Sony RM-VL600 Remote Control
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- Type: Universal Learning
- Universal Remote Control Type: Learning
- Applicable Devices: TV, VCR, DVD Player, Cable\Satellite Receiver, CD Player
- Devices Controlled: 8
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Good choice if you have other remotes it can learn from
Pros
Well made, nice button layout, versatile IF you have other remotes for teaching
Cons
No display, can't handle gaming boxes (not tested), can only learn from existing remotes.
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
It's a very good choice, provided you understand the limits of its programming capabilities.
Choosing a remote for a collection of audio, video, and gaming devices is not an easy matter. You not only have to consider what types and brands you want it to control. You have to think of how much effort you will need to devote to programming it, and how much help it will give to the people (family members and friends) who will actually be using it.
The VL600 is fine if the only users are savvy enough to understand the use of the same buttons for different sets of commands on different devices. However, if the remote will be used by kids or non-technical visitors, it may be better to purchase a higher-function one with a display that can give novice users step-by-step instructions.
If you really in-depth guidance, go and look at the remotecentral site, where you'll find an eclectic bunch of home theater buffs discussing programmable remotes of every description, including some going for twenty times the price of this one.
The Sony RM-VL600 is the most recent addition to Sony's line of remotes. It supports up to eight devices concurrently. To set it up, you may only have to identify the devices you own by entering a 4-digit code number to link each one with the appropriate selector button. The package includes an 8-page list of these code numbers for hundreds of different makes of TVs, VCRs, cassette decks, TV/VCR combos, CD players, DVRs, analog and digital cable boxes, satellite boxes, mini hi-fis, receivers, receiver-amplifiers, MD and DAT decks. That's just about everything you're likely to have in a home theatre room, except for gaming boxes.
In my case, I had one device that wasn't listed: the new Pioneer DVR640-H-S. For anything like that, you can use a search function that keeps trying different code numbers until it finds the right one. (You tell it when it's got the right number when you see it has switched on or changed the channel on the device.) It then assigns some of its buttons to the new device - the obvious ones need to make the device work.
If you want to add further controls or change the buttons the normal controls are assigned to, you must then resort to the VL600's learning functions.
How does it learn? It does so by copying the commands transmitted by the device's original remote. It takes a bit of patience to do this: you have to master the button sequences required to make it learn, and then go through them one by one for each button you want to add or change.
There are 51 buttons: POWER, SETUP, eight device buttons, and the control buttons, all 41 of which can learn other commands. 37 of them can learn up to eight different commands (one for each device button). There are also four SYSTEM CONTROL buttons, each of which can remember a sequence of commands for the entire group of devices under control. For example, you can set one of them to issue commands to: (1) turn everything on, (2) set the receiver to channel 35, and (3) start recording in LP mode.
The VL600 is nice to look at, light to handle, and as far as I can judge it's well made and likely to be long-lived. Once programmed, it's comfortable to use. It takes two AA batteries (provided), and it's easy to install them.
The price was right, and I'm happy with my choice.
The VL600 is fine if the only users are savvy enough to understand the use of the same buttons for different sets of commands on different devices. However, if the remote will be used by kids or non-technical visitors, it may be better to purchase a higher-function one with a display that can give novice users step-by-step instructions.
If you really in-depth guidance, go and look at the remotecentral site, where you'll find an eclectic bunch of home theater buffs discussing programmable remotes of every description, including some going for twenty times the price of this one.
The Sony RM-VL600 is the most recent addition to Sony's line of remotes. It supports up to eight devices concurrently. To set it up, you may only have to identify the devices you own by entering a 4-digit code number to link each one with the appropriate selector button. The package includes an 8-page list of these code numbers for hundreds of different makes of TVs, VCRs, cassette decks, TV/VCR combos, CD players, DVRs, analog and digital cable boxes, satellite boxes, mini hi-fis, receivers, receiver-amplifiers, MD and DAT decks. That's just about everything you're likely to have in a home theatre room, except for gaming boxes.
In my case, I had one device that wasn't listed: the new Pioneer DVR640-H-S. For anything like that, you can use a search function that keeps trying different code numbers until it finds the right one. (You tell it when it's got the right number when you see it has switched on or changed the channel on the device.) It then assigns some of its buttons to the new device - the obvious ones need to make the device work.
If you want to add further controls or change the buttons the normal controls are assigned to, you must then resort to the VL600's learning functions.
How does it learn? It does so by copying the commands transmitted by the device's original remote. It takes a bit of patience to do this: you have to master the button sequences required to make it learn, and then go through them one by one for each button you want to add or change.
There are 51 buttons: POWER, SETUP, eight device buttons, and the control buttons, all 41 of which can learn other commands. 37 of them can learn up to eight different commands (one for each device button). There are also four SYSTEM CONTROL buttons, each of which can remember a sequence of commands for the entire group of devices under control. For example, you can set one of them to issue commands to: (1) turn everything on, (2) set the receiver to channel 35, and (3) start recording in LP mode.
The VL600 is nice to look at, light to handle, and as far as I can judge it's well made and likely to be long-lived. Once programmed, it's comfortable to use. It takes two AA batteries (provided), and it's easy to install them.
The price was right, and I'm happy with my choice.
