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First Remote Control
The first remote intended to control a television was developed by Zenith Radio Corporation in 1950. The remote, called "Lazy Bones", was connected to the television by a wire. -
1952
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1955 - Zenith Flash-Matic
In 1955, Eugene Polley, a Zenith engineer, developed a light activated remote called Flash-Matic. The unit looked like a cross between a ray gun and a flashlight. The viewer would point the light at one of the four corners of the television to change the channel or turn the set on or off. Of course, ambient room light and stray lights from nearby windows drove the TV to uncommanded contortions -
Zenith Space Command
In 1956, Robert Adler developed "Zenith Space Command", a wireless remote.[8] It was mechanical and used ultrasound to change the channel and volume. When the user pushed a button on the remote control, it clicked and struck a bar, hence the term "clicker". Each bar emitted a different frequency and circuits in the television detected this sound. -
Remote Control in the 1970's
The impetus for a more complex type of television remote control came in 1973, with the development of the Ceefax teletext service by the BBC. Most commercial remote controls at that time had a limited number of functions, sometimes as few as three: next channel, previous channel, and volume/off. This type of control did not meet the needs of teletext sets, where pages were identified with three-digit numbers. A remote control to select teletext pages would need buttons for each numeral from zer -
Remote Control of the 80's
In 1980, a Canadian company, Viewstar, Inc., was formed by engineer Paul Hrivnak and started producing a cable TV converter with an infrared remote control. The product was sold through Philips for approximately $190 CAD. At the time the most popular remote control was the Starcom of Jerrold (a division of General Instruments) which used 40-kHz sound to change channels. The Viewstar converter was an immediate success, the millionth converter being sold on March 21, 1985, with 1.6 million sold by -
Early 2000's
By the early 2000s, the number of consumer electronic devices in most homes greatly increased, along with the number of remotes to control those devices. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, an average American home has four remotes.[citation needed] To operate a home theater as many as five or six remotes may be required, including one for cable or satellite receiver, VCR or digital video recorder (DVR/PVR), DVD player, TV and audio amplifier. Several of these remotes may need to -
Current Remotes and future styles
The future of the remote really focuses on simplifying your electronic needs. They are multifunctioning, and often can be operated remotely through wifi or bluetooth technology. One remote can control your tv, vcr, stereo, thermostat, and lights in your home.
