While the rest of the world is salivating over the, as of yet unavailable, Logitech Harmony 1000, you can be making use of the now available Logitech Harmony 720 Advanced Universal Remote. Although it doesn’t have all the power of its older brother, it has more than enough features to satiate pretty much anyone out there.
The Harmony 720 is one of those remotes to end all other remotes, as it can control essentially anything you throw at it (or anything you throw it at when you get frustrated programming it). Case in point, I was able to successfully eliminate six total remotes and just use the Harmony 720 to control all of my home theater devices.
Programming the remote might pose some hangups for less technically inclined users, but its nothing that a bit of tenacity can’t resolve. Rather than punching in an endless series of device codes, you connect the remote to your computer via USB and program it through a web interface. It takes a little getting used to, but it doesn’t require a degree in astrophysics or anything.
The remote body is very attractive and will be a welcome addition to any home theater setup. Its face is adorned with a striking color LCD that is used to display many of the remote functions. And if, like me, that LCD makes you worry about frequent battery changes, worry not, it uses a lithium-ion battery that recharges whenever it’s placed on its dock.
The display will present six icons at once, each tailored specifically to your programmed devices. There are hard buttons located next to each icon and pressing it will give you control over that device. Sure maybe it’s not absolutely necessary to have a svelte looking LCD on your remote, but who cares? It looks awesome and definitely increases the functionality of the controller.
You’ll also never suffer from a shortage of buttons with the 720 either. The remote features 45 dedicated buttons, plus a directional pad. Some are hard plastic with a shiny silver face, while others are black and rubberized. A welcome feature to any home theater enthusiast will be the fact that all of the buttons either glow in the dark or are backlit, so no straining to see what buttons you’re mashing in the dark.
Aside from the slight programming drawbacks, the biggest problem of the 720 is the fact that it only supports IR. Many of my devices are RF compatible which is a vastly preferred method of control. The problem with IR is that it requires line-of-sight, whereas RF controllers can manipulate devices that are concealed within cabinets. Despite that, however, IR performance for the 720 was quite good, and I never had a problem with any of my devices.
All-in-all my experience with the Harmony 720 has been positive. Given that the the forthcoming Harmony 1000 carries an MSRP of $500 I suggest you seriously weigh purchasing the Harmony 720 as a valid alternative. It can currently be had from Costco for about $180.
