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Personally, I've been looking for a remote to control all the new devices in my home theater. I didn't have to look any further than the Harmony 890 Pro Universal Remote. Its plethora of features makes up for its minor problems and earns this remote a place in my entertainment center. Read more after the jump.

The 890 Pro is part of Logitech's flagship line of universal remote controls. This line has always received stellar reviews for their versatility and design. Albeit pricey, if you have a large home theater to control, this remote is a dream come true.

First off, let's start with setup. When you open the box, you see the remote itself, software, a very vague step-by-step instruction page, a rechargeable battery, USB cord, and charger. Of course, when I started to try to figure out how to put in the battery, I ran into some severe difficulties. It turns out, you have to press down in a specific place while sliding the cover. This wasn't at all documented. I was surprised to not find a booklet describing the remote's capabilities, but I suppose it is just a remote.

Next comes the system setup. The software Logitech included with the remote itself wouldn't sync with my remote. A quick software upgrade fixed this, but I would think the version of software that was bundled with the remote should work fine. After the remote was recognized and ready to receive instructions, it was a breeze to setup. The ability to control multiple rooms is interesting, although most likely unused by many. The nicest part of this remote is that it doesn't just control devices, but it performs activities. For example, if you wish to play a DVD, you simply press a single button and it turns on the DVD player and TV, and adjusts the TV to the correct input to play the DVD.

In my testing, the device support for the remote is amazing. Logitech claims that it supports 175,000 different devices, and I completely believe this number. I was very glad the remote worked with my Xbox 360 and controlled DVD playback perfectly. It also controls my DVD player and cable box flawlessly (and has a very nice button setup).

In addition to the normal expected media devices, with the remote's RF capabilities, it can also control lighting as well as fireplaces. These can be controlled as "Scenes" such as full light for normal room usage, very soft light for watching movies, and no light for when the room isn't in use (or otherwise).

Now for the remote itself. I let some relatives use the remote, and they complained about simply one things. The buttons were too small. I can't help but agree. While some remotes have distinctly separated rubberized buttons, the 890 Pro has small, plastic, closely-grouped buttons. However, these buttons are backlit, which makes them easier to read in any environment. The menu system of the remote has features that the remotes for the actual devices don't have (such as one touch aspect ratio control). However, it sometimes feels cumbersome to navigate the menus.

The remote also has an assortment of other features such as, when the remote is in the charger, being able to display a custom slideshow. These pictures are displayed through the brilliant color LCD display, which wakes up when you shake the remote. One small problem that I discovered while using the remote is that on occasion, the remote will have issues while placed in the charger. Random beeping will occur for about 10 seconds, then stop. I have no idea what causes this, but it's just a small issue I've discovered.

Overall, the remote has some small issues, but if you are a home theater fanatic, this remote is definitely for you. The fact that you can control 15 devices with a single remote is really phenomenal. Also, it's ability to create specific environments for your home theater is a very advanced feature. The control that comes with this remote will easily make this the only remote you need for a while down the road.

Pros

• Amazing device compatibility
• "Activities" and "Scenes" are very useful and interesting features
• Well designed, sturdy remote construction with a beautiful LCD

Cons

• Buttons very small
• Some difficult to navigate menus
• Occasional minor bugs

Final Verdict
4.5 out of 5 stars

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