Logitech Harmony 670 Universal Remote Review

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(More customer reviews)Prior to getting this remote, I have had a separate remote to control my TV, VCR, DVD Player, AV Receiver, and Cable box. I had gotten used to having to switch between remotes to do different things. My TV, DVD, Receiver and VCR are all Sony, so I did get multiple uses out of some, since each remote could be programmed to control another Sony device; however it was still a bit cumbersome.
That was until I got this remote. I have messed with universal remotes in the past, and only got so-so performance and functionality out of them, but this one was different. The set up was long, but was pretty easy to do; the hardest thing in fact was getting behind my entertainment center, and having to lift up some of my peripherals to get the model numbers which is essential in order to have this remote work properly. Another thing about the setup is that you need to be a bit technically savvy because the software does ask you questions about what input your TV needs to be on for different devices to work, as well as what settings the receiver needs to be on. It was pretty simple for me, but others who are not familiar with how the devices work together will have problems. The literature says that it has over 5000 models, and for me all of my devices were recognized, even my XBOX 360 is now able to be controlled from this remote, something I did not expect it would be able to do. For me I can control every one of my devices directly from one remote, while all buttons on the remote do not match up directly with all the buttons on my receiver remote, the Harmony has a bright LCD screen to control every function on my receiver and every other device in my setup, for example because of the DVD player model number I supplied it, it knows my DVD player is a 5 disc changer the remote's LCD screen has the ability to switch between each DVD.
The Harmony comes with setup software and a USB cable so you can connect it directly to your PC in case you need to run the setup software again to tweak the settings and actions on the remote. If you want to control a different device in your setup, all you have to do is press the "Device" button on the remote and scroll through the LCD screen to select the device you want to control, and the remote basically turns into the remote for the selected device. If you choose to control the cable box, then remote knows to turn the channels through the cable box, and not the TV, if you control the DVD player, the remote can play the DVD, eject, go to the DVD menu...you get the point. While this is cool, the coolest thing about the Harmony is the one touch activity buttons, which is perfect for people who are tired of having to do many things just to do one thing, or for people who simply don't know what to do. These "Activity" buttons do everything that needs to be done by only pressing a single button. For example, before the Harmony, if I wanted to watch a movie on my TV, I had to have

1) The receiver set to DVD,
2) The TV set to input 5
3) DVD player needs to be turned on.
Now I am able to do all of this with the simple press of the "watch movie button" on the remote, pressing this button will do all the above steps for you. The default action for these buttons is turning all other devices off, so pressing the "watch movie" button turned my cable box off, which is not what I wanted to happen, no problem, I just went into the setup software and tweaked the DVD action to leave the Cable Box on. Plugged my remote to my PC, pressed "update remote" and after few moments, the new actions are programmed to the remote.
What about other activities that don't have a specific button on the remote for it, say for example, I want to play the XBOX 360. No problem, Just press the "More activities" button and the LCD screen displays all the actions you can do with your given devices. So for me to play the XBOX360, I just press "More Activities" scroll down to and select "play XBOX360", and the Harmony does the following automatically
1) The TV goes to Input 5
2) The Receiver goes to "TV"
3) The XBOX 360 turns on
4) The Cable box stays on
5) And if they are on, the DVD, and VCR player turns off
pretty cool huh?
I am very satisfied and pleasantly surprised with the performance and functionality of the Harmony. It is literally replaced all of my other remotes, which will save me in batteries. I originally thought I would still need my other remotes for not so obvious things I might want to set, but it seems like the Harmony can control everything you might need to do. Of course there would be a slight learning curve in figuring out the buttons, but all of the basic and even some not so basic things can easily be controlled through the Harmony.
If you are getting this for someone who has no idea how TV's, receivers, DVD, VCR players work together then they will have problems setting the remote up, and if you are able, do them a BIG favor of setting it up for them. After its set up properly, I think anyone would be able to use it with the ease of the one touch activity buttons. Now even my wife can watch a DVD when I'm not in the house without having to call me all the time.
I originally was going to give this remote 4 stars because of the potentially complicated setup process for some consumers, but once the remote is set up properly, I don't think it could get any simpler. The ease of use and functionality after the setup process is near perfect, therefore the Harmony 670 gets 5 stars! What a great product.

