| | |  | Remote Controls | Home » » » Sony RM-AX1400 Eight-Device Home Theater Remote Control | | | | | | | Description: | | 10-22-2007 - Brand New Item. Description - SONY RMAX1400 8-Device Learning Universal Remote | | | Features: | |
• Universal home theater remote control operates up to 8 components at once
• Controls TV, DVD player, VCR, CD player, satellite dish, A/V receiver, and more
• Bundled PC software (no Internet connection required) makes setup easy
• 1-touch XPress function lets you execute series of commands with single key
• Max operating distance of 32.8 feet; runs on 2 AA batteries; 90-day warranty
| | | Product Details: | | | Package Length:
| 11.0 inches | | Package Width:
| 6.0 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.6 inches | | Package Weight:
| 0.9 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 55 reviews |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 55 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
52 of 53 found the following review helpful:
 Great remote, if you have the right instructions [included below].Jul 07, 2007
By F. Lamaestra
Folks,
I was very concerned about this remote because of all the bad reviews, but after reading the reviews on epinions, it showed me how to use this remote better than the manual could. I can now recommend this remote.
This remote has an XML back-end which is really an amazing step forward in technology and very customizable; and with a bit of patience and clear instructions, this remote delivers very well.
Before you discount this remote from the other negative reviews, read this detailed review BELOW which helped me:
""
by chrisell
To program the unit, the software wizard steps you through a learning process. I'm told that it works quite well if it actually recognises your old remote. To do this, it will ask for a certain button to be pressed - play, power, something like that. Then it searches it's available preset device list for a matching code and configures the remote to match. Only it doesn't always work. Actually in my case, it didn't work for any of the 4 remotes I wanted to teach it. I'm not sure why but maybe if I'd installed the firmware update first, it would have been different.
Given that it couldn't find any of my devices, I had to do each one by hand. A bit laborious, but not too bad, and I had 100% success rate when doing it manually. Basically, the software steps through all the keys it thinks you'd want to use for the type of device you're programming, and asks you to fire your old remote at the new one so it can learn the infra-red code. At the end of this you have a roughly-configured set of keys. I say roughly, because this is where the fun starts if you're a tinkerer like me. Once you get to the 'advanced' settings, you can pretty much make this thing do anything. All the buttons in the advanced view are colour-coded to let you know if they've got a predetermined code on them, a learned code or an alias to another key elsewhere in the remote. Keys that don't have a colour assigned to them are blank and waiting to be used.
The process of manually learning codes from the advanced screen is a bit odd and the helpfile is bloody useless (you'll find that comment about this remote in ALL the reviews). Knowing how these reviews get propagated around the internet, I thought a quick how-to might be worth including here:
From the advanced screen, click the button for the device you want to customise and click "Edit Buttons". The software brings up a picture of the remote. Click the button you want to learn a code for and then click "Edit Actions". This is where the helpfile falls apart but it's actually pretty easy. On the 'Edit actions' screen there's another 'learn' button right at the bottom - click it and go through a manual learn process for that one button and voila - done.
The 'Edit actions' screen is also where the real power of the RM-AX1400 comes into play because here you can assign aliases to any other key already programmed and add delays. You can also stack up codes, aliases and delays together - effectively ANY key on the remote can become a macro. Clever, and nice for the technically-minded, but this precise feature is why this remote might not be great for the people who just want to pick it up and go.
There's been a little discussion here and there on the remote forums about the Jump function of this remote. Simply put, it just changed the display and remote key functions. So for example if you want to create a macro to watch a movie, you can power on your DVD, power on the receiver, power on the TV, set the receiver to the DVD input and then Jump the remote to the DVD settings. It's a nice touch and it means that when you hit the "movie" macro, everything turns on and the remote ensures it's in DVD mode when the macro is complete.
Most of the keys that you program can be assigned a name that shows up in the middle line of the OLED display when you push the button. One thing that's a little irritating is that by default, only the outer two of the soft buttons can be programmed for any device, and by default, they have their labels set to POWER and INPUT. There's no way to change this in the software, however, if you're not afraid of a little XML programming, your remote's configuration is all stored in an XML file called urmgui.xml. The way to manually override the default labels is to set everything up the way you want it, then assign some easily-identifiable name to the softkey you want to rename, like "ZZZZ1". Save the file out of the software and then open up the XML file in a text editor and search for "ZZZZ1". You'll find an XML button definition with two labels. The first label is the 6-character softkey label - the one that defaults to "POWER" or "INPUT". The second label is the name you can enter that shows up in the middle line of the display - in this case "ZZZZ1". Change both to be what you want and you're done.
