RC User Reviews: RCA RCU1000B Remote Control (4)

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User reviews for the RCA RCU1000B from RCA.

Ratings	Reviews	MSRP (USD)
Average: 2.71/5.00 Median: 3.00/5.00	39	$99

The RCU1000B is a 10-device learning remote control that features a large backlit LCD touchscreen, hard buttons, macros, timers and more!

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the RCA RCU1000B remote.

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Written by Chris Young from United Kingdom.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 18 made on Thursday July 18, 2002 at 8:19 AM.

Strengths:

Looks good, especially in the dark, macros work well

Weaknesses:

Slow to react, learning mode very poor.

Review:

I wish I read the reviews on this remote before I purchased it as I'm not very impressed by it. The product codes worked well with all of my equipment bar one the Sky Digital satellite box (Sony VTX) probably the most used of all my equipment, the code supplied didn't work nor did the code search, and the learning function after several failed attempts couldn't learn the codes either, following this I contacted the RCA website who came back saying "that its obviously not compatable with your equipment sorry for any inconvenience caused" which went down well!!!
Unit is very slow often taking several presses of the button to work.

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Written by Brian Cherkauer from CA, USA.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 3-6 months.

Review 17 made on Tuesday July 16, 2002 at 3:38 PM.

Strengths:

It's so big that it doesn't slip between the sofa cushions.

Weaknesses:

Cannot learn my Kenwood receiver codes.
Pre-programmed codes leave out most advanced functions.
Frequently loses its memory and needs to be reprogrammed.
Loses its memory (for codes, but strangely not macros) when batteries die or are removed.
Locks up and requires battery removel to restart.
Photocell backlight only works when in complete darkness or when covered by hand.
Can only be awakened by "setup" button, not by any other button or touch screen.
Slow response of keypad.

Review:

I can't say I've ever come across a bigger piece of junk than this remote. It does not seem to do anything particularly well, and it is chock-full of glitches and surprises that will keep you on your toes.

The single most annoying thing about this remote, assuming you can get it to work with your equipment, is the slow response of keypad. It can only handle 1 button press every 3-4 seconds, a maddeningly slow rate when trying to channel surf or scroll through an on-screen menu.

If you need the remote to learn codes for any of your equipment, you are in for quite a treat. The learning process itself is finicky but manageable. However, I have found that my remote loses its learned codes when it loses power and sometimes just all on its own for no apparent reason. This is especially annoying as the remote also locks up about once a month and refuses to do anything until the batteries are removed and re-installed.

The latest glitch I have come across is a lockup accompanied by an "all icons on", where every icon on the LCD screen is turned on simultaneously. Removal of the batteries cured the lockup, but the screen still has all the icons on. So now I not only have to reteach it all the learned codes, but I also have to redefine all the displayed buttons for every device.

Or, I could throw it in the trash where it belongs.

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Written by Helgardt Dippenaar from Wetaskiwin, Canada.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 16 made on Saturday July 13, 2002 at 9:39 PM.

Strengths:

hmm, i guess it's got a large LCD screen and it's cheap too.

Weaknesses:

o my goodness !! it absolutely would not learn my Bell ExpressVu satellite !! or my HK 500 receiver !! Automatic backlighting is a joke - had to switch it on manually by covering the sensor.

Review:

a big disappointment. this one's being exchanged for a Pronto TSU 2000 for sure !!

dont' buy this unless 1] you think RCA is the best thing since the invention of the wheel and 2] your entire home theater consists of exclusively RCA products - in that case, good luck !

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Written by Lar Mader from Albuquerque, NM.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 15 made on Sunday July 7, 2002 at 5:33 PM.

Strengths:

Basically works as advertised. It has volume control punch through to any audio device (probably a mandatory feature, but at least it's there). I like the back-lit display at night.

Weaknesses:

Somewhat limited in features. If you want to customize your own touchscreen buttons, there are only a few fixed labels to choose from for each button. I got around this by leaving some button labels blank. A little finicky in some ways. Wouldn't learn my VCR remote (but it's kind of old). Forunately I consider VCRs the equivalent of stone knives and bear skins, so this didn't bother me much.

Review:

I basically like this remote, as it fulfills my relatively modest needs nicely.

I am able to easily control my widescreen TV, DVD, SAT, and Yamaha receiver. I programmed two macros - one to switch to DVD mode (changes TV inputs and switches the receiver to Dolby Digital), and one to switch back to satellite mode. I was able to learn buttons on all of my devices (except my VCR, but it is a little old).

It's a little weird controlling my satellite receiver - if I push a button quickly, it doesn't execute on the satellite receiver; I have to hold the button down for a half second for it to successfully execute the command. Not a big deal, just kind of takes some self training.

The batteries that came with it were almost dead. Put in new batteries if you buy this thing.

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Written by mark polland from fl,usa.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 14 made on Tuesday July 2, 2002 at 10:22 PM.

Strengths:

not going to find anything better for the money.Easy learning for components not code listed

Weaknesses:

a bit too big

Review:

this remote has no faults as a universal remote control apart from its size.It picked up the keys for my cheapo norcent dvd player and i assigned the cd player controls to my panasonic dvd player also had the codes for my konka tv whick no other remote has had before.in totalo i am controlling 2 dvd players 2 vcrs a tv a yamaha amp(though had to change the input buttons as the code had them messed up)and a sony sat receiver.Worked like a charm in less than an hour.An absolute pleasure to use ive even increased my biceps.reccommended to anyone with a hundred bucks to blow on a remote control

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Written by Philip Iturralde from Mtn. View, CA.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 13 made on Tuesday June 25, 2002 at 8:28 PM.

