Handmade set bose

Why does my television remote work only part of the time? - why does my tv work only if the vcr is on

I have a 20-inch TV from Sony is about 6 years. The remote works only sporadically, with no rhyme or reason. I changed batteries and tried a universal remote and a Sony HDD recorder, with the same result. It could be the first time you go to work, then it is not for a few hours of work, and if I'm lucky, the work could begin. It runs about 20 percent of the time.