Customer Reviews

Sony RM-VL900 8-Device Universal Remote Control

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Universal remotes are usually a joke because they always miss at least one crucial feature of each old remote you're trying to replace. Instead of four remotes on your coffee table, you end up with five. Not this time. The Sony Commander is magic!

The key is the learning feature, which lets you teach the Commander any signal you need to. The remote codes provided in the literature will go a long way toward making the Commmander work with your equipment instantly, but there will always be something left out. That's where the learning feature comes in. In less than 5 minutes, I taught the Commander all the signals for our General Instruments digital cable box.

While I was at it, I programmed the Commander to turn on/off all my TV equipment at the touch of a button. I programmed another button to set everything up for DVD viewing.

The Commander has done what no other universal remote I've tried has been able to do: It replaced every remote in my house. (I have a Toshiba TV, a Toshiba DVD, a Sony VCR, a Sanyo VCR, a G.I. digital cable box, and an Aiwa compact stereo system.)

After reading reviews for many other programmable remotes, I decided the Sony RMVL900 was the best choice on paper.

The RMVL900 is not the smallest, wiz bangy or prettiest remote out there, but it is a fully functional learning remote control in the $50 price range.

My system consists of a Sony TV w/ 4 inputs, Harman/Kardon A/V receiver, Toshiba 5 disk DVD, Phillips VCR ... and an echostar satellite receiver. Of all these components I was able to program the RMVL900 for all of them except the satellite receiver, only because it has an RF remote control - I'm never making that mistake again - always buy A/V components with an IR remote control.

TV: its a Sony, so the remote control worked as expected - just tweaked programming on a couple of Picture-in-Picture buttons.

Receiver: The remote that comes with the receiver is bazaar, lots of buttons, non-intuitive, separate on and off buttons. I programmed the most used functions on the RMVL900 with no problem - even on screen menu and cursor buttons. I use the RMVL900 pwr button for "ON", and the "9" button for "OFF" - I blame this silly oddity on Harman/Kardon, and applaud the RMVL900 for having the flexibility to deal with it.

DVD: no problems - just had to program the number buttons to switch between disks.

VCR: no problems.

Once you figure out how to program it, the macro function is great, it even has programmable delay (per macro) between commands! Hold the DVD button for 2 seconds, and the TV turns on and selects DVD input, AV reciever turns on and selects the DVD input, DVD turns on. Hold the VCR or SAT button for 2 seconds with similar results (on IR components). I use the "1" macro button to turn all components off, effectively hiding the receivers awkward "9" off button.

I hope this review helped and wish you good luck making the right decision for your situation.

I've had mine for almost a year now. I have a fairly complicated AV setup many different brands of products. The RM-VL900 easily replaces all of my other remotes.

The remote itself has 3 macro buttons at the top. These buttons will perform up to 16 commands. Use these for turning on or off all of your components at once with the touch of 1 button. The 8 component selection buttons below also double as macro buttons. Press them to change components, press and hold for 2 seconds to perform a macro. This is a great feature when switching your AV system from one component to another requires multiple commands. These macro buttons not only make it more convenient for you, but also make complicated AV setups much more accessable to non-technical people. Any function that the remote can perform can be included in a macro, including learned functions.

The rest of the buttons on the remote are your standard fare of VCR, DBS, and TV control type buttons. Every button is programmable/learning. You can look for your remote on the list of provided codes, or just program all the buttons yourself using the learning feature and the old remote. You are not limited to traditional layouts and can program any button to perform any function you want. You can even mix remotes under a single component. Use the DBS component mode to change channels on both the VCR and the DBS system without have to switch the remotes component mode if you want. Nice.

The button themselves are well laid out. You have big channel and volume buttons on the bottom. The volume buttons can be set to change the volume on your TV or reciever no matter what component is selected on the remote. The other buttons have different shapes and sizes and are laid out in such a way that you can quickly learn to find your way around the remote without having to look at it. Try that with one of those fancy LCD remotes.

