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Argh!  Stupid Sony.

First, they had to outsmart their competitors by making their Blu-ray remote controls Bluetooth devices.  Bluetooth wouldn't be a problem except for the fact that there's no IR capability in the remote control to go with the Bluetooth communication and because of that the BD remote (Blu-ray disc remote control) doesn't function as a universal remote control.  Blah.

Second, the stinkin' remote doesn't even come with the darned system.  $24.99 add-on.  Ok, I know you can use the Six-axis controller to control movie playback if you want, but it isn't convenient either.

The $24.99 price really doesn't bother me if the remote control would also control my TV, or at least the VOLUME on the TV since the Blu-ray disc manufacturers and/or movie makers that create most of the content on the discs are absolutely horrible at setting consistent volume levels across the entireity of a movie.

At least Microsoft gives their media remote control away with the HD-DVD add-on device, and that device is a *universal* remote control, or at least multifunction remote control that will control the vast majority of TVs on the market.

Thanks for nuthin' Sony.