5 comments about Sony RM-V202 4-Device Universal Remote Commander Universal Remote Control.

1. Not only can I not get this to work with my TV (I bought it because my old TV remote finally died), I can't even tell if anything's happening when I try to program it because of a lack of activity lights/indicators. As a rule, I like Sony products, but this one really stinks.



2. Dish Network uses a proprietary receiver and this remote has no code for that unit. The remote's 'code search' capability cannot find a code for it. Calls to Sony support were worthless; hard to believe Sony isn't familiar with Dish Network, one of the major satelite TV providers.
   
   Connects well to the TV, VCR and DVD player, but that does little good when it won't control the reception and channels.
   
   Be nice if they'd tell you it doesn't work with Dish Network BEFORE you order it.



3. I was glad to find a remote for my VCR that was manufactured by the same company. I did not have to enter a product code, I just put in the batteries, and started using it.



4. Not the easiest thing to configure, but works pretty decently, and is pretty much the only UVR in its price range. Given the price, I'd say this is an excellent product, despite the difficulty setting it.



5. Bought this as a replacement for my Sony DVD player remote which was damaged by battery leakage (my fault). Works the Sony TV and DVD player well. Keep in mind that it does not control an open/close function for the DVD player like the original DVD remote. Bought this as an "open box item" from a Amazon vendor for a very nominal price so I have no complaints.

No comments about Philips PHBIG3 3 Device Universal Big Button Remote Control.

2 comments about Accenda Surfboard Voice Interactive Smart Universal Remote Control.

1. I'm mostly bedridden so I spend a lot of time watching TV and using the computer. At one point I was having aches and pains to the point that it was painful to use the remote. I already had a collection of different types, but none with VR, so I got the Surfboard.
   
   The need for VR quickly passed, but I came to appreciate the ergonomic feel of this remote. I switch between this and a Sony universal remote and do not have any more repetitive stress problems
   
   By the way, I found the recharger sold separately to be not worth the bother, because I do not use the sound feature except when reprogramming. Then I turn on the sound and follow the clearly spoken and simple directions.



2. I got this remote for my limited-mobility, aged mother. She was having troubles even with the Hy-tek Partner big button remote because she could not point the remote at the TV and press the buttons quick enough to change to a particular channel. With the Surfboard, it worked, most of the time.
   
   The main problem is the voice recognition is "too particular". When my mother was tired, her commands were said differently and not recognized.
   
   Another limitation is the number of voice commands that the remote will learn: 12. This might be fine to control a TV only, but when trying to control a DVD too, at least 6 of those are taken (switch to DVD, play DVD, stop DVD, fast-forward, rewind, switch to TV). So this limits the ability to switch to a particular channel.
   
   To have the Surfboard listen all the time without draining the batteries, an external adapter is required. I tried to use a generic adapter, but it didn't work. (I called tech support and they said their adapter had special voltage regulating circuitry that most "generics" do not have.) So I ended up getting another Surfboard remote with the adapter from another vendor and this one will go back to Target. (Amazon/Target should offer the remote with the adapter...)
   
   One other concern is the "bright" blue LED when the room is dark. When it's bedtime, mother must turn the remote around from her bedside table because "old blue-eye is just too bright".

5 comments about Logitech Harmony H-688 Universal Remote Control (Silver).

1. I bought this to control a plasma, receiver, dvd, and my satellite. They all work well, and the remote does exactly what it's supposed to do. The internet programming is easy, (at least for me it was). I think the only "problem" I could think of is the small buttons. Other than that..... I'm happy. Oh, I've been using this for about a year now.



2. Spend the extra buck- this remote works with everything, however, the buttons are too small. The buttons have started to wear off after the first 6 months. Most numbers are completely gone and the weird thing is that I never use the number pad. NEVER - EVER! Why are they rubbing off? I wish I would have went with another remote model from Harmony!



3. Good remote easy to program. Only problem I have is that the buttons are a little small and the writing on them is smaller.



4. Best bang for the buck universal remote on the market. The internet setup, though confusing at first, is fantastic once you understand the configuration flexibility it provides you. The help function on the remote is so easy even my anti-tech wife finds it easy to operate. I listen to my neighbors who have Universal brand remotes complain they can't figure out how to turn their gear on. No problem at my house. I have four of these.



5. I've owned this remote for 3.5 years. Prior remotes have ranged from the Radioshack 1594 & Kameleon jp1 computer-programable remotes, to the Sony rm-vl900. This was my first Harmony, and it's one tough unit. It was dead-easy to program using the web interface (try programming a Radio shack using a home-built jp1 plug adapter, macros and an excel spreadsheet! THAT'S difficult!).
   
   My wife can actually *almost* operate all of our Panasonic AV-receiver/TiVO/SageTV & Girder HTPC/Philips DVD/SliMP3/Xbox360/PS2 components. And that's saying something -- she really dislikes gadgets. But she gets enough function out of it
   
   But the 688 shines when my son can operate our array of boxes. He's been doing it since he was 2! Now he's 5 and just learning to read, and he's better at operating everything than my wife is. Plus, I can't count the number of times the 688 has bounce off of the floor or been dropped by him -- even chewed on once by our dog! -- and it's never failed to work. Yes, it's case is cracked. And missing the lens on the IR recevier at the heel (still working last I sucked in an IR code from another remote). And the labels on some of the most-used buttons are fading a bit. And all the silver coloring has come off of the bottom, where it contacts your hand. But it still does the job and functions just fine thank you.
   
   The only reason that I'm looking at replacing it now (with another 688) is because one of the falls in the last 6mos or so seems to have broken the usb interface on it, and I can't program in a new activity that I'd like to add.
   
   I've looked at the range of current offerings, including the Harmony 880. But to be honest, life is too short to wrestle with marginal charger interfaces. I figure I use a set of AA bats every 3-4 weeks. That's much less hassle and much more dependable than diddling with balancing an 880 on a fiddley charger base.
   
   So, another 688H it is! And, it appears to be running for half what I paid for my first one. Good value, even three years later.
   
   For folks that complain about the component's On/Off values getting out of synch in the remote (which my wife & son do and have learned how to correct): it's generally a simple matter of covering the IR emitter while pressing OFF, and then turning off the components (via the Device menu, or manually on the boxes). That will bring everything back into sync in an OFF state.

2 comments about Maxell P-21 Portable iPod Remote Control.

1. I really miss the iJet remote on my old ipod, it is much nicer but is not compatible with my new 5G video ipod. My ipod mostly lives on a shelf feeding my stereo though I'll occasionally use it in the car on long trips. This was the only compatible remote I found that had a small wireless transmitter.
   
   The transmitter buttons are very flush and it's easy to hit the wrong one. No way to easily put it on a keychain. The assorted faceplates are pretty pointless though I did stick the black one on there to make cleaning any dirt from my hands easier over time. Note that this does NOT come with batteries; you'll need to go buy a coin type CR-2032 which is easily available. -1 star for transmitter.
   
   The receiver unit sticks out like a sore thumb from the bottom of the ipod, especially if you have a power cable plugged in. It can be hard to keep seated if the ipod is in a case since it doesn't click in like the cables do. Might be a problem for joggers or those moving it around a lot for whatever reason. I really like the pass through feature, but that doesn't work so well if the entire thing loosens up. Once seated, it's worked well with anything else I plug in, such as power charger or FM transmitter. There is a jack in the receiver for listening, and the transmitter volume controls only work if you use this jack instead of the ipod's jack. But since it loosens so easily, I prefer the one at the top of the ipod and just forego using the remote volume controls. -1 star for the receiver.
   
   This also comes with an armband that I don't think I'll ever have use for. There is also a plastic box to make it bigger in your hand if you want (I don't), and the neck string is hidden in a compartment in the back of of this box.
   
   Not as nice as the iJet, but for my uses it's defintely better than nothing!
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   
   -1 more star now, but I apparently can't edit that. I'd still give it two because it did do exactly what it's supposed to do, if only for a year.
   
   It's now been one year + one week since I purchased this and I find myself shopping for a new remote. Recently all the buttons have stopped working, except the volume controls (I did eventually plug into the Maxell receiver) and it's not the battery. Granted, I probably abuse it more than most, but the old ijet on my 3G ipod is still holding up perfectly at work.
   
