Why You Can Trust CNET Logitech Harmony 600 review: Logitech Harmony 600
Logitech Harmony 600
- Self-taught tinkerer, informal IT and gadget consultant to friends and family (with several self-built gaming PCs under his belt)
Editors' note: The Logitech Harmony 600 has been discontinued, and is See CNET's Which Logitech universal remote is right for you? for updated comparisons and recommendations.
Logitech Harmony 600
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
Logitech's line of Harmony universal remotes includes more models at more affordable price points than ever before. For 2010, the lineup includes the $50 Harmony 300 and the $100 Harmony 650. Directly between those two models is the $80 Harmony 600, reviewed here.
At first glance, the Harmony 600 is a near duplicate of its slightly more expensive big brother. The overall design and button layout is effectively identical to that of the Harmony 650 (and, indeed, the $150 Harmony 700). But the Harmony 600 is silver instead of gray, and it offers a simple text-based LCD screen instead of the 650's more colorful version. Both the 600 and the 650 can control a total of five devices, and--like all Harmony remotes--these models are programmable via a Mac or Windows PC, and use activity-based commands such "Watch TV" or "Listen to Music" to control a home AV system.
The remote is roughly segmented into three main areas. The top section is dominated by the aforementioned black-and-white LCD screen; it's a square 1-inch-by-1-inch display. It's not a touch screen--you'll need to spend at least twice as much to upgrade to a Harmony One for that--but there are five buttons (two on each side, one on the bottom) for choosing contextual items on the screen. You can also page through additional screens, multiplying the available choices. The middle section has a five-way directional pad, channel and volume controls, and some standard DVR keys (Menu, Guide, Info, Exit). On the bottom third of the remote, you'll find standard video transport controls (play, pause, rewind, etc.) and a 12-digit keypad.
The setup process is identical to that of previous Logitech Harmony remotes. You connect the 600 to your Internet-connected Windows PC or Mac with the supplied USB cable, install the model-specific version of Harmony software (downloaded from Logitech's Web site), and answer a fairly simple online questionnaire. 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." For each function, you specify which devices and inputs the remote must enable. You can also choose which keypad functions will "punch through" to which specific devices--always having the channel buttons control the cable box or the volume controls dedicated to the TV, for instance. After you've completed the questionnaire, the software uploads all the relevant control codes to the Harmony 600.
The software will automatically map obvious function to the default keys--"pause" to "pause," "2" to "2," and so on--but you can customize and change anything you'd like. You can also map specific functions to the colored buttons on the remote, as well as the contextual areas on the LCD screen. The LCD can also be used for channel favorites, but--unlike the step-up Harmony 650--you can't include custom icons and logos, only text.
As easy as the remote generally is to use, some users may encounter a few snags when initially setting up their remotes. Often, this will be because of the hardware limitations of older AV equipment. We've had problems in the past with TVs or AV receivers that don't offer discrete input commands, as well as gear with old HDMI connectors that don't easily "refresh" the video connection when switching inputs. Still, we were able to get the 600 to ably control a living room system with a plasma TV, an AV receiver, an HD DVR, an Xbox 360, and a Sony PS3. (Because that last product doesn't include an IR receiver, you'll need to invest in the Logitech Harmony Adapter for PlayStation 3; it works perfectly, but costs almost as much as the Harmony 600 itself.) Those with larger systems should take note, however: that represents the Harmony 600's (and Harmony 650's) maximum of five devices. Anyone with additional gear should opt for the Harmony 700 (six devices), or make the leap to the Harmony One (15 devices).
As we said in our earlier reviews of Harmony remotes, if you have a complicated system, you can expect to spend some time fine-tuning the remote to get it to work just right. A certain amount of trial and error is involved. You must verify that the commands work with your equipment as intended, then modify them as necessary. The Web site provides advanced, macro-style options for delay times, multistep commands, and other functions. Also, the remote's Help key helps in troubleshooting by asking natural-language questions on the LCD. For instance, the screen might read, "Is the digital set-top box on?"
That said, the "classic" Harmony software now feels outdated after you've used the "My Harmony" software that comes with the entry-level Harmony 300 model. That one streamlines the process even further, and adds an interface for drag-and-drop button programming. We hope that Logitech eventually adopts the "My Harmony" software for the rest of its remote line, including the Harmony 600 reviewed here. On the positive side, expert users will be happy to hear that the Harmony 600 (unlike the luxury 900 and 1100 models) does support the programming of custom "sequences," or multidevice macros of up to five steps.
Though there's still no way to manage multiple Harmony remotes on the same account (you're required to create separate user accounts, with separate names and passwords, for each of them), Logitech has made it very easy to swap in a new Harmony remote for an old one and transfer in that remote's system setup. For example, if you already had an older Harmony that you use with your main living room system, you could quickly swap in the Harmony 600, and then set up a separate profile for the old Harmony, which you could then use in another room.
In the final analysis, the Logitech Harmony 600 is a superb universal remote that's being sold at a very competitive sub-$80 price. If you need to control only five devices or fewer, and you don't need a color LCD screen, it's an easy recommendation. That said, just be sure to check the price of the Harmony 650 or Harmony 700 first; if you can afford the extra $20 or $30 to upgrade, it's worth it.