Posted on by Cathy

Three remotes on the counter….

Three remotes on the bench – which one will you choose?

When we left town in July we had a television that might not have been used all that often but was working well, even though at 17yrs it was getting on a bit (compared to modern standards that is)
Returned home and it started to play up…turning itself back on from mute plus the sound kept rising all on its own accord….responding to the remote at times, then defiantly staying at ear splitting level 100.
New batteries were no help – set top controls not working either.
So the decision was made!

There was lots of measuring (limited space where it will live) looking/ comparing/ discussing at home then repeated live in the store. In the end it was ‘that’ll do’ – it fits the space and doesn’t seem too complicated plus there was a bit of price negotiations (“we don’t usually match that place” prove you’re a member etc etc) which ended well and saved us travelling further afield. The enormous box just fitted across the back seat which saved us ‘persuading’ one of our boys to pick it up….

Then it was onto the rigmarole fun and games we’d heard about called ‘setting it up’.
We sort of knew it wasn’t going to be a case of turn it on and away you go but oh dear, this was a new experience (hopefully not to be repeated any day soon) who knew it would be such a palaver trying to connect it to the house wifi.

Anyway this new television came with clunky strange shaped ‘smart tv magic remote’ that does more than the usual on/off softer/louder change channel stuff – remember we’re really latecomers to this game and learning ways to use it….when there are only basic instructions included….has been interesting.
Attempts at trying to direct/guide a cursor by waving this unfamiliar object in the air were frustrating (for both of us) …I had to leave the room a couple of times, my suggestions were not welcomed at all 😊

And this is where the tale of the three remote controls begins…

A while ago some of the buttons on the original remote for the previous set were playing up so The Golfer got himself a universal one, a new ‘better, everything worked one’, I was content with the original (give it a bash tap on the chair and the buttons worked again 😊)
Saved me asking him to change channels or alter the sound although there had been words ‘spoken’ (by me) if he got annoyed tired of watching adverts and started looking around at other programmes forgetting we – not just he – were in the middle of watching something.

‘So I suppose we just toss these’ said a rather unhappy Catherine looking at the two discarded ones.
There were visions of ‘change the channel please – turn it up a bit, I can’t hear it – cut the noise, I can’t hear you’ returning to the lounge room.
Plus having to actually locate the thing if needed. Things have a habit of being covered up or sliding down the side of chairs.
‘Well they’re not going to work, are they’ he said.
‘I’ll just try’ she said, Fingers crossed, hoping hoping
Surprise Surprise…against all odds she was pleasantly surprised to find the old original one does.
So does the universal one, except it just sits ignored beside a certain person’s chair, because he’s happy playing with his new beaut one.

So things have returned to ‘normal’ our lounge room, Catherine still gets to change channels and control the sound if she wants to without having to wrestle verbally (or physically😊) with another (who has a habit of guarding those black things with his life….just joking….but it does seem like that at times)

21 Replies to “Three remotes on the counter….”

  3. “I had to leave the room a couple of times, my suggestions were not welcomed at all 😊”

    This made me laugh so much. Perfectly phrased and very relatable except I’m not always smart enough to leave the room.

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  6. They are challenging. I think the old tv in R’s bedroom has that red dot to point at the screen. We quickly gave up on that.

    You must have noticed a fairly dramatic improvement in the picture quality if your old one was seven years old.

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  7. We have three remotes that we have to use which drive me crazy. I had to have instructions written for me.

    Uh oh… WordPress won’t let me use my Blogspot name to be posted.

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    1. I’m hearing a lot about the problem WordPress is giving bloggers. I did take a backward step wondering who went by that name. Lovely to hear from you 😊

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    1. Let’s just say I was glad The Golfer is still around because I’d have been in the same predicament as you (and many others). But then I’ve often made use of live tv on my iPad so that would be a solution

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  9. i smiled all the way through this tale, but ours is vs versus.. Hubby is the one that i was raising my voice too as he spouted instructions to me as I was trying to figure out the new geeky TV… Persoanlly, i got it done but much prefer the old because now, our universal turns off and on the tv and sound as long as he is watching cable tv. but the smart part requires the tiny one that he can’t use. sometimes he pushes the wrong button and it gets stuck on netflix or prime or one of the stations that came with it… same storey, different people

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  10. Cathy… I had to laugh at myself when I saw your photo of remotes. What happens to me is that I sit on the couch to watch TV and I have both my phone and my remote in my lap. It often happens that I grab my phone and point it at the TV. Doesn’t work, of course, but I laugh. But… I LOVED your “latecomers” term. That made me smile. I’m in that spot with you!

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    1. lol I haven’t picked up my phone instead of a remote but have tried changing channels with a small calculator similar in size. Lovely to hear from you Gram. Hope you and GN are well

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  11. I dread the day I need to replace my TV…it draws closer every day, and such fun I’ll have trying to set it up…NOT!!!! I could always depend on my now late ex to do such jobs…but now I don’t know who I’d turn to, other than to my own ignorant self!!

    Only I have control over the remote/s! 🙂

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  12. My husband spent a long time last evening trying to figure out how to watch our snazzy new tv. He finally gave up, but not before trying to operate it with the air conditioner remote control.

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