My endtable clutterbuster
Written: Nov 16 '02 (Updated Nov 18 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Affordable, true learning remote, fully customizable
Cons: Not all buttons backlit, user guide only ok, menus are deep and even confusing
The Bottom Line: If $80 and an hour of setup time doesn't scare you away, then you'll never pick up the wrong remote again or waste time digging in the dark.
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| dgeesaman's Full Review: Sony RM-VL1000 LCD Remote Control |
Ok, I'm not an audiophile with 10 remotes. But at one point I had 5, and that's too many, so today I took a good look at a learning universal remote. Took it home, programmed it within an hour, and now its the only one in the room. I won't be returning it like I feared I may. It can control enough components (a dozen maybe?) that I'll never outgrow it, and the learning capability means it will work as long as remotes use infrared.
I popped in the requisite 2AA batteries (what? no freebie batteries with an $80 remote?), skimmed the manual and started digging through the menus. Within 30 minutes of casual fiddling, I got my DVD player, TV set, VCR, and audio receiver working well. I think most any electronics / user manual / DIYer can figure it out easily, others may be ok with some patience and reading the manual well. The programming cannot be understood without consulting the manual.
If your components are Sony, the preset values for the components will probably work perfectly out of the box. For other brands, use the preset codes. This worked to get my old RCA VCR running as well as my JVC audio receiver. The list of brands is very thorough, much more thorough than the list that came with my receiver's universal remote. It includes mini-stereo systems, TV/VCR combos, and many new components.
In the unlikely situation your component doesn't have a matching code, you can use its remote to program the Sony. It's quite easy - go into the 'Learn' menu for the component, pick a function key, and then use the original remote to send the command at the Sony. It takes just a few seconds, and the only inconvenience is that you must navigate through the menus to rename the new command - I would have liked to do that on-the-fly as you make the command. Anyway, I did this for some commands and found it was pretty straightforward once I got the hang of it.
First tip: set the LCD contrast so you can see what you're doing.
Second tip: rearrange the menu to put the most-used component choices on the menu page 1. How to do it isn't obvious - you must copy the component definition (i.e. DVD on page 2) over a component on page 1 (i.e. SAT (satellite tuner), which I don't have). Rename or reprogram as needed. I dug around for a while before inventing this because the manual writer didn't think to address how to 'move' components around.
Navigating the menus is tricky, since the LCD screen only shows 6 lines of 8 characters each. Also, choosing text characters (for renaming function and component names) is slow since you have to scroll through the alphabet in upper-case, lower-case, number digits, punctuation symbols, and another dozen or so useless symbols, probably over 60 total. A shift-type key modifier for the alphabet characters would make it a lot faster, and I could live without a lot of the symbols.
Using the remote is relatively easy. The buttons are spaced and the unit fits in my hand well. If you're accustomed to any all-in-one remote, you'll pick it up quickly. It's a bit heavy, which I hope is because of durable construction - indeed I'm sure it won't pop apart if dropped.
The battery life has me wondering. I'm accustomed to remote batteries lasting a year or two, and the manual suggests 5 months. Well, I guess I will be using it daily, and it saves the need to put batteries in the other remotes. I guess I'm just being picky.
As far as extra capabilities go, I was impressed that it showed me step-by-step how to make the volume control my audio system volume when in TV mode. That's a nice trick.
Update: I took the time to work with the macro mode. This is really cool, I'm glad I didn't overlook it. It allows you to run a chain of commands with one button, so I made one called 'TV->DVD', which sets all the components to play a DVD. This will save me time and hassle. This has a lot of promise, especially if there is a user in the household who doesn't particularly care for complex stereo setups.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
dgeesaman
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Member: David
Location: Harrisburg, PA, USA
Reviews written: 50
Trusted by: 2 members
About Me:
Mechanical Engineer, 31. Enjoy golf, distance running, hiking/backpacking, auto racing, fishing, and ice hockey.
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