Harman TC-30 LCD Remote Control

My name is Glenn and I am a Gadget-aholic.

After dreaming that all the remote controls on my nightstand were planning to click me to another planet, I began my search for the Holy Universal Remote.

My search & testing including several days at the 2007 CES Show in Vegas where my press credentials allowed me to play with many of them. My personal requirements were the ability to have enough macros for the various configurations of my Samsung DLP TV, HTQ-70 Home Theatre System, Sony SLV900 VCR, Scientific-Atlanta Explorer 3250HD cable box and Samsung DVD-R135 DVD Recorder.

After purchasing & testing numerous remotes from Sharper Image, Radio Shack, Target, Costco, Best Buy and Fry's ranging in price from $19 to $179, I narrowed it down to 2: Logitech Harmony 720 and Harman Kardon TC-30. As another reviewer has already stated, they are very similar. My research showed that they are from the same factory. The Tc-30 even says harmony on the back. They function almost identically except for the following:

Macro Buttons. TC-30 has 2 more than the 720 so you can have 8 primary macros vs. 6.

Popular Buttons. Main reason I chose the TC-30 over 720 is that it has larger rubber buttons for all the basic VCR and DVD functions.

LCD screen. TC-30 has slightly larger screen and you change the background image from a solid blue to just about any image file on your computer. If you do so, I suggest choosing a pic that is mostly a solid color or it makes reading the macro labels more difficult. The 720 lets you use image files to designate your favorite TV channels, which is kinda cool. I grabbed some network logos off the web (Google images).

Programming. Neither is for non-techies but IMHO, the TC-30 is definitely easier to program and correct. By "correct" I mean that after you transfer the settings from your computer using the provided USB cable, you'll likely still need or want to do some tweaking. The TC-30 has built-in Help that makes adjustments as easy as possible. Example: DVD macro fails to click PLAY after it properly turned on & set your TV and Audio system. You press HELP. It then asks you if the TV is on and you respond by pressing YES or NO. Then it asks about the audio. It asks as few questions as possible until you've narrowed it down to the function or button that needs help. It then guesses at what to change and ask you if the change solved the problem. I found that about 75% of the time, it got it right on the very first try. Worst case, it took 3 or 4 tries.

If all else fails, like most Universals, they can learn from other remotes, but I never had to resort to that level.

Battery. They automatically recharge when you place the remote on the base. If you want to maximize use away from the base you can adjust the setting on TC-30 so that it will only "wake up" when you press a button vs. being motion sensitive. You can also adjust the "on time" in seconds to conserve battery life. If you press the GLOW buttton, it instantly shuts off the screen and backlighting to conserve more battery life.

Cost. At time of my purchase, the TC-30 was selling for $20 less than the 720.

Size: Both the TC-30 and 720 are slightly larger then any of the remotes they replaced but have a very nice feel and can be controlled with one hand. At CES, I played with some of the larger remotes that sell for up to $1000 but none of them were what I call one-hand designs. In other words, you'd hold in one hand and press buttons with other hand.

Backlighting. The glow behind the TC-30 buttons is a perfect match the blue backlighting on the current Samsung AV equipment.