An automatic remote control device and method which compensates for ambient, environmental noise changes and sudden changes in program material volume. The microphones and circuitry associated with the volume control apparatus are located in an autonomous, preferably portable, remote control unit that will work with any existing audio/video device that is configured to respond to a remote control input. In one embodiment, the remote control device comprises a microprocessor, at least one directional microphone for receiving a sound level emitted from a sound-emitting device, and at least one omni-directional microphone for receiving the total noise level in the vicinity of the remote control device. The microprocessor located in the remote control device utilizes the received sound level and the total received noise level to calculate a reference sound-to-noise ratio. If a volume up/down control is pressed by the operator, the remote control device sends the appropriate signal to the sound-emitting device to increase or decrease the sound level, and a new reference sound-to-noise ratio is calculated. If the volume up/down control has not been used, a timed polling loop periodically measures the sound level and the total received noise level so as to calculate a current sound-to-noise ratio and to determine whether the sound-to-noise ratio has changed. If the sound-to-noise ratio has changed, then the remote control device sends the appropriate signal to the sound-emitting device to adjust the sound level so that the original sound-to-noise ratio is maintained. Hysteresis, in which the device determines whether a pre-determined amount of time has passed since the device last adjusted the sound level, is preferably utilized to prevent continuous fluctuations of the sound.