Get Unified
Written: Aug 27 '02
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: Effective learning and macro functions with more than adequate memory capacity.
Cons: Peculiar aesthetics and poorly conceived ergonomic design.
The Bottom Line: The Sony RM-VL900 is a very flexible home theater remote with very generous memory capacity and a modest price.
|
|
|
| amusementman's Full Review: Sony RM-VL900 Remote Control |
I am a home theater enthusiast with a variety of constantly changing input gizmos running into and around my 65" Mitsubishi HDTV. This presently includes a Harman Kardon AV receiver with a supplemental amp to run my 7.1 mode rear channels, a progressive scan DVD player, a Directv receiver with Tivo, a VCR and a carousel type CD player. SIGNIFICANCE: Each of these devices has its own multifunction remote, many of which contain some specific and unusual functions. Eventually, you accumulate so many of these devices that they become difficult to keep track of and operate with any kind of convenience or efficiency.
While a typical TV viewer with just a VCR and/or a DVD player as inputs may find success in one of the many inexpensive, pre-programmed remotes, I was unable to find one that could handle even the most basic functions of my full assortment of components simultaneously. I tried just about every one of the mass produced devices on the market, including the One-For-Alls, the RCA and the SIMA and actually had some success a few years ago with One-For-All’s A/V Producer. The reason for this was that it was a very flexible remote for its time and was the first that I’d seen which incorporated macros in a useful and intuitive way. I’m a big user of macros, a series of commands that can be programmed to execute sequentially, because they can provide simplified functionality and the illusion of a unified entertainment system. For example, in home theater mode, the power button can be used to power up the entire system of components, seemingly at once, with the touch of a single button. Then, the same button can shut it all down. You can even program a single button to make the system ready for an input from a specific device, setting the AV receiver and television to the correct inputs for say…your DVD player.
Unfortunately, though, as I obtained newer components with increasing levels of complexity, particularly the AV receiver and the Tivo, the AV Producer became less and less useful, for one primary reason. It was incapable of controlling many of the newer, advanced functions and could not learn and remember those commands from another remote, just the ones that were pre-programmed into it. I tried to find a new learning remote but, much to my chagrin, most of the moderately priced learning remotes tended to focus just on the learning feature, seemingly at the expense of all other useful, advanced functionalities. Since I was already spoiled by the versatility and ergonomic design of the AV Producer, though, the only acceptable solution was to find something with similar functionality to the AV Producer that included learning functionality. This was a tall order, though, and after visiting store after store, to no avail, I was resigned to the fact that I probably wouldn’t be able to find a decent unifying remote for my home theater system. Then I came across the RCA RCU810 and, for the moment, thought that my problems were solved.
The RCU810 is a very cool looking device with a comfortable feel, a small LCD display screen and a decent quality build. It fits nicely in your hand, has a fair amount of customizable buttons and, most importantly, has a well performing and fairly easy to use learning capability. Unfortunately, though, this nearly adequate remote suffered one fatal deficiency that led me to return it the very next day. It just had too little memory, limiting the user to just a meager amount of supplemental learned commands to enhance the pre-programmed codes. That, combined with the fact that the remote wouldn’t control certain components at all, made the RCU810 a dishearteningly deficient remote. For example, those who use a DVR like Tivo know that the remote to this component soon becomes the most frequently used of your home theater remotes and, due to the fact that there are no preprogrammed DVR codes on the RCU810 at all (or seemingly any other remote that I’ve seen), it becomes necessary to map the entire device onto a learning remote, key by key. The RCU810 couldn’t even come close to storing that amount of data.
Since the RCU810 had so little memory, I anticipated that most similar devices would suffer the same deficiency and that there would be no effective unifying remote available. I kept trying, though, and the next day I purchased the SIMA SUR-20 for about twice the price of the RCU810, from a salesperson who apparently knew very little about the device and answered most of my questions incorrectly. It should suffice to say that the SIMA had little going for it that I can recommend. It’s a touch-screen type device that I found awkward to hold, difficult to use and far too inflexible for the purposes that I had intended it for. I brought that one back too and purchased the last of the moderately priced programmables, the Sony RM VL-900, which was similar in price to the RCA. I had initially avoided that one because it’s a little strange looking and I could see that the shape and key placement were less than optimal, giving it an awkward and uncomfortable appearance. I purchased it anyway, though, since it was the last choice and boy was I in for a pleasant surprise.
The Sony is easy to use and easy to program, even in learning mode. It was also capable of operating every one of my components with pre-programmed codes, except for the Tivo, but it’s got so much memory that I was able to map the entire Tivo remote onto it as well. After doing that, I then proceeded to program many of the more specific functions of my other components’ remotes onto the Sony, never once getting the dreaded out-of-memory indication that the RCA was so fond of displaying. Actually, as you use this remote, you'll find that you are constantly adding new functions and you’ll be amazed that the device just keeps on blinking confirmation of the new learned functions as you add them. One problem that this creates, though, is that after programming so many of your favorite functions and macros from your assortment of remotes, you may get to the point where you can’t even remember which are pre-programmed functions and which are learned. Fortunately, though, this remote has a feature where you can transfer the entire stored memory to another Sony learning remote as a backup (although I only have one so haven’t actually tried this). The Sony also has a nice, strong signal and the commands execute precisely, unlike some learning remotes where the mimicked signals seem compromised.
The significant flaws in the RM VL-900 mostly stem from its poor ergonomic design. The remote is poorly weighted, the keys are not especially user friendly, its not backlit and it’s just not comfortable to hold. Most significantly, the volume and channel keys are placed at the very bottom of the device, making it difficult to hold and operate easily. Generally, a remote slinger likes to hold the remote in their hand in order to channel surf at will or to adjust the volume up and down while watching television. By placing the buttons in this peculiar manner, though, Sony failed to leave enough room at the bottom of the remote to allow the user to get their hand comfortably around it in a way that facilitates the manipulation of the channel and volume buttons with their thumb. This is the way that I choose to hold a remote while watching television and I can only assume that most other people do as well.
The wedge shape of the device is also a little odd, evidencing more attention to form over function (or maybe just not a lot of thought, period), and the remote is somewhat difficult to use in the dark since it’s not backlit. While the keys are supposed to glow to a certain degree, the effect diminishes quickly and isn’t really bright enough to be useful anyway. Sony did, however, have the foresight to include a rubber impact bumper around the outside of the device to give it better grip and to provide some protection from the inevitable bumps and bangs that a television remote is subjected to.
Finally, considering how much memory this device has, its odd that there aren’t really that many buttons provided for customizable functions. While you can pretty much program almost any function onto almost any button, the relatively small amount of buttons overall sometimes forces you to choose between multiple, advanced functions for placement on the allotted buttons. It also makes it difficult to find a learned function if you happen to forget which key you mapped it onto.
I strongly recommend this device. It’s a very powerful and flexible unifying remote for a very reasonable price but I just can’t give it five stars due to its peculiar aesthetics and its poorly conceived ergonomics. If you want one device to control your home theater system 95% of the time, though, this is the one. I just wish that RCA would smarten up.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
amusementman
|
|
Location: Ossining, NY
Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.