Pros: Learning mode - never miss your important buttons; 5 devices
Cons: Could use a lighted keypad
The Bottom Line: This Universal Remote has the most-desired feature of high-priced remotes with a simple layout. The learning function will make sure it does everything you want it to.
topolski's Full Review: Sony RM-VL700 Remote Control
As a new owner of a home theater system, I quickly got tired of juggling a remote for the sound, a remote for the video, and a remote for the big-screen.
The true test of a Universal Remote is whether you can put the other remotes away and keep them that way.
Now I already had three "Universal" remotes. But none of them could handle the combination of components that is my home-theater system. One remote wouldn't let me tune the amplifier to the TV's sound output. Another didn't have a code friendly to my VCR. I never made it through an evening on the couch without getting back up to dig out another native remote to do some function.
I searched online for a solution to this problem, and got an education.
Most Universal Remotes have long lists of brands and codes and by trial-and-error, the consumer is expected to find the right code for the brand of their device. It isn't hard. The result is a remote that is mapped for their device, usually pretty well but often there are dead buttons and missing functions. Sometimes you can call an 800 number and get additional codes for those functions.
I learned by searching that some expensive Universal Remotes have something called a learning function. This lets you program those dead buttons for your favorite functions, or the entire remote for your device if you can't find the right code for it. The learning remote learns from the original (native) remote by lining up the remotes and pressing the buttons you want to learn along with the buttons on the other remote that can teach it.
My searching taught me that most videophiles like these learning remotes because of the same frustration I was experiencing -- the so-called Universal Remotes aren't universal enough without it.
Pricing out the recommended models told me to prepare to pay around $100 or more (in a couple of cases, hundreds more), for this functionality. But I found that the Sony RM-VL700 Universal Remote Control was a "learner" and was priced quite a bit less. It also seemed quite a bit smaller than its fellow "learners" -- which made me worry, but it looked like it was layed out in a more logical manner which is a bonus in the dark. I took my collection of remotes to my computer and imagined what buttons I might teach to do what -- if it didn't do it already. I found that it had just about enough buttons to support what I wanted to do for each device. So I bought it.
I like using Epinions and Deja.com to read opinions and Yahoo! Shopping for comparison shopping. I bought my remote for about $30 and I notice the price has dropped slightly.
Within an hour of receiving it, I found that it already controlled by Sony DVD and Amplifier without any trouble. It should, since the remote is a Sony. I used the codes sheet to program it to control my Motorola manufactured AT&T Broadband Digital Cable box, my Panasonic VCR, and my Toshiba big-screen TV.
It had the most trouble with the Cable Box. But it took 20 minutes to program the dead buttons to do exactly what I wanted.
It remembers its programming during battery changes. It also has a macro function so that you can program buttons to execute strings of commands on the press of a single button. I have not used either of these features yet.
So did it pass the true test of a Universal Remote? The remotes that came with these components have been in a drawer for two months!
The only buttons that are lighted are the ones to select a particular device -- and they're only lighted when they're pressed (and covered by your finger, rendering the light useless except when programming). So if you're going to use it in the dark, you'll have to use it by memory. Fortunately, it's got a good ergonomic grip, a "5" button with some nubs to help you find it in the dark, and no excess of extra buttons to confuse you.
I'm very excited about this product and am pleased to strongly recommend it.
Controls up to five audio/visual components Learning function for programming from other remotes LED illumnation for clear button location Rubber keyp...More at Amazon Marketplace
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