Customer Reviews

RCA 8 Device Remote with Advanced DVR, DVD and HDTV Functions RCR812N

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this remote because I had the identical remote but 6-in-1 rather than 8-in-1 and loved it. Unfortunately, I wore out the MUTE and VOLUME buttons because of loud commercials. <g> The other problem with the 6-in-1 was that the OK button did not function with DirecTV in scrolling menus. I had read a review that this one contained updated codes for DirecTV but either the one I received is an older version or the reviewer had an older DirecTV box. RCA has additional codes on their website but they are not accepted by the remote I have. That is the reason this remote did not get 5 stars. Other than that, this is a great remote! It is ergonomically designed to fit in your hand and is weighted correctly to always be comfortable. You can pick it up without really looking at it and tell right away whether it is facing in the right direction. I especially like the lighted buttons because I only have overhead flourescent lighting so keeping a light on at night is not an option. If I had known that the OK button would not work for DirecTV on this one either, I would have bought the 6-in-1 instead because I don't have 8 devices to control and the INFO key is easier to find in the dark on the 6-device.

I originally bought this remote to control 3 devices in my guest bedroom.

I soon discovered that this remote overcame the one shortcoming of the Vizio remote described here:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R29WLD3IFASWL9/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

So, I bought a second remote to control that Vizio HDTV (in my master bedroom).

I doubt I will ever consolidate the various remotes in my home theater room. Mostly, I see no need for it.

Pros:

Setup - The setup is FAR easier and FAR faster than any universal remote I ever used.

Ease of Use - The "feel" of the buttons makes this device very easy to use in the dark (without even using the backlight function). I originally wanted a more basic remote to control -- by feel, in the dark -- the one device in my master bedroom (a Vizio HDTV). But, I also wanted one click control over the picture size (aka "Aspect"). This remote has far more functionality than I will ever use in my master bedroom. But, it did a terrific job of meeting both of my requirements for that location.

Cons:

I have not found any!

With the codes it works for a Samsung LN52B750 and a Motorola DCH3200 cable box. With the two Denon codes available it does nothing for an AVR790. Not one button works anything on the receiver.

I like this remote well considering what I paid for it. It has worked perfectly for most of the devices I intended to use it with. Programming it is pretty simple using the auto code search.

However, when it cannot find a code, you have to enter the code manually and the instructions it came with do not list all of the codes available for this remote. For example, it could not automatically find the code for my Onkyo receiver and none of the codes that were in the code list worked. But, after a little searching on RCA's website, I found a link with the updated codes.

ERGONOMICS
First off, I'm used to the "peanut" style remote so favorable biased towards them. This trys to be a "peanut" style remote and it feels okay. It's just a little bulkier than I like though.

The shape of the buttons are where I think RCA should have spent a little more time in design. I've been using this for weeks and after a while one tends to learn which button is which by feel. I don't foresee that happening because very few buttons are unique.

TIVO
I bought this crossing my fingers that I could use this for my Tivo and I can verify that it does work. But there are a few things that you can't do with it that the normal Tivo remote can do:

1. In order to turn off the TV, you have to switch from the DVR to the TV button. If still in DVR mode, pressing the power button will put the Tivo into suspended mode.

2. There are no "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" buttons nor any that will work as their replacement.

3. There is no "live tv" button. You have to navigate the Tivo menu or press the guide button on the remote to get back to live tv.

I have a couple of different remotes and I bought a pair of these when they were on sale for less then $5.

They are really nice and I appreciate the extra features of which several were lacking on my other remotes. I very much like that I can change the view (Wide,Zoom or Standard) on my TV as well as other extras that my other remotes do not have. I also like when you press any key it will light up the buttons for a short time. It is a bit big for a remote yet how else can you fit all of these buttons on here.

I also appreciate that it uses 2 AA batteries rather then AAA. I also like that it comes with the feature that it will turn itself off if any button is held for more than 30 seconds. Like when it get stuck in the cushions of your furniture and the batteries run down, on my other remotes. happens to me.

I recommend these to persons who want more than a basic remote yet are not ready to buy a Logitech Harmony.