Advice needed regarding remote control functionality (1 Viewer)

[Michael1]

Hi, all. This may be a tough one to answer, but I've received very helpful info regarding previous, weird tech problems through the HTF, so here goes: I have a fairly old Sony Blu-Ray player and a far older SONY AV System/amplifier, and in both cases, the functionality of the remote controls is very inconsistent. It seems some of the buttons to select the input, to adjust the sound level, etc. work fine and get an immediate response when I push them, but others I need to push several times before they work. Of course, my first assumption was that the batteries needed to be replaced, but in every case when I've tried this, it has not helped at all -- and again, some buttons always seem to work fine, others always need to be pressed several times. It occurred to me that it might have something to do with the atmospheric conditions in my apartment, but if that were the case, why would some buttons always work much better than others? Should I guess that there is some kind of dirt or dust inside the remotes that's impeding the functionality of certain buttons? If that's true, is there anything I can do about that? Do I need to order new remotes, in which case I guess I'd have to get a universal remote and teach it to run these things. Again, any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[JohnRice]

The remotes are probably just worn out. You need new ones. Exact replacements are probably expensive, if you can even find any, but lots of universal/programmable ones are available.

 

[Michael1]

Thanks. I've never really tried using the programmable ones. Are they difficult to program? And are they more difficult to program if you want to use them for more than one device?

 

[JohnRice]

There are two basic types. One is programmed, and you get a list of codes for various devices. Nothing really to program once you locate the correct code. You can't customize them at all, though. Then there are learning remotes, where you teach it every single button using your current remote. The problem with that is your current remotes don't work well, which makes it difficult to teach them. So you probably want a programmed one. Generally they can control multiple devices.

They're really cheap. Usually $15 or less, and lots of them to choose from.

 

[Bob Gu]

You may be able to find exact Sony replacement remotes for your equipment at Amazon. So no need to program.

Search; Electronics: Sony Blu-Ray Remote Replacement with the model number at the bottom front of the remote.

The remote replacement search should come up with a list of compatible Sony players.

Recently, I was able to get exact replacement remotes for a 10 year old Vizio TV and a Toshiba DVD/VCR, at Amazon.

 

[JohnRice]

Yeah, it’s probably worth at least trying to get an identical replacement first.

 

[John Sparks]

I replaced my Panny 420 remote with a non-oem one from China on eBay that works perfectly. No programming, just aim and use. For less than $15 shipped.