   Griffin doesn't have pass through power, ABT doesn't make anything like this for a 5G, and the Apple remote has some pretty sour reviews on their site (seems not all the buttons work?). So until someone makes a suitable alternative, for this kind of price, this Maxell model will have to do for me. At least it's now half the price and as much as I use it, I'll spend the $15.



2. I bought this remote, because my car stereo has a aux in and my ipod battery is not good any more, need to charge in 15 minutes.
   
   When I received this remote I have a good surprise it is better than I expected, because I can use it in my steering wheel.
   The only thing I dont like is that the volume control is not the ipod volume, it is the volume of the accesory connected to the ipod.
   
   But if you want a good remote control, this is what are you looking for.

5 comments about Sony RM-AX4000 Home Theater Remote Control.

1. I was skeptical about buying this based on a few terrible reviews. But I was pleasantly surprised with how well the software works (v 1.1 running on WinXP), and how easy it is to program the buttons to do everything imaginable. It took a couple hours but now I have my whole system working perfectly with a single remote. If you're looking for something simple that will work out of the box, look elsewhere. But if you're comfortable with computers and like to tinker, this product offers incredible flexibility. Highly recommend.



2. Just a quick post to tell you, DON'T USE THE PRE-SETS OR WIZARD.
   
   Add a device. Go to Advanced. Pick the button. Learn the function. It will save you a tremendous amount of time. And, it's really no different then setting up an older remote, like the Sony RM2000.
   
   My only issue??? ALL OFF doesn't work either. So, I set a macro to button 4 instead.



3. This is the third of the latest of the Sony Remote Commanders I have purchased. This by far is the easiest to program and use. It took less than 30 minutes to find the codes and to insert my own programmed buttons. My first one took 6 hours, the second 2 hours. So, it's definitely improved since 2001. My friends call it the "Star Trek" remote because of the size and design.



4. This is an excellent product from Sony. it works, is nice and easy to use.



5. I have owned and used 3 universal remotes before (2 Denon & 1 sony). As with its predecessor, this is a great piece of hardware. It can learn/present all of my IR controlled devices I have - Amp, plasma,DVD, LD, VCR, Tape (!), MacMini, lights, aircon, tower fan. In addition, it now saves all the learned codes on the PC's HDD, so if it ever loses the volatile memory, it can reload the whole thing from PC. Don't assume to have it working with all your equipment out of the box - it takes about a day (in my case) to learn and program this thing. The PC interface allows it to do even more than the older models, including the ability to assign a macro to every button, soft or hard. The new AirSlide is cool, and it is thinner than the old models. Its ability to record IR codes and store it as a text file is interesting - I look forward to swapping codes with others.
   
   
   On the downside, there are a few glitches:
   1. The lack of the component select hard buttons means changing 'mode' is now 2-click. You have to press "component" and then the soft buttons for Amp, DVD, etc appear. It can, however, fit more components since they are soft buttons, and the labels are now programmable.
   
   2. In Xpress screen and Component select screen, the volume buttons don't work. So if you movie is too loud and your remote happens to be in these 2 screens, you might fumble for a while.
   
   3. In the 4000A model, somehow there is no setting for the hard volume button to always control the amp. The manual says it can, but the menu on the controller does not have the option. I had to get around it by setting all components' volume control hard button to macro to the amp's volume up/down.

5 comments about Rca 8-IN-1 Remote Silver.

1. I've had one of these remotes for about a year now and I'm going to be buying another one soon for another room.
   
   Everything I own is already programmed in, however, the learning ability can make up for any shortcomings. Macros are fantastic for powering everything on and off with the press of a button or two. The keys light up with the press of a button, so in a dark room, I have no problems. This controls my TiVo and my DirecTV DVR (HR20) perfectly. The layout of the buttons are excellent.
   
   An odd thing to say, but true is that this remote fits very comfortably in my hand. Without a doubt, this is the best shape for a remote I've ever used.
   
   Since another review stated a problem with the battery cover, I thought that I would say mine has never accidently popped off. It requires a good push on the plastic lock to remove the cover. No way is this going to just open without any effort.
   
   I have not ran into any memory problems either, so I cannot complain about whatever memory it does have available.



