No More Remote Clutter
Written: Jul 14 '02 (Updated Jul 19 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Decreases remote clutter, nice ergonomics, backlit display, large infrared panel, controls up to 18 components
Cons: batteries not included, manual at times confusing to follow, fingerprint marks on screen, expensive
The Bottom Line: A great product to decrease remote control clutter. I like the ergonomics and the simplicity of the design. It has enough customization features to satisfy the gadget freak.
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| breviceps's Full Review: Sony RM-AV3000 LCD Touchscreen Remote Control |
When my friend came over to visit and saw what it took to watch something on TV, she got overwhelmed and then laughed. I don't blame her considering that I have to juggle with 5-6 remote controls. It's time to end the madness.
Sony just released an updated version to their remote commander. Several people in Epinions had negative reviews about the former generation which made me hesitant to buy it. After playing with the remote control, I decided to buy this updated version.
The specs:
The Sony RM-AV3000 Integrated Remote Commander is a great device to end the remote clutter. It features:
• Touch screen LCD with blue backlighting
• Controls up to 18 components
• Customizable labels
• 45 Macro commands, each with up to 32 steps
• Factory preset to turn all power ON/OFF for Sony components
• Compatible with Lutron Home Theater Lighting controls
• Compatible with nearly 500 non-Sony commands
• Can learn and assign commands to almost all of the buttons using your component's infrared remote
• Uses 4 infrared emitters for better range and pickup
• Saves learned commands even when changing batteries with its memory backup
• Hold function to prevent accidental operation
• Allows for transfer of settings and learned commands to another RM-AV3000
• 90-Day warranty
• 32 ft. range
• Uses 4 x AA batteries
• Up to 5 months of battery life (says Sony)
• Dimensions: 4 3/4 x 7 x 1 1/2 inches (W x H x D)
• Weight: 13 ounces
• Inside the box: remote unit, separate English and Spanish instruction booklet, warranty information & non-Sony component code numbers (no batteries included!)
The Look & Feel:
You need two hands to use the remote control for it's a fairly big unit. It rests comfortably in one hand and you use your other hand to actually operate the remote. In a well-lit room, the LCD display is fairly readable, but if you like to watch TV or listen to music in a dim room, you definitely need the backlighting on. The remote is divided into two sections: on top is the LCD window that changes functions depending on the component you're operating and the bottom has standard stationary remote buttons. It has a quick access to the most common components: TV, STB (to control cable boxes), VCR, DVD, CD, AMP (receiver), and OTHER (to access other components such as MD, TAPE A, TAPE B, CABLE, VCR 2, VCR3, STB 2, DVR, DVR 2, LD, DAT, LIGHTING (to control Lutron lighting). The first 6 buttons is enough to control my components. What I do like is that these buttons can be programmed to activate a certain function on your receiver. For example, when I press the VCR button, the receiver is programmed to switch to the VCR mode which is on Video 1 or when I press the DVD button, you gain access to the DVD controls on the LCD screen and then your receiver changes to the DVD mode.
Below the component buttons are System Controls 1, 2, 3 and more. Each can be programmed to execute a series of commands (Macro). When pressing the more button, it gives you access on the LCD for up to 15 systems. The unit has been factory programmed to turn off all Sony components using System Button 1 and to turn all Sony components using System Button 2.
To the right of the System Control buttons are the Timer Button (up to 12 macros to control recording, stopping, etc of programs, opening components, etc), Light Button (turns on the blue backlighting), and the Commander Off (Turns the remote unit off when not being used). Below the System Control Buttons is the Cursor Control buttons which is component specific. For example, when used in the DVD mode, it lets you select the Chapter Selections, Bonus Features, etc. When the remote is used to operate the digital cable box, the cursor control lets you access your cable box's menus. To the right of the Cursor Buttons are the Volume and Channel Buttons which can be programed to operate your TV's volume control or your receivers, or whatever for you want it to control since the buttons can learn any function using your component's remote. Below the Volume and Channel buttons are the mute and recall buttons (recall to switch back to the previous channel you were watch on TV which is especially useful if you're watching 2 shows at once). And finally, below the Cursor Button is the Menu and Exit buttons to access your component's features.
The instructions takes you step-by-step to program your remote to your system's specifications. At times it can get confusing because in order to perform more complex programming, you need to remember the steps to access a certain function, menu, or submenu, so you're flipping back and forth in the manual to remember how to get from one step to the other. The quirk that I don't like when your programming the remote: once you program a button to perform something and decide to change it to do something else, you first have to delete the 1st programmed function first or else you get a "NG" (I guess it stands for No-GO) beep meaning that the remote didn't learn the function. I guess on a positive note, it's a safety feature to prevent accidental programming.
You can further customize the unit by:
• locking the unit to prevent accidental operation
• setting the time for the unit to turn off after a period of inactivity (anywhere from 1-30 minutes with 1 minute increments)
• adjusting the backlighting: bright or dim, automatic backlight shut-off time (from1-60 seconds)
• key-touch confirmation beep: turn it off or on as a audible feedback when pressing buttons
• LCD window contrast adjust
• Up to 8 character alphanumeric customization of Label Keys for components
• Erasing all settings to return the unit to the factory settings
Overall, I do like the remote control. It can be a bit intimidating to program the remote because it may take several steps to complete the programming. Make sure to read the manual first and get to know the buttons on your remote to make the programming much easier. Things that I would like changed on the remote: the ability to further customize the backlighting. You can customize the backlighting by automatically turning on with the press of a button on the remote. I wish that you can have the ability for the unit to only turn the backlighting on when you press the LCD screen. This is especially useful when the room is just dim that the LCD screen is unreadable and the regular buttons are readable. It saves more on the battery. Also, I do wish that the buttons below the LCD has backlighting or at least are glow-in-the dark. They're hard to see in a dark room. Also, it would have been nice if Sony has included the 4 x AA batteries like they usually do when you purchase a component with a remote. Finally, with all LCD remotes, you get fingerprint marks which get get annoying. Sony recommends to clean the surface with a soft cloth moistened slightly with H2O or a mild detergent solution. Alcohol, benzine, or thinner products aren't recommended as they may damage the finish.
On the positive side. I like the ergonomics and the simplicity of the buttons: they're not cluttered, they're big, and easy to see with ample lighting, unlike most remote controls that come with your component where they're just placed almost on a random fashion. I'm still wondering how long the batteries would last. Sony says that it has the potential to last up to 5 months.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
breviceps
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Location: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Reviews written: 32
Trusted by: 11 members
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