The Argument for Why TV Remotes Are Best When Kept Simple

You’re walking down the electronics aisle casually one day (because hey, you happen to have some extra money to burn, and why not spend it on useless new gadgets that you don’t even know you want?) when you come upon a shiny new universal TV remote. And it. Has. Everything. A different color for every button, and considering that there are approximately 112 buttons, it’s practically a rainbow stick. It controls the TV, DVD player, Blu-ray player, DVR, seven different video game consoles, and you’re pretty sure the package also said that it had a sort of “unofficial power” over the dishwasher and microwave, too. You think about the pile of remotes that’s sitting in your living room right now. One universal TV remote replacement, to take the place of them all. This could solve everything.

In theory, yes, these things are great. What’s more American than creating something incredibly convenient (wire-attached TV remote controls), replacing it with something even better after a couple decades (wireless TV remote controls), and then, maybe a decade later, deciding that these devices are the worst things ever; we’ve started insisting that everything be squished down into one device because who in their right mind needs so much convenience everywhere?

It’s a great start, for sure. The idea behind the frustration — that simplicity is probably the answer — is exactly on target. But why have we become so concerned with having every single function ever inside of one little device? How does that make things any easier? Having 50 thousands buttons on one control definitely doesn’t make things easier. And let’s be honest, there’s no reasonable way to make one model of replacement television remote controls compatible with every single TV out there.

Sometimes, the best thing to do is to go right back to the beginning. No, that doesn’t mean that you have to wire up your remote control and literally connect it to your TV, like they did with the original TV remote controls. But maybe just keep in mind that when you’re in need of some replacement remote controls, sometimes the originals are the best way to go. Read more.