2. I love this remote. I have not had any trouble with the battery compartment and it controls everything I own, which is only 2 VCRs, a TV, and a DVD player. My DVD player is a Symphonic, which is not listed in the models of players this controller supports, but we did an auto code search and it found a code that worked. It took quite a bit of time, but it was definitely worth it for us. The one problem is we have an Orion VCR that it will NOT bring up the Menu for, so we have to keep the old remote handy to set the times, channels, programming, etc. Our other VCR is an Emerson and the remote does the menu for that, the TV, and the DVD player. The annoyance is how you have to set up the VCRs and that our TV is a RCA. There is one "VCR" button on the remote and a couple of "AUX" buttons for anything. The Emerson VCR is on the "AUX1" button and is set-up to work on TV channel 91. The other VCR is on the "VCR" button and on TV channel 3. Whenever we want the Emerson VCR we have to set the TV to channel 91 and turn the remote into something (the chair, our chest, etc.) to select that VCR without the TV automatically turning to channel 3. I don't know if this is just a problem since our TV and the remote are both RCAs, but, since "AUX1" is a VCR, it assumes it is set-up on channel 3. We haven't figured out if there is a way for the remote to unlearn this, but we haven't called their customer service, either. All-in-all, a very worthwhile buy if you have several different things you want to control with 1 remote. I would buy it again knowing the problems we've had as the price was right and it does work to our satisfaction.



3. This item shorted out after three months of use. Which is unfortunate, because it's a good remote.



4. I ordered this to replace a similar one that quit after a couple of years. Because I liked the one I had I wanted another just like it. The best feature is the ease of "Cloning" other remotes to cut down on the number of needed remotes. This is a simple two step process for each button. I highly recommend this one. It not only does the job, it feels good in the hand as well.



5. All control works for my RCA HD television without any programming - broke original and bought this as replacement

5 comments about Philips TSU500 Pronto Neo LCD Universal Touch Screen Remote Control.

1. I had been told this was an excellent product, so I was very excited to receive it. However, when I got the item, I was very disappointed in the quality. It feels light and cheap. Buttons stick, often requiring 2-3 presses to work. The "learning" function says it captures a code, but when you attempt to use it, it doesn't work. Despite the claims of Philips that it can learn any remote, it won't. I tried to "Revert" the remote back to factory settings, as directed by Philips Service department, but it wouldn't reset. All in all, spent 2 days trying to program and 1 1/2 hours on the phone with tech support.



2. This is my second Pronto Neo. The first one was refurbished and lasted four months, while the second one lasted a little over a year. Would you like to know what Philips told me? They told me tough luck buddy, please buy another one of these thing so we can rip you off again. Of course, I am kidding about what they said but they would not fix either of them because they were out of warranty. I will never buy another one of these things again. I AM DONE GETTING RIPPED OFF! DON'T MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE I DID, TWICE!



3. The NeoEdit software takes some time. I spent maybe a week developing my entire setup, but 2-3 years later, I have only edited it twice since then and only to add some simple shortcuts - like displaying the time on the VCR and changing the tuner volume from any device screen: TV, VCR, DirecTV. I love this thing. In fact, I cannot imagine going back to having 8 separate remotes. The only issue I had with the IR learning was that sometimes I had to do it twice, but I tested all my "buttons" right after saving my configuration and it was easy enough to rememorize them and save it again. And, again, haven't had to re-memorize anything ever since. And, yes, the batteries last only 2-3 months, but I figure I save money replacing only 3 AA compared with all the batteries from all other 8 (or more) remotes.
   
   On the OTHER hand, I am writing this with my fully reset SECOND - NEW Pronto sitting in front of me with my SECOND failed touch screen. If this thing drops on the floor in just the right way - not from great heights - not being thrown - just a simple fall off the couch or chair edge - it's done. I've dropped it before, and I knew this could happen. I cringe every time it falls hoping this won't be the time it fails.
   
   If it's out of warranty, you CAN have it refurbished at your own cost. They also sell refurbished ones some places for a LOT less than a new one.
   
   But, it's very discouraging. I wouldn't even consider fixing it or buying a third one...except I just can't see going back to 8 remotes. I doubt I would even remember how to use them all manually having lived with a remote that when I press a button that says "Use DVD player" - turns on/off my Tuner, VCR, DVD, TV, CD player, DirecTV and set all the inputs, volumes, sources exactly perfect without me having to do anything except put the DVD in that I want to watch. I spent almost all of my editing time developing my macros that switch between devices - from TV to DVD, from DVD to DirecTV. I even use this to control my Camcorder.
   
