SIGforum
When did TV remotes stop having numbers on them?
July 22, 2018, 06:13 AM
ScreamingCockatooWhen did TV remotes stop having numbers on them?
OK after the house got blasted by lightning
and frying every AV component in the house,
I went TV shopping.
I picked up a 43" Roku TV that'll fit in the entertainment center.
After unboxing and setting it up, I noticed the remote no longer has numbers.
Just a Roku remote. After a little research apparently many TV no longer have a numbered remote.
You use your iPhone. Or the cable/sat box is the number pad.
I haven't bought a TV or even looked at them since 2010.
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.
July 22, 2018, 06:19 AM
rbert0005That's news to me. Every remote I have looked at has numbers.
Maybe you got a lemon.
Bob
I am no expert, but think I am sometimes.
July 22, 2018, 06:40 AM
GeorgeairSounds like they’ve got your number.
You only have integrity once. - imprezaguy02
July 22, 2018, 06:47 AM
45 Calmayby it one of the talk to things I seen advertises.
You are in deep trouble with all the talking birds in your house.

July 22, 2018, 07:36 AM
NK402This must be a trend. Our new GE built-in microwave has no numbers on the control panel. Didn't notice it until it was installed. You cannot set an exact time for cooking. You dial the time in 15 second increments. Nothing in the manual about it and when I called GE for help, they didn't know what I was talking about.
July 22, 2018, 07:57 AM
arfmelMath is hard
July 22, 2018, 08:12 AM
AudioholicYou have to ask Siri or Alexa to change the channel for you:
You: Alexa, change TV to channel 5.
Alexa: OK, ordering Chanel No. 5 from your Prime account.

"Every time you think you weaken the nation" Moe Howard July 22, 2018, 08:16 AM
joel9507We don't have Roku TVs, but have Roku boxes, including one of the first version. They all have remotes with no numbers. I run them mainly with my iPad via an app.
July 22, 2018, 08:50 AM
PHPaulThe remote for my new Vizio has numbers.
Little, tiny, damn near unreadable numbers.
In fact ALL the buttons on that damn thing are made for people with fingers the size of toothpicks. And they're crammed in so close together it's almost impossible to hit just one.
3 times out of 4, I go to hit the power button to turn the TV off, and I fat-finger the HULU button too. The screen goes blank, I think I've turned it off, come back in the room 15 minutes later and it's waiting for input.
Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
July 22, 2018, 08:51 AM
charlie12Never seen one with no numbers
_______________________________________________________
And no, junior not being able to hold still for 5 seconds is not a disability.
July 22, 2018, 09:08 AM
henryaz Slight drift, but it seems many new "manuals" for devices use symbols rather than words to indicate functions. Drives me crazy.
July 22, 2018, 09:14 AM
Patrick-SP2022On a somewhat related note, although our TV remotes have numbers, they are not illuminated.
Changing the channel in a dimly lit room becomes an exercise in frustration.
July 22, 2018, 10:31 AM
vthokyquote:
Originally posted by joel9507:
I run them mainly with my iPad via an app.
[This is not a dig at you, Joel.]
Good
grief, we keep adding complexity to simple tasks!

In this instance, here's what I see:
Instead of picking up a remote and pressing the appropriate button, I have to locate my tablet, wake it up (hopefully it's charged), enter the passcode, launch the app, and THEN press the appropriate buttons.
[Al Bundy] Great Caesar's ghost!! [/Al Bundy]
God bless America. July 22, 2018, 10:52 AM
PHPaulquote:
Originally posted by vthoky:
quote:
Originally posted by joel9507:
I run them mainly with my iPad via an app.
[This is not a dig at you, Joel.]
Good
grief, we keep adding complexity to simple tasks!

In this instance, here's what I see:
Instead of picking up a remote and pressing the appropriate button, I have to locate my tablet, wake it up (hopefully it's charged), enter the passcode, launch the app, and THEN press the appropriate buttons.
[Al Bundy] Great Caesar's ghost!! [/Al Bundy]
That was my first thought as well. What, exactly, is gained by adding another layer of technology?
Be careful when following the masses. Sometimes the M is silent.
July 22, 2018, 11:56 AM
james_1234We have a roku tv for the basement and it is like you say no numbers on the remote. The nicer tv in the living room does have a normal remote.
The lower cost tv manufacturers expect people to just steam tv not watch live tv.
For the most part they are probably correct. 2 of my daughters have tvs that they only stream on.
July 22, 2018, 12:03 PM
ScreamingCockatooI believe it's a streaming TV thing now.
Well it is basically just a monitor as no one really has need for a tuner anymore.
I'd like to install an HD Antenna eventually.
But I believe it will require a tuner.
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster.
July 22, 2018, 12:09 PM
BamaJeepsterquote:
Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
I believe it's a streaming TV thing now.
Well it is basically just a monitor as no one really has need for a tuner anymore.
I'd like to install an HD Antenna eventually.
But I believe it will require a tuner.
That's pretty much it for me - I couldn't tell you the channel number for any network these days. I do still have Comcast, I just pick up the remote, hit a button, and tell it what channel or show I want. I have no idea what number is associated with it. "History channel", "Alabama football game", "The Walking Dead", etc. I can't remember the last time I punched a number into a TV remote.
Funny thing is, I can tell you the channels we had growing up - 6, 10, 13, 42. ABC, PBS, NBC and CBS

“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passions, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
- John Adams July 22, 2018, 12:18 PM
Haveme1or2My fire stick remote doesn't. Most things run from the input and chosen app.
Ff/rr,play like a dvr.
July 22, 2018, 12:54 PM
molachiAll my remotes have numbers, even the 2 I bought in the last month. Might be wrong but I didn't think Roku needed remotes with numbers.
July 22, 2018, 01:12 PM
stoic-oneMy
3 year old Samsung TV remote doesn't have numbers, it has a separate button you push (123), which brings up a numeric ribbon on the screen you enter numbers by scrolling and hitting enter...