Yesterday, my son dropped my old Panasonic VCR remote into the toilet so obviously, the thing now no longer works! I am now looking for a universal remote which can finally manage all the "extended" functions of my previous VCR remote, such as Showview programming and menu functions which are not part of the standard functions on most "universal" remotes. I am interested in the Sony RM-AV3000 since it seems to provide quite extensive functionalities. My question is, if I no longer have the original remote available, is there a way to teach the RM-AV3000 anything else than the usual "play" , "stop" etc. functions? Do I need to borrow the original somewhere or is it possible to enter codes for the additional functions?

You will need either the original remote, or you will need a Radio Shack or OneForAll remote to use discrete codes. For more info on discrete codes, see [Link: remotecentral.com]. As you said, some functions are not in universal remotes, including the 3000, and with discrete codes you will be able to fully utilize the capabilities of the 3000.