The only 2 minor drawbacks with the remote are that only the component select buttons are actually lit. The others are glow in the dark. This isn't a huge drawback because they glow fairly well, and after you get used to the remote, probably won't be looking at it anyway. The other drawback is that programming it is a little complex, and the manual isn't the clearest. Given all the functionality of the remote, I doubt they could have made the programming much easier, but they certainly could have made the manual a little clearer. The manual, while not clear, is comprehensive. Spend a few extra minutes with the manual and I think most people will be able to figure it out.

This remote doesn't just replace other remotes, it makes using your entire AV Theater setup much easier to use. There's not much more I can say about it, it's just a few backlit buttons away from perfection.

Well, I finally got fed up with juggling between 5 different remotes. I never seriously considered getting a universal remote since my amplifier is JBL brand and not many universal remotes have a preset for this. This remote has learning capability so it did exactly what I needed. 2 of my components worked instantly: my Sony DVD player and my Hitachi TV. I had to scan for my Hitachi VCR but it wasn't bad. And I was able to quickly set up my digital cable controller using the learning capability as well as my JBL amplifier remote. If that wasn't enough, I easily set up two out of the three macro buttons. One to turn my cable and TV on and off and the other to set up my DVD, TV, and amplifier for DVD movie watching. Incredible remote. This is the one you've been looking for.

Just so you know: DO NOT buy remotes that don't have a LEARNING function.

Many remotes in stores have a code list that will mediocrely run your units. With a learning remote, you can CUSTOMIZE it and will GROW with your new equipment (right there the other cheap emotes will fall flat because they don't have the new codes). I've learned this lesson through hard experience!

This Sony remote has an EXCELLENT learning function and allows it to learn HUNDREDS of commands. Other learning remotes will rip you off with ONLY being able to learn 30 commands--that's nothing, considering that ONE remote will eat up all 30 learnable functions (remember this is NOT listed on the package until you buy it and play with it).

The buttons of this Sony remote also light up when pressed and glows in the dark after being absorbed by your lamp light. It's solid and has a rubber grip for comfort. It provides a very strong signal as well.

Don't fall for the new breed of palm-like remotes. They take MUCH TOO LONG to scroll the screens just to get to the chosen command. Those other remotes may have glitz, but they are much more difficult to use, thus eliminating the "wow" factor to adding an "annoyance" factor. I have one that came with the Denon 5800 receiver and it is lousy.

Trust me. Get this remote. It works fabulously. It's all the remote you will ever need.

Cheers!

I was tired of having several remotes, and although some remotes can operate other electronics, this one seems to be able to handle all if not most of them. It even has a learning feature that can "learn" funtions from other remotes. I could not get it to operate my cable box by entering the code(s) suggested, so I used the learing function and it works the box perfectly.

Now I use just one remote.

The problem with all of these great reviews is that they were probably written soon after purchasing this remote. I'll agree that at first, I was very happy with the learning capabilities and use of this remote and it's the only remote I had to have on my coffee table. Then after about 6-7 months I noticed some frequently used keys (volume, channel, pause, stop...) had to be pressed harder and harder to get them to work. Eventually, after about a month of this, those keys stopped responding at all. (Someone else noted the same problem in another review here.)

I returned it (I had an extended warranty on it which I purchased from the store) and they gave me a brand new one. Lo and behold, after 5 or 6 months, the exact same thing happened and by 7 months the same keys stopped responding again. By now, my "extended warranty" had expired, so I was forced to reprogram common functions to other keys. (I.E. Volume became buttons #1 &4, pause was #3, channel up and down arrow up and down etc.) one by one all of these keys ended up not responding as well until finally I was down to about 4 keys on the entire remote which would respond at all. All this after only 2 years. It's as if i went through 8 remotes with all the programming over and over and now, I again have 5 remotes on my coffee table. Piece o' junk...

I got this model a few years ago at a retail electronics store for about the retail price. The learning curve was small and it was practically effortless to get going with it and to use it for a good long time. I never taught it my ReplayTV commands, though, because it was kind of an intimidating project. Digital Video Recorders (DVRs) have introduced new buttons that never existed before, like the 30-second skip and the 8-second instant replay. Also the channel guide and the guide to recorded programs. The point is that there's a lot of mapping that has to be done between that particular remote and the universal. This is not the fault of Sony, although they might soon consider putting these new features into this line of remotes.

