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May 19, 2013

RemoteControl

Six Game Shows that Used Actual Torture

by Danny Gallagher, posted Apr 8th 2010 4:00PM

An act of torture during the InquisitionIf you were shocked to hear about ABC's 'Downfall,' a game show that drops people off of buildings for our amusement, you clearly don't watch enough TV and lead a rich, fulfilling life.

Television's long and storied history is filled with game and competition shows that pit their contestants in a physical, psychological and gastrointestinal showdown, most of which were lost to the ravages of obscurity. Well, it's "filled" if you only look at the last few years or so when the economy tanked and people turned to humiliating themselves in the national media to keep from having to hunt small rodents for sustenance. That's how 'The View' got started.

These are the shows that not only tortured contestants, but also their viewing audience unless Dick Cheney happened to be watching any of them.

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What Jackie is thankful for

by Jackie Schnoop, posted Nov 25th 2009 6:06PM

Oh, the humanity! Les Nessman reports on the turkey dropYes, it's that time of year once again. It's Thanksgiving -- yay, food! With the times such as they are, I'll admit to being more thankful on a regular basis during this year than many years gone by. I have a job (a few jobs actually), a roof over my head, money for food and bills, good friends, family, a bionic knee so I can be a bit like The Six Million Dollar Man, and so much more.

But, since this is about television, I'm going to focus on what I'm thankful for in television and TV-related kind of things. We might share some items on the list, we might not. While the times might not be great for financial dealings, it's a wondrous time for television geeks like you and me. Or, maybe it's just me. So, exactly what am I thankful for? Read on.

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The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more

by Joel Keller, posted Nov 19th 2009 6:16PM

TV Squad logoIf you haven't seen The Prisoner yet, you may want to skip the first fifteen or so minutes of this podcast, because we talk about the whole damn thing this week. Jason Hughes and Allison Waldman join me to talk about the AMC remake of the British cult classic, as well as these topics:


Run time is 1:02:55.

You can listen to the podcast below, or download from here or by subscribing to our RSS podcast feed. It is also available via iTunes. Feel free to leave us feedback in the comments or drop us a line at tvsquadpodcast [at] gmail [dot] com.

As usual, the music at the beginning and end of the podcast is "Life" by Justin Trawick. Though I decided to add a small surprise at the beginning, a call-back to an interview I did a few years ago. Hope you enjoy it.

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Colin Quinn remembers Ken Ober in his special way

by Danny Gallagher, posted Nov 17th 2009 2:28PM

The sudden and shocking of passing of TV writer, producer and host Ken Ober turned a lot of heads. Here's one of Ober's head (ahem) getting turned, for a change.

Collin Quinn, Ober's longtime friend and Remote Control co-host, posted a hilarious picture on his Twitter page of himself, Ober and the uber-cute Kari Wuhrer on the set of their equally hilarious game show.

I'm tempted to let Bob use this for our weekly Subtle Subtitles post, but am worried the funniest of the comments will get us banned from every library in the country assuming, of course, that reading is still going on in America's libraries.

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Ken Ober, Original Host of 'Remote Control,' Dead at 52

by Elizabeth Chan, posted Nov 16th 2009 10:36PM

Ken Ober, Original host of 'Remote Control' dead at 52Ken Ober, best known as the original host of MTV's 'Remote Control,' passed away in his Los Angeles home on Sunday.

He was 52 years old.

Ober's death was confirmed by his talent agent Mark Measures. According to Measures, "The last person to have spoken to him was on Saturday morning. No foul play is suspected, no suicide, it looks like natural causes, just no one knows the exact cause yet." It had been reported that Ober had been complaining of flu-like symptoms.

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Control your media center with Niveus Pocket Remote

by Brad Linder, posted Aug 20th 2007 4:05PM

Niveus Pocket Remote
Too lazy to get up and walk across the room and turn your TV on? And too cheap to buy one of those fancy Sideshow remotes with the built in LCD so that you can select music without turning the TV on?

Niveus is beta testing Pocket Remote 2.0, a Windows Media Center remote control application for Windows Mobile or PC. Here's how it works:
  • Download the zip file to start a 10-day free trial (no final pricing information has been released yet)
  • Unzip the file to find two installers, one for the server (the PC you want to control) and one for the remote control application you want to install on your PDA, smartphone, or remote PC.
  • Install the server program on your PC and select whether you want to control Windows Media Player or Windows Vista Media Center
  • Install the remote control application on your mobile device or remote PC.
That's it. Now when you launch the remote control application you can play music, online radio, or use a virtual remote control to access other media center features. You'll need to have an internet connected PDA or PC running on the same network as your server. Niveus Pocket Remote does a pretty good job of auto-detecting servers on your network, although you can enter information manually as well. Oh yeah, and you can control multiple PCs as well.
[via Chris Lanier]

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Keyspan releases $50 RF remote for Vista Media Center

by Brad Linder, posted Aug 7th 2007 5:40PM

Keyspan RF remote for Windows VistaKeyspan's new RF remote for Windows Vista Media Center has all your usual play, pause, and fast-forward style features. It's even got the signature green button in the middle.

But there's one thing that's missing. A huge price tag. It seems like every day a new company is releasing a remote control that's more powerful than your computer, and costs more to boot.

The Keyspan remote might not be as cheap as the universal remote you can pick up for your TV/VCR/DVD player at the local Radio Shack. But at $50, it's a pretty solid looking device. Since it's an RF remote, you can control your media center from up to 90 feet away without a direct line of sight.

Unlike Snapstream Media's similarly priced Firefly RF remote control, which is designed to work with BeyondTV, Keyspan's remote is made for Windows Media Center. That means you won't have to install any software to use it.

