Logitech Harmony Remote

How many remotes do you have in your house? Just in my office I have remotes for TV, DVD Recorder, CD Player, VCR, PVR, Foxtel 102, Windows Media Center, Playstation 3 and Receiver/Amplifier.

I'm a news junkie, so I have the TV on my desk running all day with Sky News on; the radio is on via the receiver/amp; I have ABC local radio and while all this is going on, I might be recording other Foxtel programs via the IQ2. I have a DVICO TViX PVR for other recordings and of course at night (as a publisher's work never finishes) I might be playing back a DVD or video, or playing (reviewing, that is) a game.

Nine remotes. My sister-in-law bought me a remote control caddy for Christmas and I have too many to fit! So imagine this; to switch from listening to ABC radio to watching a Star Wars DVD in surround sound, I have to:

Pick up the amp/receiver remote and switch it to channel 5
Press Play on the remote for the DVD recorder
Switch off the sound for the TV
That's three steps from three different remotes.

Many Melb PC members will be familiar with macros. For those who aren't, a macro is simply a series of commands in a sequence that a computer application follows. An example might be, in a document for example:

Select Document
Set font to Calibri
Move to top
Print to Laser
Save

It used to be great fun (and I'm sure it still is) creating macros in Excel and Word particularly, and I know of a number of consultant that made lots of money, creating macros (effectively programming) in the spreadsheet Lotus 1-2-3.

Well, with the Logitech Harmony 785 remote controller, the steps detailed above can be programmed.

It's a very clever beastie indeed, and while expensive compared to some of the $49 universal remotes, is as akin to them as the wax gramophone is to a DVD recorder. The 785 is a computer in its own right. There are so many built-in codes for manufacturers of equipment that it's mind- boggling. I have some obscure bits of kit in my arsenal, and not one of them was missing.

While some commands weren't programmed, it was a piece of cake to use the 785 to manually emulate such things as red/green buttons on a Foxtel control. Even the Electronic Program Guide button on the Foxtel was easy to set to 'Guide' on the 785. To switch between devices is as easy as pressing the Device button, and selecting the device which appears on the LCD screen. These can also be macroed, so some really complex commands can be set to a single button. It's not totally perfect, as I've yet to work out how to emulate some of the more obscure PVR commands such as Angle or Bookmark; I know it CAN do it — I just haven't found out how.

These macros on the Harmony 785 are called Activities. You set them up step by step and save them. They're recalled by pressing the Activities button and then selecting from a menu of all the ones you have created such as "Listen to Radio", "Watch DVD in 5.1" and so on.

So yes, to get the end result, you do need to spend some time learning and practising - and even starting again - but there's a large satisfaction gained when It Just Works.

One annoyance I've found is that I never seem to be able to get the unit to charge to full strength. There is a cradle the 785 sits in, which has its own power supply, but there's no indication that it's charging, although it does beep occasionally. However, it's never shown the battery indicator on the LCD screen as being more than half full. Not a biggie as it lives in the cradle, but an annoyance nonetheless. In the final wash- up, I love it. I have to go back to basic remotes on occasion, but that's purely as I've been lazy in programming the Harmony.

But I look at it this way - if I lost all remotes for whatever reason, the Harmony still cost me far less than replacing every other one I have. And the convenience is simply brilliant. Put the time in, and reap the rewards!

Reprinted from the October 2008 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia

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