4 ms·

I was around when TV remote controls became popular. Couldn't see what was the point of them.

by sorokod 11y ago

50CNT 11y ago
Good point. I do believe that some very interesting things will come of IoT, it's the crass amounts of enthusiasm some people have regarding it that grinds my gears. The joys of being a killjoy and explaining why your toasters web interface won't do much good if you have to get up and insert the toast manually. Or SmartXthing to introduce the obsolescence cycles of digital electronics to everything else. No sympathy. I guess I'm just a bitter old person, and a way to young one at that.
tdkl 11y ago
I guess what parent meant was that using some "smart" stuff locally (same room, same house, same LAN) can be useful. To put your example in the perspective : how much useful would it be to operate the TV remote over the internet ? Yeah, it sounds cool that I've set the TV to channel 5, but I'm not there to watch it anyway, so it's kinda useless. Only thing that is now possible is some other people jerking around with the remote.
- qb45 11y ago
  Oh man, wouldn't you want your phone to send GPS coordinates to Megacorp Electronics (TM) so that they can turn on your TV when you come home? It's free, man. Sure, your TV will play some audio ads while you are entering the house, but then it'll switch to your favorite soap.
- sorokod 11y ago
  Security is a huge concern. Setting a TV channel the way you described is not useful. Checking with the fridge if I need milk on my way home, may be. And yes, security is a huge concern. Privacy too.
  - tdkl 11y ago
    > Checking with the fridge if I need milk on my way home, may be. Still parent makes a good point with "benefitofmeaccessingXremotely(X) - costofotherpeopleaccesingXremotely(X)*riskofthathappening". I'll add the "amountofdataimgivingaway+showingmeads"
- pjc50 11y ago
  Operating the TV over the internet is useless .. but operating the PVR over the internet could be very handy. And operating the TV over the LAN from a smartphone could be handy: scroll through the EPG without disrupting the current programme. (I spend an hour this afternoon trying to get tvheadend+Kodi working to do almost exactly this, to replace my Windows Media Center PVR)
  - icebraining 11y ago
    Operating the PVR over the Internet is already obsolete: with IPTV, you can just "go back" and watch the show. There's no need for each client to record it, when the provider already has a copy and your device can stream it on demand. Both of our largest ISPs here in Portugal already offer this bundled with the TV service. Same for the EPG: the app offered by my ISP simply downloads it from the web, no need to connect to my TV.
    - pjc50 11y ago
      It seems everyone else already does it like you say, but the "go back" is usually time-limited. Whereas I still have the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony on my PVR in nice accessible MPEG2-TS format.
Roboprog 11y ago
As somebody with children, I HATE remote controls. I can no longer push buttons on the device itself, I have to spend 10 or 15 minutes a day, if I'm lucky, trying to find the "labor saving device", just so I can change the channel or pause a show. At least some devices (e.g. - Roku) let you use your phone or tablet as the remotes (plural!), which I guess finally is actual progress.

I was around when TV remote controls became popular. Couldn't see what was the point of them.

by sorokod 11y ago

I was around when TV remote controls became popular. Couldn't see what was the point of them.

50CNT 11y ago

Good point. I do believe that some very interesting things will come of IoT, it's the crass amounts of enthusiasm some people have regarding it that grinds my gears. The joys of being a killjoy and explaining why your toasters web interface won't do much good if you have to get up and insert the toast manually. Or SmartXthing to introduce the obsolescence cycles of digital electronics to everything else. No sympathy. I guess I'm just a bitter old person, and a way to young one at that.

tdkl 11y ago

I guess what parent meant was that using some "smart" stuff locally (same room, same house, same LAN) can be useful. To put your example in the perspective : how much useful would it be to operate the TV remote over the internet ? Yeah, it sounds cool that I've set the TV to channel 5, but I'm not there to watch it anyway, so it's kinda useless. Only thing that is now possible is some other people jerking around with the remote.

qb45 11y ago
Oh man, wouldn't you want your phone to send GPS coordinates to Megacorp Electronics (TM) so that they can turn on your TV when you come home? It's free, man. Sure, your TV will play some audio ads while you are entering the house, but then it'll switch to your favorite soap.
sorokod 11y ago
Security is a huge concern. Setting a TV channel the way you described is not useful. Checking with the fridge if I need milk on my way home, may be. And yes, security is a huge concern. Privacy too.
- tdkl 11y ago
  > Checking with the fridge if I need milk on my way home, may be. Still parent makes a good point with "benefitofmeaccessingXremotely(X) - costofotherpeopleaccesingXremotely(X)*riskofthathappening". I'll add the "amountofdataimgivingaway+showingmeads"
pjc50 11y ago
Operating the TV over the internet is useless .. but operating the PVR over the internet could be very handy. And operating the TV over the LAN from a smartphone could be handy: scroll through the EPG without disrupting the current programme. (I spend an hour this afternoon trying to get tvheadend+Kodi working to do almost exactly this, to replace my Windows Media Center PVR)
- icebraining 11y ago
  Operating the PVR over the Internet is already obsolete: with IPTV, you can just "go back" and watch the show. There's no need for each client to record it, when the provider already has a copy and your device can stream it on demand. Both of our largest ISPs here in Portugal already offer this bundled with the TV service. Same for the EPG: the app offered by my ISP simply downloads it from the web, no need to connect to my TV.
  - pjc50 11y ago
    It seems everyone else already does it like you say, but the "go back" is usually time-limited. Whereas I still have the 2012 Olympic opening ceremony on my PVR in nice accessible MPEG2-TS format.

Roboprog 11y ago

As somebody with children, I HATE remote controls. I can no longer push buttons on the device itself, I have to spend 10 or 15 minutes a day, if I'm lucky, trying to find the "labor saving device", just so I can change the channel or pause a show. At least some devices (e.g. - Roku) let you use your phone or tablet as the remotes (plural!), which I guess finally is actual progress.