User reviews for the RCA RCU810 from RCA. Ratings Reviews MSRP (USD) Average: 3.95/5.00 Median: 4.33/5.00 97 $69 The RCU810 is a learning and preprogrammed remote control. It features control of 8 devices, 54 buttons with backlighting, an LCD screen, macro keys, plus a sleep timer & clock. Message Forum Add Your Review

Written by waypoint from Houston, TX. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 20 made on Wednesday January 10, 2001 at 4:19 PM. Strengths: Looks great, Layout is intuitive, nice backlighting, majority of the necessary button are there. Weaknesses: Horrible Manual. English is not my first language and I could have done a better job than this. Not alot of memory. Macro buttons weren't what I expected. Review: I got the RCU810 as an X-mas present from my wife to replace 8 remotes. The cost was $49.95 from Best Buy. Let me start of by saying, "Yes, I have consolidated all remotes into this one remote and am very happy". Here's what I have: Mitsu 60" TV mapped to TV RCA DSS mapped to SAT Toshiba DVD mapped to DVD JVC VCR mapped to VCR1 Pioneer Tuner/Amp mapped to AUD Pioneer 6disc CD mapped to AUX Pioneer LaserDisc mapped to VCR2 Sharp 25" TV mapped to CBL I have never used the 15-1994 so I cannot make any comparisons. There are 3 Learn button on the remote, but almost any button can be used to Learn. You are limited to only 3 macro keys though and each macro can only have a maximum of 15 sequences. I found this to be a limitation. The LCD display was very nice and intuitive and does simply the setup procedures greatly since the manual really does more to confuse you than help you. The remote only has capabilities for between 16-25 learn functions. Acouple were used for the DVD advanced functions and the rest were mainly used for the Pioneer receiver. Pioneer code 1040 operates my receiver but lots of the buttons are incorrect or wrong. I had to learn the functions of the A/V receiver to do what I wanted. Also, my toshiba was a six disc dvd player, so some of the learn buttons went to new disc select buttons. I still have not maxed out the learn buttons. One thing that is annoying is the VCR and SAT button are such that if you press it once, it turns the device on, and you have to press the off button to turn it off. All the other buttons are such that you press the button and then power to turn a particulare device on. For example, Press the TV and press power turns the TV on. This was a minor annoyance. It becomes a problem when programming the macro sequence. Another problem is on my audio receiver, if I switch from TV/Sat to DVD, I have to press a function button and scroll through every device. (IE. TV/Sat,CD, Tape1, Tape 2, Video, VCR1, VCR2,DVD) This is a pain, b/c when programming a sequence, you must assume two things. One, everything is OFF. Two, the TV (is set at input 1) and audio Receiver (is set at TV/Sat) are on a certain device. When programming the macro key (remember, max 15 sequence). The button sequence goes like this: TV On input(advance from input 1 to input 2) input (advance from input 2 to input 3) input (advance from input 3 to DVD input) AUD On function (advance to CD) function (advance to Tape 1) function (advance to Tape 2) function (advance to Video) function (advance to VCR1) function (advance to VCR2) function (advance to DVD) DVD ON Oppps...thats 16 sequences. Won't work. I wish there was a button on Pioneer that you pressed once and you get the device. This was a downer, but I don't totally blame it on the RCU810. The dedicated labels for PIP, SWAP and SLEEP makes them easy for end-users to find these keys. The volumne lock in the manually is so poorly written. It is actually the volume PUNCH-THRU. You can set it to be the audion receiver volume easily. I have not tried any Mode mapping. All in all this is an EXCELLENT remote for $50. It does everything than I needed. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by JHKS from Canada. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 19 made on Monday January 8, 2001 at 12:11 AM. Strengths: Button layout Backlight Extensive device support Weaknesses: Too little memory Bad key layout for some devices "Special" RCA support Review: I won't go over what has been said already. My main complaint with this otherwise great remote is that it gives a sort of preferential treatment to RCA devices. For example, when I press the "TV" button, not only does it switch the remote's mode, but it also turns on my RCA television. Furthermore, if the TV is configured to know it has a DVD on its VID2 input (for example), and the remote is programmed for an RCA DVD player, then pressing the "DVD" button switches the TV to VID2. In other words, the mode buttons actually send a signal, but only when configured for RCA products. This is a problem because I can't make a macro to turn all devices on/off. Including the TV mode button in the sequence causes it to come on, then the power button immediately turns it off. RCA - please make this remote truly universal! The mode buttons should not send any signals. At the very least, include the ability to disable this behaviour. My other complaint is with button assignment. My Pioneer DVD player's "Enter" function clearly belongs in the center of the arrow keys, not on the button labeled "Enter". Also, my Fisher receiver's input selection would be much better if it matched the labels on the remote. I'm sure this is another case where it does match for RCA products. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Tom Macy from Abilene, TX. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 18 made on Friday January 5, 2001 at 9:54 AM. Strengths: Layout of buttons. Backlight. Number of codes for components. Weaknesses: Limited memory. Only 3 macros. Limited programmability. Review: This is a nice out of the box remote, but after two days of trying to get it to do what I wanted, I returned it. This is a good remote that can eliminate all of your other remotes. I had no problem getting it to run all of my components (Sony Rcvr., VCR, CD; Toshiba DVD; Panasonic TV; Hughes D-TV Rcvr.). The number of preprogrammed buttons that was available for each component was good. Not a big need to reprogram individual buttons. My biggest problem was that I wanted to be able to not only push one button to turn on and off everything, but to switch from one component to another (including audio and video). Since you can only program 3 macros, I did not have enough to make this happen. So, it ended up being a 3 or 4 button process to change from D-TV to regular TV. If you are looking for a remote without a significant amount of programmability this is a good choice. My ultimate solution was to purchase the Sony RM-VL900, which so far has met all of my expectations and more. Plus, it was only about $15 more. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by drew from San Jose, CA. The reviewer has used this remote control for 3-6 months.

