Sony RM-VL600 8-Device Universal Learning Remote
by Sony
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List Price: Our Price: $18.95 You Save: $6.04 (24%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: CE See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Sony RM-VL600 8-Device Universal Learning Remote
Customer Review: Great remote for the price
Summary: 5 Stars
Just bought this remote yesterday, so I cannot speak about durability. But after pondering over which Logitech Harmony remote to buy, for the past week, I came across Amazon's review for this remote. Though not as sleek and elegant as the Harmonies (I was looking at the 520, 550 and 720), I must say, for the price, this remote does all that I wanted from a remote.
The channel Up/Down buttons on our Samsung flat screen stopped working after 2 years. I wanted a replacement remote and was attracted by the Logitech Harmony line of remotes' sleek design and generally positive reviews. However the cheapest 520 was for $45 and the other models went higher. Also the reviews indicated the battery life of the Logitech remotes was shorter due to their LCD screens and buttons blacklit glow feature.
After reading the reviews for this remote, I bought one from our local Sears store, selling for $25, just incase I needed to return it if it did not work with my TV. In a matter of minutes I was able to make it work for my TV, just by entering one of the Samsung TV codes that comes in the code list included in the remote packaging. Next I added my Pioneer DVD player. For special keys like Picture in Picture on the TV remote, you just make the Sony remote learn the command from the old remote by assigning it to any free button on the Sony remote. It's a very simple procedure, you just point both remotes to each other and follow a sequence of a few simple steps. Did the same for some special buttons on the DVD and have both remotes configured to this one instead. Infact I also went ahead and added the standing fan to the list so I can start/shut/rotate/oscillate and change speeds on the fan using this remote. Mapped it to the VCR button since I don't have a VCR :-).
The only minor issue is having to remember the various customized functions you have assigned to the various keys of the remote. Other than that, everything else is pretty straight forward. And at this price will not feel bad if the kids throw this around or if some buttons start dying in 2 years.
Customer Review: VERY GOOD!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I got this remote years ago.
Use it daily -- still works great! Just follow the instructions carefully, study all the useful functions, take an hour to program, and it will cover most or all of your entertainment control needs!!!
I am very happy with it!
Update (October 2010) -- Still working fine, at this point I cannot even remember when exactly I got this, I think it's been around 10 years or so :) I changed my TV set, reprogrammed it, everything is fine!
It also controls my old stereo receiver, DVD player, and ROKU streaming device. The instructions have a long list of brands and devices with programming codes, but as it's the case with ROKU player, you can also program newer devices, which did not even exist few years ago -- it is a learning remote, it can capture signals from other remotes and remember it.
Among other things, I enjoy that function which allows to program a sequence of commands into one press of a button.
Also VERY (!!!!!) IMPORTANT TO ME -- it has a flat stable surface that touches the coffee table, and when I press the buttons with a finger -- without picking it up -- the remote stays flat and stable. My Toshiba HDTV, my Sony DVD, and my ROKU remotes all have rounded surfaces underneath, and while they are slightly more comfortable to hold, they rock and shift if I press those buttons closer to the sides. So when I sit down to watch a movie with a bucket of chicken or ribs, I often only have a single clean pinky to command my entertainment, and with this remote it is absolutely no problem! Original remotes are a torture to operate with a single finger, without picking them up. I cannot even begin to tell you how much difference that flat bottom makes to me -- I have a habit to bring a tray and eat in front of my TV, so all those original remotes which would not stay in place were a huge drag!
But beware of the price here on the site!!! It was less than 20 for a long time, and now it's around 50 -- bit of a ripoff, if you ask me. But hey! if it keeps working forever, price is less of a factor, right?
Customer Review: Powerful Solid Learning Remote at Low Cost
Summary: 5 Stars
Was looking for universal remote from Harmony 6xx series & One For All 89xx series but I don't see the need to install software/cables in order to program a remote....(a remote is suppose to make our life easier, not more complicate..)
Surprisingly, at only twnty & change Sony come out with such a powerful & solid built remote you are not missing much comparing with other remotes that charges hundreds more while offering similar functions. not to mention that there's no need to install sofware or cables to program the remotes.
It quickly swallow the pre-program codes for my TV & Home theater system, also easily learned the codes from Satellite receiver and 2 lesser known DVD players, then I created a macro (it allows up to 12 macros)to accomplish multi tasks.
