User reviews for the Harmony 768 / H768 / SST-768 from Logitech. Ratings Reviews MSRP (USD) Average: 4.27/5.00 Median: 5.00/5.00 32 $299 Available in three stylish colors, the H768 is the ultimate Harmony remote. Featuring a large number of hard buttons, the compact SST-768 makes no compromises with its blend of powerful programming features and ease-of-use. Message Forum Our Review Clicker Picker Specifications Add Your Review Get it at:

Written by Glen T from Vancouver, BC. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 18 made on Sunday October 26, 2003 at 5:03 PM. Strengths: - activity-based functions - small size - some hard buttons Weaknesses: - looks delicate - screen too low in resolution to be useful - not enough memory for satellite listings - lack of hard buttons for satellite navigation Review: My impressions of the SST-768 in no particular order: I judged the display resolution to be too course and it consequently did not show enough characters for the built-in TV listings guide to make it useful. This is especially true with satellite systems, where the first four characters (three digits plus a space) are used up by channel numbers. The remaining characters are just too few to get much information on what's on a given channel. Also, when you have a large number of stations spread over an even larger number of slots (200 channels spread over 0 to 950) scrolling just becomes way too tedious to browse what's on the guide. As it turned out for me, there is only enough memory in the 768 to store a couple of days of satellite programming (200 channels +-). I was pretty disappointed by this. I just couldn't see myself logging on the website every couple of days to download fresh guide information. It would have been different if I could have downloaded two weeks of programming. In any case, I found the onboard guide to be redundant when compared to the ExpressVu satellite guide. Programming the 768 is surprisingly slow, even with a 2mbit++ modem. I had some initial problems trying to program the remote. The interface kept telling me that my programming choices were too large to fit into memory, but I had to do trial and error tests to see how many days would fit. Also, the intial programming attempts failed with an error "You are trying to load programming for a different model remote than the one you have attached to your computer..." I didn't know how to fix this, so ended up reloading the firmware, which seemed to fix the problem after I rebooted the remote. The small display clips entries rather than wraps them. The web-based customization interface that Harmony provides for you to customize your remote allows you to give activities names that are longer than can be displayed on the 768 display. The first and last characters of long names were clipped, which made them hard to read. This was a minor annoyance - I shortened the names. I had programmed some of the keys to access the ExpressVu guide, but this was awkward to use without dedicated hard keys, such as Guide, Info, and navigation buttons. You have to remember which of the nine keys at the top of the remote do what. On the other hand, the scroll/command access to the ExpressVU guide in control mode requires several steps to access and you have to look at the remote while you are doing it. Out of the box, the remote worked pretty well with the configuration that I had previously set up on the Harmony website. However, the Sony DAV S500 configuration was not correct, and the system did not respond properly to activity changes, and got left in the wrong modes. It would have required reprogramming, but I did not pursue this because I decided to return the remote (for other reasons). I found the scroll wheel to be quite awkward. The click is a little too stiff, and the wheel is a little too small and often turns while you are trying to click, and you end up with the wrong menu item. This is especially annoying in activity mode, when your click launches a set of macros that you have to wait through. Overall, the 768 had the look and feel of something that is going to be fairly delicate. The display and/or scroll wheel were already giving problems on mine out of the box. I had strong concerns that the unit would not survive more than one or two falls off the couch onto the hardwood floor. The scroll wheel switch is exposed and will collect dust and debris over time. The battery door looks pretty delicate. One of my previous OEM cable box remotes (now retired) ended up with duct tape on it because a similar little plastic tang on the battery door broke off when the remote was dropped, and the weight of the batteries pushed the door far enough to break the tang. I had concerns about the long-term viability of the web-based programming. If Harmony went out of business, there is no PC-based system that would allow me to store and update my configuration. I would have preferred a java-based client that would allow the existing configuration to be stored locally on my PC and run independently of the web-based tools. I probably bought the wrong model. I should have given the newer 659 a try, which has more hard buttons and is probably easier for the wife and kids to pick up and use. I was attracted to the idea of having fewer buttons, but in the end, everyone is familiar with the existing remotes to some extent, and named buttons are an asset. I got a deal on the 768 because it was old stock (new ones have lighted keyboards), but even at the deal price, it seemed expensive for what I got. The remote that I received from Harmony turned out to have a factory defect. The display occasionally went blank when you turned the scroll wheel. Once in a while, the display would lose contrast and 'gray-out'. I discovered that flexing the case a bit would make the display come back on. Harmony offered to replace the remote. All things considered, I decided that this was not the remote for me. As a package, it doesn't appear to have the high-end quality of materials that I was expecting for a big ticket item. For example, the manual was done in-house on a b&w laser printer. The web-based programming interface is reasonably functional, but pretty crude. Overall, I was fairly disappointed. I really wanted to like this remote more than I did, given the reviews and user comments. I ended up buying a One-for-All 8811 for about 1/10th of the cost of the 768. I built a JP1 programming interface for it for $5, and now I have a remote that I can program from my PC, and store my configuration locally. It is not perfect, but I can get it to do almost all of what I needed. I have a one-button on/off for the most popular activity (watching satellite TV with the Sony home theatre system providing sound). While the activity-based functions were a neat idea, I don't think that they are worth paying ten times the price to obtain. And if the kids drop this one (or sit on it, or feed it to the dog) I won't lose any sleep over it. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Matt Turley from IL, USA. The reviewer has used this remote control for 3-6 months.

