User reviews for the Sony RM-VL1000 from Sony Electronics. Ratings Reviews MSRP (USD) Average: 3.36/5.00 Median: 4.00/5.00 45 $79 Lots of capabilities at an economical price: the RM-VL1000 features control of 12 devices with 47 commands each, 24 macros, 12 timers, full learning, custom LCD-labeled buttons, a 5-way menu joystick and much more! Message Forum Add Your Review Get it at:

Written by xs400 from Bangalore, India. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-2 years.

Review 38 made on Thursday July 8, 2004 at 4:28 AM. Strengths: Volume control reassigned automatically depending on device. Timer macros Weaknesses: This is a difficult device to use!! - hard buttons cannot be assigned macros - poor backlight strategy - will not replace your remote(s) Review: This is a difficult device to use!! Instead of fumbling with the buttons just to change devices, I prefer to pick up the remote for the device and use it. I had originally intended for it to replace all the various remotes I had, but this is another remote added to my collection. Here are my gripes. - The backlight goes out and most button will not activate it. - To Select a device you have to 1) Press "Compo" 2) Press "scroll" 3) Press "scroll" 4) Press button to select device (This is the worst case scenario) - Manual is not very good - after a while you really need to hunt through all the pages to find that feature you know exists - Clock will die as soon as you remove batteries, a couple of minutes of backup would help a lot - hard buttons cannot be assigned macros, again I do not want to 1) Press "System" 2) Press "scroll" 3) Press "scroll" 4) Press button to select a macro *** above mostly done in the dark *** - I like the Timer macro - I would prefer a GUI on a PC to program the macros and download to the remote via serial / USB - Volume control reassignment is a nifty feature, alas, thats about all thats really "Sony" about it. I would not recommend this remote. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Don P from Cawleyphornia. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 37 made on Monday July 5, 2004 at 7:53 PM. Strengths: Twelve equipment "components" with customizable labels on LCD scren, shown 4 at a time. Each component has twelve customizable LCD screen buttons, viewed 4 at a time, in addition to the "hard buttons". All buttons, hard & soft can be "learned" from any remote, not just the one for the "component" you are programming. e.g. The power button for your TV can appear in the TIVO button set. I haven't played with the macros yet. Weaknesses: ** Only 4 of the buttons light up the screen. Pressing any button should reset the light timer, but doesn't. ** The 4 selector buttons which apply directly to each of 4 legends on the screen aren't at all lined up with the legends. (I drew lines from the buttons to the lines. It helps, but looks kludgy). ** No PC interface to aid in loading in labels, etc. Review: I got mine at Costco for $60. The labelable LCD buttons make it much better than a huge remote with someone else's idea of what buttons you should have. I haven't even begun to program in all the TV stuf (PIP, CC, etc). Quality: Features: Value:

Written by c camp from margate, fl. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 36 made on Friday June 25, 2004 at 6:47 AM. Strengths: Operates all my equipment with no problem. Puts all in non-volitile memory so you won't lose what you have programmed in. Multiple steps to macros that can change all my settings for different peripherals with two keys. Weaknesses: The keys don't light up or glow like another Sony remote I have. Makes finding it in the dark easy. Key placement could be better Review: I was using three remotes and occasionally four to operate the cable box, tv, stereo, and dvd. This remote has no trouble controlling all the aspects of each device. If it doesn't have a certain control I want you just 'learn' the function..easy. Macros take a little trial and error, but its easy to figure out. To watch a DVD I hit the DVD soft key. The DVD player turns on, the tv switches video source and the stereo changes to receive input from the DVD player..all with a quick push. Again the macros take a little to setup, but WOW! I put my other remotes away the first day after getting this thing. The button placement is really the only part of this remote that could be improved. The keys at the top of the remote are what I think they could have focused more attention too. This by no means devalues the remote. As with all devices there are always people who won't like everything and this is what I don't like. Would I recommend this remote? YES! Quality: Features: Value:

Written by TJBUL from INDIANAPOLIS. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-2 years.

