Digital Trends

Logitech Harmony 880

September 13th, 2005 | by Rebecca Day

Setup and Use

After charging the remote, you load the Harmony software, then plug in the model numbers of your electronics at the Harmony website. I was amazed by the voluminous database of manufacturer names, including obscure brands such as Hypson, Orcom and World of Vision. Setup was straightforward with an extra level of handholding. In cases where the software needs to confirm codes from an original remote, Harmony illustrations and text combine to guide you through the process.

The cool thing about the Harmony approach is that you organize the remote according to activities: watch TV, watch DVD, listen to radio, etc. One button turns on the right components to make each activity happen.

My system isn't easy to manage. With two radio tuners—one AM/FM and one XM—and with two watch TV options—TiVo for standard digital cable and HD cable box for high-def, I thought I'd confuse the remote during setup. I was pleased to find that the remote could designate two different TV activities--Watch TV and Watch TiVo--so that wouldn't be a problem.

After programming the remote using a combination of Harmony codes and learned commands, I headed to the A/V system for a test run.

Image Courtesy of Logitech