Harmonised.... (Brief review of the Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote)

Well we're now in Harmony (beware I'm sure there are more bad puns to follow)

The Logitech Harmony 550 is now setup and settling in as our replacement for all of the remotes. The initial setup of the system couldn't be easier. I have setup one once before but it's a very intuitive process from the outset. The first step (fairly obviously) is to identify all of the devices which is achieved by selecting the type of device, selecting the brand and typing in the model number (or selecting it from a list). This bit was fairly impressive to the point of being able to now control my air con remotely, something I previously didn't have a remote for.
Once you've got all your bits and bobs entered, it starts by asking you about the activities you like to do i.e. Watch a DVD, Watch TV etc. This is a great way of getting your system working the way you want without having to press endless numbers of buttons on several remotes.

The whole thing took about 10 mins to get going. Although the initial setup wasn't perfect. The commands for the TV to change to the right input weren't quite right and it did take me about 30 mins of mucking around to get it to select the right input and change the aspect ratio to the desired one for all of the "Video" activities.

The extra time however was well worth it. The system now works very well and makes it a breeze to turn on the whole stereo to watch TV. It is literally one button to turn on the TV, the Amp and the Settop box, set the Amp to the right input, set the TV to the right input and change the aspect ratio.

My only real complaint is with the backlight on the screen. To see the screen properly you really have to hold it on a bit of an angle. I'm not sure if it is a problem with my particular unit or the model in general. But it's a pretty small quibble considering the quality of the rest of the product.

I would definately recommend anyone with more than 2 remotes go out and get one of these. I picked mine up for $170 AUD and the model below that will control slightly less devices is on sale for $150.

(For reference it is setup to control, Loewe Xelos 5381 ZW, Yamaha RX-V2200, Topfield PVR5000t, Toshiba SD-350E, Sony CDX355 mulitchanger, Nintendo GameCube, Xbox and Mitsubishi Air Con)