TV Remote Controls

[El Paso Way]

Why is it that some remote controls work better than others. I have a 42" Sony Bravio that I purchased less than a year ago for the bedroom that will not work unless I raise it and point it directly at the TV. I just recently purchased a Phillips 19" LCD for the kitchen and I swear you can go in the other room and it will change the channels. Do some TV's just have better receptors than others?

 

[bevo_daddy]

Not sure but I know some of them are "direct sight" remotes vs. IR (infra-red) remotes where it doesnt have to point at the tv. My DirecTV remote allows you to switch between both.

 

[kmac30]

i've got a few sony bravias and don't have any problems. my bedroom and living room use RF remotes that also have IR signals for TV use. and this other room has one that just uses the cable remote. could it be the batteries?

 

[El Paso Way]

I checked the batteries so thats ruled out. I have just standerd cable so I don't have a cable remote. I'll check to see the types of signals they are putting out.

 

[_e.]

Bright light (sunlight) will affect the IR signal. Does it work equally bad in the dark?

 

[GhostOfTomJoad]

I bet I can guess EPW's exact situation: his Bravia is sitting on top of a chest/bureau/tall TV stand and sitting back a foot or so from the edge. When he's laying in bed & using his remote the angle is such that the IR receiver on his TV is blocked by the front of the piece of furniture the TV is sitting on. That's why when he raises the remote it functions normally.

I experience this from time to time w/ the Bravia in our bedroom (sitting on top of a 5' bureau).

 

[El Paso Way]

Same results whether its light or dark. Ghost, the tv sits a little lower than the edge of the bed, by maybe a couple of inches. We have one of those beds that sits up really high, but thats an easy fix. Why is there direct sight and IR. As soon as I get home I'll check to see what I have.

 

[brntorng]

Think of your IR remote as a flashlight, the difference being you can't see the beam of light with your naked eye. Some flashlights cast a wide angle beam and others are adjusted as a spotlight. Same difference with remotes. Some are just designed to be wide angle and others are more of a spotlight.

Also, as has been pointed out, it can depend on the receiving electronic device. The invisible beam of IR light from the remote has to go through a small window on the face of the device and illuminate the IR detector which is usually recessed behind the window. Sometimes you may be at too much of an angle, horizontally or vertically, and the IR beam gets blocked by the opaque border around the window or the window/detector are designed to have too narrow of a viewing angle. Think of the receiving device as having a camera looking at your remote control. If the camera has a wide angle lens it will see a remote at almost any angle. If it has a telephoto lens it will only see remotes in a narrow field of view.

So why aren't they all just designed to be wide angle? Well, the wider the angle of view, the more sensitive the IR detector has to be which can cost money. So, like most things, it's a trade off between performance and cost. Similar situation for the remote. The narrower the beam, the less power that has to be used to transmit and the longer the batteries will last.