Product Description

Let's just say I love my home-theater system. That said, I hate all those remote controls. There's one for TV, one for the sound system, one for the DVD recorder, one for my old VCR, and one for cable-TV. Sometimes it's a frustrating challenge to figure out which is which. What a pain! A new Sony Remote Control comes to the rescue! Exciting and convenient, the RM-VL600 controls up to 8 components, and with the One-touch system control, synchronizing operational status on remote and alternate components is done with ease. Also a Learning function for programming from other remotes. Being in the driver's seat of your living room sofa is made easy with the RM-VL600 Remote Control from Sony. Uses 2 AA Alkaline Batteries for up to 1-year operation Dual beem for longer distance Memory back-up DVD menu Picture in Picture PIP control where applicable

Product Details

• Brand: Sony
• Model: RMVL600
• Dimensions: 11.07" h x 5.25" w x 1.63" l, 2.00 pounds

Features

• Controls up to 8 AV components
• Learning function for programming remote signals
• One-touch system control (12 macro functions)
• Easy operation of on-screen menu for DVD and VCR
• Pre-programmed codes are compatible with most brands

Customer Reviews

Great remote for the price
Just bought this remote yesterday, so I cannot speak about durability. But after pondering over which Logitech Harmony remote to buy, for the past week, I came across Amazon's review for this remote. Though not as sleek and elegant as the Harmonies (I was looking at the 520, 550 and 720), I must say, for the price, this remote does all that I wanted from a remote.

The channel Up/Down buttons on our Samsung flat screen stopped working after 2 years. I wanted a replacement remote and was attracted by the Logitech Harmony line of remotes' sleek design and generally positive reviews. However the cheapest 520 was for $45 and the other models went higher. Also the reviews indicated the battery life of the Logitech remotes was shorter due to their LCD screens and buttons blacklit glow feature.

After reading the reviews for this remote, I bought one from our local Sears store, selling for $25, just incase I needed to return it if it did not work with my TV. In a matter of minutes I was able to make it work for my TV, just by entering one of the Samsung TV codes that comes in the code list included in the remote packaging. Next I added my Pioneer DVD player. For special keys like Picture in Picture on the TV remote, you just make the Sony remote learn the command from the old remote by assigning it to any free button on the Sony remote. It's a very simple procedure, you just point both remotes to each other and follow a sequence of a few simple steps. Did the same for some special buttons on the DVD and have both remotes configured to this one instead. Infact I also went ahead and added the standing fan to the list so I can start/shut/rotate/oscillate and change speeds on the fan using this remote. Mapped it to the VCR button since I don't have a VCR :-).

The only minor issue is having to remember the various customized functions you have assigned to the various keys of the remote. Other than that, everything else is pretty straight forward. And at this price will not feel bad if the kids throw this around or if some buttons start dying in 2 years.

Great for most things, but not Dish Network!
I am using this universal remote to replace another universal remote that cost $125! I does almost everything the expensive one does, but if you have Dish Network, keep your Dish remote handy. I had to use the learning function to "teach" the Sony all of the Dish remote commands. Most are OK, but the annoying thing is that the directional buttons, which are constantly used by us satellite watchers to browse the guide or select porgramming. Apparently, when the Sony directional button is depressed, it only sends a signal once, and will not move the selector on the screen more than one position. The Dish remote will continuously move the selector in any direction, as when you are moving through the program guide. To make matters worse, most of the time, you have to press the button twice to get it to work. Had I known this before purchase, I probably would have kept looking. However, now that it's all programmed, I have narrowed down to 2 remotes, instead of 5. Nice job for an inexpensive remote control.

Some weird hiccups
I had high hopes for this remote and in most regards this remote met them. The learning feature is ridiculous. I have a WD TV which is not supported at this time but I was able to teach the remote everything I needed under the SAT button(including power). But still, not perfect.
I have a Sony AMP and this thing didn't control it. Thankfully I was able to teach it everything using the learning but this was not something I want to do for a full remote. This remote lets you set the volume control to either TV or AMP but its an all or nothing affair and I had to change my wiring to deal with this. Also, I don't know if this is because I had to set everything under AMP manually but the volume control works in increments of one. By that I mean I cannot hold down the volume buttons to raise it or lower it a lot.
I also had a weird problem with left and right being reversed out of the box.
Oh and this may be nitpicking but its not comfortable in the hand. The wedge shape makes is off balance and the edges do not make me want to keep it in my hand.
Overall it is a nice remote. It does everything it says it will. The learning feature is invaluable, but there are somethings that could have been improved.