The first remote, developed by Zenith Radio Corporation, and dubbed “Lazy Bones” wasn’t anything like the remotes of today. For a start, it was wired into the TV, which was one of the reasons it didn’t really take off. It was also a simple device that consisted of few buttons, only capable of cycling through stations by triggering a motorised knob. I can’t imagine calling a product “Lazy Bones” is exactly an effective marketing message either…

Fortunately, Zenith backed up the “Lazy Bones” with the “Flashmatic” in 1955. It was wireless, using a beam of light pointed at one of four sensors on the TV to turn the TV on or off, change channels or adjust volume. Unfortunately, the sensor on the TV wasn’t able to differentiate between the Flashmatic light source and any other light, making its performance unpredictable.

In 1956, Zenith introduced the “Space Commander” which used ultrasound frequencies to change the channel wirelessly. It was a huge improvement over previous remotes, and was able to adjust volume and change channels. It was so successful that it was the predominate form of remote control until the late 1970s. It did, however, seem to annoy dogs…

In the late ’70s, the remote went through a design revolution to the more complex systems we have today thanks to the introduction of Teletext services on the BBC. It was also the late ’70s that saw infrared remotes introduced.

History of TV is Giz AU’s month-long look back at the development of the world-changing medium and its influence on our daily lives.

[Pic credit: Jim Rees, source: Wikipedia]

Phonevision wasn’t exactly a home theatre PC or a Roku box, and actually had more in common with something like Pay Per View: It had three scheduled showings each evening, and you called and ordered one of the few options offered at a cost of one dollar per film. The set-top box would unscramble the picture and allow the movie to be watched on your TV. It was also limited to about 300 test subjects in the Chicago area, but they apparently loved it and Zenith was very excited about the prospects of moving “the theatre into the living room.” But what, you might ask, were the choices on this very early service?

The 300 Phonevision subscribers had an initial choice of April Showers, a 1948 musical starring Jack Carson; Welcome Stranger, a 1947 Bing Crosby comedy, and 1948’s Homecoming, with Clark Gable and Lana Turner.

Interestingly, while the industry called Phonevision a “massive flop,” Zenith president Eugene F. Macdonald loved it and considered it a rousing success, though it never penetrated very many markets and was officially cancelled in 1969. [Time, image from Early Television]

Lazy Bones (1950) – According to Electronic House, it was the world’s first commercially available TV remote control. It could only flip through channels by triggering a motorised knob. Needless to say, its secondary skill as a tripwire caused problems in the living room.

Flash-Matic (1955) – Billed as “absolutely harmless to humans,” this focused flashlight could be aimed at one of four light sensors on the TV itself, in order to turn TV on or off, change channel or adjust volume. But like Gyration mice and other gestural devices of today, it was a challenge because people forgot where and how to point the thing to activate each function. Also, sunlight really played havoc with the sensors.

Space Command (1956) – A much better system than Flash-Matic and as comfortable as a pack of Benson & Hedges in the hand, the Space Command used ultrasound—ingeniously generated without batteries by plungers hitting aluminium tuning forks—to change channel, turn TV on or off, and adjust volume. It did have one problem, though: Some dogs couldn’t stand the noise.

Check out EH’s “A History of TV Remote Controls” for the full story. [Electronic House]