Rating: 
Summary: Great bang for the buck
Review: I read all of the reviews here before ordering a refurbished unit. Concerns about the LCD display are NOT well-founded. Contrast IS adjustable (though the default setting is way too dark for some reason). The ergonomics of the unit are OK--certainly could be better, but I really like being able to handle this unit easily in one hand. I used to have the full size Sony beast and would never go back. This one does everything I need. I especially like the Tivo implementation. For $35 refurbished I'm happy as can be.
Rating: 
Summary: I found what I'm looking for
Review: I'm really happy with this remote controller. I set everything what I need. I have in my video/audio system TV, receiver, CD, DVD, cable box and two VCRs. One VCR is made by Sony. All other components are non-Sony. Now I have control over all these components with only one remote controller. Full control. Even some very specific DVD or receiver commands. Programming was pretty simple. Maybe switching between components can be solved a little bit better but it's not a big deal. This is great product.
Rating: 
Summary: one star, only beause I can't rate lower
Review: I've a very wide and expensive home video system and audio system. I've a lot of good hifi parts from diferent manufacturers, and this controller has been my worst bought.
Not intelligent, not ergonomic, horrible and simple screen, illogical menus... And if you try to use it in dark... you'll be fool trying to activate / desactivate the correct item.
Rating:
Summary: First Regret
Review: I've been buying Sony products for almost 30 years and this is the first time I've regretted a purchase. Over the years, I've used perhaps two or three dozen Sony remotes, both original equipment and after-market and this one is the first I'd describe as a truly poor product. The over-all concept was not a bad idea, but the astonishingly low quality of the backlit LCD display is simply unacceptable in 2003. It is the worst display I've seen on a portable device in at least ten years. There is virtually no lighting situation in which it is easy to read. I did start programming it, but soon realized that the display was bad enough to keep me from ever seriously using it. I now keep it on my desk to control the volume and change TV channels while I work or web surf. It does look good on my desk. For actually using my AV system, I went back to the RM-VL900.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent product/It works/It's inexpensive
Review: I've been looking for a Universal Remote for quite some time now. And had done fairly extensive research. I've tested the majority of the top ten remotes listed on www.remotecontrol.com, and I was down to the MX-700, and the Harmony H659.
A few days ago, I came upon the H659 on www.costco.com for $119.99, and took a chance to see if a warehouse close by had it (to save on shipping). That's when I came upon the Sony RM-VL1000. So I figured for $49.99 I'd take a chance based on Costco's 30 day return no questions asked policy (must have receipt and original packaging), and give it a try while I waited for the Harmony to ship (I'd order it as soon as I got the Sony home and programmed it). Eitherway, one would be returned.
Anyhow, the Sony was a surprise. And I still have it. Works great. The only cons are
1. The buttons on the right do not line up with the labels on the screen. However, you get accustomed to what the buttons are for after awhile.
2. The LCD is somewhat hard to see in shaded daylight.
3. The manual is worded a little difficult, but the programming is straight forward.
For the price it was well worth it!
Rating:
Summary: An ergonomic nightmare!
Review: Setting up my 5.1 surround sound system with a digital cable box, DVD player, two VCR's, and a CD player was easy. Just reading the instructions for the RM-VL1000 gave me a headache! Set-up is very time-consuming and even simple functions require several steps. Add to that buttons that don't line up with their functions on the LCD screen and you have what might be the least user-friendly remote control on the market! I returned mine before it ever had a chance to control anything in my house! Save a few dollars and get the Sony RM-VL900. You'll lose the LCD and joystick but you'll get an incredibly user-friendly remote that will be ready to use in minutes with full learning capability and easily programmed macros.
Rating:
Summary: An ergonomic nightmare!
Review: Setting up my 5.1 surround sound system with a digital cable box, DVD player, two VCR's, and a CD player was easy. Just reading the instructions for the RM-VL1000 gave me a headache! Set-up is very time-consuming and even simple functions require several steps. Add to that buttons that don't line up with their functions on the LCD screen and you have what might be the least user-friendly remote control on the market! I returned mine before it ever had a chance to control anything in my house! Save a few dollars and get the Sony RM-VL900. You'll lose the LCD and joystick but you'll get an incredibly user-friendly remote that will be ready to use in minutes with full learning capability and easily programmed macros.