Review 17 made on Thursday August 28, 2003 at 10:17 AM. Strengths: Great price for the amount of functionality. Harmony support is fantastic but you wait longer and longer for answers as product becomes more popular. I don't see how they get back to me as quick as they do. Weaknesses: Does NOT handle unlmited devices at this time, no matter what you've read! Limit is 16 devices! Review: I don't know if there is any way to edit a review after you type it, but Harmony has been very good in the past about changing firmware and features. I just ran into the device limitation after months of use and I have never seen this limitation officially documented anywhere. From what I understand about the Harmony and the amount of memory it has this should NOT be something they can't fix even if they have to let the user control what memory is allocated where. Beware! Besides that the main beef I have is that even with dual emmitters it doesn't seem to do well unless pointed right at devices (watch the angle) and with the variety of devices I have I still have a lot more work to do on customizing important features to specific buttons--going through the menus to get to a specific item is a major drag. The problem is deciding which buttons need to be mapped where and then remembering them. With a few more hours work I may be able to give up most of my other remotes. But until this limitation is fixed I won't be able to get rid of all of them! Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Theonicia from Calgary, Alberta. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 16 made on Thursday August 14, 2003 at 6:00 PM. Strengths: one stop entertainment remote Weaknesses: none Review: My husband is attached to his remotes but this one i dont think he'll ever let go of. Now that his name is on it, he truly beleives that it is his and only his. This remote is the best we seen and proably the last remote we will ever purchase. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Neil from Ohio. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 15 made on Tuesday June 24, 2003 at 4:10 PM. Strengths: FLEXIBILITY! This is one of the most versatile and flexible programmable remotes I have seen or owned. Weaknesses: Several of my devices were in the database and so I relied on the information in the database being correct. It wasn't always correct. My advice is to take the time and teach the remote the commands directly from your own remotes. That way you are assured of things working the way they are supposed to. Review: This is a very good remote that can replace all the remotes you own. It is somewhat intuitive to use, but not always. It takes some study time (before setting your Harmony Remote up) to outline your approach to making things work like you would like them too. This is OK, but it took many (a dozen or so) attempts at "programming" on-line before I got it right. The good news is that I was able to get it right myself, without asking for help from Harmony professionals. My family (wife and 2 high schoolers and 2 college students) is happy with the remote and they were all able to learn how to use it relatively quickly. Some frustration at first, but once they learned the basics (10 minutes or less)they haven't complained at all. Everyone is happy because we have one remote and not six sitting around or getting misplaced. One of my devices ( 50" HD Toshiba Plasma Monitor ) was not in their database. I struggled with this at first but eventually came to the conclusion that I could make it work after a little study and several programming attempts. OK end result but frustrating to get there. The only other negative about using the remote is that you must only turn devices on and off with the remote. DO NOT TURN DEVICES ON AND OFF WITH THE BUTTONS ON THE DEVICES OR OTHER REMOTES. This will get the devices out of synch and cause problems for marginal Harmony Remote users trying to use the devices. Teach new owners quickly that they must only turn devices on and off with the Harmony Remote. You will avoid lots of frustrating and negative comments from your family members. All in all a very good piece of electronic equipment. I am a satisfied customer. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Jimguy from SD. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 14 made on Monday June 23, 2003 at 9:21 AM. Review: It works, but frankly, I don't particularly like the ergonomics. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Jim Schollin from New York. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 13 made on Wednesday April 30, 2003 at 8:02 AM. Strengths: Total control of systems. Ease of use. Ability to modify equipment. Weaknesses: Price. Review: After many calls to support for help, was finally able to download info from website to remote. After the first time I tried the remote, I could not see myself using anything else ever again. It gives me total control of all my gear, including my DBS, which no other remote would learn. An excellent product!! Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Mark from Dedham Ma.. The reviewer has used this remote control for 3-6 months.

Review 12 made on Saturday April 19, 2003 at 8:05 AM. Strengths: The first truly universal remote I have found that I can operate with one hand. Excellent customer support. Weaknesses: Takes 1-2 days for customer support to reply. Review: This is the first universal remote I have found that truly is universal.I have it operating every device I have(Tivo,Replaytv,Zenith plasma,Directv,Jvc dvd,and an Onkyo surround sys).It runs them all and fits in one hand! It did take time,patience and several calls to customer support but it is worth it.The Harmony Remote support team is the best! When I was unable to make it do something I e-mailed my request to them and they made the needed changes. I've tried (and returned) several universal remotes. This ones a keeper! Quality: Features: Value:

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