Sony DVD - Remote control - infrared

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Product Details

• ASIN: B00005NYZ1
• Item model number: SCPH-10420
• Batteries: 2 AAA batteries required.
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (90 customer reviews)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 13, 2007

Product Description

Amazon.com Review
Admit it: all in all, the PS2 is a pretty good video game console, but it's a mediocre DVD player. Easily the most major sin Sony committed against DVDphiles was the initial unavailability of an official remote control. Because the PS2 gamepad is a stunningly poor substitute for a real remote, Sony's official remote control entry comes as a welcome, but not quite perfect, solution.

Compared to most third-party PS2 remotes, Sony's design is much less childish. It's quite comfy, and, aside from a few extra buttons modeled after the PS2 controller (X, O, R1, R2, etc.), it features the same style as most of Sony's slick AV remotes. Tragically, Sony omitted both eject and power buttons. What were they thinking?

The supplied new software drivers add quite a bit of functionality to the PS2, making it almost as feature-packed as a regular low-end DVD player. Three-speed scan, slow motion, A-B play, shuffle, chapter program, and other enhancements have now been added to the PS2's playback capabilities. Most of these features require the remote to access. Also, to use the drivers, you'll need to keep a PS2 memory card (where the new software is stored) and the IR receiver constantly plugged into a gamepad port--a minor headache. Also, while most of the problems with untimely frame skipping are solved, I still found the chapter rewind to be somewhat slow and unresponsive.

DVD fiends who can bear Sony's tiny control buttons will find this model easily the most functional of the PS2 remotes. While the PS2 will never replace a full-fledged DVD box, at least it now has a decent remote control that's on par with the big boys. --Mark Brooks

Pros:

• Full-featured DVD remote looks and acts similar to most AV gear
• DVD software adds many new features for picture setup and playback
• Comfortable in the average-size hand

Cons:

• Requires use of a memory card and a controller port to operate
• Tiny buttons
• No power or eject buttons
• Sluggish chapter rewind

Product Description
Play your favorite movies without any wires or other hassles! Modeled to match the sleek design of the PlayStation 2 computer entertainment system, the DVD Remote has all the features of a standard controller plus enhanced DVD capabilities. Discover even more DVD features with an updated version of the PlayStation 2 DVD driver for use with the DVD Remote Control - Slow Motion, Chapter Program, A=B Repeat, Shuffle, Repeat, and Three-Speed Scan are all accessible at the push of a button, as are all of the basic PlayStation 2 DVD functions such as Audio Track selection, Subtitle display, and Multi-Angle options.Two new buttons, the "Open/Close" button (opens and closes the disk tray from the remote) and the "Reset" button (duplicates the function of the Reset button located on the front of the PlayStation 2 console). Label text for the "Title" and "DVD Menu" buttons on the old remote has been changed to "Top Menu" and "Menu" respectively on the new remote. Functionality of these buttons remains unchanged. The new DVD remote will not be compatible with PlayStation 2 consoles having model numbers beginning with SCPH-30xxx, SCPH-35xxx, or SCPH-39xxx unless you already have an IR receiver (SCPH-10160). For PlayStation 2 console model numbers SCPH-30001 and SCPH-35001, you will need a copy of the DVD remote control software disc and a Memory Card (8MB) (for PlayStation 2).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

138 of 141 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Best act in town so far, September 21, 2001

By	Brian Fox (San Diego CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This remote control converts a Play Station 2 console into a full-featured DVD player. It does this in two ways. First, it improves upon the existing PS2 DVD Player software. For my unit, the version of DVD player jumped from 1.30U to 2.10U. Second, it provides a wireless remote control with every function you could want plus a few.

The package ships with an instruction manual, the DVD Player 2.1 disk, two AAA batteries, a small stub IR receiver. The first disappointment is that the receiver is NOT a passthrough. Fortunately, it is designed to fit the second controller slot. Swapping the stub for a controller is only an issue then for two player games.

The remote control has some other disappointments. The DVD Player 2.1 software, essentially a firmware update, installs on a memory card and consumes a lot of real estate in the process. It only works with memory slot 1 and the entire copy takes 2.2MB, a quarter of the card's capacity. In an era where the most basic computer devices are all 'flashable,' it's a mystery why Sony didn't keep a more careful eye on future revisions. After all, I have flashed my computer motherboard, DVD player, and home network equipment with firmware updates. All of these devices carried some fashion EPROM (electronically programmable memory). And they all sold for less than a Sony Playstation, so it's hard to blame this short sitedness on cost. It's a mystery why Sony didn't forsee a similar eprom need in their console (read poor planning). Instead of flashing an internal chip then, Sony forces us to copy a new copy to a memory card, making the existing ROM so much silicon gathering dust. The DVD Player 2.1 software can be manipulated just like any other saved game. You can delete and copy it back at will. The remote will work without it too, although without the software to support it most buttons won't work as advertised.

Luckily, the improvements are significant and probably offset the disappointments enough to make this a good purchase. The new remote control and player software are feature rich adding many needed improvements to the DVD playback on the PS2. The most anticipated difference for me was the multi-speed scan. With the new player, it is now possible to scan through a DVD at 2x 4x and 8x speeds. The next best feature is an actual time clock, showing chapter progress time, remaining time, feature progress time and remaining time. The original player only showed chapter stops. Sony layed out the DVD remote buttons in a logical and clear fashion. It includes every button you could want in a decent arrangement. Even chapter selection is there. The remote is a hybrid, including all of the shock controller buttons with the exception of only the analog sticks. It's nice - it rivals any other DVD remote. I read one review that said you could control power with this remote. This is not true. There is no labeled on/off button nor does the manual mention it. Other esoteric features are repeat (is this for a video store?) and shuffle (?), which are questionable even for concert DVDs. Maybe someone out there can find purpose to them.

I've never had any trouble with DVD playback having successfully watched dozens of titles on the PS2 now. Other people have complained about incompatible DVDs in the past. The new player software may address these issues. Sony claims this unit is compatible with any disk stamped with the DVD logo. I'm guessing it's a region 1 player and not region free, although I can't verify this for sure. I'm sure a hack is on its way if not already available.

Overall, it's a good purchase. The $20 ranks it among the cheapest accessories. It does it's job very well and transforms the console into a decent DVD player. But the real complaint, the one that ranks it at four stars, is that Sony didn't get it right the first time. Perhaps they underestimated the demand for DVD playback. I'm convinced it won't be long before some electronics genius burns the player to a ROM and sells it as a 'mod chip.' Until then, Sony is the only act in town that can provide these improvements. Actually, there's probably a way to distribute the new player via a Game Shark. Legality is at stake of course.

Bottom line: if a remote is a must have, this is the only one to consider.

77 of 79 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars what sony said, July 7, 2004

By	O. Vorobyeva "sweetyqbk" (The place to be, Brooklyn) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

There are two different DVD remote controls (for PlayStation(R)2):

SCPH-10171 DVD remote control (for PlayStation(R)2) with IR Receiver Unit
SCPH-10420 DVD remote control (for PlayStation(R)2)

The SCPH-10171 is compatible with all models of the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system.
The packaging for this peripheral contains the following items:

1 DVD Remote Control (for PlayStation(R)2)
1 IR Receiver Unit (for PlayStation(R)2)
1 DVD Driver Disc

The SCPH-10420 is only compatible as packaged with the following model numbers of the PlayStation 2
console:

SCPH-50001
SCPH-50010
SCPH-50001N
SCPH-50010N

Because the models mentioned above contain a built-in Infrared (IR) Receiver and pre-installed
drivers for the DVD Remote Control, the packaging for the SCPH-10420 does not contain an IR Receiver
Unit or a DVD Driver Disc.

The SCPH-10420 contains the following new features:

Power/Reset button
Eject button

The SCPH-10420 is compatible with the following model numbers, provided you already have an IR
receiver and the appropriate software*: SCPH-30001, SCPH-35001, SCPH-30001R, SCPH-39001, SCPH-39010,
SCPH-39001N, and SCPH-39010N. However, the Power/Reset, and Eject buttons will not function with
these models of the PlayStation 2 console.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be sure of what model your console is before you buy, January 13, 2004

By	Andrew Stevenson "drew and not u" (wilmington, NC) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before you buy this, verify what moel your PS2 is. This remote is only for older models. The newer PS2s have many more features then the older ones, including a built in IR reciever(meaning you don't have to fill up a controller port with an external one), higher FF and RR scan speeds, and a progressive scan mode (for HD televisions). If your PS2 is one of these, then you need to buy the updated DVD Remote, which has both power and eject buttons and does not unclude and update disk or controller port IR receiver(as they are unnecessary.) If you have an older model, then this Sony remote is the way to go, as it is higher quality than those from third party brands. As for the lack of power and eject bottons on this remote, it would be impossible to include them. The IR receiver plugs into the controller port which is part of the game interface, and therefore inactive when the system is on standby.