Rating:
Summary: Flawed design, but a good value nevertheless
Review: The general buzz among remote controls enthusists is that this Sony is a piece of junk and that the Home Theater Master MX-500 by Universal Remote Controls is a far superior execution of the same basic idea. It may well be that the MX-500 is better. However, if you're like me, the fact that the Sony VL1000 is roughly half the price of the MX-500 right now ought to make you take a closer look at the Sony before you shell out all that extra cash. I've been using the Sony VL1000 for a few weeks now and while I understand some of the complaints that have been made, I still think that for the price, it's a pretty good remote. A few impressions: It is quite powerful. The VL1000 is capable of doing just about anything that you could reasonably want a remote to do, at least in this general price range. The timer is particularly cool as are the channel macros. Many complain that the digital display is tough to read. The display IS somewhat difficult to read, but after adjusting the contrast it's at least legible in most lighting conditions. In direct light or very dim light with the backlight I would go so far as to say that it is quite clear and distinct. It seems to be moderate light hitting the panel indirectly that causes the most readability problems due to glare. If you are farsighted, I would stay away from this remote. If not, you shouldn't have too much trouble. By far the worst thing about the remote is the set up. Programing takes a long time and is unnecessarily tedious, mostly due to the fact that labeling the custom buttons involves scrolling through about 100 different characters one by one until you reach the particular letter or symbol you are looking for. Add to this the fact that empty buttons are labeled "*********" by default rather than just being blank and you are looking at hours of labeling to get the thing to look decent (although after a while you learn exactly how long to hold down the scroll button to scroll from "*" to " "). It probably took me 20 minutes to teach it all my other remotes and set up my macros and then 2 hours to label all the custom buttons. They should have copied the standard cell phone design and assigned a small number of characters to each number button on the remote (i.e. 1 = A,B,C; 2 = D,E,F; etc). Also relating to set-up, it is a long annoying process to alter the preset order that components appear in. There is a "copy" feature, but it writes over the component that you are copying to, which is a problem if you just want to change the order of components rather than get rid of some of them. On the other hand, unless you like to tinker endlessly with your remote settings, you should only have to go through this frustrating process once. A relatively small price to pay considering the pricetag. The joystick on the VL1000 is really super. Probably the best thing about the remote. The fact that the top buttons don't line up correctly with the screen is a bit annoying, but it's hard to see how they could have designed it differently without starting over from scratch. I'm already getting pretty used to it. You can also work around it somewhat by putting the buttons you use the most in the bottom two slots on the panel, since these do more or less line up with the corresponding buttons. I didn't find the manual to be any more poorly written than average for electronic equipment. That is not to say that it is well-written by any stretch of the imagination, but I have definitely seen much worse. It's not great in terms of button layout--one handed use is difficult when using the custom buttons at the top, especially if you have small thumbs like me. But this was obvious before I bought it and I'm not sure that the MX-500 is any better. Having the channel and volume buttons at the bottom would be fine except that the number buttons are quite a bit further up the panel. Just using the numbers is fine as is just using the channel/vol buttons. It's going back and forth between numbers and channel/volume buttons that proves rather awkward. Overall, the VL1000 is a pretty good value given the low price. It may not be a good remote for you if you like to fiddle with the setup a lot or if your eyesight isn't great, but for most users it is more than adequate. While I can understand choosing the MX-500 over the Sony if your budget allows, it totally escapes me why someone would buy a VL900 over the VL1000 as some advocate.
Rating:
Summary: For special needs, it is a 5 stars.
Review: This is a good product. I finally found a remote with build in timer and has learning capability. I use it to record SAT programmers. Tivo and replay TV did not work for me becasue I have a very unique Sat receiver that is not supported by Tivo and replay. Both of them do not have learning remote. It does take a while to program the remote to learn my remotes. It also takes time to change all the labels to fit my wierd SAT receiver. But, it works. I saw many complain about the LCD. I know it is not the top of the line LCD. I think is for cutting the cost. But, it is ok after I adjust the contract. I think they should change the default value so that it looks ok with new battery.
Rating:
Summary: Very good remote
Review: This remote is fairly easy to program. It replaced 4 other remotes and I was able to program all functions from the 4 other remotes.The display could be a little easier to read but is not bad. My teenage kids used it right away without reading instructions. My wife however can not figure it out-maybe this is a plus.
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