Skip to content
  • Categories
  • Recent
  • Tags
  • Popular
  • World
  • Users
  • Groups
Skins
  • Light
  • Brite
  • Cerulean
  • Cosmo
  • Flatly
  • Journal
  • Litera
  • Lumen
  • Lux
  • Materia
  • Minty
  • Morph
  • Pulse
  • Sandstone
  • Simplex
  • Sketchy
  • Spacelab
  • United
  • Yeti
  • Zephyr
  • Dark
  • Cyborg
  • Darkly
  • Quartz
  • Slate
  • Solar
  • Superhero
  • Vapor

  • Default (Cyborg)
  • No Skin
Collapse
Brand Logo

CIRCLE WITH A DOT

  1. Home
  2. Uncategorized
  3. Were TV remotes a mistake?

Were TV remotes a mistake?

Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Uncategorized
35 Posts 14 Posters 0 Views
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as topic
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with topic management privileges can see it.
  • helenclayton@mas.toH helenclayton@mas.to

    @suearcher @JimmyB @afewbugs I had a black and white tv in my room at home when I was a college student and it came with me to uni. It also had a dial and I used a bamboo cane to reach it from my bed and turn the dial - the hollow end just fitted over the tapered end of the dial and as the dial was ridged the bamboo would grip it. Remote control 😁

    unicorndeburgh@hachyderm.ioU This user is from outside of this forum
    unicorndeburgh@hachyderm.ioU This user is from outside of this forum
    unicorndeburgh@hachyderm.io
    wrote last edited by
    #15

    @helenclayton @suearcher @JimmyB @afewbugs

    In college, I had a large-ish color TV with a picture, and a small B&W TV that had sound. We'd turn them both on. Had to use a pair of pliers to turn the channel selector on the B&W TV.

    suearcher@toot.walesS 1 Reply Last reply
    0
    • helenclayton@mas.toH helenclayton@mas.to

      @suearcher @JimmyB @afewbugs I had a black and white tv in my room at home when I was a college student and it came with me to uni. It also had a dial and I used a bamboo cane to reach it from my bed and turn the dial - the hollow end just fitted over the tapered end of the dial and as the dial was ridged the bamboo would grip it. Remote control 😁

      suearcher@toot.walesS This user is from outside of this forum
      suearcher@toot.walesS This user is from outside of this forum
      suearcher@toot.wales
      wrote last edited by
      #16

      @helenclayton @JimmyB @afewbugs

      Brilliant! My dial was much bigger, an inch across, so I had to get up to twiddle it.

      I did put stickers around it indicating where each channel was.

      jimmyb@mas.toJ 1 Reply Last reply
      0
      • suearcher@toot.walesS suearcher@toot.wales

        @helenclayton @JimmyB @afewbugs

        Brilliant! My dial was much bigger, an inch across, so I had to get up to twiddle it.

        I did put stickers around it indicating where each channel was.

        jimmyb@mas.toJ This user is from outside of this forum
        jimmyb@mas.toJ This user is from outside of this forum
        jimmyb@mas.to
        wrote last edited by
        #17

        @suearcher @helenclayton @afewbugs all these students who had TV’s! Cue 4 Yorkshiremen…

        helenclayton@mas.toH 1 Reply Last reply
        0
        • jimmyb@mas.toJ jimmyb@mas.to

          @afewbugs @helenclayton @suearcher beautiful!!! And - B&W - lower TV license fee!

          helenclayton@mas.toH This user is from outside of this forum
          helenclayton@mas.toH This user is from outside of this forum
          helenclayton@mas.to
          wrote last edited by
          #18

          @JimmyB @afewbugs @suearcher it was really small though so I did upgrade it to a colour version with an actual remote control.

          1 Reply Last reply
          0
          • unicorndeburgh@hachyderm.ioU unicorndeburgh@hachyderm.io

            @helenclayton @suearcher @JimmyB @afewbugs

            In college, I had a large-ish color TV with a picture, and a small B&W TV that had sound. We'd turn them both on. Had to use a pair of pliers to turn the channel selector on the B&W TV.

            suearcher@toot.walesS This user is from outside of this forum
            suearcher@toot.walesS This user is from outside of this forum
            suearcher@toot.wales
            wrote last edited by
            #19

            @unicorndeburgh @helenclayton @JimmyB @afewbugs

            Isn't it wonderful the bodges we'll come up with (and put up with!).

