RC User Reviews: Rotel RR969 Remote Control (1)

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User reviews for the Rotel RR969 from Rotel.

Ratings	Reviews	MSRP (USD)
Average: 4.50/5.00 Median: 4.67/5.00	6	~$120

Similar to the Home Logic UR362, the RR969 features a different button layout with dedicated menu controls and a standard keypad arrangement.

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Written by Charles from Irvine, CA.

The reviewer has used this remote control for more than two years.

Review 6 made on Thursday October 13, 2005 at 6:20 PM.

Strengths:

simple layout, fair price, great programming funtion, not overly hi-tech.

Weaknesses:

Need to slide the cover all the way down to access the "Macro" button is quite tedious, meaning a two-hand operation instead of one. Battery life is good. Single "Power" button sometimes doesn't recognize respective "on/off" commands chronologically with certain units, the Rotel RDV-1060 DVD player for instance.

Review:

Great remote, except for the hidden Macro button. If anyone knows how to reposition it, through designating to another button on the main keypad or something, please let me know, thanks!

Quality:

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Written by Richard Shilling from Pacific Palisades, CA, USA.

The reviewer has used this remote control for more than two years.

Review 5 made on Saturday September 4, 2004 at 10:39 PM.

Strengths:

Logical button layout. Easy to program. Good ergonomics and my wife loves buttons - no touch screen for her!

Weaknesses:

If it were possible I'd like a selection of buttons with different names that you could open the unit and slip in. OK, this is a dream and probably not practical.

Review:

I've owned the 969 for close to 4 years. After I programmed it we use it every day. Today I switched receivers and found the instruction manual is lost. The Rotel website had a manual and I re-learned the programming - simple. I also went on Remote Central and looked at newer universal remotes and don't see a lot of improvement if any. More attention should be paid to the Rotel 969!

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Written by Fer from Amsterdam, NL.

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

Review 4 made on Thursday February 7, 2002 at 8:35 AM.

Strengths:

Great transmission over wide angles
Button labeling

Weaknesses:

Flimsy buttons, overall construction could be better.

Review:

I am quite pleased with this remote. There are better looking units, but usage is easy and it works better over wide angles than the standard remotes that came with my equipment.

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Written by paolo cutilli from Italy.

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

Review 3 made on Friday March 9, 2001 at 6:42 AM.

Strengths:

Buttons !!!
Easy usage !!
No useless codes already installed !!

Weaknesses:

Plastic

Review:

I live in Italy and found out that all the other remotes come with their codes for US equipemtn. So my choice had been hard but....this remote saved me !
I have a Panasonic TV which some codes didn't come out by other universal remote...this new my remote did it !!
I can through all other remotes out of the window ! Forget to pain !!! 10 minutes and you'll be saved !! GREAT !!!

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Written by Arjen_again from Grand Rapids, MI.

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

Review 2 made on Friday October 6, 2000 at 11:40 PM.

Strengths:

See above

Weaknesses:

See below

Review:

Update on review above....Rotel sent me a replacement remote (via dealer), that does not seem to have the quality problem. So in all fairness, I think this remote deserves at least 4 stars.

Also, given that Daniel added some good pictures to his review, I removed my crappy pictures....just too darn embarrassing :)

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Written by Arjen from Grand Rapids, USA.

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

Review 1 made on Thursday August 24, 2000 at 4:05 PM.

Strengths:

Design, finish, memory, number of buttons.

Weaknesses:

- No input selection on device keys, backlight not configurable.

- I have had it happen twice that the remote went bananas on me. The backlight would flicker, finally stopping with a reset of the button beep. Fortunately it does not seem to completely reset itself, my config is still intact. Must be a firmware bug. Hence my quality rating.

- No pre-programmed or advanced codes, so don't loose those old remotes!

Review:

For a few (crappy) pictures, see: htpp://www.westerink.net/remotes

PHYSICAL DESIGN
- Well balanced, not heavy at all.
- Rather large, but not too big to operate with one hand.
- The RR969 has that silky smooth rubbery finish, much like the IBM Thinkpads. Quite nice.
- The edges of the LCD show some glue, weird oversight considering the rest of the finish.
- Unlike on the UR362, the LCD does not show day or date. I don't quite understand why Rotel made that choice.
- The "label flip" under the cover is well constructed.
- The sliding cover slides VERY easy, a bit too easy if you ask me. I hope it will not start sliding out of sheer gravity over time.

BUTTONS
- In my opinion, the RR969 has a nicer button layout than the UR362 (see pictures). It has separate transport control and navigation buttons, the main reason why I went looking beyond the T2.
- You will probably end up wishing that certain buttons you use often were located on the main keypad, instead of under the sliding cover. I for one would have preferred the Macro button on the main keypad. But in general, I think Rotel made good choices.
- Buttons have a bit of a "loose" feeling, but certainly not bad. There is some tactile feedback.
- The Volume and Channel buttons are little small. Also, I find that the Volume buttons are not as responsive as the other buttons. A push through that little tactile hurdle is not enough, you really need to touch bottom.
- LOTS of buttons :-)
- There is no SHIFT function (but there IS a SHIFT key, hmmmm....)
- You can not teach IR codes to the device buttons, so no input selection on double-press. Bummer.
- Teaching is tedious (compared to the T2 EVERY remote is tedious), but very easy and intuitive. IR capture is not fussy at all.
- Button labeling is a GREAT feature. Tedious, but very easy. Nice touch is that a label centers automatically.

MACROS & TIMERS
- Like the UR362, you can create a delay by holding the preceding button for a while. But unlike the UR362, the RR969 does not show a counter. Why? I ask..
- You can teach macros to the device buttons, but can not activate the macro by double-click. You must first press the MACRO key (under the cover), then the macro key of choice.
- You can include commands fom any device in a macro, but a macro can not change the "device mode" of the remote upon finishing the macro. Bummer.

POWER & MANUAL
- Backlight is good. Needs to be quite dark for it to come on. But the LCD is very readable, even in darker lighting.
- Backlighting (brightness, time-out, light-sensor) is not adjustable in any way.
- The IR emitters seem pretty powerful. Better angles than I get out of my T2.
- Manual is short, but OK. This remote does not need a fat manual (like the RC2000mkII...sheesh).

FINAL LOOK
I like it. Certainly not as versatile as the Pronto or the T2, but for 1/3 to 1/6 of the price, it is a winner.

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