SONY's RMVL1000 remote control
Written: Jul 06 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: got rid of my remotes, macros, learning capabilities
Cons: button layout - not a major prob. Takes a little getting used to.
The Bottom Line: Great remote, very functional, easy to use (once you get to know it), replaces the clutter - a BIG plus.
|
|
|
| wilburlong's Full Review: Sony RM-VL1000 LCD Remote Control |
My coffee table was getting covered with remotes: TV, amp, VCR, DVD, cable box and CD player. 6 remotes! I had to use 3 remotes just to watch TV! I initially bought one of those $14 all-in-one remotes from one of those big electronics stores. Unfortunately, it didn't communicate with about half of my equipment. Now I had a partially-useful 7th remote sitting on my coffee table. IN-SANE!!!
So I got this remote. Now to watch TV, I press one button.
Yes, it is true that a human could actually exist without this remote, but having to use 3 different remotes to change channels, adjust sound, etc. was getting annoying.
After a couple of tries and about 2 days of trying and playing around, I got used to this remote. The programming is a little bit time consuming and a little confusing at first. Get someone to help you if you are not good at using electronics. The manual is ok. It does give easy to follow step by step directions, but it still takes some getting used to as you get to know the layout of the menus. (If I worked at Sony, I would recommend including a visual of the menus in the manual so that visual people - like me - could understand the layout better). The buttons are big enough, but the menu/macro button placement could have been better. This, however, is a minor flaw.
Anyway, once I figured it out, I was setting up macros in no time. If you don't know, a macro is a set of programmed events. So when I press my "WATCH TV" macro, for example, it turns on the TV, sets it to Ch.3, turns on my Amp, sets it to VIDEO-1, then turns on the cable box with only having to press one button. It will perform any set of commands you want it to, in any order you want.
You can also program this remote to "learn" commands from brands of remotes it doesn't come pre-programmed with. Essentially, this makes it compatible with virtually every remote controlled device. I can use it to turn on my air conditioner. One more remote I can put away.
Another thoughtful feature was the volume control feature. The way my system is set up, my stereo's amplifier controls the sound for every audio/visual device I own. This remote has a feature that you can set one device as a volume "slave" so that any time you press the volume button; in this case, it will send the volume command to my Amp.
Apart from the macro possibilities, it's pretty customizable. You can give your macros names, etc. Oh, you can also control each of your remote devices separately.
Anyway, I would (and have) recommended this to my friends. If you want to rid your life of endless amounts of remotes, get this or a similar model. I bet you will like it.
If you really want an excellent remote like this, and have some more bucks to spare, get the SONY RM AV3000 instead. This is the same idea as the VL1000, but with a handy touch screen - it's very cooL!
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
wilburlong
|
|
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 0 members
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.