The remote control was invented as a means of combating the TV ads

Uttering the phrase "Laziness - engine of progress", usually cite the example of a television remote control. In fact, the driving force that led to the emergence of useful items, was not laziness, and a stronger sense - hatred.

Eugene McDonald, founder of the corporation Zenith, which published TVs, just hated advertising. In 1946 he said that the concept of television, is supported by advertising, it is doomed to a quick death because the advertising money will not pay for expensive (compared to the radio) TV programs. In his opinion, the best model of broadcasting would be scrambled (as we now see, McDonald's is not so wrong).

However, advertising on TV was not going to die, and then McDonald decided to contribute to her death. He gave engineers the task of creating a device that can change channels and turn off the sound in the distance, to the owners of television sets could ignore the commercials. In 1950, Zenith Company has released the first remote control. Its name - Lazy Bones, «Lazy Bones" - emphasized that the owner does not necessarily stand up from the couch. The remote has been connected to the TV cable, pressing the electric rotating mechanical switch channels. In addition, these panels were expensive, the owners often stumbled on a wire stretching across the living room, besides the TV channels there were very few, so that the commercial success of the invention did not have.

In 1955, the market left Flash-Matic - first wireless remote control of the flashlight, which had to be directed to one of the photodetectors located at the corners of the front panel (depending on what angle of light, it was possible to switch channels to mute or turn off the TV). But this control is not gained special popularity as lamps and sunlight greatly hindered his work. You had something better. Radio Control looked promising, but it is equally well switch channels neighbors, so one of the leading engineers of the company, Robert Adler, suggested the use of ultrasound. Marketers company insisted that the unit did not have batteries, and Adler came up with a brilliant solution - a mechanical ultrasonic emitter. When you press the spring-loaded hammer tapping on one of the four tuning forks, and a television equipped with a microphone, change channels, mute the sound on or off. In 1956, the market was a huge success came Remote Space Command, and to the 1959-th almost all TV manufacturers have implemented their expensive models similar consoles.

In 1960 it appeared in consoles batteries - ultrasonic transducers are electronic, and only in the 1980s, manufacturers switched to the newly emerging IR LEDs. Around the same time, and I realized an old dream McDonald, who died in 1958 - there was a massive pay TV, satellite and cable. Alas, eventually leaked ads and pay channels, so that McDonald's another dream - the remote control - is still relevant.

Source: www.popmech.ru/article/4184-voploschenie-nenavisti/

via factroom.ru