Well designed, inexpensive, actually works with my NAD equipment!

A bit heavy, a bit big

I'm very pleased with this remote. It is well designed, relatively inexpensive, and does pretty much everything you'd expect it too. I'm glad I bought it.

I agree with all the comments about the volume being located at the bottom of the remote, but in practise it doesn't seem to be such a big deal. I can still hold the remote in one hand while changing the volume.

About the only design nit I've got is that the up / down / left / right / ok controls are a bit close together. People with big fingers need to pay attention. This is particular interesting since an amazing amount of real estate on the remote is spent on the number buttons, which I hardly ever use (does anyone?) Seems to me you use the menu keys a lot more than numbers in day to day use.

Finally a suggestion to Sony: put the rubber on the bottom, not the sides. Rubber feet on the bottom protects your coffee tables. This is about the only thing NAD remotes do right - they have little rubber feet on the bottom.

Lots of people appear to be having problems making NAD equipment work with universal remotes. I posted the following text over in the NAD T751 reviews, and I thought it might benefit someone to post it here too:

For the benefit of others, I though I would mention that I have successfully used the NAD T751 receiver and the NAD T550 DVD player with the Sony Universal Remote RM-VL990.

The trick was to follow the instructions in item 23 at:

http://nadelectronics.com/Support/faq.html

For the T751, the main trick was the bit about pointing the remote away while starting it up.

I found the T550 much harder to program than the T751. The main trick here was to only tap on the key you are trying to learn, rather than holding it down continuously as the Sony manual says. Even then, I would sometimes have program a key two or three times to get the signal learnt properly.

By the way, the Sony RM-VL900 universal remote is about a bazillion times better designed than the crappy NAD remotes. NAD should be ashamed of their remote designs.

Given the Sony remote only costs about $70 US, I highly recommend it for people who own this NAD equipment.

Similar Products Used:

None

Sony Quality, easy progammability, looks good.

Bad lighting

Just a quick note, mainly aimed at the designers of these units- Why don't they listen to us users? Why have buttons light up only when you press them? When I press the button, my finger is on the button, thereby blocking the light, so I can't see it! Makes no sense! Have the whole unit light up so I can see the darn thing. And please don't put a five second timer on the light because I need more time to find some things. Geez! C'mon Sony! We want remotes that learn, have lots of pre-programmed codes, have buttons big enough for real world use and have lighting that we can use! Not that difficult.

Similar Products Used:

SmartHome remote, Radio Shack

Macros! Learning! Price! Ergonomics!

No backlighting

I spent more time than you would believe looking for a remote that does what this one does. I must have bought and returned 6 other remotes -- they all sucked in one way or another. The "multi-brand" remote that came with my H/K receiver (the same one that comes with a lot of AV receivers) just plain sucks, so I've been on a quest for the Grand Unified Remote ever since I got it.

Well, by my criteria, the Sony RM-VL900 is the Holy Grail of remotes -- it learned every code I threw at it, the macros are great, it's relatively easy to program, and it just plain does what you expect it to do. Unless you just have to have a LCD remote, look no further.

The only real drawback is that there is no backlight. The buttons glow (except for the source select buttons), so it's not too big of a problem. The good news is that the buttons are laid out and shaped so that you can do just about everything by touch alone.

I believe this is my first 5/5 review, so the logical conclusion is that this remote is the best component in my system!

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Tried *everything* except those lame LCD remotes.

Extensive programmability for such a simple looking remote.
Nice color. Long battery life. Buttons are easy to feel & press.

A little heavy & large (compared to regular remotes).
"Glow-in-the-dark" buttons don't last long enough to be useful. Not enough special function buttons. Cannot customise button labels.

I bought this based on reviews on this site, and haven't got a single bit of regret cos it is as good as all the praises claim. I had been aware of the downsides of it, but still bought it for its extensive functionalities w/o the frills of LCD remotes operation.

Most buttons provided are quite standard with today's remote controls, so it was a no-brainer to know which button should carry what basic functions. That is until you want to program special functions like picture-in picture, surround modes on your amp, teletext funtions, etc. It would be better if Sony added a few more buttons to cater for such odd functions. But that would probably make it bigger in size than it already is.

