If you are like many Americans, television plays an important role in your life. You probably watch at least an hour a day, maybe even DVR your favorite shows so that you can watch when your children are not around. It may not come as a surprise, then, that in the U.S., Americans own approximately 115.9 televisions. That means hours upon hours of television are watched on a daily basis. In fact, during their lifetime, the average American will have spent 9 years of their life watching TV.
Perhaps the most important part of a TV, at least nowadays, is the remote control. Unlike the first televisions, and even the ones in the 80’s and early 90’s, today’s TV’s cannot be manually controlled. TV remote controls came into existence back in 1950, when the first one, called “Lazy Bones,” was created by Zenith. But their impact was not seen until infrared ones were introduced by Ultrasonic in the 1980’s. The infrared controls could turn the TV on and control the channels, but people could still use the manual controls on their TV sets.
With the increase in high tech flat screen TV’s and smart TV’s in recent years, a wireless remote is typically the only way to turn the TV on, access cable or satellite, and browse channels. Since these wireless remotes are easily lost, it can be extremely frustrating. Some people try using universal remotes as a replacement, but this can also be disappointing, as they only perform basic functions.
Luckily, by contacting the company that made your TV, you can get a new remote within a few days. Magnavox remotes, Toshiba remote controls, Samsung TV remotes, and many other remotes can be replaced by calling the TV maker.
There are also websites that offer replacement remotes for all TV brands. They sell Magnavox remotes, Sony remote controls, and Panasonic remotes to name a few. As long as you have the model number, you can have the replacement shipped to you within a week, or even a few days if you rush the order.
Without a remote, there is no way to watch TV, DVR shows, or even watch a movie on DVD. As you wait for your new remote, you could watch a few things on your computer or iPad, but as we all know, there is nothing like enjoying your favorite sitcom on a big TV screen.