# Best universal remote? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 28, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403 "2002-12-28T21:17:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/1 "2002-12-28T21:17:48Z")
I’m tired of lugging at least three remotes (TV, cable, and home theater) with me around the apartment! Plus 2 others (DVD, VHS)on an occasional basis. 3 of the 5 have limited capability to control one or more of the other remotes. But each of those missed some critical functions of the harware they’re bit originally designed for. So what’s the best unuversal remote I can get? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/2 "2002-12-28T21:18:58Z")
make that “not originally designed for”. ---
**Author:** ![unclviny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e274bd/32.png) [@unclviny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/unclviny)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/3 "2002-12-28T21:32:27Z")
I have a SONY Remote Commander (1200 I think) and it does everything!, controls 12 things, backlit, touchscreen, macros, it is BADD, downside?, it was $199.00. My suggestion would be [www.crutchfield.com](http://www.crutchfield.com) unclviny ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/4 "2002-12-28T21:56:35Z")
I used to use a [Sima](http://www.epinions.com/content_61642215044) which is similar to unclvinny’s Sony - at around a third of the price. And no buttons at all - just the touchscreen. Since I got Tivo though, I’m back to two remotes again. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2002, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/5 "2002-12-28T22:02:12Z")
I used to use a [Sima](http://www.epinions.com/content_61642215044) which is similar to unclvinny’s Sony - at around a third of the price. And no buttons at all - just the touchscreen. Since I got Tivo though, I’m back to two remotes again. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Hodge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Hodge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hodge)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/6 "2002-12-29T00:01:06Z")
[Remote Central](http://www.remotecentral.com/) is an excellent review site for remotes. I’m using the ATI Remote Wonder, myself. I personally hate touchscreen remotes, although they’re very versatile, and much prefer real buttons. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/7 "2002-12-29T00:12:04Z")
Check the brands of your stuff. My Philips/Magnavox VCR flat out refused to work with anything but a Philips/Magnavox Universal Remote. (I went through several before finally coming across a remote that worked.) ---
**Author:** ![BioHazard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3bc359/32.png) [@BioHazard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BioHazard)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/8 "2002-12-29T01:02:55Z")
I have [this remote](http://www.x10.com/products/x10_mk19a.htm) IT does everything, even control the lights and computer. Only $49.95! ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2002, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/9 "2002-12-29T19:17:09Z")
The Philips “Pronto” works really good, is highly customizable, can learn stuff from any remote and you can save it all on your PC, the only problem is that it’s fairly expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/10 "2002-12-30T01:36:19Z")
A few years ago, after trying several different brands and failing to find one that would control my stereo receiver, cd player, television, vcr, and satellite receiver, I bought a Sony universal remote (model RM-V60) and it controlled everything perfectly! It doesn’t, sadly, control my fairly new DVD player–possibly because DVD players were not as widely spread when I bought the remote. I haven’t checked on currently available remotes, but IMO Sony is pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/11 "2002-12-30T02:11:14Z")
I have the Home Theater Master MX-500, and it’s an excellent remote. It’s got a great review at Remote Central, which I see someone has already linked to above. I got mine for under $120 at [BlueDo](http://www.bluedo.com/bluedocgi/products.cgi?brand=Home%20Theater%20Master). ---
**Author:** ![CheapBastid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8baadc/32.png) [@CheapBastid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CheapBastid)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2002, 10:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-universal-remote/145403/12 "2002-12-30T10:46:18Z")
Check that link to Remote Central, there is a whole cult devoted to the Radio Shack 15-1994.