Why all this detail? Well my projector, for example, has a power button on the remote that turns the projector on. But to turn it off, you need to push the button, wait a moment for the confirmation on the screen, then push it again. So I assigned the two soft keys so that one was "power on" which issued the remote code once, the other was "power off" which issued it twice with a half-second delay in between (using the advanced editor functions). The problem was that one label said "POWER" and the other said "INPUT" so I changed them in the XML file to say "PWRON" and "PWROFF".
So apart from all the nauseating technical detail, what's it like to use? Well apart from the slightly odd form factor which makes it a bit clunky for smaller hands, it's a delight to use in a darkened room to control a home theatre system. All the buttons are logically placed, and a user-configurable beep lets you know you've pushed the button and it's sent the remote code. The buttons have a slightly squishy sensation to them but I prefer this to the horrible 'click' on the Harmony remotes. Unlike the Logitech Harmony remotes that have a weird delay on the volume controls, I can press and hold the volume controls on the Sony and my receiver smoothly ramps the volume up and down - something I could never get my Harmony remote to do. A couple of the buttons you'd expect to be illuminated, aren't, which is a bit of a mystery. Like the 'menu' button. Fortunately, it's placed right next to the arrow keys so it's easy to memorise its location, and that in essence is what makes this remote so nice for me - hard buttons. I don't need to look at the remote to know where the keys are. Philips Prontos are all very nice, but you always have to look at the screen to see what the buttons do. With the Sony, it's like a well-laid out TV remote, even if it is a bit brick-like.
One last feature worth mentioning - the software has a backup facility which stores a binary dump of your remote on to your PC for safekeeping. So if you're messing around with the software and screw everything up, you can restore the backup and start again.
So would I recommend this? I answered 'yes' to the epinions question and gave it 4/5 stars. It drops one star because my 'yes' answer really only applies for people who are technologically savvy and willing to give this remote the time it deserves to get the most out of it. Honestly if you want a "plug'n'play" type remote, you'd probably be better off looking elsewhere.
""
17 of 19 found the following review helpful:
 If you are a gadget geek, this is the last remote you'll ever need.Jan 16, 2008
By S. Brewer
"Overanalyzing is in my nature"
This is not the remote for everyone; this remote is made for a certain type of person. In response to the challenge of programming this remote, some people would likely lose patience, give up and blame the remote, calling it a "piece of junk." Others will see that it is a quite capable remote, but perhaps a bit beyond their expertise. Then there are those that will embrace it for its extreme flexibility, and actually enjoy meeting the challenge of programming it in a way to squeeze the most usefulness out of every feature. In short, this is THE remote for me.
Only you know what kind of person you are. But if you are like me, then learning a new gadget is like solving a puzzle or figuring out the answer to a riddle. Not only do you have the patience for this remote, you will actually savor the challenge of figuring out how to make the four Xpress buttons (TV, Movie, Music and Radio) work as advertised, and when successful, revel at your accomplishment.
The MSRP on this remote is listed as $149, but as you can see, it is being sold for much, much less. I would assume this is due to the reputation this remote has garnered among non-technophiles. But do not let the low selling price mislead you into thinking this is not a high quality, capable remote. In my book, this remote is worth the $149 MSRP and more. It is likely the last remote I will ever need. It may not have all the bells and whistles of a Logitech Harmony remote or other some such universal remote with a large color screen on it, but it is every bit as capable. And instead of shouting, "hey look at this gadget!" the Sony RM-AX1400 exudes a subdued elegance that, in my opinion, is more fitting of high-end componentry than the more expensive toys. The Sony remote simply says, "class."
I have it programmed to operate all of my living room and bedroom components, and I have even programmed it to operate my Media Center PC. All of this was done using the included software, without having to edit the XML files as others have suggested. Editing the XML provides additional flexibility as far as naming the functions that appear on the OLED display, but is not necessary to get the most use out of this remote.
The nitty gritty details:
As is standard for learning remotes, the AX1400 includes the ability to remap any key to any command that you see fit, using your other remotes to send the signal to the Sony for it to "learn" them. It also includes presets for many devices, but in my case the only device that was successfully programmed with a preset was a Sony (go figure) TV. Programming a device using the learning feature as opposed to using a preset does take quite a bit more time as you must program each and every individual key one by one by learning the codes from the original remote control, but still, this is better than having a remote that knows only presets, where, if it doesn't have the right code for a component, then it simply can't be used for that component. The learning process is indeed time consuming, but it only needs to be done once. However, all of this is true for any learning remote.
The highlights of the AX1400 remote are the OLED display and the four Xpress buttons.
