so, by this point someone (if there is anyone out there) may have realized that what I really use this for at this point is to make a log of the answers to problems I have had to search for the answers to. This post is no exception.

problem: Sony vl900 remote transmits the on/off signal to my yamaha receiver too long and turns it back on when I try to turn it off.

Answer:
http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-sony/thread.cgi?keywords=1387&highlight=repeat|vl900|rate

Another issue:
Problem: the Learning remote won't learn the TIVO Channel Down command

Answer: the TIVO remote doesn't transmit clearly - you have to buy another pre-programmed remote and use it to learn from

http://www.remotecentral.com/cgi-bin/mboard/rc-sony/thread.cgi?keywords=5137&highlight=button|vl900|tivo|down