A Remote that Requires a Strategy
Written: Feb 24 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: It can really control everything; LCD soft-keys; joystick control; excellent price.
Cons: Slightly awkward feel, dim LCD display, laborious instructions.
The Bottom Line: This remote, though not ergonomically perfect, can really replace a house full of remotes if you get to know it, and at a price point that can’t be beat!
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| sduncanae's Full Review: Sony RM-VL1000 LCD Remote Control |
Like many people, I was frustrated by fixed-button universal remotes. There is just no way that one set of buttons will control four or five components and keep all the functions you need handy without switching modes all the time.
The problem is that when they are in one mode (say, TV), you don’t have access to other important functions like DVD controls or stereo volume unless you change modes. Even then you may not have every function of the original remote. Well, with the RM-VL1000, you can have all the important buttons in every mode. You just have to find the presence of mind to program it.
That was the problem - the RM-VL1000 is so versatile, that I had to think about it for a month or more before the most logical way to program it became clear to me - which I’ll share with you at the end of this review.
Overview
The RM-VL1000 is a 12 device, universal remote that has both pre-set programs and the ability to “learn” from almost any other infrared remote. Like other remotes, it has programs (codes) for audio and video devices that pre-program it’s buttons. It also has an LCD screen and four “soft” keys (twelve with scrolling) which can be labeled to perform any function. If that’s not enough, you can program a sequence of button presses like those needed to power on certain devices and select the input needed to watch a tape or DVD.
Are you beginning to see the problem? It can be so customized that you would never remember how to operate it. That’s why you need to own this remote for a while before you commit to a programming strategy.
Ergonomics
I’m not the first one to notice that this remote is top heavy. It’s a healthy 8.5 inches and fans out at the top to accommodate a small LCD screen. That would not be so bad, but the primary volume and channel controls are at the bottom where they make it feel out of balance.
The LCD screen is very faint. It is illuminated when you change modes, but times out after a user-selectable number of seconds (up to 60). The good part is that the display stays up in whatever mode you left it in. The bad part is that it requires strong ambient light to program it. This display may be too faint for grandma to see even in good light.
Buttons
The RM-VL1000 has a smaller than average number of permanently labeled, or “hard” buttons which gives it an uncluttered appearance. To complement these, there are four soft keys with labels on the LCD. If you select a pre-programmed device, some will be pre-labeled for you. Otherwise, you can label them yourself. What’s more, when the “scroll” button is pressed, it exposes four new labels for a total of 12 soft keys per device. The buttons are offset from their labels, which is distracting.
One of the best features of the RM-VL1000 is a five-way joystick switch. I noticed that it requires a very deliberate press in the direction you desire to make sure the button registers. All button presses by default issue an audible beep which can be turned on or off.
Programming from codes
The code book that comes with the RM-VL1000 is very complete, and aside from an Apex DVD player, I found codes for everything I owned, including a 20 year-old Pioneer receiver. Devices that don’t have codes can still be programmed by using the “learn” function.
Learning function
If you have not had a learning remote before, this is the ability to take an existing remote, point it at the RM-VL1000, and assign one of its keys to one on the Sony. Any key, soft or hard, can be programmed with the learning function. This takes care of any shortcomings in the pre-programmed codes because you can learn individual keys to fill in the gaps. For example, on my JVC television, the 1 key was not programmed correctly after entering the code, but I was able to teach the individual key to fix it. The RM-VL1000 can learn keys from a huge variety of infrared remotes, including odd devices like air conditioners, lights and ceiling fans.
Labeling the soft keys
Adding your own text to the soft keys is done with the joystick. This process is made more laborious by the inclusion of a number of special characters and lower-case letters that you must scroll through. If you forget which way to scroll, you may find yourself going the long way to get to the character you want.
Non-volatile memory and key protection
The good news here is that Sony claims the RM-VL1000 will not loose its programming even if the batteries are removed. That’s good, because you will have several hours invested in programming it if you take full advantage of its abilities. Also, once a key is programmed, you must explicitly “clear” that key before you can program it again by pressing the key and simultaneously pressing and holding the “scroll” key.
Macro function
A macro is simply a series of button presses that you can assign to a single key. The RM-VL1000 allows you to program 12 macros. An example might be when you want to watch a DVD. You could program one button to “power on TV, power on stereo, power on DVD, select DVD input on stereo, select s-video input on TV.” Or “turn on all devices”, or “turn off all devices”. The biggest challenge with macros is the power on-off dilemma. Most devices have one power button. If the device is on, it turns off, and vice versa. Macros that include power commands must assume the initial state of the device. In our example above, if you were already watching TV, the TV would be turned off instead of left on.
Clock and timer
Yes, it has a clock which shows in the display, and you can set it to issue commands or macros at a given time. In the simplest example, you could set it to turn on the TV to wake you up. In a more complex fashion, you could turn on your VCR, select a channel and record a program. Of course, you must leave the remote pointed at the device(s).
But wait, there’s more
Many people will never use all the functions of the RM-VL1000, but some advanced abilities include a way to copy a program from one key or device to another and to create one-button channel select macros. It also tries to make intelligent assumptions about what the volume and channel buttons should do when you are in modes other than TV.
OK, spill it. Tell us your programming strategy for the RM-VL1000…
1. Logically divide your components by room.
If possible, limit to 4 devices per area. That way all four devices are shown in the LCD screen at once. You will need a piece of paper, or if you are really organized, you can put all this in your PDA. One example might be for the living room:
TV
RCVR (receiver)
DVD
VCR
2. Identify common buttons that you want available in every mode.
To avoid having to switch components with the COMPO button every time you want to control a different device, select the set of common buttons you want available in every mode. My selections are:
TV: ch +, ch –, vol +, vol –, mute, input select (tv/video)
RCVR: vol +, vol –, mute
DVD: play, pause, stop, chapter back, chapter forward
If I favored the VCR over the DVD, I would select VCR play, pause, stop, forward and reverse instead. Of course for VCR mode, don’t reassign the buttons to the DVD and vice versa.
3. Use the Joystick to control the TV volume & channel in all modes.
Remember how it felt awkward to use the channel and volume controls at the bottom of the remote? Once you program the joystick to run these most frequently controlled functions, you’ll never go back, because it feels so natural. I recommend:
Joystick right: volume up
Joystick left: volume down
Joystick up: channel up
Joystick down: channel down
Joystick center (push straight down): mute
This also frees up the original volume up, volume down and mute buttons to control the receiver in all modes!
4. Use the first four soft keys in all modes to control device power
Since you have 12 soft keys for every device, I recommend you program the first four to be power on-off for your components. When I want to power down the TV, I don’t want to have to press COMPO, TV, Power. I want to press one button. So the first four soft key labels will look identical for each component:
TV PWR
RCVR PWR
DVD PWR
VCR PWR
You still have eight more soft keys you can program for specialized functions.
If I had a month off work, I’d re-write the instruction book. It is clear in a step-by-step way, but fails to help you define a strategy like I’ve done here. It also does not explain a fundamental concept in the programming process:
The menu is like walking down and up stairs. After you are down inside a setting mode, one press of the “set” button takes you back up one stair. So if you have just learned one key, pressing set once takes you up to the point you can select the next key in the same component for learning. Press it twice, and you can select a different component, then a button. Press it three times, and you can choose between learning and labeling. The point is you don’t have to exit set mode entirely to set something else! If that sounds confusing now, it won’t be after you’ve used it once or twice.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
sduncanae
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Member: Steve Duncan
Location: Washington County, OR, USA
Reviews written: 13
Trusted by: 0 members
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