            1 Reply Last reply
            0
            • jimmyb@mas.toJ jimmyb@mas.to

              @suearcher @helenclayton @afewbugs all these students who had TV’s! Cue 4 Yorkshiremen…

              helenclayton@mas.toH This user is from outside of this forum
              helenclayton@mas.toH This user is from outside of this forum
              helenclayton@mas.to
              wrote last edited by
              #20

              @JimmyB @suearcher @afewbugs mine would have been via my dad and probably came with ‘university of Exeter’ written on them in yellow paint marker. I also don’t think you needed a tv licence if away from home at uni, covered by home licence. I may be imagining that.

              afewbugs@social.coopA jimmyb@mas.toJ highlandlawyer@mastodon.socialH 3 Replies Last reply
              0
              • helenclayton@mas.toH helenclayton@mas.to

                @JimmyB @suearcher @afewbugs mine would have been via my dad and probably came with ‘university of Exeter’ written on them in yellow paint marker. I also don’t think you needed a tv licence if away from home at uni, covered by home licence. I may be imagining that.

                afewbugs@social.coopA This user is from outside of this forum
                afewbugs@social.coopA This user is from outside of this forum
                afewbugs@social.coop
                wrote last edited by
                #21

                @helenclayton @JimmyB @suearcher no you definitely did, everyone in my hall at Durham University put them on the roof of the building when the license inspectors came round so they only got the ground floor

                helenclayton@mas.toH suearcher@toot.walesS 2 Replies Last reply
                0
                • helenclayton@mas.toH helenclayton@mas.to

                  @JimmyB @suearcher @afewbugs mine would have been via my dad and probably came with ‘university of Exeter’ written on them in yellow paint marker. I also don’t think you needed a tv licence if away from home at uni, covered by home licence. I may be imagining that.

                  jimmyb@mas.toJ This user is from outside of this forum
                  jimmyb@mas.toJ This user is from outside of this forum
                  jimmyb@mas.to
                  wrote last edited by
                  #22

                  @helenclayton @suearcher @afewbugs I’m remembering our halls in Camden (met my missus on the first day 😀) and I don’t think there was a TV? Don’t think anyone had one and I can’t remember a common room or anything? Seems impossible now!

                  1 Reply Last reply
                  0
                  • suearcher@toot.walesS suearcher@toot.wales

                    @afewbugs @JimmyB

                    Now I'm wondering how long there was an overlap between the invention of the remote and TV's losing visible accessible buttons.

                    maker_of_things@cupoftea.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
                    maker_of_things@cupoftea.socialM This user is from outside of this forum
                    maker_of_things@cupoftea.social
                    wrote last edited by
                    #23

                    @suearcher @afewbugs @JimmyB
                    The secondhand TV, we recently got for Mum, has a small grid of seven buttons behind a bottom corner of the screen.

                    The buttons worked but to navigate the menu the instructions require up/down, left/right, enter/back.

                    Took a fair bit of guess work and trail and error to tune and programme it when one button is for 'power' and the other six are all left/right rockers for channel selection, volume, menu, and source.

                    pete@social.coopP 1 Reply Last reply
                    0
                    • afewbugs@social.coopA afewbugs@social.coop

                      @helenclayton @JimmyB @suearcher no you definitely did, everyone in my hall at Durham University put them on the roof of the building when the license inspectors came round so they only got the ground floor

                      helenclayton@mas.toH This user is from outside of this forum
                      helenclayton@mas.toH This user is from outside of this forum
                      helenclayton@mas.to
                      wrote last edited by
                      #24

                      @afewbugs @JimmyB @suearcher oh well I guess my parents sorted that out for me because I didn’t 😁

                      jimmyb@mas.toJ 1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • helenclayton@mas.toH helenclayton@mas.to

                        @afewbugs @JimmyB @suearcher oh well I guess my parents sorted that out for me because I didn’t 😁

                        jimmyb@mas.toJ This user is from outside of this forum
                        jimmyb@mas.toJ This user is from outside of this forum
                        jimmyb@mas.to
                        wrote last edited by
                        #25

                        @helenclayton @afewbugs @suearcher well… maybe they saved a few quid! 😀😀

                        helenclayton@mas.toH 1 Reply Last reply
                        0
                        • jimmyb@mas.toJ jimmyb@mas.to

                          @helenclayton @afewbugs @suearcher well… maybe they saved a few quid! 😀😀

                          helenclayton@mas.toH This user is from outside of this forum
                          helenclayton@mas.toH This user is from outside of this forum
                          helenclayton@mas.to
                          wrote last edited by
                          #26

                          @JimmyB @afewbugs @suearcher 😂

                          1 Reply Last reply
                          0
                          • helenclayton@mas.toH helenclayton@mas.to

                            @JimmyB @suearcher @afewbugs mine would have been via my dad and probably came with ‘university of Exeter’ written on them in yellow paint marker. I also don’t think you needed a tv licence if away from home at uni, covered by home licence. I may be imagining that.

                            highlandlawyer@mastodon.socialH This user is from outside of this forum
                            highlandlawyer@mastodon.socialH This user is from outside of this forum
                            highlandlawyer@mastodon.social
                            wrote last edited by
                            #27

                            @helenclayton @JimmyB @suearcher @afewbugs
                            The rule was you could use your home TV licence for battery powered devices elsewhere, which would include term time accomodation. But mains powered needed a licence for where-ever they were plugged in.

                            helenclayton@mas.toH 1 Reply Last reply
                            0
                            • highlandlawyer@mastodon.socialH highlandlawyer@mastodon.social

                              @helenclayton @JimmyB @suearcher @afewbugs
                              The rule was you could use your home TV licence for battery powered devices elsewhere, which would include term time accomodation. But mains powered needed a licence for where-ever they were plugged in.