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Designed specifically for Digital Video Recorder (DVR) users, the Harmony 670 features convenient controls that make it easy to command TiVO. and other popular DVRs.Essential buttons including "Record," "Play," "Pause," "Advance," "Rewind," "Skip Forward," "Skip Back," and a directional pad are centrally located, and convenient "Sound" and "Picture" buttons help you tame tough configurations such as switching aspect ratios or sound modes. Harmony's activity-based control makes it easy to manage your entire home entertainment system; just press a conveniently color-coded activity button (?Watch Movie?), and the remote will power on your TV, DVD, stereo receiver, set all the inputs and even press "Play"! There's also a handy ?Help? button so that anyone from the kids to the babysitter can access programming.Software for Windows and Macintosh computer Includes - Logitech Harmony 670 remote control; USB cable; Installation CD; Installation guide; 4 AAA batteries; 1-year warranty

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Hauppauge MediaMVP Digital Media Receiver (Model 1000) Review

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(More customer reviews)MediaMVP is a simple service that installs on your windows PC that streams video, audio, and pictures over your 100 mb ethernet lan to the MVP box which connects your TV/VCR/whatever. The PC acts as a file server, and the MVP box acts as a network MPG/MP3/etc decoder that produces excellent video and audio output.
You configure what directories to share on the PC, and using your MVP remote control select which movies or audio files to play from the onscreen menus. You sit in your living room and play movies from your PC upstairs.
Network usage is lite (2-3% on my 2.0 P4) and cpu usage is also lite (3-7%) with occaisional spikes on both.
Models differ by country (NTSC in the US/PAL in Europe). Firmware versions are D1, D2, D3, D3A, E1, E2). I understand the D3 is problematic while the D3A (mine) is just fine. If you get a D3 (you must open the box), then just return it.
Caveats
Its not wireless, use 100mb cat5/cat6 wiring.
Does not play DivX movies
Does not play PAL (25fps) mpegs on NTSC TV's
Menu loading can be slow
Remote is clunky and not straight forward.
Some problems with certain aspect ratios, overall
most are fine
Upright Stand could be better
That said, it does what it is suppose to. I'm impressed with the picture quality and sound. I listen to audiobooks downstairs as well as watch movies.
Be sure to get the latest software - in fact don't bother with the CD. There are mods and hacks for the box too.
I got tired of waiting for the LiteOn LVD-2010 to appear, so I got this. Problem solved.
*** Update 9/4/2004 ***
My enthusiasm for this unit has waned a bit and thought buyers should know. After extensive use I can say this:
Cons: 1) Problem playing some VCDs (mpeg 1), ie, artifacts and and occasional pauses - my computer and other DVD unit plays these same videos without a hitch. I attribute this to a poor mpg 1 decoder.
2) Some VCD's cause the MVP to lock up requiring a reboot - this is on the most stable firmware release. This does not happen with SVCD's.
3) Some mp3's are truncated (several seconds) at the very end - very annoying when listenting to an audiobook or audio lecture (the speakers main point get truncated).
4) No way to backup a little while listening to an MP3 from a lecture or audiobook.
5) Plays only NTSC mpeg 1 and 2 (US Models). No way to play PAL mpeg's which means if you want to watch a PAL on this unit you must convert PAL to NTSC (several hours on a good machine). A major inconvience since most internet videos are from Europe. Japan and Philippines are fortunately NTSC.
6) Does not play DVD's from your computer
Pros: 1) NTSC SVCDs play perfectly
2) Firmware updates continue to be rolled out (albiet at a snails pace). Updates (beta firmware) include DivX capability and Internet Radio. Howerver, the updates are usually unstable and its been a long time since the last stable release - maybe a 1 person development team.
Thats it - still using the unit, generally happy, just sometimes I must watch a movie (mpeg 1 vcd) on the computer/tv upstairs if this unit chokes on it. Cheers.


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The MediaMVP (short for Media decoder for Music Video and Pictures) is a Digital Media Receiver that bridges the home PC with TV sets and A/V equipment via home networks.

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Philips DVDR3576H DVD Recorder with 160GB Hard Disc and Built-In Tuner Review

