| Logitech Harmony 1100 Remote |
|
|
| Home Theater Remotes & System Control Remotes & System Control | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Written by Todd Daugherty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tuesday, 26 May 2009 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Page 4 of 4 Downside
 One of the biggest shockers for me was that there is no Blu-ray option for the 1100. While the software will recognize Blu-ray model numbers if labeled as DVD players, there is no option for setting up Blu-ray activities. The easiest workaround is just modeling the Activity as a generic command option and renaming it to a Blu-ray player, while remembering to independently tag it as a DVD playback device as well. Blu-ray is pretty much here to stay, and with its CES 2009 prominence, it is unacceptable to completely lack a Blu-ray Activity category. As mentioned earlier, while the 1100 did seem to have information available for both my computer sound card and my iPod dock, the functionality was severely lacking, and there was no actual category for either of them. The iPod dock was simply labeled as a “Digital Music Server,” and the sound card was just a “Computer.” The 1100 retails at $499.99, and that's without the optional RF Extender, which comes in around $99 itself. For some it may be hard to justify spending more money to control your devices than some of the devices cost themselves. However, if this is a viable alternative for those considering more expensive custom remote programs out there, this could be a money saver and an entertainment enhancer. Conclusion The Harmony 1100 universal remote gave me the “whole nine yards” feeling. A great deal of the setup was smooth and seamless, but any specializations you want, like wanting to keep a device on even if the current activity doesn't need it, bring a whole new time investment. Be prepared to spend quite a bit of time and give a little extra TLC when tweaking the 1100 to any custom modifications you want. The Harmony 1100 Universal Remote does what it does very well, and the troubleshooter is a fantastic option to minimize frustration, but it is definitely lacking in the device management category. Hopefully future models or even firmware updates of the Harmony family will venture past the popular Activities focus and allow the user to have complete control of their home theater system with simple access. Because in the end, eliminating the need of a remote without reducing the usability is the key goal of the universal remote world.
3.26 Copyright (C) 2008 Compojoom.com / Copyright (C) 2007 Alain Georgette / Copyright (C) 2006 Frantisek Hliva. All rights reserved."Like this article? Bookmark and share with any of the sites below.        |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