The display lets you know which device (up to 8) is currently selected, and when a button is pressed, it will tell you the label of the signal being sent. For instance, if you press the volume up button, the display will read "VOL+". Where this becomes even more useful is when customizing the remote. For example, there are four buttons at the bottom of the remote marked A through D which can be used for assigning functions from another remote that don't match up well with other keys already on the remote. In my case, I use the A through D keys to control the surround sound settings on my receiver. When programming those keys using the learning feature of the remote, the software asks you for a label for each one. I labelled A "Surround Mode", B "Effect" and so on. So when I press A, the OLED display will show "Surround Mode" letting me know the function of the key I just pressed.
The Xpress buttons are macro buttons that can be used to accomplish a specific task. Each button can be programmed to turn on the necessary components for each function (TV, Movie, Music or Radio) and select the necessary inputs on each component. For example, when I press the Movie Xpress button, the remote will turn on the TV, change the TV input to DVD, turn on the audio recevier, change the input on the receiver to Video, and turn on the DVD player and press "play." That is impressive in itself, but what is even more impressive is what happens if I then press another of the Xpress buttons. For instance, let's say I am done watching the DVD and decide I want to watch TV. If I press the TV Xpress button, the remote will press "stop" on the DVD player, turn off the DVD player, turn off my receiver, and change the input on the TV back to Cable. What's special about this? The remote remembers that the TV is already on. It knows what components are used for each function, and as long as you control the components with only the AX1400 remote, it knows what is on and what is off, and what needs to be on or off for each Xpress button. And if you don't use the Xpress buttons and decide to turn on or off a component using the individual remote commands, it still knows what's what. The only drawback to this is that if you turn something on or off with another remote or if you do it manually, or if a component fails to receive the power signal from the AX1400 when sent, then the remote is out of sync with the situation. However, if this does happen, there is a button labeled "Sync-Up" on the remote that is designed specifically to resolve this type of situation.
In summary, if you are a technophile that actually enjoys meeting the challenge of learning how to operate gadgets, you should be thankful that most people cannot figure out how to get this one to work and use the ridiculously low price as an excuse to buy several of them!
9 of 10 found the following review helpful:
Best for the moneyAug 14, 2007
By M. Elser
"devslair"
I bought this remote after reading all of the reviews here on Amazon and elsewhere on the net. The two biggest beefs seem to be the 'almost impossible to use software' and how the remote doesn't feel good in your hand.
After I received this remote, I installed the software(very small program), connected my remote via the included USB cable, and within 15 minutes I had it almost perfectly configured to work with my Yamaha receiver, DVD player, Sony TV, and satellite receiver. It took an additional 10 minutes to program the buttons that were missed by the wizard. I am not a software engineer by any means.
IMO holding the remote feels just fine. It doesn't cut into my hands, and it's not oblong or difficult to hold. In fact, the remote feels like quality to me. It isn't light like the cheapy remote that came with my TV. It has a heft that speaks to its quality construction. My wife loves this thing.
I'm thinking this is one of those 'deep' products that turns a lot of folks off. The manual is not color-coded and you do have to have at least a rudimentary understanding of what a learning universal remote is. If you are willing to take some time and understand the software, you'll find there is very little this remote can't do. In fact, if you aren't scared of editing XML, you'll find this remote is among the most configurable ones out there!
The only and I mean ONLY negative thing I can think to mention is Sony's choice to use small buttons for the up, down, left, and right navigation cross. These buttons are essential when surfing satellite TV and I would have liked to have had larger buttons.
Bottom line is I couldn't find a better remote under $50.
5 of 5 found the following review helpful:
 Not compatible with 64bit Operating System, go for a much simpler VL600Apr 18, 2008
By Ranerio F. M. Vieira
I bought this remote and a simpler one Sony RM-VL600 8-Device Universal Learning Remote . The first drawback of this RM-AX1400 is that it is not compatible with 64 bit Operating system, neither it's available on Sony website a compatible driver for 64bit. Bad bad!
When I got in hold of a 32 bit OS I started the programming process of the remote, it is REQUIRED a PC to program the remote. This remote could not encode the buttons for source select on a Sony HT-SS 1100 home theather receiver. Bad bad!
I tried also programming the Xpress function buttons, but it does not work on my setup (an LG TV, an LG DVD-Recorder, a Thomson DCI-1000 digital cable box and the Sony HT SS 1100 receiver). It does not send the commands to the devices with sufficient timing for them to activate and then receive the change input signal. I guess I could program lots of pauses, but as I had the other simpler VL600 remote on hand it was much easier and suits perfectly my needs.
Positive things:
Nice lights and nice display.
Bad things:
Not compatible with 64bit SO.
Not useful for the Sony receiver with multiple input buttons on the remote.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 does not change inputsMar 06, 2009
By Beemin
does not change inputs on sony es receiver. all my equipment is sony. does not learn from high end receivers or all hdmi. software not updated and is outdated. I'm staying with my previous harmony for now.
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