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(More customer reviews)This excellent unit is truly powerful and capable. It's a real bargain if its price does not climb (see paragraph 3). It combines 3 different functions in one slim package, any one of which alone would have cost more than its sub-$300 price not so long ago: a 160 GB hard disk recorder, an ATSC digital tuner (and an analog NTSC tuner too), and a DVD recorder. Additionally, it breaks the DVD +/- format war by its ability to record on both.
This unit is one of the surprisingly few hard disk-plus-DVD recorder devices available today that has a digital tuner. It eliminates the high cost of monthly charges for a TIVO. No monthly charges at all! It can do two things at once, allowing playback from either DVD or HDD while recording to HDD. It has a fan but it's quiet, and turns off about a minute after turning the unit off. And, of course, you can watch live TV via your TV's tuner as well.
NOTE ON PRICES: In 2009 the Philip's price has increased, sometimes substantially above what it was last year, although you may still find it at a good price. It may be in limited quantities and/or about to be deleted: I do not know. If you can only find it at an elevated price you should also consider other units. Gary S. reports recently that the newly-available Magnavox H2160MW9, now at Amazon too, is essentially identical to the Philips and is at a sub-$300 price, so investigate that. At higher prices, there are other units that, unlike this otherwise excellent Philips, can record in high definition instead of standard def (albeit on hard drive only): the Moxi MR 1500 (for cable only, cannot be used with an antenna; 500 GB hard drive); or the TiVo TCD658000 HD XL DVR (for both cable and antenna; 1000 GB hard drive). TiVo imposes service charges, unlike Moxi or Philips, so the HD XL effectively costs about $900 for the unit + "lifetime" service fee. However, unlike the Philips, both Moxi and TiVo need an adjunct DVD recorder in order to download keeper programs to a DVD (in SD not HD, at least until Blu-Ray recorders are available). Otherwise you lose your recordings if/when the hard disk crashes.
Recording TV programs
I use a roof antenna, and receive both analog and digital TV signals. Programming to record TV shows is very similar to programming a VCR manually. There is no automatic programming system, but it's really not that hard to do manually. It records HD signals as SD (standard definition).
The listing of programs ("Titles") that you have recorded are clearly shown and easy to navigate to. But it is best to put at least a rudimentary title on the TV programs right after you record them. Otherwise all you have is the date, time, and channel of the recording. You have to add titles by a clunky texting method, requiring multiple presses of numbers 1-9.
Playback
I use an HDMI cable between this unit and my TV. Playback from the hard disk is a joy. Access is immediate. The unit remembers where you left off watching last time on each program individually. You can manoever around the recordings with an (adjustable) 30-second skip forward/backward button, or with an adjustable-speed fast forward/rewind, or with a chapter-jump ("next") which uses the (optional) 10-minute auto-chapters that are inserted.
Playback from DVD is fine, but loading a DVD is slow (perhaps because it can handle so many different DVD formats).
Aspect Ratio (edited 12/08--thanks to Arnold E.)
This will require fiddling with from time to time to display the picture properly.
When recording DIGITAL programs you get 16:9 playback with very good SD definition on a widescreen TV with the following settings: Setup/General/Video/TV Aspect/16:9. AND set the "HDMI" toggle button to 1080p (or 1080i if your 16:9 set doesn't have p). The TV should then choose the correct aspect ratio setting automatically.
If you play back a 4:3 ANALOG program (until June 2009) with these settings, it will play back stretched sideways: reset "HDMI" to 480p to fix this.
AND if you are recording some digital programs which are not broadcast full-screen (e.g. BBC News) you may wish to press ZOOM on your TV to fill the screen.
User-friendliness
Most functions are well thought out and the software is good. But you will have to read the manual.
The remote control has the buttons needed, but several important ones are badly laid out. The STOP button is tiny.
Since it's a multifunctional device, you have to tell it what component you want to use. If you have been watching a TV show recorded on HDD, and then insert a DVD, if you just press "play", it will resume playback of the HDD unless you press "DVD" first. It's not smart enough to realize you want the DVD now.
The 122-page instruction book is detailed. It is fairly well written. Mine is very well-thumbed and dogeared. To get the most out of this complex unit, you will need to read it carefully.
Editing
For copying from old VHS tapes or home DVD's, I find it best to record first onto the HDD. Then use "deleting a scene" to remove unwanted sections. The software for this is pretty user-friendly. Then transfer the cleaned-up version to DVD. You can in theory record directly to DVD from VHS, and delete unwanted sections on the DVD directly, using "Hiding Chapters" but this is clunky (first you have to define the section as a chapter). Worse, these deletions, and added chapter headings, were ignored when played back on another unit.
Upsides
An excellent, low-cost, way to record digital and analog programs over the air or on cable.
No monthly fee.
Good quality SD 16:9 recordings.
Versatile: able to transfer recordings either way between DVD and HDD.
Downsides
It can't record HD programs in HD--it downgrades them to SD.
It's slow to load a DVD.
The remote buttons are poorly laid out.
Titling tracks is tedious.
DVD edits may be ignored in other DVD players.
Summary
This is a really fine and extremely versatile unit, at a good price. It is a leapfrog into the digital age. Finally here is a device with the versatility to fully supplant S-VHS VCR's.
The next step will be when this kind of device is upgraded to record HDTV on its hard disk AND to record Blu-Ray DVD's. Don't hold your breath.
(This review is based on the predecessor model, DVDR3575H, similar except for the tuner).

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Philips DVDR3576H DVD Recorder with 160GB Hard Disc and Built-In Tuner

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