To overcome memorising the different functions programmed for each buttons, I used scratch-on decals to put addtional names beside the buttons. Then I stuck transparent laminate over them to proctect them from wear. It was tedious work and the result is not very neat (still worth it & after 9 months of using they're still intact!). So I thought it would be a good idea for Sony to provide similar labels for users to cutomise the buttons' name.

Programming was also a little difficult to grasp at first, & the manual wasn't too detailed about it. Fortunately, there's a site that provides comprehensive support for programmable remotes & I found their guide on VL900 esp useful:

http://www.remotecentral.com/vl900/index.html

I'm using it to control all sorts of appliances, including my JDO wall switches & electric fan. And the battery hasn't gone flat yet since the first time I used it 9 months ago!

Overall a great product well worth the price!

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Generic remotes.

Learns everything, inexpensive, good range

needs a few more function buttons though every button on it can be programmed

Get this remote. It is cheap and will work on any thing. Easy to program. I use it on a Harmon Kardon reciever, Pioneer DVD, Cambridge Audio CD, Toshiba TV and VCR. First remote I have found at this price that will operate all my components. Have found no function this remote will not learn.

Only negatives are channel and volume are located near the bottom of the remote and can be awkward to operate one handed and you have to remember or log every button you programmed for each component which is OK for the obvious but a pain for the esoteric. If you use it enough you will remember what does what to which component but no one else in the house will.

Similar Products Used:

universal remotes from Harmon/Kardon, One for all

Learning abilities & macros
Innovative hand position
Moderately wide IR dispersal

Lighting
DVD navagation keys
Tactile feel of buttons

Learning Abilities:

This remote can do it all in this area. Any key can be programmed, keys can be copied to other keys, component keys can be re-assigned, whole components can be copied to other component keys, volume punch-through.

To top it all off, it offers extensive macro abilities. I have mine set up so that the three macro buttons turn on devices for different inputs ( (1) turns on CD player, Amp, TV, configures amp, starts CD in random mode - it's a changer ). Then each component key is configured to run a macro to switch from whatever is currently playing to the device for that key ( (TV) button turns off DVD and CD players, configures Amp for TV, and selects Tuner input on the TV). With appropriate macros set up, system management is a snap.

Innovative Hand Position:

This remote has an unusual hand position in that the Channel +/- keys and Volume +/- keys are right at the bottom of the remote (see picture above). At first this put me off a bit, but then I realized when surfing it forced you to hold it in the palm of your hand so that your thumb doesn't get sore like it does with other remotes. An interesting, and gutsy, move on Sony's part, though it's still a little front heavy so it's not perfected yet.

Moderately Wide IR Dispersal:

While it doesn't blast the IR beam in a super wide pattern, even after 3 months of constant use (and correspondingly worn down batteries), it still manages to run macros against both my TV and Stereo, even though they are far apart.

Lighting:

Glow in the dark keys don't cut it. Not a great choice of remotes if you like to watch TV in complete darkness.

DVD Navigation Keys:

Too small and too close together, with poor tactile feel. This causes you to keep hitting the wrong buttons when trying to navigate DVD menus by feel. Not so bad as to be a show stopper, though.

Tactile Feel of Buttons:

While it does have enough tactile feel that you can usually get around without looking at the remote, you do need to pay a bit of attention to it. It's as good as most I've used, but not as good as some One4All's or the Sony Universal.

Overall:

I like it. I could make use of one of the LCD remotes for special functions so that I don't need to keep my OEM remotes handy, but for everyday use I'd choose the Sony VL900 at any price. I could maybe design something better, but I haven't seen anything. I used a Sony Universal remote for years and it still works great, so I expect a long life from the VL900.

