Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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135 of 137 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely fantastic. But nope, it's NOT for everyone., 21 Feb 2007
I recently got this remote for myself. I have a TV, Sky Box, Amp, DVD and PS2 (to use as DVD sometimes when some discs wont play on my main player) (and upstairs I have TV, Freeview, DVD). So you see I needed to get one of these.
I previously had a touchscreen universal remote which could control 8 devices. The backlit touchscreen thing was cool at first, but I soon realized that controlling volume was a pain - had to make single clicks for each single step of volume. It's just stupid. I ended up going back to use my other remotes.
This Harmony 555 caught my eyes when it was reviewed in the Stuff magazine. LCD display looked cool, and it had all proper buttons (that's why I preferred this over the new Philips remote which was half buttons half touchscreen). Logitech boasts that they have a database of over 125000 devices from 3500+ manufacturers from around the globe. That's really something I thought. Other universal remotes can learn from the original remote, so can this too (just in case u need to). And oh, it can control 15 devices, and can have more than one of the same type (eg two TVs, two DVDs). Other universal remotes, I think, can't do that. And if you have light switches or airconditioners which work with an IR remote, u can use the H555 to control those too. You'd get the codes for them in that database of 125000 different devices. It's just WOW!
I must warn that this can not be used out of the box. It's not one of those remotes where u press a few keys on the remote for each device type and it'll start working. This needs to be programmed via a computer connected to the internet. And it takes quite a bit of time. That's because there are so many things you can do with this, it's just so customizable. If you want a remote to work out of the box, look for something else, seriously! But if you're like me - happy to spend good few hours programming it - I'll totally recommend this one. You'll get a universal remote like no other, totally customized for you. You might just want to keep on customizing it - at least whenever you feel that there's this one button which should work differently.
When the remote is not in use, it'll be on a standby mode with it's LCD switched off to save battery. As soon as you pick up the remote it gets alive, you dont have to press a key to get it active, I think it has some kind of a motion sensor :-) You can also program activities (or macros) from the web-based configuration page. It's quite nice. Say if you wanna watch TV - u can mention the particular TV unit you wanna use for the activity, what input source (eg. freeview/sky), what input channel on the TV (eg. AV1) and where you want to control the volume (eg. on the TV itself or using the separate amp you have). When you press the "Watch TV" button, it'll turn on the Sky box, the TV, put it in the right channel, turn on the amp (and put that in the right audio source channel). And when everything is switched on you can work without selecting any particular device, i.e. if you change channel, it'll change it on your Sky box, if you increase volume it'll do that on the amp. When you're done watching TV, you can just press one power button, and it'll switch off everything that was being used for the activity. It's just so cool. Using the H555 is an absolutely delightful experience.
Once again, I'd emphasize on the fact that this is not for everyone. As you can make out from the other comments too, some people will really like it, some absolutely hate it. But if you like to tweak things around to get exactly how you want, if you are not afraid to experiment and if you don't mind putting some time into programming this, this is the remote you ought to get.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easier to set up and use than I expected, 18 Jan 2008
The system in our TV room consists of a Flat screen TV, DVD player, Satellite receiver, VCR, surround sound amplifier (for DVD and satellite) and Humax PVR (which is used as the freeview receiver). For some reason my wife doesn't seem to think that she can operate any of these items and has been giving me severe ear ache on the subject "as she'd like to be able to watch TV without needing me to turn it on for her". I therefore ordered the 555 to make life easier for both of us. It arrived yesterday and I was amazed at how easy it was to set up to switch on any of the combinations that I use. What was even more impressive was that if for example I am watching Freeview via the PVR and then want to switch to watching a DVD all the correct devices are switched on or off and the TV moves to the correct input at the touch of one button. As I bought this as a birthday present SWMBO (She who must be obeyed) has not yet used it but I am confident that she will have no problem understanding how to use it. EDIT - The Birthday has now happened - the remote control has been handed over and it has been given approval as "very easy to understand and use" (Phew).
The only tip that I would pass on is that the remote remembers the last combination that you asked it to set up and uses that memory to calculate moving through the settings to the ones next required. If you then use any original remote controls to change anything that you are using the 555 to control the next time that you use the 555 it may not give you the correct result. This is easily dealt with via a help button and once you have re-synchronised the remote with what you want the system to do it then carries on correctly.