Anyway, I'm getting to a point... the point is that our first one broke. It was physically damaged through no fault of the manufacturer... things happen. So I started living without it, since we had a relatively new DVD player and still had that remote, and we still had the TV remote, and we had never stopped using the ReplayTV remote. But the ReplayTV remote is pretty cheap and the "select" button, which is absolutely critical, is becoming more difficult to use. I decided last week that I would get a new RM-VL900 and I did. As soon as I had it, I put in the pre-programmed TV and DVD player and immediately set out to teach it my ReplayTV commands. Now I've got everything in and I'm ready to stop using all other remotes and use those batteries for something else. This is a highly recommended remote. If you believe nobody else, believe the guy who bought it twice.

The RM-VL900 is likely the best value in universal remote controls. All of the keys are learning capable and the programming process is simple. In minutes, I programmed macros to turn on and set my system for use with each component (digital cable box, DVD, VCR, etc.) with one touch. Also handy is a volume "pass-through" that controls the volume though the amplifier regardless of which component is selected. This option is easily set or undone in a couple of seconds.

I considered fancy touch-screen remotes costing hundreds of dollars but personally, I prefer hard buttons that I can feel in the dark. The key layout and varied shapes and sizes make this model easy to use without taking your eyes off your big-screen. While buttons can't be relabeled, they can be programmed for any function and it's easy enough to remember which does what.

The keys are not backlit but they all glow in the dark -- not just the transport and channel/volume controls as on so many remotes.

Considering the sleeker looking RM-VL1000 for a few dollars more? Forget it! I too was enticed by its LCD screen and joystick but it turned out to be an ergonomic nightmare. Simple functions required several steps. Just reading the instructions gave me a headache!

Is the RM-VL900 the perfect remote? No, but it earned five stars from me for its unmatched user-friendliness and a price that allowed me to buy two (no fighting over the remote in my house!) Incidentally, when you buy the second one -- and you will -- all of the commands except the macros can be transferred from the first one in seconds!

I've had this remote for about 4 1/2 years. Out of the box, it performed beyond my hopes and dreams. I have a 36" Admiral TV, and I bought and returned 7 "universal" remotes that would not operate my "off brand" TV, even though they would operate every other component of my A/V system with the pre-programmed codes.

So I buckled down and dropped $89.99 (remember, this was 4 1/2 years ago) and bought this "learning" remote just because I trusted Sony ... and figured at $89.99, it had BETTER work on my TV or I was just gonna give up and have 5 remotes on my coffee table.

I have never looked back. This remote IS THE ANSWER! Forget "pre-programmed" codes!! If I want the button on the right hand side under my thumb to do something, I "teach" the d*mn thing to do just that. It will operate ANYTHING that has a remote.

Through its learning function and macro functions, I can push ONE BUTTON ... that ONE BUTTON will close my drapes (which are remote controlled), dim my lights (which are remote controlled), turn on my entire A/V system, drop my ceilling fan to low (for less noise -- also remote controlled) and start a movie.

Regarding durability: I bought this remote 2 weeks after buying an 8 week old beagle puppy. I wanted to beat the puppy after returning home after work to find my remote had become a chew-toy, but just couldn't because the remote still worked flawlessly (if a bit uncomfortably with all the teeth marks). The remote has also gone through several other trials including having a sofa dropped on it (during a room re-configuration), being dropped in a toilet (during a drunken Super-Bowl half-time), and being dropped, tossed and thrown more times than can be counted.

The bottom line is: after all this remote has gone through, and despite reviewing and even purchasing several super-high-end LCD type remotes, I am here on Amazon to buy another RM-VL900. After 4 1/2 years of faithful service, my remote (rubber bands and all) deserves a peacefull retirement. The thing is still working flawlessly ... I just want a pretty, shiny, new one to sit on my coffee table (just feet away from remotes that cost $300-400 that are gathering dust in the side table).

I will buy this remote until they stop making it. It has it's drawbacks (no backlit keys, and a manual that will leave you scratching your head) but is better and more user functional than any remote I've ever owned (including 2 that cost over $300).

BUY IT!!! -- you'll never own another!!!!!!