Equipment Analysis: The Remote Control - Text 6
The 1980s saw numerous changes. The expression “channel surfing” was invented to describe viewing practices which emerged following the growth in the number of channels. Audiences went back and forth between them using remote controls which once again employed a beam of light to communicate with the TV set. These were now based, however, on infrared light, a technology which, unlike ultrasounds, would not disturb their users’ domestic animals. The Canadian company Viewstar was a precursor. Its new system soon became the standard, by virtue of its low production cost. As a result, the manufacturers of television sets were now able to market remote controls at an affordable price, and they ceased to be a luxury product. Most households could now own one, and in 1989 they were present in 72% of American homes, against 16% at the start of the decade.[6]
In 1987, the co-founder of Apple, Steve Wozniak, contributed to the creation of a universal remote control:[7] the Controller of Remote Equipment (CORE). This device did not meet with great success, but it had the merit of setting in motion the development of devices for operating various electronic appliances, from televisions to videotape recorders.
The impact of the appearance of the videotape recorder on remote controls, particularly their configuration, should be underscored. This configuration was dramatically modified by the addition of buttons (play, pause, fast forward, rewind, stop) for controlling the image. Advertising reflected the omnipotence that television viewers gradually came to enjoy.[8] Even as the comfortable and sedentary life that remote controls made possible was still highlighted, the message was directed more towards the freedom and power that they provided (beyond the possibility of remaining seated, there was the freedom of choosing the program to watch and that of pausing it at will).