   It's heartbreaking, but refurbishing costs about $50 or so. And...I'll probably pay it...gladly.



4. I read a few that this does does break very easy when it hits the floor. Well let me tell you. I have owned this for 6 years and this has fallen on to a wood floor from every point in my tv room. In fact the dog even chewed on the corner of it. The wife has sat on this and It's common to slid it across the floor from one kid to another on the floor and watch it hit the wall before they can stop it to change the channel. So if you find yourself breaking this thing, you must have bought a lemon. One thing to watch out for is the hard buttons get loose and break after awhile. I would recommend having a programer set this up with macros for 100.00. Its worth just hitting one button and then using the soft buttons to do the work.



5. I have a relatively simple setup, combining a vizio lcd tv, a philips tuner/surround system, a philips dvr/dvd burner, and a motorola digital cable box. Unfortunately, the supplied codes didn't work for any of the components. I had to manually input all of the necessary commands and some of the original remote functions would not transfer to the Pronto Neo. Unfortunately, the system can be a little buggy. I tried to use several "economy universal" remotes, but they too had problems with the functions of the philips tuner and dvr. They can be odd and somewhat specific to those units. So, the typical univeral remotes just didn't have buttons for the functions I was looking for. The great thing about the pronto neo and other touch screen remotes is that you can basically design the button layout and make the remote do anything you want within its IR learning capacity. You get all of the functions of $300 plus remotes in a larger and less sleek design. But, you get it for a fraction of the price. The remote is not perfect. But, I was able to program all of the commonly used functions of 4 different remotes into this one unit, as well as install a channel logo database that auto tunes with the push of a button. This remote is great because I can control the cable box (guide, info, exit, page up and down, day+ day-, menus), the tv aspect ratio, the dvr functions (pause, ff, rw, rec) and the tuner volume and inputs without changing the device or screens. You can also program the remote to perform several functions with the push of a single button. I am able to turn on the tv, the cable box, the surround sound, the dvr (and select the correct input) with the touch of one button. While I believe that a professional could program the remote to work flawlessly and conveniently for any system, the remote comes with some software that will help you do it yourself. It has a steep learning curve. I spent about 5 hours total building my remote. But it was worth the effort for the ease of using my A/V system.

2 comments about Ge Jasrm24911 3-Device Remote.

1. rca remote. The remote does not work but since it only cost $5.95 and the shipping was a wopping $20.00 I decided not to bother to send it back!



2. The Ge Jasrm 24911 remote works well. There are no extra features, but it is very cheap and good for simple TV viewing usage. It sets up easily and has no connection issues. It is on the small side, and it is somewhat easy to lose. It looks like a mid-range remote, not being extremely light and flimsy, but still not super aesthetically pleasing. Good remote if you are looking for basic controls at a low cost.

5 comments about Philips SRU9600 Universal Remote Control.

1. After its programmed it works quite well. But to say it easily "learns" features of other remotes is an overstatement. For MANY functions, keys have to be programmed one at a time. It will beep and read out "command learned". But then try that newly programmed button and it likely will not work the first time you program it. I had to program EACH key 6-10 times before it truly learned from my original remotes and would function properly. There's a "Fix A Key" programming function that must be used repeatedly before this remote is ready to go. But, after its programmmed, it works quite well. I do like it but will keep my eyes open for something that has more hard buttons (not touch screen) that can be programmed. There is NO way to use this without looking at it while touching buttons. Only the LCD lights up but the other hard buttons are darker than tar. But, overall, it does the job. It's OK.



2. I bought this remote to try to get rid of the array of remotes on our coffee table and this did not serve that function. In terms of hardware, the scroll wheel was difficult to use and often overshot the item I was trying to select. The LCD screen "buttons" were difficult to identify and know whether they had been pushed. From a functionality perspective, the buttons were not adequately customizable so that I could not control all of the functions of our Scientific Atlanta HD DVR without going deep into the "custom controls" of the remote. Basically, the remote did not make life simpler as a universal remote is supposed to. I returned it and got a Logitech Harmony 550 remote instead - which IS everything I was looking for.



