Most people who use the Harmony Remote will probably not even use this application. I found it to be an amazingly helpful way to test your remote control without downloading the contents to the remote and leaving the application environment. What it's handy for is identifying that you have correctly mapped the LCD buttons and that the behavior of the remote control interface is operating as expected. What it won't do is tell you if your devices are correctly receiving commands.

There were some issues with the programming interface. Chief among them is the fact that the programmable LCD screen is set up as a dynamic list that groups similar device functions together. What this means is that regardless of how I want the LCD screen to look, the buttons will be rearranged by the application to always group functions according to device. This is much less convenient than having static LCD screens that can be customized with whatever function you would like. One big example of how this inconvenienced me was when I attempted to add additional DVD player functions to the "Watch DVD" activity. Adding them caused the much-needed "Multi-channel Input" function to drop to the bottom (landing on page 2 of the LCD screen). Well, this isn't a low priority function, and I ended up choosing to not program additional DVD functions simply to keep the multi-channel function on the first screen.

Another thing that happened that was almost comical was a feature I discovered while attempting to add the Multi-channel input function to the "Watch DVD" activity. The Harmony application was apparently so happy that I added this feature that it added it to every other activity! In addition, if I then went back and deleted it, it disappeared from every activity. It turns out that the Harmony programming interface will carry over custom button functions for activities that use the same device. So in my case, the programmed multi-channel input function was showing up everywhere, since all my activities used the Integra DTC-9.4 processor . This feature is meant to simplify the programming process and reduce the redundancy of having to add a device function to all applicable activities. It would have been nice, however to be able to "lift" this function and actually have fully-independent LCD button customization. There are workarounds to this, but they involve a level of device redundancy that we won't go into here.

Now I'll address the application interface itself. While helpful and somewhat user-friendly, the online Harmony remote control programming application has a rather rough feel to it. Its monochrome, bitmap icons and monotone blue interface are indicative of a beta application that hasn't yet received its final look and feel, rather than a live development platform that is supposed to service thousands of users. It would have been great to see Logitech employ a graphic redesign of the online system so that the application would look as cool as it works. At the same time revisiting some of the wording so as to better communicate 21st century terminology instead of resorting to 1980's terms like "stereo receiver" and "amplifier" when most people will recognize terms like "receiver" and "surround processor" would be of great help.

During the course of this review I contacted technical support a couple of times. One time I called at 8:30 PM EST only to be pleasantly surprised when a happy support representative answered my call and informed me that they are open until 10PM EST Monday through Friday. Now that level of service beats just about anybody I can think of including my bank, accountant, and most restaurants around here (off-season).

Technical support for the Harmony fleet of remotes is very advanced. With your login ID they can examine your particular configuration. Having trouble with a remote's functions? They'll check for updated IR codes and replace yours with an updated copy. Since they are looking at your configuration, they are able to walk you through various configuration problems and make suggestions on how to better utilize your remote. The online database of codes is absolutely immense and is constantly being updated daily by users and the Harmony support staff, resulting in the most up-to-the-minute comprehensive IR database I'm aware of.

The end result of the Harmony Remote experience is that when I aim the H688 and hit the "Play DVD" activity button, everything in my system springs to life and the remote is ready to control my DVD player, with the most commonly used advanced functions available via the custom LCD buttons. If ever a component gets out of sync, I simply hit the "Help" button and 9 times out of 10 the problem is solved instantly.

There are a host of features and items that have not been discussed here (purposefully so as to not extend the review to encyclopedic status) including the availability of program guides on the remote, custom macro timing, additional application programming methods, and more. The bottom line is that the Harmony H688 is the remote control you'd give to your grandmother (once you programmed it of course) and she could operate a $25,000 home theater entertainment center. My babysitter will be very pleased.

Founded in 1981, Logitech designs, manufactures and markets personal peripherals that enable people to effectively work, play, and communicate in the digital world. Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the Swiss Stock Exchange (LOGN) and in the U.S. on the Nasdaq National Market System (LOGI). The company has manufacturing facilities in Asia and offices in major cities in North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.