I guess not everything in life can be perfect. I apologize up front if I sound somewhat biased against Sony's remotes, but thus far, each time I review one of their products, their remote controls leave me sort of, lost. I'm especially lost when fumbling for keys that are not back lit while I'm in the dark watching a movie. For the life of me, I don't understand how or why Sony designs their remotes the way they do.

But please don't let this discourage your purchase though. For a few dollars, there are a number of Home Theater Remotes that will run your entire system and most Home Theater Enthusiasts have their favorite remote already in use. Perhaps that's the reason why Sony chose such a simplistic and in my opinion non-user friendly remote for this DVD player. They realize that most people will replace it with a quality universal remote.

My last comment though. To me, the remote control is like the steering wheel to a sports car. It's your direct interface with the machine, just as a steering wheel is a direct interface to a car. If the steering wheel feels flimsy, or if the remote is hard to operate at night (when it will be used the most), then the whole experience is a bit thrown off.