3. This is the 3rd and cheapest universal remote that I bought. My first was a Marantz 1000 which I acquired about 10 years ago. It served me well but died after a few years. The second one is a Sony RM-AV2100 which I still own and use but was planning to retire from my home theater to the family room.
   
   This Philips remote is the most well balanced and best looking of the 3 but also the one with the least amount of programmability.
   
   I first set off to program the remote for the home theater components as it wasn't clear from the included documentation what the device's limitations are. Talking of which, there is barely any documentation. Just a high level overview on a whopping 8 #10 sized pages. The good news is programming this remote is so simple (probably because there is not much to program) that you don't need any elaborated documentation, just a bit of trial and error.
   
   I have no idea how big the on board database is but it does not include laser disk players (probably for good reason) nor does it include much of the commands for my Lexicon pre-amp. That wouldn't have been a problem if I could easily program the commands by reading out the original remote. However the unit does a poor job (at least in comparison with my 2 other remotes) of reading the IR commands from the original remotes. I wasn't able to reproduce any commands for the Lexicon and even for a number of Sony appliances I had to redo the programming sometimes 3 to 5 times.
   
   The second problem I have with programmability is that you cannot add buttons or change the label on the button in a specific mode. For example the key in the left bottom corner of the numeric keypad (which resides on the touch screen) shows '-/--' for certain devices and 'Enter' for others. Now is it my luck (grunt, grunt) that this just maps the opposite from what it needs to be for my hardware. On my Sony remote which uses a similar touch screen concept as this remote, I can just programmatically configure which of the labels under that button I want to use when I reprogram the IR code. Not so with this Philips remote. The same goes with the titles of devices and macro's (what they call activities). You use what is provided or otherwise tough luck!
   
   The other problem is that you can only have 1 of each of the categories. So if you happen to have 2 DVD players than you'll have to buy a second remote 8-/. Unlike other universal remotes you can not just map another DVD player under another menu that you are not using.
   
   So at this point I really gave up trying to program this remote for my home theater. There is no way I can make this thing do all the stuff that I need (including projector and AC control).
   
   So guess who is now in the family room: Just out of curiosity I start programming this remote for my family room setup where I have all Sony equipment (from before they start shipping root kits as an added bonus). I have to admit that programming these devices was a bit simpler with this remote than with the others I have. However it still took quite a bit of time to find the closest mapping setting with my devices and some hand tuning to make them workable.
   
   I'll let my family play with it for a week and will than decide if I will hold on to it for usage in the family room or ship it back.
   
   Oh and before I forget, the selection wheel is useless. 2 buttons would have been for more effective for scrolling left or right.



4. good product. learns and delivers for the price. i wish the amplifier control had more keys/ options for control of my sony str4300



5. I was thinking of getting a universal remote to help preserve my original remotes. I didn't want to spend a lot because paying over 50 for a universal remote is just crazy to me. The logitechs were cool but the buttons really sucked and they are expensive. The buttons were small and not really comfortable to use (However I did not checkout the LH 1000 Advanced Universal Remote which has a touch screen). The others including the New Harmony One didn't feel right. No one else see to come close for me, that is except for the Monster series remotes which were awesome but really expensive. I wanted something inexpensive but also something that was kind of cool and high tech.
   
   So after much research I settled on the Philips SRU9600. It was cool with a color LCD and felt substantial and well built. Plus the price was right! (40.00 off of ebay! Including shipping!)
   
   So far the remote works well. It operates all my components (Samsung TV and DVD player, Scientific Atlanta cable box, Toshiba DVDR, and 5.1 Marantz Receiver). The remote however falls short on my receiver not recognizing some key commands even after trying the learning commands. I guess the receiver being over ten years old didn't help, but the remote recognizes the most important functions on my receiver. But that is still enough to subtract a star from this review.
   
   The remote is not perfect but it's cool to look at and it does all I need it to do for all my other components only missing some functions on my Marantz reciever. It's worth the investment, especially if you can find it for 50 and under!
   
   I'm not sure how long batteries last but some reviews have stated that they last a good long time...in some cases I read 2 weeks and longer depending on usage. That's good enough for me, but I would recommend buying rechargeable batteries which are well worth the investment!