Home Theater Review

Retailing at just under $500, the Harmony 1000 is the showpiece of the Harmony line, offering a three-and-a-half-inch color touch screen, as well as multiple hard buttons for the more frequently used functions, such as volume, mute, channel and the joystick controller, as well as a few others. The Harmony 1000 aims to be the poor man's Crestron. One huge difference between the Harmony and the likes of AMX and Crestron is that, thanks to Harmony's exceptional software, almost anyone can set up this remote to run even the most complicated systems, either with a Mac or PC. Need lighting control on your remote? No problem. Have highly esoteric audiophile gear? Harmony has the largest database of remote codes on the planet, and if they don't have your device, the remote is capable of learning codes from another remote. If you still are having troubles, call the Harmony support line. They are the best in the business and will make sure your remote works exactly as you want before hanging up with you.

Harmony's system involves the use of activities. You can program as many of these as any system could need. The most helpful feature, the Help button, walks the user through the steps of the macros to troubleshoot when codes aren't received properly. For systems that may be behind doors or even in another part of the home, Harmony makes an optional RF extender, allowing control of your system from over 100 feet away. A recharging station keeps the lithium ion battery always at the ready. If you forget to replace the remote in the base station, don't fret. The battery will last several days before losing its charge.