Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)If you think this remote is just a fancy color display version of other run-of-the-mill universal remotes on the market... then you really need to do more research before you buy this remote. Many of the negative reviews on this unit are because the buyers did not thoroughly understand the concept of the Harmony 880, or how it works, or that you have to program it via your home computer and the Internet! If having to install software on your PC and downloading component device codes is more complexity than you are willing to tackle then this is not a remote for you. Instead you might want to consider something like the 8-DEVICE Learning Upgradeable Universal Remote or the One for All URC 8910 Universal Remote Control.
You should also know that the Harmony 880 has been around for several years. By todays standards, and with the advent of high-resolution color displays found on most cell phones, the low-resolution display of the Harmony 880 may seem a little lackluster. Understanding this before you purchase may save you some disappointment. With that said, while there are newer Harmony models like the Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control or the Logitech Harmony 1000 Advanced Universal Remote the Harmony 880 continues to be one of the top selling universal remotes regardless of its older technology low resolution display.
You should also understand the Harmony 880 is an IR (infrared) line of sight unit. In other words it must be pointed at the device you are attempting to control. You cannot use it from another room and it may not function properly if you are pointing the 880 at the ceiling or the floor. If you need a remote that will work around corners, from another room, or when pointed in any direction... you need a RF (radio frequency) remote like the Logitech Harmony 890 Advanced Universal Remote Control.
As to the problems and complaints over defective charging base units... if you surf the web you will soon discover that years ago the original release of the 880 had a lot of problems with the charging base. The manufacturer went thru several redesigns of the base (and hundreds of upset customers) until they finally (only recently) got the design right. I received my Harmony 880 refurbished unit from Amazon in October 07 and it included the newest version of the charging base. The refurbished unit I received looked brand new in every way, works great every single time and I have not had a single issue or problem of any kind with the base charging unit.
Also, as to any concern you may have on buying a refurbished unit... if you check the review dates of the people giving the more negative reviews you will see the majority of them occurred in the May/June 2007 time frame. My guess is this is when Amazon first began to offer the refurbished units. One can only assume that Amazon worked with Logitech to resolve the earlier issues with the charging base. That said, the vast majority of the more current reviews (August 2007 on)... have been very positive. In regards to purchasing a refurbished unit... if you buy a "New" Logitech Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote Control it only comes with a one year warranty. If you buy the refurbished unit for $99 you can also purchase the 2-Year Replacement Plan for Electronics Products $75 to $99.99 for $19.99. So... you end up with a 880 with a 2 year warranty! (NOTE: The 2 Year Replacement Plan is not a repair warranty per se but actually a refund of the purchase price.) In other words if your unit fails during the two year period, you send in your defective remote and they will send you a check for the purchase price of $99.00.) I figure if it fails I can use the money to buy another remote or apply the refund towards a newer model.
If by the off chance you should receive a defective unit... (new or refurbished) any regular customer of Amazon knows Amazon will replace the unit in a flash or refund your money. As to the Logitech 1-800 support desk, yes you can experience delays in getting thru to an operator (as you do with most 800 support desk numbers), but once you get thru they are very helpful and will send you replacement parts when needed.
You should also know that some people complain about the little buttons on the 880 especially the ones located around the display. Others complain about the placement of the DVR/VCR controls. NET: Study the photos of the 880 to see if you could live with the buttons. If not, you might want to consider the Logitech Harmony 550 Universal Remote (although it has a monochrome, i.e., black & white, display). If you like the button placement of the 550 but want a color display like the 880 then you might consider the Logitech Harmony 720 Universal Remote.
Last... my wife hated having 5 remotes on the coffee table and she could never figure out which remote did what. Whenever she wanted to watch a movie or listen to music when I was away from home she would have to call me so I could step her through the remotes. When I was home I would have to stop what I was doing to set everything up. Those days are now behind us thanks to the Harmony 880. My wife absolutely loves it! She can now operate any device in our home theater or entertainment system with the push of a button.
When reading reviews keep in mind more people tend to complain when a unit is defective but are less apt to report when everything is great. Bottom line... thi five star rating is well deserved. If you do your research you will also discover this remote is hard to beat for the price.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Logitech Harmony 880 Remote Control - Refurbished
The Harmony 880 Advanced Universal Remote puts you in control of your entire audio-video system with just one button. It's home entertainment the way it should be - simple. Optimized for complicated HDTV and PVR systems, the Harmony 880 helps you tame tough configurations like switching your television between video aspect ratios depending on the program source. The interactive color display lets you quickly choose a 16: 9 ratio for movies and HDTV, or a standard 4: 3 ratio for basic television programming.
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