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Lesser remotes would require everything to be powered down first, so they would all be starting from a common off position. For instance, switching from Watch DVD to Watch TV will turn off the DVD player and turn on the cable box and automatically switch the TV and A/V receiver to the appropriate preprogrammed inputs and levels for each. And while other remotes can be programmed with these sorts of intricate macros, it's the Harmony's ability to know the state of each device that sets it apart from the competition.

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Choosing Watch DVD, for example, triggered a series of automatically programmed macros that powered on my DVD player, TV, and A/V receiver and toggled the TV and receiver to the correct inputs and presets. The Harmony 688 performed just as well as the Harmony 659 in our tests. For instance, the screen might read, 'Is the digital set-top box on?' And Harmony's e-mail-based customer support is excellent problems are assigned a help ticket number and followed through to their conclusion. Even better, the remote's Help key aids in troubleshooting by asking natural-language questions on the LCD. Fortunately, the Web site provides advanced, macro-style options for delay times, multistep commands, and other functions. You must verify that the commands work with your equipment as intended, then modify them as necessary.

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The process involves some trial and error. You can also periodically upload channel listings and call them up on the LCD, but that service is free for only your first two months of use.

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After you've completed the questionnaire, the software uploads all the relevant control codes to the 688. You can also choose which keypad functions will punch through to which specific devices-always having the channel buttons control the cable box or volume on the TV, for instance. For each function, you specify which devices and inputs the remote must enable. You simply choose your home-theater components from a list explain how they're connected and define their roles in activity-based functions, such as Watch TV, Watch DVD, and Listen To Music.

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By contrast, Harmony remotes are programmed by connecting them to your Internet-connected Windows PC or Mac with the supplied USB cable, installing the driver software, and answering a fairly simple online questionnaire on the company's Web site. You should get two to three months of usage before the four AAA batteries that power the unit peter out.īutton debates aside (we'll have more on that in a minute), programming most universal remotes involves a frustrating and time-consuming method of punching in a series of multidigit codes for each component in your A/V system. The LCD and all of the buttons are brightly backlit for easy navigation in a darkened home-theater environment. Directly below the oval are the video transport buttons (record, play, rewind, fast-forward, pause, and stop) and a 12-digit keypad, while an 84x48-pixel LCD flanked by six context-specific side keys dominates the upper third of the remote.

The center of the remote sports an oval of 16 keys surrounding a five-way navigation pad. In rethinking the Logitech Harmony 688's key layout, Intrigue decided to go with a centralized, densely packed button configuration. With this year's Harmony 688, available in black or silver for a list price of $249, Intrigue-now owned by Logitech-seeks to correct those flaws with some small design changes.īoth remotes are the same size (8.06 inches long by 2.3 inches wide by 1.3 inches deep) and look similar to the ergonomically friendly, dumbbell-shaped TiVo remote. As fine as it was, that model did have some imperfections, most notably a slightly flawed keypad layout that was missing dedicated DVD chapter advance and rewind buttons. Last year, Canada's Intrigue Technologies produced one of our favorite universal remotes, the Web-programmable Harmony 659. Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale.