I purchased this remote to replace a well-worn Sony RM-VL610 that had served me well for a few years, but was starting to show its age. I think it's a nice evolution of the prior model. Subtle but notable changes (upgrades?):
- Ergonomic refinements: a ribbed back and rubber strip around the edge (which I missed from my old RM-VL900 way back in the day) make it easier to grip, and the more conventional battery cover is more secure than on the VL610, which had exchangeable colored backs that were kinda neat but slid off too easily. The VLZ620 is slightly longer at the bottom, which makes the lower buttons more comfortable to use. The all-critical Button feel is pretty much identical to the old model - firm with decent feedback. It's not as tactile as the RM-YD029 that came with my Sony XBR TV, but better than the typical cheapo universal remotes from the cable company.
- Range and spread were always good on the VL610; never had any complaints. The VLZ620 packaging boasts "Ultra 3X" spread, with an illustration showing the IR waves spreading past 180 degrees. The IR lens has 3 convex bubbles which ostensibly spready the signal, and sure enough, you can point the remote almost completely backwards and it'll still register (at least on my Sony TV). Pretty impressive.
- The component buttons have been modernized: CBL/SAT is now the 2nd button next to TV (instead of DVD), the 3rd button button is now DVR/PVR, a BD (BluRay) button has been added, and TAPE has been removed (who has a tape deck anymore??). They also added a dedicated hard button just for TV power - very handy if your turn-on sequence gets out of sync and you need to power up/down your TV w/o leaving CBL mode.
- The numeric keypad has been swapped with the playback controls, so they're now below the volume/channel buttons at the bottom. I think another reviewer felt this was more awkward, but I actually find it to be a more natural setup - you can quickly grab the bottom of the control and operate the most critical buttons for TV watching w/o having to slide your hand up the wand.
- There's now a dedicated INFO button (yay, finally), arrayed around the cursor control along with GUIDE, FAVORITES and LIST, all of which are cable/satellite friendly. PAGE +/- are now just above the cursor, naturally positioned to the left and right. Overall the layout feels better generalized and more intuitive.
- The "record" function now takes only a single button to engage (it used to have a safeguard that required simultaneously pressing the play button) - more appropriate for the "record all the shows all the time RIGHT NOW" DVR age.
- The pre-programmed code for my Comcast Motorola DVR was not perfect, but a lot closer than the last model - I only had to reprogram a few functions. Looks like Sony put some effort into updating the codes.
The only negative I can think of is that the programming procedure is a bit more convoluted than before, requiring the entry of random 3 digit codes to enable different modes. Also, the remote times out programming mode a bit too quickly, annoying when you're rifling through the documentation looking for codes and sequences. Overall though it's all pretty straightforward and workable.
All in all, a solid 4-star product; for around 20 bucks, i'm uprating it to 5 stars for value.
p.s. I've seen a few comments about the remote requiring new alkaline batteries to function properly. Just FYI that I'm using a set of freshly-charged Sanyo Eneloop rechargeables with no issues at all, including the learning function. Other brands of NiMH rechargeables may not be as consistent (Eneloops are amazing), so YMMV; when in doubt, use fresh alkalines.
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This item: Sony RMVLZ620 Universal Remote Control (Black)
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This Item  Sony RMVLZ620 Universal Remote Control (Black) |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | -15% $65.02 Typical: $76.71 | -23% $9.98 List: $12.99 | $9.99 | $24.52 | -14% $8.62 List: $9.99 |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Monday, Sep 2 | — | — | — |
| Customer Ratings | |||||
| Sold By | Ecom Crunched LLC | Simeizai .Inc | Amazon.com | RLsales-2016 | Amazon.com |
| compatible devices | VCR | Television/DVD/Blu-ray Player | Television, Streaming Device | Television | Sony, Samsung, Hisense, Westinghouse, LG, Toshiba, Sharp, Vizio, Insignia, Philips, TCL, Panasonic, Roku, Apple TV, Smart TVs, Streaming Players, Blu-Ray, DVD, VCR, Home Theater |
| connectivity tech | Infrared | Infrared | Infrared | Infrared | Infrared |
| maximum range | 10 meters | 30 feet | 30 feet | 10 meters | 30 feet |
| style | Universal | for Universal TV remote | Backlit | — | 3 Device |
| battery quantity | — | 2 aaa | 2 aa | — | 2 aa |
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WORKS WITH APPLE TV! (read on for details)
This is a very good remote for under $20. At first, I thought it had only limited functionality with my Apple TV, because I initially tried to use device code 81115. More on this in a moment. First, the pros and cons...PROS:- Under $20- Controls 8 devices- Learning Functions- Macros- Plenty of buttons- Solid build quality and good tactile feel to the buttons; doesn't feel cheapCONS:- The Volume "Punch Through" feature is limited- No backlight for keys- Manual is small and hard to read- Tedious to program- No device control button pre-labled for "streaming device" category (ROKU, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, etc.)NOTE: This last item is a minor nit - you can just use DVR or CBL or VCR or DVD device buttons insteadSome remotes in this price category have more flexible volume "punch through" (the ability for the VOL+ and VOL- controls to "punch through" the selected device and control the TV or amplifier volume instead). This one maps all video devices to the TV and all audio devices to the AMP; you cannot individually remap. At first, I thought this was going to be a problem when I tried to set up my Apple TV - but I found a very elegant workaround that I'll describe next.I initially set up my DVR button to control my Apple TV by entering device code 81115. This is listed in the manual as the code for audio accessories. The operative word here is AUDIO. Yes, entering that code will allow you to partially operate your Apple TV, and you can teach the remote any missing codes. However, code set really is designed for an Apple audio accessory, like an iPod (I also discovered quite by accident that it can control my Apple iMac computer to launch iTunes and remotely control play, pause, etc.). The fatal flaw, in this approach, however, was that using device code 81115 will overwrite your VOL+ and VOL- controls on the remote and they will no longer be able to control the TV volume with your Apple TV device selected on the remote.The workaround, however, was absolutely fantastic: teach your Apple TV to recognize your remote, rather than teaching your remote special Apple IR codes.You can read how to do this on Apple's website. Go there and type "Use a third-party remote with your Apple TV" into their site search and read the article that comes up. (See my attached screen capture)For me, this was the difference between keeping the remote and loving it, and returning it because it couldn't quite control my Apple TV properly.Because it's a Sony remote, it worked out-of-the-box with my Sony BluRay player (3 years old), Sony CD player (30 years old), and Sony Bravia TV (7 years old). The few commands that it didn't know I was able to teach it, as I still have all the original remotes.I really like having one remote that controls everything. This one is used in the bedroom and I especially like that this one is simple, so my wife does not have to be an engineer to use it. I'm a gadget geek - she's not.
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not_a_dirty_hobo
Great Remote for Sony Systems
Reviewed in Canada on October 28, 2019