Recommendation - once you've got it programmed lock the old remotes in a cupboard to prevent this problem
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15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A tweakers paradise - but not for the faint-hearted!, 20 Dec 2007
I have found the Harmony 555 to be just about the perfect universal remote control, and with a fair amount of patience and perseverance it will do just about anything you want (well within reason i.e. it won't clean your teeth or make a cup of coffee!!). There's very little you can't customise to suit the way you use your TV/VCR/Satellite/Freeview/DVD Player/PVR/HiFi etc.. I have tried several other "one remote does all" remotes and have been left frustrated and disappointed that it won't work X or Y equipment or this or that key isn't catered for on the "omni-remote" etc.
At long last I have found a remote that doesn't disappoint... the Harmony 555 - and it does everything I need it to! For instance on my setup, with the press of just two buttons on the Harmony 555 it will:-
Turn on the TV (from standby)
Set the TV to the appropriate channel or AV input
Turn on the DVD player (from standby)
Dim the display on the DVD player (it's too bright anyway!)
Open the drawer of the DVD player ready to accept a DVD
Cool huh!
In fact there are so many user-configurable items on the 555 that it presents the user with a daunting task of setting it up!! This is why I (and others) have said this remote is not for the faint-hearted. There are just SO MANY adjustable settings that it necessitates a steep and long learning curve to get the unit to do what you want it to with your equipment. But if the thought of that doesn't deter you, then the results are well worth the time & effort!
The setup process is done via the internet with the supplied software which is why you NEED broadband or cable internet access as the setup IS lengthy and needs at least 512K download speed. You need to create a user account and password and use this to login each time you connect up your Harmony 555 to your PC. It took me about 10 hours of trial and error to configure my unit to do everything I wanted it to. TIP: and if you have a laptop PC with a USB2 port on it I STRONGLY recommend using it to configure the Harmony 555 so that you can sit in front of your equipment and test the results afterwards. I don't have a laptop so I was up & down the stairs like a yoyo each time I wanted to test the results!!
All of my equipment was contained in Logitech's database of code sets (including a 7 year-old Freeview box) and this database is by all accounts pretty vast, so the chances of finding a working code set for your equipment is high. And even if a code set doesn't exist, you can still "teach" the Harmony 555 the commands you need via the learning facility. There is very little that can't be customised on this unit. The unit is powered by 4 AAA batteries (supplied).
The unit has two modes of operation: Activities mode and Devices mode. Devices mode simply replicates the functions of the original remote controls and is the simpler mode to set up. I found it easier to get my head round this mode and get it working fully before tackling the Activities mode setup.
Activities mode is a sort of macro mode where you set up the Harmony to execute a series of commands across a range of equipment by pressing just two buttons (Activity then Play DVD). Time delays can also be inserted into the sequences if needed for various devices. For instance the two-button sequence I listed above is set up as an activity called "Play DVD". You can even customise the names displayed on the orange LCD screen for the Activities & buttons!! Once the sequences have completed, the Harmony 555 controls operate the equipment specified in the activity (e.g. Play DVD sets the buttons to operate the DVD player, but any unused buttons can be programmed to say change the aspect ratio or other picture settings on the TV etc. - the only limit is your imagination!)
With this unit you really can put all your original remotes away in the sideboard - once you have this baby fully configured that is!
The Pros:-
VERY powerful and versatile universal remote control unit.
Fully customisable (and I mean FULLY!).
Excellent and comprehensive function learning facility (every key can be programmed)
Useful Help facility.
Huge range of equipment supported.
Stylish design.
The Cons:-
Steep and long learning curve. PLENTY of time & patience needed!!
Broadband or cable internet access is ESSENTIAL for setting the unit up.
Takes several hours at least to customise it to your requirements.
Ideally needs a laptop PC with a spare USB2 port.
The number buttons are rather small and big fingers could struggle with them.
Overall:-
If you are prepared to invest some serious time and brain-power in this unit, it will be rewarded as in my opinion this is THE best universal remote control for the money - period!
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