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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!
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 10 made on Friday November 22, 2002 at 12:14 PM.
Strengths:
Preset Codes operate most functions right out of the box. Comfortable design. Great learning capabilities
Weaknesses:
Backlite turns off too quickly during set-up
Review:
This is only a preliminary view as I just purchased this remote but this is what I have found so far. #1- The price. I looked at this remote last weekend at the Sony Store in town here and quite liked it but the price was $149.99 canadian plus tax of $19.50 for a total price of $169.49. I hit the internet and was able to purchase it from the US for $62.99 american. With exchange and shipping total cost was $110.00 canadian at my door in two days. Pretty good Savings of $59.49.
#2- This is my third Sony remote so I am used to how they do their programming so it went fairly quickly. I set up a Toshiba Hi-def TV, Toshiba DVD, Sony VCR, Technics AMP and RCA Sat in about 2 hours. I found the preset codes controlled 80% of functions and the rest were easily learned after that.
#3- I wasn't thrilled that the amp function was on the second page in the compo mode and after reading through the manual more I found I was able to move it to page one with the rest of my "common" components.Very flexible as far as labels and set-up goes.
That's it so far I will work on macros tomorrow but I don't think there should be any problems from what I have seen.
I am a Sony remote lover and this model has done nothing to change that opinion yet.
The reviewer has used this remote control for more than two years.
Review 9 made on Thursday November 21, 2002 at 2:01 AM.
Strengths:
Fast, powerful, ease to use, very capable, not a single problem.
Weaknesses:
None
Review:
After trying deferent brands of remotes the Sony RM-VL1000 is the best thing after sliced bread. I didn’t experience a single glitch during programming and it does a great job controlling every component in my home entertainment system. Programming is an ease, most of all bottoms are programmable and you can also relabeled many of the LCD Display window bottoms. The joystick makes it a breezy to navigate any of your component menus; the size is a perfect fit. I can go on and on about this product , my honest opinion, I highly recommend this remote.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 8 made on Sunday November 17, 2002 at 12:34 PM.
Review:
I purchased this remote from Best Buy as an open box for $39. At this price it is an excellent deal. I also purchased a MX-500 which was a far superior remote but 3 times my cost. I kept the Sony and returned the MX-500 only becuase of price. Basically it came down to after using both remotes for about 2 weeks, I could not find much I could not do with the Sony that I could do with MX-500 for my system. I have a Sony DSS and 85% of my daily control for my family is on the DSS and the Sony operated this unit better than the MX-500. The only thing I do miss is the punch through option but I have worked around that. If you can find a deal on this remote (there are many out there because of returns) get it. I would not pay full list though.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 7 made on Thursday November 14, 2002 at 10:45 PM.
Strengths:
Great feature set. Looks good. Should control everything I own.
Weaknesses:
Crashes! Learned functions get forgotten. Screen contrast too low to read in normal light (backlight uneven).
Review:
I bought this remote a week ago and loved it for a couple of days until it started randomly loosing programmed sequences. Even following the weird method detailed in the manual to clear a given key's programming and reprogram it, I found that reprogramming one key would often cause other keys to forget their programming. When it got to a point that the remote crashes whenever I press one of the keys I programmed for my satellite receiver (backlight flashes, transmit indicator stays on, no keys respond - battery removal necessary to "reboot" the device), I decided to take it back and find something more reliable instead.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 6 made on Monday November 11, 2002 at 4:05 AM.
Strengths:
- Sleek looks - Powerful learning functions - Great performance/price ratio
Weaknesses:
- No backlighting - Misaligned LCD screen and buttons - Some buttons do not repeat
Review:
I was looking at various reviews, and noticed Sony RM-VL900 had 4 1/2 star rating while more powerful RM-VL1000 had miserable ratings! This is so unfair.
When I bought RM-VL1000, I considered other models such as RM-AV3000, RM-VL900, and RM-VL700. I decided on RM-VL1000 because it was only about $15 more expensive than RM-VL900 with rave reviews, while providing more flexibility and looking fancier. Look around, check the comparison shopping sites such as pricegrabber. I bought mine for $65 shipped. It's STEAL at this price.
I have programmed TV, Receiver, DVD Player, SAT Receiver, and VCR. RM-VL1000 provides 12 buttons that you can label and program for each components. With those labelable buttons, programming receivers and DVD players become very flexible. With hard buttons only remotes, you just can't fit all the functions in the buttons provided.
My complaints are mostly in the ergonomics. The four buttons on the top do not align with the LCD screen in the middle. It's such a silly design, trying to save space in the LCD area. The buttons are not backlit, not even flurocent as other Sony remotes. Despite those shortcomings I still find this remote as an excellent performer.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 5 made on Friday November 8, 2002 at 9:17 AM.
Strengths:
Attractive finish nice toggle switch and other buttons well placed and marked.
Weaknesses:
ifficult to program. Loses programming when replacing batteries. Having to go back and press component button to change functions annoying. When programming amp after so much was programmed. I would switch to TV and then amp buttons wouldn't work when I switched back.
Review:
This was the worst of three remotes that I have tried. However it did work the tv and vcr nicely. I will not keep around any remote that loses programs when replacing batteries. Far too much time is spent learning how to program to have to do it again. This is back in the box and back at the store.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 4 made on Monday August 26, 2002 at 11:20 PM.
Strengths:
The remote is comfortable to hold and the joystick control is comfortable to use. The stylish looks attracted me to this remote.
Weaknesses:
Programming went slow. Although the remote worked fine while pressing the buttons, the system macros would not turn on or off my Sony DVD player.
Review:
Constant scrolling through program features made me wish there was a larger screen. The screen was virtually impossible to see and the 'back lighting' stopped after a couple of seconds with no way to reactivate it.
The learning capability was easy but finding and activating the learned function on the screen was a pain.
I bought this to make my wifes life easier. Get rid of the 6 remotes and allow her to actually operate the equipment and watch a movie if I was gone. There was no chance of that ever happening with this model.
After 4 hours of set up time with little progress towards actually having a clean working macro and half a bottle of asprin to kill the pain I have decided that this remote belongs back in the box and back at the store that sold it to me. I have a $30 All in One remote that I works better than this remote. I expected more from Sony.
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