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User reviews for the Sony RM-AV3000 from Sony Electronics.
Ratings
Reviews
MSRP (USD)
Average: 3.72/5.00 Median: 4.00/5.00
102
$199
As Sony's top-of-the-line remote control, the powerful RM-AV3000 features control of 18 devices, 45 macros, full learning capabilities, timers, a large LCD touchscreen and a good complement of hard buttons.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 18 made on Friday August 30, 2002 at 6:41 AM.
Strengths:
Controls all my stuff, very responsive and is surprisingly comfortable to use.
Weaknesses:
The manual is torturous.
Review:
Right now I have this and the RCA RCU1000B in my living room. The RCA is going back to Fry's on Saturday.
At first I thought that the RCA looked like a deal at $80 - for $199 the Sony was just to pricey. That was until I actually used the RCA...
(to check out my full review of the RCA go to the RCA RCU1000B user review section)
It was annoyingly slow, had trouble talking to my Sony Vega, and was not very responsive. When I found that the Sony was going for $120-$130 bucks on the internet, including shipping, I got one from B&H.
Man what a difference.
The screen is easier to read, the remote is very fast & responsive and the beep tone is nicer. I also like the hard buttons for the DVD menu control. One thing I wish it had that the RCA does have are hard buttons for fast forward, rewind, stop & play.
Since I currently have both remotes I did a little remote shoot out, timing the responsiveness of each device.
Changing channels: The RCA changes channels with a slight delay, and it also has a brief pause before you can change the channel again. The Sony bangs em' out as fast as you can hit the button.
Volume: You can't just hold down the RCA volume button and have it go up, you have to keep punching it. And the volume goes up in rather chunky increments. The Sony is very responsive and when you hold it down it just keeps going.
Macros: I actually used a stop watch for this. I programmed a macro to turn on the VCR, Amp and TV in both remotes. The RCA took about 8-9 seconds to fire all three up, The Sony did it in about 3-4 seconds.
The Sony is by far the better remote. The one thing that surprised me the most was how comfortable it was to use. The RCA looks like a one hander but you really need two, one to hold it and the other to punch the buttons. The sony is more like a video game controller - you can hold it in both hands and use your thumbs or you can support it with one and punch with the other.
If you are trying to decide between the two I say spend the extra dough and go with the Sony.
Oh, and about that manual. I find it kind of hard to believe that in the year 2002 a manual like this would be included with a product, especially from Sony. I mean here is a product I'm sure they spent some time and money developing & testing. Isn't this like the third model in the line? Anyway they do all this work and then tie this boat anchor of a manual to the thing. Come on Sony, your a huge company and you can't give us a decent stinkin' manual - especially for a great product like this? I mean companies like Mackie and Line6 are tiny compared to you but their manuals are fantastic! You know we're gonna' have to read the thing, please have mercy on us!
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 17 made on Monday August 26, 2002 at 11:51 AM.
Strengths:
Transmitter, Learning, Ease of Use
Weaknesses:
Display
Review:
Received the remote this morning, and after feeling mildly frustrated with a few codes that worked to a limited degree, now very happy.
After suffering with my Harmon Kardon's limited range of use (assumed a narrow spread), very happy to find that the Sony can control my AV recevier from a much broader area, even when I'm turned away. Big benefit in my irregularly laid out apartment.
Components:
General Instruments cable box Sony VCR Technics CD player Harmon Kardon AV premap/tuner
The Sony and the CD player were correctly configured via the codes, but my cable box was missing some essential keys and the AV reciever control was really off - mismatched keys - it worked to a limited degree. Was going to wait a while before trying the learning aspect, but after a few minutes I had my AV reciever and cable running near perfectly. The learning aspect is excellent.
The only remaining problem will be to completely setup the sound surround controls (extra volume control for rear and center speakers) although I have the system working to a limited degree right now.