                              helenclayton@mas.toH This user is from outside of this forum
                              helenclayton@mas.toH This user is from outside of this forum
                              helenclayton@mas.to
                              wrote last edited by
                              #28

                              @HighlandLawyer @JimmyB @suearcher @afewbugs is there a statute of limitations for that? 😁

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • afewbugs@social.coopA This user is from outside of this forum
                                afewbugs@social.coopA This user is from outside of this forum
                                afewbugs@social.coop
                                wrote last edited by
                                #29

                                @BashStKid @helenclayton @JimmyB @suearcher nothing so fancy, Mildert muck me

                                1 Reply Last reply
                                0
                                • afewbugs@social.coopA afewbugs@social.coop

                                  @helenclayton @JimmyB @suearcher no you definitely did, everyone in my hall at Durham University put them on the roof of the building when the license inspectors came round so they only got the ground floor

                                  suearcher@toot.walesS This user is from outside of this forum
                                  suearcher@toot.walesS This user is from outside of this forum
                                  suearcher@toot.wales
                                  wrote last edited by
                                  #30

                                  @afewbugs @helenclayton @JimmyB

                                  I also think there was a time when the home licence covered a student, but then they changed it.

                                  1 Reply Last reply
                                  0
                                  • maker_of_things@cupoftea.socialM maker_of_things@cupoftea.social

                                    @suearcher @afewbugs @JimmyB
                                    The secondhand TV, we recently got for Mum, has a small grid of seven buttons behind a bottom corner of the screen.

                                    The buttons worked but to navigate the menu the instructions require up/down, left/right, enter/back.

                                    Took a fair bit of guess work and trail and error to tune and programme it when one button is for 'power' and the other six are all left/right rockers for channel selection, volume, menu, and source.

                                    pete@social.coopP This user is from outside of this forum
                                    pete@social.coopP This user is from outside of this forum
                                    pete@social.coop
                                    wrote last edited by
                                    #31

                                    @Maker_of_Things @suearcher @afewbugs @JimmyB In the early 80s, when I would have been ~10, we had a telly with 8 channel buttons which could be individually tuned. Pressing one would release the other, but I discovered you could press two in at once and get a different frequency. So I experimented, which inevitably led to pressing all eight in at once, except there was now no spare button to release them.

                                    Mum had to call in an engineer…

                                    suearcher@toot.walesS maker_of_things@cupoftea.socialM 2 Replies Last reply
                                    0
                                    • suearcher@toot.walesS suearcher@toot.wales

                                      @afewbugs @JimmyB

                                      Now I'm wondering how long there was an overlap between the invention of the remote and TV's losing visible accessible buttons.

                                      pthane@toot.walesP This user is from outside of this forum
                                      pthane@toot.walesP This user is from outside of this forum
                                      pthane@toot.wales
                                      wrote last edited by
                                      #32

                                      @suearcher
                                      Not long but there were some weird early attempts at remote control including one that had a handset connected by a cable to the TV. I wonder how many people tripped over those?
                                      @afewbugs @JimmyB

                                      suearcher@toot.walesS 1 Reply Last reply
                                      0
                                      • pete@social.coopP pete@social.coop

                                        @Maker_of_Things @suearcher @afewbugs @JimmyB In the early 80s, when I would have been ~10, we had a telly with 8 channel buttons which could be individually tuned. Pressing one would release the other, but I discovered you could press two in at once and get a different frequency. So I experimented, which inevitably led to pressing all eight in at once, except there was now no spare button to release them.

                                        Mum had to call in an engineer…

                                        suearcher@toot.walesS This user is from outside of this forum
                                        suearcher@toot.walesS This user is from outside of this forum
                                        suearcher@toot.wales
                                        wrote last edited by
                                        #33

                                        @pete @Maker_of_Things @afewbugs @JimmyB

                                        Ah, the joy of an intelligent enquiring young mind....

                                        1 Reply Last reply
                                        0
                                        • pthane@toot.walesP pthane@toot.wales

                                          @suearcher
                                          Not long but there were some weird early attempts at remote control including one that had a handset connected by a cable to the TV. I wonder how many people tripped over those?
                                          @afewbugs @JimmyB

                                          suearcher@toot.walesS This user is from outside of this forum
                                          suearcher@toot.walesS This user is from outside of this forum
                                          suearcher@toot.wales
                                          wrote last edited by
                                          #34

                                          @pthane @afewbugs @JimmyB

                                          Lots, I bet!

                                          1 Reply Last reply
                                          0
                                          Reply
                                          • Reply as topic
                                          Log in to reply
                                          • Oldest to Newest
                                          • Newest to Oldest
                                          • Most Votes


                                          • Login

                                          • Login or register to search.
                                          • First post
                                            Last post
                                          0
                                          • Categories
                                          • Recent
                                          • Tags
                                          • Popular
                                          • World
                                          • Users
                                          • Groups