The Logitech Harmony 880 is the #1 selling remote control, and for good reason. With a street price of less than $160, it gives you the ability to intuitively control nearly every infrared (IR) device in your home theater. It's a smart choice for home theaters with multiple remotes and confused family members.

Read More for our detailed review.

The Logitech Harmony 880 is a part of the Harmony line of remotes from Logitech. It's designed as a home entertainment remote for controlling up to 15 devices, and has the capability to control either by device -- as expected for a multi-device remote -- or by Activity (basically, a macro). The Activity functionality is significant. For most family members it'll make flying solo with your home theater setup a reality.

Below are examples of how an Activity can consolidate a series of functions into a single one-button command.

Choose Watch PVR.  The Activity will then:

1. Turn on the TV
2. Switch TV to DVI input
3. Turn on Receiver
4. Switch Receiver to V.Aux input 

Choose Watch Movie. The Activity will then:

1. Turn on TV
2. Switch TV to Component input
3. Turn on Receiver
4. Switch Receiver to DVD input
5. Turn on DVD 

How much easier can it get? Every necessary device is on and in the correct mode for the user. For family members who are intimidated by a gaggle of remotes and uncertainty about which is which, the Activity function offers huge benefits.

Overall Look & Feel

Logitech Harmony 880

Buttons

The remote has 53 buttons, 8 of which are Smart buttons that you can use however you wish. The buttons have a responsive feel with a definitive click when you press them. The only negative is that they can easily be heard from a few feet away.

The button layout is excellent for a home theater focused around a TV, cable set-top or satellite set-top box. However, the button layout for TiVo and DVR is a little bipolar. While I love the directional pad layout and the layout of the Smart buttons works well; the play, pause, next, previous, rewind and fast forward button arrangement doesn't function as nicely for DVR use. For these six buttons, the 880 would benefit from a layout more like the TiVo. And, personally, I'd rather the see two sets of buttons swapped. The Page Up ^ and Page Down v buttons feel backwards, and the Guide and Info buttons could be swapped with each other.

Even with a few button layout weaknesses, the directional pad is so appealing and the overall layout works well enough that you can quickly acclimate.

Logitech Harmony 880 Box

Screen

The color screen is reasonably bright, but has a very low resolution. It works well enough for text, but the resolution is not high enough for the Activity graphics that Logitech uses in the default configuration. During the setup, the first thing I did was eliminate the graphics.

Software/Web Interface (version 7.0.2)

First, be sure to download the latest version at logitech.com. The Harmony software works well on Windows or Mac OS X. 

Using the Logitech Harmony software requires you to sign up and login to a free online account where your remote configuration is stored. That means that in order to change the configuration on your remote, you need web access. I didn't find that requirement to be a negative, especially when weighted against the amazing set of devices in the online Harmony databases -- even truly obscure devices. An advantage of storing your remote data online is that you can easily modify your remote setup from multiple computers without the hassles associated with transferring configuration files between computers.

Logitech Harmony Software - Activities

1. If you like wizards, you'll love the software. If you don't, you may find moving through wizards for each device, Activity and remote setup a bit tedious.
2. The software works best if you own only one Logitech Harmony remote. More on this below.
3. Slowish Internet connections or dial-up will make process feel slower.

My biggest frustration is that Logitech won't let you store more than one remote per account. Therefore if you need several Harmony remotes for other locations within your home and want the same or similar functionality, you will have to manage each of them separately. Given that Logitech is at the 7th major release of the software and the market leader in remotes, I think this a major oversight. Users should be able to login and manage each of their remotes from one account. Remote control profiles should be able to share customized devices, Activities and preferences. Having to build and manage this for each remote in your home seems like nothing more than time you'll never get back. I chatted with the guys at Logitech about it. They acknowledged that it's a problem and say they are investigating solutions. Unfortunately, no solution is yet available, nor are more specific timelines or announcements.

The single remote limitation and my personal wizard aversion aside, the software works well, especially the robust database.

Battery

The battery is a rechargeable Lithium Ion cell that charges in the dedicated cradle. The battery life is reasonable. With DVR use, it won't quite last a week... but close.

