Easy to hold, easy to use

We started by designing a stable and balanced remote that you could hold comfortably for hours. We made sure your thumbs would fall naturally on the most important part of the remote—the D-pad—and that you’d easily be able to move your hands up and down from there.

Then we moved on to making the remote so simple that anyone in your home can use it. We simplified the touch-screen menu systems and shifted more operations to the remote’s buttons. And we did a whole lot of research to create an intuitive layout you can use by touch alone.

Touch-screen simplicity

To get to the command you want faster, the touch-screen menu systems are organized into flat discs you can rotate either direction with touch-sensitive arrows. The arrows respond to tiny electrical charges on the skin of your fingertips rather than pressure—which means they’ll last much longer and are easier for people with big fingers to use.

Feeling your way

Buttons are grouped into well-defined zones of related functions with button sizes varying among groupings. The most used buttons are longer to give you a larger surface to strike.

So you can feel your way around, the buttons have varied shapes and surface textures. For example, the play area of the Play/Pause button is concave, while the pause area is convex.

Visual aids

Visual cues help you find buttons faster, too. Horizontal lines separate the button groupings. And some buttons (for functions that don’t have recognizable symbols) use high-contrast text labels. When you pick up your remote, a built-in sensor backlights the labels in bright white. So whether you’re looking at your remote or not, you’ll have an easier time using it.

It’s as easy as one. (No two or three needed.)

You just want to watch a movie. But you’re digging through a drawer with a pile of remotes in it. When you do find the remotes it’s going to take (usually at least three), it takes you another few minutes to press the right buttons in the right order. And if you make a mistake—or have to explain it to your parents or your babysitter—well, then you’re waiting even longer.

One-touch activity-based control is the answer.

One remote. One touch. That’s all it takes to watch a DVD, listen to the radio, watch TV, or play a game. With a Harmony remote with one-touch activity-based controls, your whole family (and the babysitter) can easily turn on the entertainment they want—without any help.

Simple to set up

So just how do you get your remote to do that? Our online software makes it easy.

To get started, use the included USB cable to plug your remote into your computer. Then simply enter the make and model numbers of your components and answer questions about your entertainment setup—like what components are needed for different activities, how everything is connected, and what input is needed for what. That’s it.

Your Harmony remote is compatible with more than 225,000 devices from 5,000+ brands right away. If you’ve got it, it’s probably in our database—no extra programming needed.