Technology, Support, and News Forum

[rippinchikkin]

<img src="http://parcom.pro-networks.org/images/0908log2.jpg" align="right" alt="Logitech Harmony 890 Pro Advanced Universal Remote"></img> Logitech Harmony 890 Pro Advanced Universal Remote
By Olin Coles
June 7, 2007

In my short adult lifetime, I have owned at least a dozen televisions and A/V receivers; yet I have never owned a universal remote control. Even after I wrote the Guide: How to shop for your first HDTV, I refused to open myself up to buying an aftermarket remote.

I know that this may seem like crazy talk to some of you, but brace yourselves: sometimes I even right walk up to the equipment and turn it on or off... manually. I blame my denial of convenience on the progress of technology, because it changes so quickly that all of the equipment seems to be replaced long before the remote begins to shows signs of wear. Okay, so it's mostly all of that, but it's also because I'm not lazy.

Regardless of my cautious approach to convenience technology, now that I have a whole new array of electronics the real problem begins. You see, up until 2007 I was a three remote kind of guy. The 'system' was comprised of a television, DVD player, and receiver. Then everything changed. It all started when I bought the new Sharp AQUOS LC-52D62U 52" 1080P HDTV, which was followed by a new 7.1 HDMI A/V receiver, and then the satellite receiver, HD-DVR, and finally a nice Windows MCE HTPC to round things out.

My simple entertainment room quickly turned ugly on me, and the new collection of remotes began to occupy almost all of my table space. If clutter wasn't bad enough, all of the equipment was brand new, which meant that I had no idea which remote went to what device.

[imnuts Profile Website]

I know someone that got one of these, and when I build up the money to get one I really want to. There are literally hundreds and hundreds of different products that can be controlled with the thing. If you can afford one, I'd definitely suggest it, though it is a little confusing to understand at first, I feel that it's worth it when having one remote that controls EVERYTHING.