Sony RM-VL600 8-Device Universal Learning Remote by Sony
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Digital camera reviews of Sony RM-VL600 8-Device Universal Learning Remote
Digital camera Review: Amazing!
Summary: 5 Stars
I ordered this remote based on the reviews off amazon. When I received it and saw how simple it looked, I was a little skeptical. Within 30 minutes I had my TV, VCR, DVD player, Receiver, and Digital Converter Box programmed into the remote. This handy device saves me 5 different remotes! It has a neat feature which allows the remote to learn off the signals transmitted from another remote even if you don't have a "code." Excellent buy for the money!Digital camera Review: Amazing, easy to use, buy it now......
Summary: 5 Stars
Update 1/5/09
I find that I prefer this remote to any others, even the one that came with my cable box (which I no longer use). The range is better than the original remote as well. I am VERY happy with my purchase.
First a little history:
I have a couple of TV's whose remotes have not been able to survive my children's abuse. Also, I got tired of switching from one remote to turn on the TV, another to play/watch DVD, then my cable, etc.. I saw so many good reviews on this that I bought two, figuring I could return them if I was not happy.
The Bad:
Okay, so I don't really have anything bad to report. You need to read the instructions and all will be made clear. Also, you need a little patience, not much, but a little.
The Good:
So, once I read the instructions (I have never used a learning remote before) I was just amazed! At first I was a bit upset because it did not control all of the functions I wanted.....well, a bit more reading (yes, I'm one of those guys) and voila, I was programming the remote with ease and within 5 minutes had ALL of the functions from my cable remote added to this one. I am so thrilled with this remote, I highly recommend it. I really thought I was getting something that would have freed up one control, I never really believed I would only have to use one remote for everything.....well, I believe now.
At first you might find that the code you enter does not completely control the machine as the original remote. No problem, just a couple of buttons, and a few seconds and you can manually "teach" the remote. I have not enountered ANY problems yet (I still have a couple of other things to program, so if I find any, I will let you know). There was no code for my Philips HD/DVR, so this is the one I will have to set up manually. Sure it's a PITA, sure some might knock it down to 4 stars, but when you see how many codes there actually are (and yes there are some Philips codes), then you will see why I did not knock it down. I figure I am just unlucky enough to have bought a DVR that there is no code for. No problem, I suspect I can "teach" my new remote every function within an hour.....I just need to find an extra hour.
If you have read this far and did not buy at least one of these, you are doing yourself an injustice. I can't imagine how much better a more expensive remote would be, but frankly, I have everything I need in this one.
Digital camera Review: An otherwise wonderful remote crippled by one significant flaw
Summary: 1 Stars
I gave this one star because of a significant issue that Sony needs to fix. For some reason Sony decided the only buttons that should repeat when held down are the volume up/down and the VCR rewind/forward buttons. As far as I can tell, all other buttons (particularly the up/down/left/right arrows) will NOT repeat when held down. This is a major problem if you want to scroll e.g. your satellite channel listing via the up/down buttons (or any "learned" buttons for that matter). This remote could also use larger buttons for guide, menu, exit, tools, and tv/video buttons which are way too small, but that's a minor gripe. Otherwise this is a really nice remote. Alas, I can only give it one star because it really doesn't come close to replacing a satellite or cable remote because of this issue. YMMV.Digital camera Review: Another Happy Customer
Summary: 5 Stars
This remote work great on my Hitachi Plasma, Panasonic DVD player, Sony Surround Sound and Direct TV box. However, for the DVD function its missing the forward and reverse button, it only has the next track and back track button.No problem, i assigned 2 unused buttons to be forward and reverse buttons using the "learning" procedure.
I've read from the earlier reviews that it does not work with several devices. therefore i bought this remote at a local store first to try it, when everything work well, i return that one and bough one on amazon because the price is much cheaper. Better be safe than sorry because returning an internet item is quite a hassle.
The "macros" button works excellent, i can turn on a series of devices by pressing only one button.
This remote may not look as fancy as the Logitech Harmony but it does an excellent job for a universal remote.
You won be disapppointed! ^_^
Digital camera Review: Awesome and Affordable
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been reading Amazon reviews for years, but this is the first one I've written - THAT'S how much I love this remote! First, let it be said I don't consider myself particularly "tech savvy" - I can read a set of instructions, IF they're well written - fortunately the manual for this remote is well laid out and easy to follow.
About my equipment: for Christmas, I bought a Pioneer Kuro PDP-5020fd HDTV and a Panasonic DMP-BD35k Blu Ray player for myself (um, I mean, for my FAMILY :) but at present I am mixing these modern technical marvels with a much older stereo system (NAD stereo amp and CD player) and even older Sony VCR for recording. All this with a cable box to boot. So you can imagine how many remotes I was trying to juggle. I was concerned that this cheap remote (got it under $20) might not be able to control such varied things effectively. Also I noticed that Amazon's "bestselling" lineup for universal remotes had the much more expensive "Logitech" brand in the top 6 slots, followed by this remote. These Logitech remotes ranged in price from about $60 to a whopping $260. Now I generally agree that you get what you pay for, so I was worried this little $20 remote might not do the job. I'm so happy to report I was totally wrong!
The Blu ray player worked great after simply keying in the (provided) code, but the Sony had to "learn" some of the TV's remote control functions. This was easily accomplished following the manual. That said, in fairness I didn't try to teach the Sony every single command from the original remote - frankly if I need some of the more obscure commands once in a while it'll probably be easier just to dig out the Pioneer remote. But the 10-12 basic things I taught the Sony will easily satisfy my needs 90% of the time. Also, the codes provided for NAD wouldn't work on my older stereo amp. However with the "Codesearch" option I was able to find the right code in 5-10 minutes, and it worked fine. Finally, because I sent the sound from the TV through my stereo amp, I found that at first I had to switch to the remote's "AMP" button every time I needed to mute or adjust the volume - very annoying. But Sony was way ahead of me - they addressed this issue in the manual, and after a few easy button presses the volume/mute worked regardless of whether I was set on TV, cable, or amp. Sweet.
I did notice some of the other reviewers seem to have had some issues with programming various components, so I imagine it would be advisable to contact the manufacturer for advice if you have any unusual brands. But all I can say is everything worked perfectly for me. Best of all was the "One-Touch System Control". It was a snap to program ONE button to turn on the TV, cable box, and amp when I want to watch TV. BING, one button for everything "on" or "off". There are four of these system control buttons, so I programmed another to turn on the TV/DVD/amp when I want to watch a movie, and another to turn on only the amp/CD player when I just want to listen to CD's. Really, really nice.
Not to rag on other brands - I'm sure the Logitechs are super-cali-fragi-listicly fancy, with their LCD screens and all - but honestly for day-to-day use it's kind of hard to imagine that the average consumer really NEEDS to spend up to 10 times as much as for this little sweetheart. KUDOS, Sony!