How the TV Remote Has Changed Over the Years Part I

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.

Apple TV Getting Touchscreen Remote

Apple TV is catching up to the rest of the company. Apple, known for its line of popular touchscreen phones and tablet devices, will update the remote control to its Apple TV service this summer with a new touchpad remote.

The current remote for the device makes use of a starkly minimalist push-button remote. The new remote, to be released in the summer, will feature a touch pad and two buttons. The new remotes will make accessing the device easier than ever.

Universal remote manufacturers probably won’t be far behind Apple in releasing new remotes for the device. Owners can currently operate the device with a variety of third-party universal remotes. There’s a relatively easy set-up process owners of universal remotes can use to enable their remote to work with the device.

The Apple TV is a micro-console and digital media player that streams content from various sources to owners’ televisions. The Apple TV can provide content from a variety of sources, including Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and more, making watching content from these sources easy and convenient.

In March, Apple reduced the price of the third generation Apple TV to $69. The first generation of the device was released in 2007.

Replacementremotes.com sells new and refurbished remote control devices for a wide variety of electronic devices. In addition to remotes, the company also provides TV stands, accessories, replacement product manuals, lights, and much more. The company also operates a repair service for certain devices. To learn more, contact 1-877-671-7173.

Top TV Trends for 2015

Television is an ever-evolving technology, with new innovations continually being introduced to enhance viewer experiences.  Whether it’s new TV remote control options, or higher definition television and entertainment centers, manufacturers always have something new in store for consumers.

For 2015, the big trends in television appear to be price reductions for higher-end televisions, along with a few developments in wireless technology and improved picture quality.

This year is set to be the breakout year for 4K UHD televisions, as they begin to outnumber 1080p televisions on the market. 4K UHD televisions offer better picture quality than 1080p televisions. As 4K UHD televisions replace 1080p televisions to become the industry standard, more content made specifically to appeal to the higher picture quality made available by 4K UHD televisions will be generated.

4K UHD televisions are set to drop in price this year, as are even higher-end OLED televisions. OLED televisions are likely to fall beneath the current $3,000 price barrier this year, according to industry experts.

In addition to the wider availability of high resolution television sets, home theater sets that use wireless technology are also likely to become more available in 2015. Manufacturers are turning out home theater systems that connect speakers and televisions seamlessly without using wires.

Replacementremotes.com sells new and refurbished remote control devices for a wide variety of electronic devices. In addition to remotes, the company also provides TV stands, accessories, replacement product manuals, lights, and much more. The company also operates a repair service for certain devices. To learn more, contact 1-877-671-7173.

Save Time with Preprogrammed Universal Remote Controls

One of the most frequent guest problems hotels and resorts encounter is issues with the TV remote control not working correctly, or issues with the TV not being on the right input. During the busy summer tourist season, the last thing you want is your housekeeping, maintenance, and front desk staff being tied up on endless calls because there are problems with TV remotes and televisions not working correctly.

To address these problems quickly and get back to more important operations, you should keep a stock of preprogrammed universal remote controls on hand at all times. Preprogrammed remotes have already been programmed at the factory for specific television brands, such as LG, Samsung, and Sony. They work right out of the box after installing a set of new batteries.

Another benefit of preprogrammed universal remotes is they only include the basic remote control features. You do not have to worry about guests getting into the menu features on the TV and changing settings. In addition, if you offer in-room access to a DVD or Blu-ray player, the same remote control can be used to switch inputs from the TV to the device, as well as control playback features.

To learn more about preprogrammed universal remotes for your hotel or resort, feel free to call Replacement Remotes at 877-671-7173 now. We carry a wide selection of compatible universal remotes for all of the popular TV brands.

Remote Control: How to Remove the Battery Cover

If your battery door is hard to find or you do not know how to remove it, please locate the operating manual for that remote, or if the remote originally came with a unit (i.e. TV), then you must locate your TV’s operating manual. Inside the manual will be instructions and pictures on how to remove the battery door and change the batteries. For some of our most popular remotes see images below:

xrt303batterycoverremoveremovingbattcover

Voice Recognition TV Remotes Big Trend for 2015

Voice recognition technology has come a long way in recent years, being used in everything from vehicles to smartphones. TV remotes are the newest frontier for voice technology, and consumers can expect to see voice-activated and controlled remotes become more common among high-end televisions in 2015.

Samsung made a big push with newer, fancier remote controls last year that included a variety of features including motion detection and voice recognition. Other manufacturers are following suit, introducing high-end remotes of their own.

Voice recognition technology can make a variety of aspects of operating a remote easier, particularly search functions. By just saying the name of the movie or show they’d like to watch, viewers can avoid the tedious process of manually entering the name of the content via the remote.

Like all consumer electronic technology, what starts in high-end devices will eventually filter down to less expensive models as the technology improves and prices decrease. Within a few years consumers are likely to see voice-activated TV remotes available for a variety of televisions. Universal remote manufacturers are also likely to begin production of voice-activated versions of their products, should this technology prove popular among the public.

Replacementremotes.com sells new and refurbished remote control devices for a wide variety of electronic devices. In addition to remotes, the company also provides TV stands, accessories, replacement product manuals, lights, and much more. The company also operates a repair service for certain devices. To learn more, contact 1-877-671-7173.