Need to fire up the DVD player? Instead of getting off your worthless butt and opening up a cabinet, Harmony is about to add to the rest and relaxation inside your A/V world. The latest in the line, the Harmony 900, includes RF (Radio Frequency) capabilities right out of the box so it works through walls and cabinet doors without any special programming.
Based on the design of the Harmony One, (which was apparently "love at first touch" to our normally jaded editor, Chris Boylan), the Harmony 900 still has a full-color touchscreen and the intuitive four-zone button layout that users have grown dependent upon. As with all Harmony remotes, you can crank up the sound system, the TV and the DVD player, all at the touch of one button, via Harmony's one-touch activity-based control. Only now, users can control all of those devices despite whether they are out in the open or hidden behind cabinet doors, or even tucked away in a nearby utility closet.
"Like all Harmony remotes, the Harmony 900 simplifies home entertainment, which is particularly relevant with more and more people staying home to watch movies on their big-screen TVs and enjoying surround sound and hi-def video from the comfort of the couch," said Ashish Arora, vice president and general manager of Logitech's Harmony business unit. "Unfortunately, more remotes and more wires tend to be byproducts of increasingly sophisticated home-entertainment systems. With the Harmony 900 remote's RF technology and ability to control up to 15 devices, you can say good-bye to the clutter while gaining better control of your devices."
The Harmony 900 can control devices up to 100 feet away, even behind closed doors. Now that out-of-sight option is easier than ever. Just place the included IR (InfraRed) blaster and one or two of the mini blasters on cabinet shelves within sight of the devices you want to control and the RF receivers in these devices will translate RF commands sent from the remote into IR - a language your components are sure to understand. On the 900's touchscreen, you can pick and choose which devices are controlled with RF and which are controlled with standard IR signals from the remote.
As always, Harmony's online setup wizard will guide you through the setup process, but unlike previous RF-enabled models, with the 900 there is no need to program and synchronize the main remote and its RF extender separately. The two pieces work together as a unified whole, promising to bring... well... harmony to your chaotic home entertainment system. The Logitech site currently features codes for more than 225,000 different electronic devices from even the most obscure CE manufacturers.
Start salivating; Logitech's Harmony 900 should be available next month. The $399.99 package includes a charging cradle, a rechargeable battery, power supply, IR blaster and two mini blasters. Logitech says that additional blasters and mini blasters will be available online in some regions.
In the meantime, you can find out more about the product in Ian Crowe's blog post. As Logitech Harmony's product marketing manager, he will be responding to customer questions/comments on the company's website.
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