Sunday, July 09, 2006

Advanced Universal Remote

I bought a Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote so I could get rid of all the remotes that I use individually to control the Television, Cable Box, Sound System and the HTPC.

Pros:
  • Can program 'Activities' like 'Watch My TV', or 'Listen Digital Music' that can control the settings on Television, Stereo, Cable and the HTPC together. For example, can change the input of the TV to DVI, turn on the HTPC, switch stereo to the AUX input.
  • Sweet to use just one remote
Cons:
  • The Remote toggles the on/off state of the device when activated. Consequently if the TV was already on when you select 'Watch My TV', it will be turned off.
  • Charging the remote is a pain.

Cost: $141 from Comp-U-Plus

I have not added this to the total cost of the HTPC as I use it to control other devices as well.