaces the touch-screen Harmony 1100, using the believed that everybody would rather invest those funds into an ipod device Touch, Amazon Kindle Fire, or iPad rather.) Additionally, though, it might include Bluetooth (for PS3 control) and audio results, therefore it could be used as a Squeezebox base station. Logitech already helps make the Squeezebox hardware and applications, so this ought to be a no-brainer.
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That's my Harmony wishlist. What's yours Tell me within the comments below.
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