Month: July 2015

In the last blog post we started exploring the evolution of the television remote, which is continued in this posting. The ultrasonic remote invented in the late 1950s continued to be the preferred remote control used by television manufacturers until the late 1970s. It was during this time, advancements in RF (infrared light) signals resulted in creating new remote controls using this new technology.

RF remotes eliminated the clicking sound and made no noise anytime a button was pressed. Additionally, the new remotes included a wider range of features like being able to manually enter channel numbers rather than cycling up and down using the change channel button. It was also during this time computer technologies were advancing. In the 1980s remotes were being created for more than just TVs and could be included with a new stereo system, VCR, or Beta video tape machine. The creation of cable and satellite TV resulted in yet, another remote control used for changing channels on the receiver.

It quickly become apparent homes were being cluttered with multiple remote control devices. Fortunately for everyone, the universal remote control fixed this problem and allowed people to program multiple devices into a single remote and change between them by simply pushing the device button they wanted to operate. Even though RV remotes are still common today, they are quickly being replaced by Bluetooth technologies.

With Bluetooth, the remote does not have to be aimed directly at the device. In addition, the Bluetooth capabilities on smartphones and tablets make it possible to convert them into device remotes by downloading and installing the appropriate app.  Remote controls have improved over the years with increased functionality and more features. Since we use one remote frequently, they do tend to wear out over time. Luckily, you can acquire a new remote control for your devices directly from Replacement Remotes. Feel free to visit our website or contact us at 855-573-6683 for further assistance.

The first remote controls for televisions were not wireless, but rather wired to the TV with a long cord. These remotes started appearing with television sets in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Zenith, however, quickly worked on a solution to make the first wireless remote control and established itself as a leading television supplier thanks to the release of its wireless remote control in 1950 that allowed people to control their televisions from just about anywhere in the room.

The wireless remote control developed by Zenith used light beams to communicate with sensors built into the television. The only drawback was the remote had to be pointed at one of these sensors in order for it to function correctly. In addition, the controls were limited in functionality to turning the TV on and off, changing channels up and down, and being able to mute the sound. You still had to get up to adjust the antennae to get a clear picture and certain channels had to be manually tuned.

In the late 1950s a new remote control was invented that did not require batteries and utilized sound frequencies to control the television. The new remote quickly become to be known as a clicker because it would make a clicking sound anytime a button was pressed. The frequency was created by a metal bar striking one of four aluminum rods, resulting in an ultrasonic frequency detected by the TV’s receiver. Even though humans could not hear the sounds made by the remote control, dogs sometimes went berserk anytime the remote was used.

Today’s remotes have come a long way since the 1950s. In the next blog, we will continue to explore the evolution of the television remote control. Feel free to contact Replacement Remotes for preprogrammed universal remotes for all of your devices by calling 855-573-6683 today.