October 7, 2006 6:00 AM PDT
3. Monster Cable Home Theater and Lighting Controller 300
Editors' rating: 8.3
The good: Powered by a modified version of Logitech's highly regarded Harmony software; incorporates both IR (infrared) and RF (radio frequency); has a well-designed button layout, plus backlit keys; does well integrating lighting control into the setup procedure and the remote; remote features a dedicated hard button at the top for lighting control; fairly easy to control A/V systems in multiple rooms.
The bad: Overpriced; even though the remote is user-friendly, if you have a multiroom system with several lighting controls, setup can be a challenge and frustrating at times as you continually have to test and refine your settings.
The bottom line: While the RF-capable Logitech Harmony 890 does much of what the Monster Home Theater and Lighting Controller 300 does for significantly less money, the Monster is the superior remote.
Read CNET's full review
Photo by CNET