In the Box - Click to Enlarge

To setup the remote, I first installed Logitech's Harmony Software by downloading the latest version from the logitech.com site, rather installing off the CD. After installation, I had to create the free online account tied to my remote.

The next step was to add devices. The Logitech Harmony software did a good job of letting me choose manufacturer and enter the model number. For this test, I configured 10 devices for six Activities. After adding my devices, I programmed the Activities I wanted. I chose Watch PVR, Watch Movies, Listen to Radio and plus a couple of custom activities: Listen to MP3, Use PC, and Use PS2. In my setup, I use both an audio receiver and an HDMI video switcher which meant I had to add the video switcher to each of these Activities. The software handled that process effortlessly. One caveat; for any device you never want to turn off (like DVR, TiVo, or cable set-top box), customize the device's power settings so devices are not turned on or off as you switch from one Activity mode to another.

Having set up remotes from Sony, Philips Pronto, Crestron, All-in-One, and others, I found this process to be one of the most painless I've undertaken. Even with my customization, the total setup time was less than 2 hours. For more basic setups, it should take under an hour. If that sounds like a lot to you, then you've never setup a Philips Pronto or other highly customizable remote. The Pronto, for example, is a blank slate -- you can easily spend 100 hours getting it good-to-go. Short of RF capability, at the end of my two-hour setup I had the 880 doing everything it took me days to accomplish on my Philips Pronto.

My Usage Experience

Personally, I've been using a Philips Pronto Pro NG, a $1,000 LCD color display with about a dozen hard buttons. As mentioned, it took dozens of hours to get my Pronto tweaked. No question it looks slick and can do plenty. However, with the Pronto or any LCD screen-focused remote, I find typing a number to change the channel a poorer experience than using hard buttons. For me, the lack of tactile buttons makes big LCD remotes more cumbersome. On the other hand, the Logitech 880 felt nearly as intuitive as a standard TiVo remote with just a little longer lag time. The shape and weight felt appropriate in my hand and I didn't feel the need to set it down. Other than the DVR button layout, it's very intuitive.

The 880 is an infrared remote, so you must keep it pointed at the devices until it's done sending the signals. Not a problem, but something to be aware of. The 880's big brother, the 890, has RF capability that can eliminate the need to point. We will review the RF-capable 890 in the near future.

Conclusion 

Overall, I really like the 880. For an MSRP of $250 and street price closer $160, it's a great deal for a remote that actually lets you put both other original and after-market remotes in a drawer. Spend an hour or two up-front and this remote will run your home theater.

Pros

• Remote works well
• Layout, while not perfect, is quite good
• Easy-to-use software
• Outstanding device database, easy learning capability for those commands it doesn't inherently know
• Good backlighting with tilt activation
• Nice charging cradle

Cons

• Can't manage multiple remotes on one account
• Play, pause, next, previous, rewind and fast forward button layout isn't optimal for DVRs
• Power users may find web/wizard interface cumbersome

Key Features

• Infrared only
• Control up to 15 devices
• 53 buttons
• Backlit buttons
• 64K color screen with
• 8 LCD Smart buttons
• Rechargeable Li-ion battery
• Backlit
• 8.1x2.3x1.3 inches
• 5.8 oz
• 2MB memory
• Turn on backlight on tilt

Link: Logitech.com

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angel35 said:

I love the 880.Works the way i want

November 10, 2006

jimmyz408 said:

I have owned this remote for a month and it works outstanding. Programming the remote can be a little tuff a first but you do get used to it. I programmed it for the first time and it worked great, but then I added some equipment to my system and had to change the configuration and I found it a little confusing and it took me a couple of trys to get it right. This is still the easyest remote that I have worked with and it is well worth the coin you pay for it. Thumbs up!!!!!

December 18, 2006

RonFoster said:

I, at long frustratingly last, got the remote programmed. When the first remote wouldn't work, Logitech decided it was a defective battery. J&R rushed me a replacement--same exact problem. Real problem----Nowhere in the set up does it tell you that all anti virus, firewalls, pop-ups, etc MUST be turned off or the downloads can be blocked!!! Unbelievable that that fact isn't highlighted for non computer nerds like myself. Will update comments after a few days using remote. Logitechs people were excellent throughout.

March 22, 2007

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