Control Issues This One Works Every Day of the Month.

Some of the buttons were chewed level with the plane of the controller’s cover. Others were pitted and chewed to the extent that the numbers formerly identifying them were unrecognizable. Yet others were almost totally obliterated, bare remnants of their original selves. My daughter had left it lying around for her pet rats to gnaw. Yet even with the mostly defaced buttons, the controller still functioned until this week when it died suddenly. Even a transfusion of fresh batteries couldn’t resuscitate it. Mrs. Spudman decided she now needed a new television for her sewing room. After looking around for a few days and giving her some figures, she decided that all she needed was a new remote controller after all. Music to my ears. Money saved. A new search. A new bargain purchase. A new Epinion! Yes!
We said our good byes to the deceased remote controller, and I respectfully buried it appropriately in a remote corner of the property.

Expediency was the key now. There would be no exhaustive search of the internet (including Epinions!) and Consumer Reports, no interviews of 100 strangers, and no multiple visits to stores to compare prices. One of our televisions was out of controller and a quick fix was in order before Mrs. Spudman changed her mind and decided again she actually wanted a new TV. The new controller had to be diminutive to fit her hand, the buttons had to be clearly legible, and foremost it had to be cheap. After two fruitless visits to other stores, I found what I wanted in CVS, the Universal Replacement Remote PM3S by Philips for pennies under ten dollars. Normally I’d avoid anything labeled PMS, but I was in a hurry and would take my chances and brace for the mood swings.

For some reason these controllers were locked in a glass display case; these babies must be really popular, I thought. Looking through the glass I could see the four available controllers. I chose this one because of its petite size and low price. The packaging said this three device apparatus, TV, VCR/DVD, cable, was guaranteed to work with my components. Next to the PM3S in the display was the PM4S, a four device remote with VCR and DVD not conjoined by a punctuation mark. Since this remote would be for TV only, it could have been a one-control device for all I cared. Besides, they both looked about the same to me. I’ve later learned that the PM4S has separate buttons for the DVD and VCR devices, not the shared button ala the PM3S. After an employee unlocked the glass vault for me, I was soon on the way home with our new controller.

The Philips universal controller is 7 and a half inches in length and a very light 3.2 ounces. Its tapering design makes it narrower at the bottom and comfortable in the user’s grasp. On the back of the controller is an indentation for the forefinger so the channel surfer can easily manipulate the volume and channel controls with his/her thumb.
The control buttons are fairly conventional and are quite legible now. This may not be the case a year hence. The mute button is in the middle of the volume and channel controls in a recess. I like this configuration because when the phone rings the mute is right there within thumb’s reach.

At the top right hand corner of this silver controller is the power button. Below that in a horizontal line are the TV, VCR/DVD, and cable buttons. The function buttons are logically arranged and not difficult to find. The controls for previous channel, closed caption, code search, sleep timer and above the numbers for direct channel selection.
The 6 control buttons for DVD or VCR are arranged in two rows of three at the bottom.

SET UP

One way to program the controller is by direct code entry. A list of three digit codes for all the major brands of televisions, VCR’s and DVD’s is included in the instruction manual. To program you simply press the code button, press the desired mode button, (TV, VCR etc.), and type in the three digit codes for the brand. After a valid code is entered, the red indicator light turns off. In the manual 15 TV codes are listed for Sylvania and naturally none of them worked. My next option was to press code and continue to press the channel up button up to three hundred times until the channel changes. At that point pressing the mute button locks in the code. I think I pressed the button close to the 300 times suggested and then overshot the mark while daydreaming. When I backtracked as directed, the channel didn’t change again. I started from scratch and eventually found the code and locked it in. It was a tedious process, but it’s a one-time procedure soon forgotten.

Our experience

I rarely have reason to use this controller because it’s used to operate Mrs.Spudman’s television in her sewing room. She has no complaints at all and says the controller works marvelously. The buttons have a soft, springy feel to them and are responsive. The clerk in CVS where I purchased the controller told me he has the exact same item and it works great for him also. We only use the Philips to control a television, but the clerk also told me he uses his as a DVD controller also with very satisfactory results.

Bits and Pieces

No replacement controller can be expected to control all the features of all brands of appliances. Most are covered, however.

This controller is powered by 2 AAA batteries.

The remote powers on in TV mode.

The remote automatically times out if a button is depressed for more than 30 seconds. This feature will conserve the batteries if the controller is stuck in a place where the buttons remain depressed. To prevent the buttons from becoming depressed, it is recommended that the viewer watch only cheerful, uplifting programs.

If the batteries are removed, you have ten minutes to replace them or the codes programmed into the remote will be lost. I’m hoping I never experience this catastrophe.

There is no Potato Channel specific button on this controller!

We think this is a good, little controller and worth what little bit it costs.

History Lesson

In olden times castles were surrounded by a canal or channel of water. This protective ring of water, called a moat, discouraged intruders and castle invaders. Over time the moat filled with silt, dirt, and debris and the water channel had to be redug to restore its original depth, efficacy and volume. Eventually someone thought of surrounding the moat with screening to delay the necessary work of redigging or reconstituting the moat to its original condition.
Thus the first remoat control was invented.