The only one that worked first time with no modifications necessary was Watch Apple TV. My three activities are 'Watch TV/TiVo', 'Watch DVD/Blu-ray' and 'Watch Apple TV'. I finally had to setup a NEW button called 'HDMI1' and then I mapped my activities to use that input. I had to whip out the original remote and manually program the power buttons using the 'Learn IR Command.' Also it seemed that no matter what, it insisted on switching the input from HDMI to PC on my projector. For example, my projector just didn’t come on. Although the Harmony One software seemed to know about all my devices, there were still several issues that I had to fix manually. Activities are designed to be one button macros that automatically turn on the right components and switch to the right inputs. In theory after you input your devices all you would have to do is then configure your 'Activities' such as 'Watch My TV' or 'Watch a Movie'. This is child’s play for the Harmony One because Logitech has the device information on over 5,000 different consumer electronic devices. I also solved the PS3 problem (so that I can watch Blu-ray and DVD movies) with the Nyko Playstation 3 BluWave Remote which adds IR remote capability to the PS3 via a USB dongle. However, the Bose systems now include an IR receiver just so you can use universal remotes. So in theory that would rule out the Bose which is RF based and the PS3 which is Bluetooth based.

The Harmony One is IR only and doesn’t control RF or Bluetooth devices. In my home theater setup, I wanted this remote to control my Epson HD projector, TiVo HD, Apple TV, Sony PS3, Bose Lifestyle 28 sound system and my Lutron Maestro Lighting Control. You start by just listing the make and model of each of your devices. This offers a huge advantage over other remotes that make you enter codes or learn every function manually. That’s right, you configure this remote from your computer which downloads the latest and greatest device profiles from the internet. The Harmony One comes with the remote, charging cradle, Lithium Ion rechargeable battery, USB cable, setup guide and software CD.

It also feels much better in my hand compared to the rather large footprint of the Sony remote. The buttons are uniquely shaped which makes it easy to operate it without having to look at it. There is a small touch screen at the top of the device with the rest being physical buttons for common things like volume up/down, channel changing and things like Play, Pause, Stop, etc. The Harmony One is the next closest thing to my dream remote. This way no matter how many devices you bought or got rid of, your remote would never be outdated.

Think of an iPhone like experience as a remote. I’ve always dreamed of a remote that would be 2/3rds touch screen and 1/3rd physical buttons and the touch screen would actually look exactly like the original remote for the device you’re trying to control. This remote is much improved over the earlier models in several ways. It just seemed like it was more work than it was worth. It wasn’t very forgiving if anyone turned on or off a device by hand. I had one of the earlier models and I just didn’t like it. So I decided to give the Harmony another try. However, a couple of my buddies have been really going on and on about the Logitech Harmony One Universal Remote. I’ve been pretty content over the years with my Sony RM-AV3000 universal remote.

Harmony one reorder activities