Review 17 made on Sunday December 31, 2000 at 2:02 PM. Strengths: backlight and ergenomics Weaknesses: lack of memory, pre-programed codes do not match function w/ correct keys making the use of excess memory even more necessary. Review: I own the RCA remote and bought the Sony VL 900 for my mother. In comparison, the RCA would a much better remote than the Sony if it only had more memory. However, because of this failure on the part of RCA, the sony is a better remote. The Sony's strenghts: ease of use, pre-progammed codes match most buttons with the correct key. The RCA feels better in the hand, but, because of the lack of memory, there are way too many buttons for what you can use. Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Scott Eggleston from Salt Lake City, Utah. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 16 made on Saturday December 30, 2000 at 4:25 PM. Strengths: Cool blue backlighting of every key LCD display Learning available on almost every key 3 Macro keys Controls 8 devices Large code library including Replay & Tivo You get a lot for your money ($40-50) Weaknesses: LCD display a bit faint Limited learning memory No advanced codes as in OFA remotes Review: I recently added a 6th component to my home theater setup--a ReplayTV. As I was using an One-For-All Cinema6 learning remote, all my remaining memory was sapped learning the ReplayTV keys. While it worked fine, maxing out the memory seemed to wreak havoc on past learned functions, as well as refusing to obey the volume lock while the Replay was selected. I decided to get another remote to replace the Cinema6, which isn't easy, since these little remotes are a fantastic value. After reading many reviews (including all of the user reviews found here), it came down to the RCA RCU810 and the Sony VL900. I opted for the RCA, and am glad I did. The first thing I loved was that great blue color that illuminates every button when anything is pushed. This is a feature the OFA remotes lack (the Cinema7 has some glow-in-the-dark keys), and works very well here. The LCD display also lights up this way, and is very appealing to the eye, albeit a bit on the dim side (as mentioned in other reviews, no contrast control is available). This is a minor quibble, and one that doesn't detract from the greatness of this little gizmo. I also liked the clock, and how the name of the device (DVD, VCR1, TUNER, etc.) appears in the little window. The only thing that would make this even better would be a way to create your own labels. I would love the ability to press VCR1 and see "Replay" spelled out instead of "VCR1", but on a budget remote, I'm dreaming. Menus are also available via this display which make programming and tweaking much more user-friendly than the single blinking light on the OFA remotes. Learning codes from other remotes is very easy using this menu system, as is clock set, macros, volume lock, etc. It doesn't replace the manual, but is a nice help. The RCU810 learns well, but is not able to use the advanced codes found on the Cinema6 & 7, which is a bummer, but there is a workaround. Simply use the OFA to implement the advanced codes, then teach them the RCA. I did this, and it worked like a charm. Since there was a code for Replay (in the VCR section of the manual), I didn't waste a lot of memory teaching it an entire remote, so it all worked out well. The lack of memory beyond 16-25 learned keys (the same as the OFAs), will probably come back to haunt me in the future, however. There should be plenty of memory to future-proof such a fine remote as this one. Is this the perfect low-end universal remote? Well, lack of memory makes it a near-miss, but if you don't need all of it (such as myself), you're gonna love this thing! Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Jon Maddox from Indiana. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 15 made on Saturday December 30, 2000 at 9:15 AM. Strengths: Slim, one hand design. Extensive REAL buttons! 3 oval islands. Perfect LCD display. Weaknesses: Lack of extended memory. Limited pre-programmed codes. Review: This remote is HOT!! If you love, real feel buttons over touch screen, this remote is for you. 3 oval islands for ch./vol., menu navigation, and VCR control, make this a must have. The limited pre-programmed library, may send you seaching for IR learn/teach. This remote cry's.......no SCREAMS, for more learning capacity. RCA has done a fantastic job on the extensive key layout. If this unit had full function learning for any key, I doubt if any retailer could keep them in stock. There was no code for my new Philips DSR6000, digital satallite reciever/recorder. I used up all my learning keys just for this device. But it works. Toss those fancy $100-$220 gizmos in the trash, for a great $30-$40 remote. Hats off to RCA, (JUST GIVE ME MORE MEMORY!!!) Enjoy Quality: Features: Value:

Written by Tony from Ossining, NY. The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 14 made on Wednesday December 27, 2000 at 9:03 PM. Strengths: easy to set-up Weaknesses: don't know yet Review: This remote met my very simple needs--basic control of my gear.I looked long and hard for a remote that would control my Dish Network 3822 receiver. No problems setting up. Quality: Features: Value:

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