[via Business Portal 24]

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Trust RC-2400 remote control for Vista Media Center

by Brad Linder, posted Jul 19th 2007 2:20PM

Trust RC-2400If you've never heard of Trust, you must live a very sad and lonely existence. Oh wait, no. We meant the consumer electronics manufacturer. If you've never heard of them, you're not alone.

But the company's new RC-2400 remote control for Windows Vista Media Center looks sexy enough that we're willing to overlook the company's obscure name and drool at the pretty picture in all its retro style goodness.

The RC-2400 is a 49 button remote with the big ole "green button" we've come to know and love in the middle. The RF remote control comes with a little USB RF dongle. And the RC-2400 is Microsoft certified and should work with your Windows Vista machine, no drivers required.

The remote should be available this month, although there's no word on pricing.

[via FloppyHead]

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Gyration launches new motion-sensing remote control

by Brad Linder, posted Jul 14th 2007 8:00AM

Gyration Ultra R4000Motion-sensing remote control makers Gyration are at it again, this time with the Gyration ULTRA R4000. Like Gyration's existing line of products, you can use the remote as a standard controller for your media center, or you can use it like a mouse to control an on-screen cursor by waving your hand.

The ULTRA R4000 also includes a view screen that presents information about your music playlists without even turning your television on. Of course, this is only useful if you've got a set of speakers hooked up to your media center independent from your television set.

It supports RF and IR, meaning you can control your PC without a direct line of sight. You can also use the ULTRA R4000 as a universal remote, replacing TV, cable, and other A/V remotes.

The remote should be available in the fall of 2007. No word on pricing yet.

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Watching Joost on your TV with a remote control

by Brad Linder, posted Jun 6th 2007 1:07PM

joost
Now that Joost is actually signing deals to get content you might actually want to watch from CBS, MTV, Comedy Central and other networks, you might be wondering how to watch the computer-based internet television platform on your television set.

While Joost really does make watching online videos a bit more like watching TV and a bit less like surfing the web, you still pretty much need to use a keyboard to navigate. And that means even if you run a line from the video-out port on your computer or graphics card to your TV, it's no easy feat to watch Joost on the big screen.

Luckily, you can map the keyboard shortcuts to most PC remote controls. And you can even add an icon to your Windows Media Center Program Library that will start and stop Joost. Here are a few tips:

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Difficult choices: TiVo or air conditioning - VIDEO

by Brad Linder, posted May 30th 2007 1:04PM

Life is full of difficult choices. Cake or pie? Coke or Pepsi? TiVo or climate control?

Davis Freeberg dug up this video by YouTube member Brainfreiz, who's struggling with that unusual question. Turns out his air conditioner remote control operates on the same channel as his TiVo remote.



Brainfriez is asking for America's help deciding which appliance to keep. Of course, there's probably a simpler solution. Find the IR receiver on the air conditioner and put some masking tape over it. Then get off your butt and turn the AC on and off manually. I'd recommend doing the same with your TiVo, but that'd just be silly.

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Sony Ericsson cellphone/remote control combo

by Brad Linder, posted Mar 9th 2007 3:41PM

Sony Ericsson patent
Not content with using your cellphone to schedule recordings on your PVR? That universal remote control in front of your TV doesn't have enough functions for you? Sony Ericsson's got you covered.

Pushing the limits of product convergence to the point where they just don't make any sense, the mobile phone maker has apparently filed for a patent on a device that combines a television remote control and a cellphone. Because god knows I like to take my TV remote to work with me.

I suppose if it's a universal remote, you could program multiple devices into your phone and control the TV at your office with the same device as the one in your living room. But really, has anybody ever asked for a device like this?

[via uberphones]

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The tvCompass remote control has more buttons than your remote

by Brad Linder, posted Feb 9th 2007 12:32PM

TVCompassSure, those new SideShow-enabled remote controls look pretty cool. But what if you don't want to leave your computer on all the time just so you can do nifty things like check out an electronic program guide on your remote control?

The tvCompass remote control includes 802.11b/g, a 2.2-inch QVGA LCD, and a speaker for listening to audio alerts or sound files. You can control multiple devices, and can even receive equipment codes and electronic program guide data over the air. Your data can be backed up to a tvCompass network server.

You can also use the built in WiFi to access games, videos, and web content directly on the remote control.

No info on pricing or availability just yet, but I'd say it'll make the Logitech Harmony remote look cheap.

[via Mobile Magazine]

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Count your remotes

by Adam Finley, posted May 6th 2006 9:22AM

remotesI'd like to think I'm not terribly old, but I do actually remember a time when televisions didn't have remote controls. In fact, my siblings and I were my father's remote control. The advent of the "clicker" changed the way we watch TV, and ultimately, the way television shows and commercials are made and produced. Back in the day, you would pick a channel and more or less stay with that channel for the evening. Now, you can zap through the channels, defying each one to engage you within three seconds or risk being left in the dust. Borrowing (stealing) an idea from Lost Remote, I thought I'd ask TV Squad readers just how many remotes they have in their home. I'll stretch it to include any kind of remote, not just television ones. I myself rock three remotes: one for my crappy little stereo, one for my Tivo (that also changes the channels on my TV), and another one to turn my TV on and control the volume. Why can't the Tivo remote also turn my TV on and control the volume? Well, it's because instead of buying a name brand TV that's compatible with universal remotes, I instead chose to purchase some no-name brand which I believe was put together by Eskimos using discarded pieces from a Zenith set circa 1968. I'm not always as discerning a consumer as I should be.

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