Has anyone tried using rechargable batteries in this unit? I should be receiving my AV2000 today and I am thinking of buying rechargable batteries w/charger since this is probably a battery hog.

Although the Remote does take 6 batteries, the manual estimates a battery life of 6 months. (Most remotes on the market these days have figured out a way to prolong & maximize battery life)Also, 2 of those 6 batteries are for the backlight alone (which I suspect might need to be changed sooner than the 4 main batteries).

I have been using the Duracell Ultras - which are designed for electronic devices - like remotes.

After playing with a few other remotes on the market...the Sony is by far the easiest, fastest, most powerful remote I've seen (even if it doesn't connect to computer software)

Hmm, I bought my remote in February '98, and I'm still on the original Sony batteries! Almost a full 11 months. The LCD is on a *lot* and the backlight gets moderate use. For referece, the timeout on the LCD is 20 minutes and 20 seconds on the backlight (which set to "dim").