# Anyone know what replacement remote will work for my DVD player? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 28, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507 "2006-06-28T15:52:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/1 "2006-06-28T15:52:25Z")
It’s an oldie but a goodie: [Sony HCD-S300](http://www.dvdshippers.com/davs300.gif). We’ve tried half a dozen “universal” remotes, but nothing’s worked. A new remote like the piece of crap that came with it is over $90. :eek: I can’t find any universal or generic replacement remotes that will tell me what models they work with - I have to keep buying them, trying to program them and returning them. I’m so annoyed. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/2 "2006-06-28T16:11:01Z")
Have you tried the “code search” feature most universals have? This allows you to cycle through every code the remote is preprogrammed with; it takes several minutes, but often it’s the only way to make it work without manually trying every code from every manufacturer. Once you’ve gotten to the code that works, there’s usually another feature that allows you to find out what code was used by making the LED blink it out at you. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/3 "2006-06-28T16:18:07Z")
Hate to tell you, but it may be more cost-effective to buy a new DVD player as they’ve gotten well into the “disposable” price category. If yours is so old that you can’t find an all-in-one remote that has its codes, a new $50 DVD player will probably have more features and better performance. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/4 "2006-06-28T16:19:00Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > It’s an oldie but a goodie: [Sony HCD-S300](http://www.dvdshippers.com/davs300.gif). We’ve tried half a dozen “universal” remotes, but nothing’s worked. A new remote like the piece of crap that came with it is over $90. :eek: I can’t find any universal or generic replacement remotes that will tell me what models they work with - I have to keep buying them, trying to program them and returning them. I’m so annoyed. A Sony universal is more likely to work than a generic. However, Sony is big on engineered obsolescence. No guarantees. I’m going to assume you’ve lost the original: Buy, borrow, or steel the replacement and transfer the codes to a cheap learning remote. Exchange, return, or sacrifice the replacement to the gods. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/5 "2006-06-28T16:50:32Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Have you tried the “code search” feature most universals have? Yep. I think I’m getting carpal-tunnel from pressing the power button 200 times during code search. I’m starting to wonder if, for some odd reason (like perhaps the $90 replacement!) Sony made this machine so it won’t work with anyone else’s remotes. > [@gotpasswords](#): > > ``` > Hate to tell you, but it may be more cost-effective to buy a new DVD player as they've gotten well into the "disposable" price category. If yours is so old that you can't find an all-in-one remote that has its codes, a new $50 DVD player will probably have more features and better performance. > > ``` That’s what I’m starting to think. I wonder how cheap I can go and retain these speakers and 5.1 surround sound. > [@Waverly](#): > > A Sony universal is more likely to work than a generic. However, Sony is big on engineered obsolescence. No guarantees. I’m going to assume you’ve lost the original: Buy, borrow, or steel the replacement and transfer the codes to a cheap learning remote. Exchange, return, or sacrifice the replacement to the gods. We still have the original, it just doesn’t work anymore. It’s a poorly designed remote with a “flap” to double the keys, which broke off a couple of years ago. Buttons started popping out last month, and now it’s dead, Jim. Nothing at all will work on it. What are these learning remotes, and will they learn from a dead remote? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/6 "2006-06-28T16:56:50Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > That’s what I’m starting to think. I wonder how cheap I can go and retain these speakers and 5.1 surround sound. _crawls back into her cave in embarrassment_ Apparently, 5.1 is nearly obsolete, huh? This $40 job’ll do it: [link.](http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7679425&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03013&id=1134703131739) (Though I don’t think it has the right kind of hook ups for our speakers.) Man, our system’s only 6 years old! I know, pleistocene era in electronics years… Obviously, I need to update what I need to look for in a new DVD player. New thread, or any advice here? ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2006, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/7 "2006-06-28T17:01:41Z")
_sigh_ OK, so what I have is not merely a DVD player, but a home-theater amplifier and surround sound speaker system. That plays DVDs. That’s much more expensive to replace than just a DVD player. So I’m back to looking for a new remote. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/8 "2006-06-29T02:27:42Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > What are these learning remotes, and will they learn from a dead remote? Learning remotes read and repeat the signal from another remote. So no, they won’t learn from a dead remote. ---
**Author:** ![Drum\_God](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drum_god/32/44_2.png) [@Drum\_God](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drum_God)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/9 "2006-06-29T03:40:57Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > _crawls back into her cave in embarrassment_ > > Apparently, 5.1 is nearly obsolete, huh? This $40 job’ll do it: [link.](http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?skuId=7679425&type=product&productCategoryId=cat03013&id=1134703131739) (Though I don’t think it has the right kind of hook ups for our speakers.) > > Man, our system’s only 6 years old! I know, pleistocene era in electronics years… > > Obviously, I need to update what I need to look for in a new DVD player. New thread, or any advice here? Personally, I love reading [CNET](http://www.cnet.com) for reviews of electronic devices. They will often even have little videos briefly demonstrating the device. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/10 "2006-06-29T04:18:50Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > We still have the original, it just doesn’t work anymore. If you want, I can take a look at it. Email me. No guarantees, but maybe I can get enough life out of it to get it to teach a learning remote. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/anyone-know-what-replacement-remote-will-work-for-my-dvd-player/362507/11 "2006-06-29T05:11:57Z")
[Here’s one for $ 69.95](http://www.partstore.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductSKU=1071652&ProductType=ACCS&ModelID=13506) [Here’s one for $ 50.](http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-SONY-HOME-CINEMA-REMOTE-RM-SS300-DAVS300-RMSS300_W0QQitemZ9738302644QQcategoryZ32851QQcmdZViewItem) [Here’s one for 28.95](http://cgi.ebay.com/SONY-RM-SS300-REMOTE-CONTROL-for-AV-system_W0QQitemZ9742608338QQihZ008QQcategoryZ61318QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem)