The following page was printed from RemoteCentral.com:
User reviews for the Sony RM-VL600 from Sony Electronics.
Ratings
Reviews
MSRP (USD)
Average: 4.19/5.00 Median: 4.50/5.00
30
$29.99
The RM-VL600 is an 8-device hard buttoned universal remote that replaces the RM-VL710 and RM-VL900. It features full IR learning capabilities, a preprogrammed code database and a dozen 16-step macros.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 2 made on Sunday April 23, 2006 at 6:46 PM.
Strengths:
Price, learning capabilities, weight, quality, layout, number of buttons.
Weaknesses:
Lack of PVR buttons.
Review:
I recently bought the RM-VL600 to replace my RM-VL900. This review talks mostly about that change.
I have owned two RM-VL900's. The first I bought back in 2000 ($50) and the second in 2003 ($40). At the time it was an amazing price for a remote with learning functions. My friends were coughing up hundreds more. I was so happy to have a learning remote for $50.
I found three main downsides with the RM-VL900. Don't get me wrong, I loved it or I wouldn't have bought it twice :)
The first was that it could have used more buttons. I had to program other unused components to substitute for several of my AMP and PVR buttons.
The second is what many people have said, that the text on the buttons wears off over time.
The third was the construction. It is pretty sturdy, but it could not withstand the onslaught of three kids. I think this was mostly because the eight little machine screws went into little plastic cylinders that were not strongly molded into the case. Those cylinders break off fairly easily. I had to buy my second RM-VL900 for that reason. I just had the same thing happen to that one. I had to fix it by beveling the hols and getting #4 x 1/2" screws (I think the originals are about 3/8") to go all the way down into the case. Not a pretty hack, but it was back together and tight.
Regardless, for $50 or less I was more than happy and got 6 years of use out of two of them. However, I just spilled a beverage on my current one and after taking it apart to clean the buttons (which went fine), I took a long look and saw it was showing its age.
I came onto Remote Central just to look around and the first thing I saw was the RM-VL710 review. I thought "that was easy" and figured I found my next remote. I then ran into what everyone else had discovered, that the RM-VL710 doesn't really seem to exist. I was fortunate enough to find two threads on the forums here that helped a lot.
So I started looking at the RM-VL600. It is perfect for me and I am ecstatic to have it.
First, there are more buttons. I love having a Digital/Analog button and Exit button, for example. The RM-VL900 had neither. The System Control buttons are perfect for me. I really only use one (D) to power up/down my TV-AMP-DVR. The other three are A, B, C which is exactly what I have always needed for my SA8300HD DVR remote. The on-screen menus have an A, B, C in them and I have always had to use TAPE component buttons 1, 2, 3 on my RM-VL900.
Second, it is super lightweight. That may be mostly due to having two batteries instead of four, but it has to be less than half as heavy as the RM-VL900. Hopefully that means it won't hit the ground quite so hard when the kids drop it.
Third, like the RM-VL900 it learned every button I threw at it from a Denon Receiver, Toshiba DVD player, Hitachi TV, and SA cable box. I never actually read that it was "fully learning" (as in every button), but that seems to be the case.
The jury is still out on longevity, since I have only had it for two days, but time will tell. As far as everything else, I am loving it. The only thing I would like to have are buttons specific to PVR boxes. A "DVR List" and "Live" button would be nice. Those are the only ones that I needed to find other buttons for (I settled on Sleep and Twin View, respectively).
It may not have every feature that every person is looking for (backlight, remote to remote learning, and so on). For me, it was the perfect change from the RM-VL900. No matter what it lacks, I can never get away from the fact that it only costs $25. They had it in stock at local Circuiy City stores for $25 plus tax. The cheapest I saw on Google was $19.99 and it would have cost more than Circuit City with shipping. $25 is just amazing. For anyone with a home theater, more than one remote, and a budget (like me) there is really no excuse not to have one.
The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.
Review 1 made on Thursday April 20, 2006 at 6:21 AM.
