Remote Controls

Remote Controls

Mistake : Too Many Buttons

Device(s): TV, DVR Remote Controls

Call it Benj's Law: The number of buttons on the average TV remote control doubles every 15 years. Let's take a look at the button forecast:

1950: four buttons
1965: eight buttons
1980: 16 buttons
1995: 32 buttons
2010: 64 buttons
2025: 128 buttons
2040: 256 buttons
2055: 512 buttons

The current Time Warner Cable DVR remote control (circa 2009) already sports 62 buttons (yes, really), most of which no one ever uses. As silly as the above forecasts seem, they might be a bit too relaxed: with the way things are going, TWC might upend Benj's Law and release a remote with a button for every single channel next year.

There's simply no need for so many buttons, be it 62, 128, or 1000; many modern remote functions could be simplified through clever use of on-screen menus. My favorite TV remote of all time, for a Daewoo TV set, boasts a mere 22 buttons. You could add four for DVR functionality: record, start/stop, fast-forward, and rewind. There you go: the perfect remote has only 26 buttons.

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Ganesh Muthiah