Now I can just press DVD button for 2 sec, it will automatically switch to proper DVD input setting on TV, turn on the Home Theater Receiver & switch to DVD setting of receiver, then turn on DVD player, open the tray..etc) I then apply similar macro to "watch cable tv", "watch satellite tv" and "listen to CD" ...etc, that pretty much covers 99% of the need for average user.
It only uses 2 AA battery & not so heavy/punishing if dropped on floor accidentally. The remote has enough built in memory capacity to learn almost any buttons of any device. The memory will not lost even if you take the battery out.
I also like the large Channel/Volume buttons layout which resembles OEM remote comes with panasonic plasma TV. the Rubber buttons also response well & feel better than the 'hard buttons' on other brand.
Although it does not have backlite (except for 8 device buttons), the brushed aluminum face plate looks neat and reflect enough light source to all buttons.
In summary, function wise it rivals those programmable remote control that cost several times more, it's a very solid remote with nice keypad layout & resembles those name-brand OEM remotes & most of all.. "EASY" to learn and use.
Customer Review: Very effective universal remote, but a little tricky to program
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this remote to be a very useful alternative to juggling four different remotes for my Samsung TV, my Panasonic DVD/VCR, Comcast's Cable Box/DVR, and my brand new Onkyo receiver/home theater system. I was concerned because I read the reviews stating that the device did not work with certain audio-visual components, but I ordered it anyway because it is so much less expensive than many of the alternatives.
I will admit that I found the instructions to be a bit confusing, but by following them carefully I was able to get the remote to do everything I need it to do. The built in codes for the Samsung TV and Onkyo home theater system didn't enable the remote to do everything (the Exit button didn't work for the TV's on-screen menu and the Power button only turned off the Onkyo; it wouldn't turn it back on[!]). But this is not a problem, because you can put the Sony remote face-to-face with the OEM remote and teach it any specific commands that aren't working. I had to do that a lot for the Comcast/Magnavox Cable Box/DVR. I didn't bother to program some of the more obscure commands (like the page up / page down buttons on the Cable Box/DVR remote or the picture size button on the TV remote), but I believe I could have done so.
But the best feature is the line of four buttons across the bottom of the remote which can store a series of commands that apply to multiple components. I programmed "A" to turn on the TV, the Cable Box/DVR, and the Home Theater. When I press A, all three components are turned on and I'm ready to watch cable or something I saved on the DVR. I programmed "B" to turn on the TV, the DVD/VCR, and the Home Theater, which leaves the system ready to show a DVD. Pressing A again turns off all the components associated with watching cable/DVR and pressing B a second time turns off the components that were on for DVD watching. Not only don't I need to find four remotes and juggle them to get everything going or shut down, I don't even have to push more than one button!
Customer Review: A Learning Remote That Actually Learns!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'd been on the fence for a while about getting one of these, but with the price (and the fact it's a Sony brand) I decided to purchase it. Set up was a breeze thanks to the hefty user manual. You can also go to the Sony web site for a walkthrough. The learning feature is great. I had it learn both my Sony DVD player and my old Emerson VCR, straight from the remotes. I was unsure if the thing would work for my 57" Hitachi projection screen TV. The thing is over thirty years old and it never had a remote. A small booklet of codes comes with the RM-VL600, but none of the ones for Hitachi TVs worked. Thankfully I found more codes on the Sony web site and one of them got the TV to work. I was extremely happy.
After I'd programmed the remote to work with my DVD player I noticed whenever I hit the left and right directional arrows (which I'd "learned" from my DVD remote) that it would skip around really fast and I couldn't get it to stop on one item at a time. I was thinking about returning it when I discovered the "erase" feature in the manual. With this procedure I was able to erase the learned function for those two buttons and then re-learn it again. After that it worked perfectly. So if you run into a similar issue remember the 'erase' feature.
Another awesome feature on this remote are the System Control buttons located at the bottom (there are four of them, A through D). You can record a certain set of functions to each of these buttons. For example, after reading about this in the manual, I was able to set the "A" button to power on both my TV and DVD player at the same time! Now I don't have to hit 'TV', power on, 'DVD', power on - I just hit one button to turn both units on and off. Nice!
I wanted the black version with the blue buttons, but that was no big deal. I mean, seriously, who cares about colors when the thing does what it's suppose to, eh? I can highly recommend the RM-VL600 to anyone looking for a universal remote.