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.