Features & Specifications
The Logitech Harmony 1100 has a 3.5-inch touchscreen along with dedicated buttons for volume and channel as well as menu navigation. The remote has RF capability if you add an optional RF Extended kit that allows you to control components that are behind doors. The remote programs via computer software that requires no manual code entering and the screen can be customized. The Logitech Harmony 1100 has a database of about 5000 different component brands and it can learn commands for components not in the database.

Programming and Use
If you have ever used a Logitech Harmony remote before, you know how the set up procedure works. You install the software onto your Mac or Windows computer, plug the remote in via USB and then you are ready to program the remote. To program your components into the remote you need to know the component model number and brand.

To begin programming you gather this information for all of your components and then you install the devices individually. You can program up to 15 different components into the Logitech Harmony 1100. One all of your individual components are programmed into the remote you can set up your activities, which is where the real benefit of the Logitech Harmony 1100 lies.

Rather than simply having a universal remote that can work all of the components of your home theater, the Logitech Harmony 1100 can be programmed to do all the work of changing inputs for you. For instance, many home theaters setups require that you change the input on the TV, change the input on the receiver, and turn on other components like a cable box or game console. That normally means you need to use multiple remotes or at least change through multiple components on a universal remote.

With the Logitech Harmony 1100, you can set up activities that do it all with one button press. The Harmony software asks you questions for tasks like Watch TV. The software walks you through all the steps like what input does the TV need to be on and will you use the TV to control volume or the receiver. Once you answer these questions all you need to do is press an icon on the touch screen that says Watch TV and be sure the remote has a sightline to the TV and all the inputs are set how you want them in one go.

The programming itself is straightforward and easy to accomplish; the only real downside to the programming software is that it can take hours of tweaking to get everything set how you like it. For instance, in my home theater my TV has a scrolling menu for changing inputs rather than a button you can just press to go directly to the input wanted.

The scrolling speed can be changed on the Logitech Harmony 1100 to make the process faster, but if you set the scroll speed to high, you end up moving through multiple inputs at once making it all but impossible to get the input you need. I ended up having to move the scroll speed down to get accurate movement, which makes changing from satellite to my PS3 slower going than doing the input swapping manually.

However, my wife and my 7-year-old son can now change between components themselves rather than having to call me into the room to do it, which is well worth the slower changing time if you ask me. For my components, all of the needed features like the list button for my DVR programs and other functions were programmed in and worked perfectly.

The Logitech Harmony 1100 is very high tech looking and includes a base that you set the remote on when not in use for charging. You can set up a slide show of personal images on the remote to use as a screensaver when sitting on the charge base making the remote somewhat like a digital picture frame.

The remote is a rectangular brick, far from what most would consider a traditional remote style device like say the Harmony One or the stock remote shipping with TVs and other components. With the rectangular style it takes a bit of getting used to before you can use it as accurately as you can a bar style remote.

I also found that I had to look at the remote for changing stations and controlling any aspect of my components other than volume and channel changing, which have their own dedicated buttons on the remote. All other functions of components are controlled via the touchscreen.

The remote is backlit making use in dark rooms as easy as brightly lit rooms so having to look at the remote is not a big deal really. However, like most people we get used to using normal remotes and tend to not have to look down at them after a while, which won’t happen with the Logitech Harmony 1100 thanks to the touch screen with no buttons to operate by feel. Other than having to look at the remote to use it in most instances the only other real issue with the device is the price.

At about $500, it's not what you would consider cheap, but it certainly makes a high-tech statement and using a complex home theater easier. It's also important to point out that the remote isn't able to control the PS3 for movie playback because it lacks Bluetooth, but you can program the correct inputs to get to the PS3 for movies of games.