Just thought I would pass along my impressions of the VL1000 after living with it for a week. I'm taking it back today, after just ordering up an MX-500. Here's what I find most annoying about the VL-1000:

1: the display: incredibly hard to read unless it's held under just the right light and at just the correct angel.

2: the display backlight: it can stay on for a max of 60 secs. No button to turn it on/off when needed; it only comes on with you hit scroll/system/component, which of course kicks you into another menu, which means you have to press same button again to return to the menu that you probably wanted to see.

Also - no light for the hard buttons.

3: 4 menu items. It's not enough; find myself having to scroll too often

4: menu items - the hard buttons that are associated with the menu items are not aligned vertically!?! what was sony thinking? Tired of pressing the wrong button.

5: It will take you an HOUR just to label everything. Never has labeling something been so annoying as you have to scroll slowly through each character/special character/etc. There is no convenient "clear" either if you want to re-label something.

6: No way to "clear" devices you don't need/have.

7: macros - always 2 steps: system button + menu button.

8: Vol/channel buttons at the bottom of remote.

9: Terribly written manual - Sony is big enough to hire decent translators.

10: Loses its learned functions every once in a while. In fact once, it lost all of them and scrambled the display. had to reset the entire remote and spend another 2 hours programming the damn thing.

....

Frank

I agree... the VL-1000 stinks, I returned mine to Best Buy after 1 week and I also got an MX-500.
One problem with VL-1000 that you didn't mention is that the "joystick" only works some of the time. I think that you will be much happier with the MX-500

After reading all the positive posts on the MX-500 at this site as well as the review, I think it'll be perfect.

The joystick on the VL1000 though - I didn't have a problem with it. Seemed to work fine.

I agree with your list, I also returned mine and got a MX-500, its a much better designed remote. For me since I also use a satellite dish, I needed the Exit and Info buttons next to the joystick control and not on the LCD. The MX-500 has them nicelly located next to the thumpad.

There are four hardware revisions of the MX-500, read Danny's review of the changes. Make sure you get the GS2 revision of the MX-500.

Places like surfremotecontrol.com and bluedo.com will guarantee a GS2 model and others won't know what you are talking about.

Everyone of your complaints I would reiterate. That resetting with the garbage display happened to me too when I was trying to remember one of those arcane combinations (like scroll and guide, or whatever) to perform one of the functions like setting screen contrast. I must have pressed the wrong combination and somehow reset the whole damn thing with the garbage display that eventually straightened out and returned to its factory settings. One would think they might have some Help screens built into these freaken things to be of assistance. Its not like anyone is going to remember these damn key combinations and the user manual isn't always around to be of help.

Anyway, I just returned mine yesterday so you have me beat by one day.

I would also like to mention all the *'s that you have to change into spaces just to get the labels to look ok. Another pain in the a--.

I have yet to find a good remote control to handle all my devices that I like. The SONY was a misery. I just tried an RCA that also looks like its going back real soon. They just don't have the right functions.

And the thing about the light kills me. Most of these remotes have a light you can turn on, but don't have a separate button to turn them on with, so most of the time you are stuck trying to find some key that you know won't do anything harmful just in order to turn the light on, and usually trying to do that in the dark too. You would definitely think that some of these companies, with all the money they have for R&D, and with all these elaborate layouts for these remotes, would think of something as simple as that. But NO!!! It seems like not one of the people from any of these companies, including the so-called "engineers" that designed them, ever sat down with one of these damn things that they developed and really used them. I find it incredible to say the least that these POS's are out on the market!!!

I still use an old Radio Shack remote for most of my devices that at least is trustworthy and works right, even though it doesn't have the labeling abilities I would like it to have. However, I haven't yet given up my search to find a decent one that will do what I want without having to pay an arm and a leg for it.

Having just received and programmed the MX-500, I can honestly say this is one of the most well thought out pieces of electronic equipment I've ever come across. Kudos to the folks who put this together. It is simply better than the VL-1000 in every way. Even the manual is well written and easy to follow, but I find I don't really need it once I get into the setup menu.

It costs $122 from Buy.com and they are shipping the latest and greatest rev (manuf. on 2/02). Also came with 4 AAA bats.

I love the MX-500 as well. I was also a temporarly VL-1000 owner.