Similar Products Used:

Several One4All remotes (great, but they break in 6 months)
Sony Universal remote
OEM Remotes (leaning & universal)

signal output strength, ease of use, support for a large number of products out of the box

It doesn't really do every single feature

This is a very good product, especially for the price. The remotes for my TV, DVD, receiver and VCR are now in a drawer as this one easily does every mainstream function needed. Occasionally, though, it's still necessary to get the original remote, but that's pretty rare.

I was surprised that it didn't have the codes for Pioneer Elite DVD players, so that was a bit of manual work. It would sure be useful if it had support for more system macros, with more steps per macro. 16 steps sounds like a lot until you use them. Come on, Sony. Memory is cheap!

I don't have a cable box or satellite, so I can't say how it would work in those applications. For my needs today, it's been a real convenience.

Similar Products Used:

remotes that came with TV, VCR, DVD player, receiver

Perfect example of KISS principal

No backlight

Simple to program. Straightforward macro functions. Any key can be learned from another remote - including the oddball Raite DVD. Highly recommended.

Similar Products Used:

RCA, One For All

Price, features, comfort, ease of use, programmability

None

For the price this is an extremely flexible and well designed remote. I use it to control my bedroom system (TV, DVD, VCR, and Shelf system) and it does everything flawlessly. You can program several multi-step macros, every key is individually programmable, etc. It's extremely easy to program and use and it's also comfortable to hold and easy to find what key you want even in a dark room. Highly, highly recommended...especially for the price.

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Various remotes

Functionality, versatility, ease of use (once its set up), macros, looks, sturdy construction

Not backlit, instructions were a tad confusing

I searched this site when I began my quest to replace the abyssmal Yamaha HTR-5250 remote (which also controlled my Toshiba TV and Toshiba DVD player). I was looking to find something that utilized macros because the 5250 remote requires that you stop and actually THINK about how to switch between components, fire up the DVD player, etc. and I was tired of it (it's all about simplicity). Not only that, but it was rather difficult trying to explain to my girlfriend the procedures involved in order to watch a DVD. Given that, I started looking at the Sony 2100(?) LCD remote. It looked spiffy, was backlit and seemed to have all the bells and whistles. One turn-off though...it seemed bulky and was pretty expensive (after all, this is only a remote), so I continued looking. I then started reading all the reviews on this site for the VL-900. Most of the feedback seemed really favorable so I decided to buy it blind based solely on the reviews. I searched the web some more for a good price and picked it up for $52. It took approximately one week to arrive by UPS Ground from etroincs...why so long?

Anyway, I love this thing! It has made my life so much easier and was TOTALLY worth the money paid! It was simple to set up the initial commands for the individual components given the remote codes. However, I did have some minor difficulty "teaching" it some of the Yamaha remote commands due to the (sometimes) confusing instruction booklet. I finally worked it out and the remote performed the desired functions. One thing...when this remote "learns" another remote's entire function set, it sometimes assigns a certain function to a button that you wouldn't expect. No worries though...once you find out what button the function was assigned to, you can easily re-assign it to another, more convenient button. That's where it's so versatile. Also, the macros are a breeze to set up once you figure out what order you want things to run in. The macro function even allows you to change the time delay associated with a particular macro. Like when I set the macro for my DVD player, I have to switch the monitor from TV to Video 2. This procedure cannot be accomplished right after the monitor has been turned on, so I programmed the macro to turn on the other components first and then make the switch on the monitor. Well, that still didn't work, so I just slowed down the entire macro using the time delay and, voila, it worked like a charm! The only (major) beef I have with this thing is that it's not backlit. The component buttons do light up, but only when you press down on them! This makes NO sense to me because you can't see the red light due to your finger covering the button. However, the buttons do glow in the dark pretty well and the remote is laid out so well that your fingers learn the layout in no time at all. Also, the rubberized sides/edges are a nice touch. I don't really know what purpose they serve (to protect the furniture? Who has this problem?), but I do like them. Overall, if this sucker was backlit, I would easily give it 5 stars as an overall rating, but hey, it's ONLY $52 and you can't have it all for that little amount of money! Now, if I could just get it to open the cabinet on my entertainment center...

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Remotes that came with various components (including the abomination that accompanied the Yamaha HTR-5250)