Strengths:

Powerful, easy to use, and a good value 'cool looking' Universal LCD Touchscreen Learning Remote. Controls up to nine devices, nice backlight large LCD touch-sensitive screen (via included stylus or finger), programmable and you can easily, ... & I Mean Easily, ... teach it IR codes from your existing remotes. The size of the screen, combined with the sharp text, makes it very easy on the eyes. Nine macros w/up to 20 commands memory. Screen button label customization, though limited. 11 hard direct access buttons below the LCD screen which take care of most controls. Did I mention 'Cool Looking'?? Competitively priced considering these features.

Weaknesses:

Large & somewhat bulky design about the size of a VHS tape. Heavy - Weight: 2.50 Lbs. (though it doesn't bother me) & as mentioned above, customization of the Screen buttons labels are very limited.

Review:

I bought this thru eBay for $36 (unused, virtually 'new' in package item) and programmed-in the Codes for 5 devices within 15 minutes of powering on. After playing with it for a day or so, I easily learned* the specific required function keys from my 16:9 Toshiba 50" 50H81 HDTV, Yamaha RX-V995 AV Receiver and Panasonic DVD-RV31K DVD, Technics SL-MC410 110+1 Mega CD Changer, Panasonic PV-8661 4-Head Stereo HI-FI VHS Tape Unit individual remotes respectively. Next, I permanently assigned 'volume' to my Yamaha AV Receiver.

*NOTE: Following the User's Manual IR Learning Instructions, I kept the two remotes within 2" and made sure that the incandescent lights were low.

A few days later, I programmed in 8 (out of 9 available) Macros, where my Main one is for HT, 1) which Powers-ON my Toshiba HDTV, 2) change the Video Input to DVD, 3) change the PIC Size from TheaterWide #1 to FULL (16x9); 4) Powers-ON my Yamaha, 5) changes the Device Input to DVD; 6) and Power-ON my Panasonic DVD Player - six selections accomplished by 1 button press!! I also included added Macro to Power-Off all the above HT devices.

Another Macro I generally use a lot, was after watching a blockbuster DVD, ... all the guest have left, ... I programmed another Macro button to 1) Change my Toshiba HDTV Video Input to antenna, 2) PIC Size from FULL to TheaterWide #1, 3) change the channel to Seven (news); 4) change my Yamaha Device Input to TV; 5) Turn-off my DVD player. The RCA Remote Macro programming function is TOPS, allowing you the options to also delete one individual Macro # without affection the other previously programmed Macros.

I have no issues on the backlight sensitivity (if it doesn't turn-on as the sun sets, just put your finger over the sensor to activate the backlight - my unit does not hum) or the large size of my RCA Remote.

All-in-all, I found the use, programmability and IR learning functions to be excellent. The IR learning function is very easy to use, adding Macros is simple and using the Macros very impressive!

I like using the included stylus which keeps the LCD screen clean, and I even removed the four unused Screen Device Button Graphics (AUX, SAT, Audio 1 - Tape & Audio 3 - Amp) to clear up the display.

I highly recommend it if you spend a lot of time with your A/V system and you want to clear up your coffee table with a handful of clickers. The real benefit of the RCA is its value @ eBay. It has its limitations, which RCA doesn't try to hide, but it offers quite a bit of power and flexibility at a reasonable price.

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Written by AJ Morten from Kansas City, MO.

The reviewer has used this remote control for 1-3 months.

Review 12 made on Friday April 5, 2002 at 9:44 PM.

Strengths:

Price of $99.99; controls up to 9 components; can 'learn' functions from other remotes; learning function worked (though not always on first attempt) for every component function I attempted (I set up 8); has hard keys for often-used functions; menu to setup or change remote options was easy to enter, though harder to exit

Weaknesses:

Hard keys are only programmable if the hard keys are relevant to the component (could not program hard keys for FF, stop, Play, Rewind, for TV component); limited preset codes; a learned function can take several attempts to learn correctly (I programmed page down for the onscreen channel guide of my cable box, took 4 attempts to work correctly); once a LCD button had learned something, the learning process was much more difficult; limited key labeling options and related-labels are often placed far apart (for CD player, shuffle and program buttons are on different sides of LCD); labels for preset component codes was often wrong ('EXIT' activated 'MENU' for my TV); troubleshooting is difficult as booklet didn't cover much, 1800 rep had no info, web only gave link to booklet); cannot hold down a LCD button to have it repeat.

Review:

I loved this when I first started using it. Aside from having functions but lacking a button with an appropriate label, I worked around it by selecting a button frame with no label. Then, while scrolling through my cable guide by hitting the page down button (I programmed this) repeatedly, every button and label on the LCD lit up and locked this way. I had to remove the batteries to stop this, after which I discovered all the learned functions had been deleted, and any component that had a learned function lost all my key labeling. Customer service at any of the 3 1800 #s I've gotten had no info or suggestions.

For the price, the functionality this remote gives is outstanding. If you're more interested in functioning and consistency than price, look elsewhere.

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