Strengths:
More keys than the older Sony learning models it replaces, nice size and lightweight, good key feel and apparent reliablity, long battery life - only 2 regular AA batteries used, reflective silver around keys provides almost a backlight from reflected light from the TV screen, 8 components with one macro programmable for each, plus 4 system control keys (function or macros)
Weaknesses:
Takes a while to get used to the different key layout if you used the older Sony learning remotes a long time (VL700 or VL900)
Review:
I have used over the past four years, first the Sony VL700, then the VL900, even tried the VL1000 (got it cheap on EBAY a few months ago). I preferred the VL900 amongst these three, but after a couple years many of the labels on the keys wore off and now the OK button is starting to flake out. You can get new or refurb VL900's on EBAY for <$25 I got one of them there last year as a spare and its in like new condition. I even bought a bottle from a hobby store of a clear decal coating liquid that I thought I could brush on the new remote's keys to help protect the silkscreen labels. The VL700 and 1000 at least didn't have much silkscreen on their keys, instead its around the keys they don't have the rub-off problem to any significant degree for that reason.
Last week I saw info on the new VL600 (I didn't know about the VL710 before) and searched and found it listed at Best Buy for only $25 - amazing since the VL900 was $50-60 when I got one originally new at Best Buy years ago. Downloading the manual it appeared to have all the functionality of the VL900 and an even better key layout, smaller lighter (only 2 batteries, the VL900 needs 4 AA's and is heavy) and 5 more keys which I ALWAYS needed. For some complex devices like a cable HD-DVR I needed to use two component setups to cover enough key functions with the VL900, thats why I originally tried the VL1000 since it had more keys, but it takes a lot more work to change components and its so long its hard to reach all the keys - I still have it for another room use though and as a backup.
Anyway I called around and one Best Buy had the new VL600 for $25 in stock. Indeed it doesn't have a few of the advanced VL900 features like copy a component's button configuration to another component storage or copy between remotes, but I very rarely used that and cared a lot more for a lighter better key layout with more buttons and the VL600 provides that. So I bought a new VL600 last week and programmed it all this past weekend and its working fantastic - gave my old almost worn out VL900 and a still working old VL700 to a relative. Still have the backup new VL900 remote, but I may sell that on EBAY now - I prefer the VL600 though I do of course have to get used to the different key layout, but its not that difficult. I like it still has a lighted keys for the components so you can tell which component is being triggered when you press any other key.
The VL600 keys feel good quality and don't have silkscreen on the buttons themselves as much as the VL900 did, so the ruboff shouldn't be as much an issue - I'd only worry about the 8 component buttons, so I might coat them with the clear liquid soon. The extra keys are just right for my components, now all the features I needed for my SA8000HD-DVR fit on one component setting and the SA code provided even covered the majority of the keys too, which was not supported on the older remotes. I only have 5 components total, so the previous VL710 could have done the job too, but I like to have a few spares if I later add a component and with the VL900 I needed extras since it didn't have enough keys for some components. So I am more than satisfied with the VL600 assuming it has the long term reliability of the other Sony remotes I've used. No other cheaper (<$50) universal remotes I've tried or used by friends and relatives have the good key feel and key reliablity as the Sonys. The original remotes and universals by One-for-all, etc. always seem to wear out keys pretty quick like the vol or channel buttons.
For the past few years, I only use the original remotes long enough to program a Sony learning remote and store the originals in a drawer when I need to program a new model like last weekend. Sure I wish the VL600 had the couple extra VL900 features (copy whole components and between other VL900s) but I consider that a worthwhile trade for more buttons and the slicker lighter layout. The VL600 doesn't have the VL900's temporary lighted keys (its not backlighted, just stores light from a lamp for awhile) - but I find the VL600's silver top background reflects light well even from a source like a TV screen from my couch enough to see the key locations, no complaints in that area. I love that the system control/macro keys (now 4 instead of 3) are located at the bottom and easy to reach compared to the very hard to reach top ones on the VL900. I don't need lots of macros, so I was using a couple on the VL900 for extra keys for one component. On the VL600 they are labeled (A,B,C,D) so I used the A,B,C for my HD-DVR A,B,C keys and used the D key for a power on macro for the main components - perfect for my needs. I noticed that the new VL600 layout has the changes that the VL710 review on this site recommended for making a little more space between some of the keys and the location of one of the keys by the cursor arrows - Sony must have been reading here!
I heartily recommend the VL600 based on my experience this week and my past years use of the older model Sony VL700,VL900,VL1000 models. The low price of $25 is an incredible bargain, I kept wondering why is it so cheap, I worry it might be discontinued soon since Sony might not make enough profit on it!
Return to the user reviews index...