As to the quibble over the display, I have issues with lighting normally, and I doubt that any remote would be compeltely satisfactory to me. That said, the display is good and is enabled with a large degree of control.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 15 made on Friday August 16, 2002 at 3:14 AM.
Strengths:
Very easy to use and program. Good backlight brightness. Good ergonomics. Slick design
Weaknesses:
A but too wide for the average couch arm, and the manual is written in the worst Jinglish I have ever encountered. Please re write it Sony!
Review:
Have had it for a week and found it to be very user friendly in all respects. The spousal acceptance factor has also been very high. I would never use the quantity of features this product offers, and assignable labels are very handy. Pretty damn good value for money compared to a Pronto!
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 14 made on Sunday August 4, 2002 at 9:13 AM.
Strengths:
It does it all. The Av3000 works with any device that uses a remote. Easy to program and can do it quickly. The distance for this remote is outstanding and the system buttons functions are more than I hoped for.
Weaknesses:
The hard bottons are hard to see when dark. Also instructions don't give correct directions on how to rename a label. It says to hold down label and set set label at same time, but this does not work.
Review:
This remote is the greatest thing since sliced bread. I have had many so called universal remote controls before, but this is the only one I have ever owned that controls all of my devices. I had one conponent that did not work with the preset code, but I used the learn function and was able to progam it in 5-10 minutes.
I really enjoy that I can customize the device labels, so I can can control my Home theater volume while in DVD mode or use my PIP or input functions for the TV while I am in dss mode.
The thing I was really impressed with was the system buttons. I can set one system button to turn on my DSS and TV alone, and set another system button to turn on my Home theater system and DVD, instead of having to manually go to each device and turn it on one at a time. What is best is that when I am finished using my system or going to bed I can press one system button and it will turn everything off at once. (This is great if you fall asleep watching a movie and wake up diorented. You just press one button to turn off everything instead of having to wake yourself up and turn off each component.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 13 made on Tuesday July 30, 2002 at 6:17 PM.
Strengths:
-Easy to use -Easy to setup -Ergonomic -Very functional, controlling all my componants.
Weaknesses:
LCD display is very difficult to read without the backlight on.
Review:
I researched this remote for several weaks before buying. The manual was the primary complaint for most people, but I didn't have a problem with it. The manual was functional, about average with most other equipment manuals I have.
The remote is easy to program and controls all five of my componants. I had several macro functions programmed the same day I bought it. You can't get any easier than that. It is very responsive with no delay when sending signals.
The LCD is difficult to see without the backlighting on. The backlighting uses a lot of battery, so you don't want it on all the time. Trade offs. Of course, I'd like to be able to rename more buttons than it allows me, but I knew what it came with and I'm pleased. It's not worth paying $399 dollor for a clicker that lets me re-label dozens of buttons when I bought this one for $150. Well worth the money if you have more than two clickers sitting around.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 12 made on Monday July 1, 2002 at 12:48 PM.
Strengths:
Build, good IR, ease of entering manufacturer's device codes.
Weaknesses:
Poorly written manual, couldn't learn the DSP (sound field) modes from my Yamaha RX-V3000. Preprogrammed setup codes for my gear were missing numerous vital control functions. No memory stick or PC backup feature.
Review:
In my quest to find a good universal remote, I researched this Sony and read all the reviews here on this forum. The majority of folks seemed to like it and it controlled their gear in no time. I took the plunge and purchased one.
I dedicated a couple hours one afternoon to programming. Entering the manufacturer's codes was easy, all of my components were listed. After doing so, I noticed that even though I was able to enter the code for my Yamaha RX-V3000 receiver, none of the preprogramming would work, not even the power. I know I can teach this remote, but this receiver is one of Yamaha's premier models, so Sony should have codes that work with it.
The remote barely controlled the rest of my gear. Because of family and job commitments, I don't have time to tweak this device. At least for me, this remote is not very intuitive, coupled with the permanent etched buttons and the lack of control for a critical piece of my system, I returned it after a few days. I was very disappointed.
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