Review 35 made on Tuesday March 9, 2004 at 1:21 AM. Strengths: NO LIMITS, LEARNING REMOTE ELIMINATES PROBLEM OF MISSING CODES. MACRO SET UP IS EASY ENOUGH. BATTERY LIFE IS VERY GOOD. TOGGLE, GUIDE, AND MENU, ALONG WITH LEARNED INFO AND CANCLE IN CENTER MAKES NAVIGATION THROUGH A SAT DISH A SNAP Weaknesses: ALL HARD KEY LABLES WORE OFF IN TWO MONTHS. USING ANY KEY IN THE TOP THIRD IS UNNATURAL. LABLING IS TEDIOUS. AFTER RELABLING COMPONENTS ON FIRST PAGE - SOME WERE AUTOMATICALLY CHANGED BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL LABLE. GUESTS OR ANYONE THAT DOES NOT PROGRAM THE REMOTE NEED TO HAVE A PHD IN REMOTECONTROLOLGY TO USE IT. Review: OVERALL I LIKE THIS UNIT VERY MUCH. I WORKED THUOUGH ALL THE NEGATIVES TO MAKE THIS A REAL BONUS IN RUNNING MY AV EQUIPMENT. THAT BEING SAID, I PUSHED TWO OF MY FRIEND TO BY THIS UNIT AND THEY DID. ONLY TO HAVE THEM LOCK UP AFTER THREE MONTHS. REMOVING THE BATTERIES FOR A WEEK DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I WOULD PURCHASE THIS UNIT AGAIN BUT, WILL MAKE SURE TO KEEP MY RECEIPT. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Alan Pinkelman from Denver, CO. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 34 made on Friday November 21, 2003 at 8:39 AM. Strengths: Very good learning function. Good combination of hard buttons and lcd buttons. Weaknesses: No replay or advance to end PVR buttons with the transport controls buttons group. Layout could be better. Review: I also have a RS JP1 remote and an omniremote pda touchscreen remote. I just setup a system to be controlled by an RMVL1000. I was very impressed by it's learning capabilities. It learned all of the commands for a mitsu VCR, a Pioneer Tivo/DVD recorder, and a Yamaha reciever without running out of memory... and all the codes worked. In addition I used the preset codes for a Panasonic TV and a Motorola cable box. My RS JP1 remote could only learn about 20 buttons before it ran out of memory. The learning process was very easy... except clearing an already learned command. I relabeled the devices to match my actual device names and I was able to setup the reciever volume to be controlled with any component. Slick. It was a little tedious scrolling thru the characters during the relabeling but this should only need to be done once. Biggest complaint is the button layout. -I'd like to see the power button on top of the lcd buttons. The buttons would have been closer to lining up with the screen labels. Likewise I'd like to see the buttons on the left side of the LCD reversed... i.e. programming mode button, timers, system, components. -I wish this remote had PVR replay and advance buttons with the transport buttons. -I prefer to have number buttons at the bottom of the remote. Then have volume, chnl and arrow buttons in the middle where my hand normally falls. I know everyone has different preferences but this typical Sony layout seems to be one of the least favorite of the universal remotes from reading various posts. Still, I'd rate this remote very highly. Very good combination of hard and lcd buttons, good learning feature, good macro feature, looks and feels good, great price for what you get. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Matt from Clearwater, FL.. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 33 made on Friday October 3, 2003 at 5:12 PM. Strengths: 12 Component control, excellent macro capabilities, very nice joystick, WON'T lose it's programming (even with batteries out for a long time) Weaknesses: Layout is not as user-friendly as it could be, no "custom" in-between-command pauses in macros, buttons for screen options are offset Review: I would like to start by saying that those who give this remote 3 stars and below are, I believe, very much short-changing it. You can easily get this remote for $40 online (I got mine for $35 on eBay), and for that price, it is an absolute steal. We came from owning a Proton SRS-2000 (aka the Crisp Solutions UCommand 616) which I personally liked, but my sisters hated, because you either had to look down at the screen every time you wanted to send a command (because you can't "feel" your way around the smooth screen). Ultimately I agreed with them. Well, one day the Proton sat too long without batteries and lost all the programming I worked for multiple days on (I didn't want to pay an extra $100 at the time for the dock and software), so we decided to get another. We had been using the RM-VL900 with a smaller bedroom system and generally liked it. This remote is thinner, lighter and overall smaller than the '900. The first thing that grabbed my eye is the non-volatile memory backup, which means no more worries about lost programming. Programming this remote took me a few hours, far less than the day or two it took me to draw the buttons, label, program and perfect the Proton SRS-2000. This remote's functions are very similar to the Proton's, with some nice little "extras": for instance, you can get it to end up in the mode of the component you turn the system on to using a system macro, whereas with the Proton, you had to go to the main component menu, select the component and only then would you be there. With the RM-VL1000, you're right on the component, switching channels or pressing play from the start! The remote is similar to the Proton in that you have to press buttons to get around, you have to "page" through pages of commands on the screen, etc. What I especially like about this remote is the relative cornucopia of hard buttons, ready to be felt and learned, so that once you get the hang of them, you are off and running without having to look down. It would have been nice if these buttons were at least glow-in-the-dark, like the RM-VL900, but alas 'tis not so. In any event, as above, once you get the feel for the buttons' placement, you don't need to look down. The unit feels noticeably flimsier than the RM-VL900, which to me is built like a tank (especially with that nice rubber siding and thick plastic case). This one has no such siding and a thinner-feeling case. However, you're not going to be playing racquetball with this thing, and with that in mind, there is nothing to worry about. In all, I am so pleased that I bought this wonder, especially at the price I did. It is truly a fantastic value and I would easily recommend it to anyone. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Jack from OH. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 32 made on Friday September 19, 2003 at 11:17 PM. Strengths: Size, price and functions. Buttons instead of touch screen. Weaknesses: Volume and Channel selectors are below the natural thumb area. Review: When it comes down to it, A receiver, TV, VCR and DVD player are the core pieces. This remote allows easy access to these devices in the dark. I own the RM-VL1000 and RM-AV3000 models. The 3000 model is cumbersome when I'm watching a program in low-lighting. At about 30% the cost of the 3000 model, the 1000 has buttons for channels and other controls where the 3000 only provides touch screen buttons that are too close together and poorly visible even when the lights are on. Get the 1000 if you are considering a Sony remote with macros and learning capabilities. Quality: Features: Value:

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