As we all know universal remote controls make life easier for those of us with multiple home theater components. Having 4 or 5 remotes on the coffee table doesn’t just make the surface of the coffee table look cluttered, but the sight can be described as unattractive as well. The Logitech Harmony 550 is the solution for the veteran home theater enthusiasts and for the wet behind the ears newbies.

The look and feel of the Harmony 550 is appealing. It is a sleek black and gray device made from quality material, so if you squeeze it for whatever reason you won’t have to worry about it breaking. On the frame of the 550, the button layout looks good, as well as the LCD screen with its blue colored backlight. At the bottom of the remote you’ll find a complete numeric keypad, above that is the four-way directional pad and right above that are the full playback transport controls. Having the buttons separated in different areas definitely makes memorizing them an easier task.

But I must point out that the Harmony 550 buttons only major flaw is that they are made out of soft rubbery material. And just like the Harmony 659, there is no docking station to recharge the battery; instead you’ll have to purchase batteries over and over. It uses four AAA batteries, and with the use of the LCD’s backlight on a daily basis, the batteries will drain pretty fast.

Programming it is basically the same as other Harmony remotes. It connects to a PC or Mac and is programmed through a web-based interface. The Harmony 550 is compatible with over 100,000 devices, so you can be confident that it will work with your components as well. If you have numerous components, the programming may be a little time consuming, but as long as you follow the steps you should be okay. Also the 550 can hold in its memory a maximum of 12 devices.

A great feature that the 550 boasts is the activities buttons, which are buttons that allow the remote to control components simultaneously. If you program the “Watch DVD” activity button, it will turn on your TV, DVD player, A/V receiver and your speaker system. It’ll also set them to the proper input and channels, and it will even start playing the DVD movie for you. A feature like that is welcomed and greatly appreciated.

The Logitech Harmony 550 is truly a great remote for any entertainment home theater setup. Its feel and handle is on par with the more expensive Harmony remotes, and because the cost to own one is so affordable, you should definitely give this one a look.