VIDEO: First look at TV-B-Gone in action…
by Phillip Torrone 
posted Nov 23rd 2004 at 2:36PM
Here's a video and first-ever "review" of the
TV-B-Gone, the device that turns off pretty much every
TV we've pointed it at. Inside the video are some photos and our narrative of some examples of turning off TVs in a few
public places, as well as sneak peek at our iPod-TV-B-Gone project, which turns any iPod into a TV turner-off'er.
Click here to view WindowsMedia
video.
Click here to view QuickTime
video.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Andrew @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Can I borrow that? I feel a sudden need to program a new button into my OmniRemote Springboard module.
David @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
My biggest TV complaint is the CNN Airport news in airport gate areas. They're usually turned up way too loud, and are incredibly obnoxious. If you have a chance, it would be great to see if it works on those TVs.
Brian @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
So...you could just post the mp3 up here and we could all have this ability? That would be cool.
Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
I ordered one of these after I saw the first article last month. Been using it for a couple of weeks now and I must say it does everything they claim.
I just have 2 complaints about it:
1: The range sucks, Those expecting to covertly shut off TV's from far away will be disappointed to find out that you need to be within about 20ft and have the thing pointed more or less towards the target.
2: The refresh cycle, Once you push this things one button, it cycles through every code it knows and it takes a good 60+ seconds. Pushing the button again will not interrupt the cycle and start from the beginning, you gotta wait the whole 60+ seconds before you can turn the TV off again (or back on assuming your target hasn't gotten up and done it himself already)
Matt @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
I ordered one of these after I saw the first article last month. Been using it for a couple of weeks now and I must say it does everything they claim.
I just have 2 complaints about it:
1: The range sucks, Those expecting to covertly shut off TV's from far away will be disappointed to find out that you need to be within about 20ft and have the thing pointed more or less towards the target.
2: The refresh cycle, Once you push this things one button, it cycles through every code it knows and it takes a good 60+ seconds. Pushing the button again will not interrupt the cycle and start from the beginning, you gotta wait the whole 60+ seconds before you can turn the TV off again (or back on assuming your target hasn't gotten up and done it himself already)
Hooty @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
LOL, who is this company targeting with this product? I remember a mentally challenged man from my city who went around my town sneaking up on people and making laser and machine gun noises. I still remember when I was sitting in the bus one day and I heard a laser gun sound coming from a grown man trying to look inconspicous. I'm sure he now has the TV-B-gone and I can picture myself watching television in some waiting room with TV going off all of the sudden. I look around and it's the same man who was making those crazy noises sitting in the corner trying to look inconspicous with the TV-B-gone in his hand.
1% of our population has mental problems, 1% is a big market considering their are 6 billion people on this planet. Where can I buy some TV-B-gone shares?
roy @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
I am curious about the little infrared receiver and transmitter used to record and play back signals. Where could I get that device?
Gabe @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Oi, don't talk so close to the mic, it's all "breathy". :) Cheers. g
encosion @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Yeah, I second roy's query. The last part certainly piqued my interest. All I could make out was "Griffin Total Remote"? I guess it's some sort of convertor module used in 'training' this "Griffin Total Remote" device? Is there a name for this IR to AUDIO conversion process? As in : I'm not all that keen on purchasing a "Total Remote" just to get my hands on the IR top AUDIO conversion module, where else should I be looking?
Jon @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Behold the power of google:
http://www.griffintechnology.com/griffinmobile/totalremote/index.html
Egypt Urnash @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Um, why does the big image of the video in a Quicktime player link to a WMV?
Adam @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
As a person who works in a place with multiple tv monitors, I can say that the only thing this device will ultimately accomplish is a momentary increase in our consumption of electrical tape to block all the IR sensors, and the need to walk around with a ladder every morning and night to turn the tvs on and off, since it's now impossible to use our own remotes for the task.
Ultimately, it's a lot of hassle for little to no reward. Way to stick it to the man, you guys.
Rick @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Whose whiny little voice is that in the video?
fneggington @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
The first day I had my TV-B-Gone I went to the Dulles Town Center with a friend and had some fun (yes, I am one of the 1% of the population with a mental disability). Not every TV would submit to my whims, but most would.
A few pointers on style:
1. The more annoying the TV, the better. The loud, obnoxious carts in the middle of the mall running a video tape or DVD on a loop selling crap earn the most points.
2. Multiples rock. Walking past Champs and nailing 5 of the big TVs playing the vapid videos at once from the mall concourse was awesome.
3. Walking around the TV department of Sears is like shooting fish in a barrel -- lots of fun on the first couple of rounds, but gets old quick.
4. Security camera monitors are OFF LIMITS. Simply not cool. The video posted on engadget showed someone nuking the security monitor in a store. In our opinion, these serve the common good and are off limits to B-gone-ing.
5. Clerk torture can be amusing. The Redskins store in the mall has this big plasma screen right in the middle of the store next to the counter that you can hit without entering the store itself. The poor guys slacking in the store were trying to watch a basketball game and couldn't figure out why the TV kept barfing.
Wim @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Adam, the next version of the TV-B-Gone will feature a high power modulated IR laser instead of that wimpy LED, to burn through the tape and turn off even the best-masked TV.
I imagine a supervillain flying over cities in an airplane covered with IR emitters, turning peoples' TVs on and off and reprogramming their VCRs. Perhaps IR-remote spamming will eventually kill off IR remotes, forcing us all to get more exercise (or go back to wired remotes).
Immense Load @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Has anyone gotten punched after using one of these yet? Imagine Superbowl Sunday in a huge sports bar and someone whips one of these out. No doubt most of the yokels would be clueless, however -- if they smell a fox in the beaver den... bang!
Michael @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
TV-BG-one should be pretty trivial to duplicate for the PocketPCs & Palms of the world. Most come with IR transmitters, many remote-compatible, some new models are even eqipped with high-powered transmitters specifically for acting as AV remotes.
There's already generic software for remote AV control, I use a package from pdawin.com on my iPaq 3850 but there are a few others too. Cobbling something to transmit just this one mega-block of IR should be pretty easy and make a great little applet before the holidays. Anyone up for a bit of coding?
Oakley @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Hi, I recieved mine here in Australia today and must admit to being very excited to head down to the local mall. I can honestly say I had a ball. There wasn't a TV left in my wake. If you feel realy guilty you can always press the button again and it turns them right back on. I am 32 and shouldn't find this funny but hell I laughed. Money well spent Ha Ha...
Matt Robinson @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
All very fancy, but why show engadget__tvbgone.mov, then link to a WMV? I felt so used when my Mac opened up Windows Media Player! :)
Carlos Arturo @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Can you post the audio file so we can play with it,
Thanks
Tim @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Please post the audio file! Someone? I don't care who.
Squeamish Ossifrage @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Anyone else remember this from a novel? Someone had changed their default voice command from "shutdown" to something else because pranksters used to run through the school library yelling "shutdown! shutdown!" watching all the laptops shutting off.
I'm thinking it was Neal Stephenson in Snow Crash, but I'm not sure. Might have been Bruce Stirling.
ted @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
More useful - a TV B Mute. Because you don't have to look at a TV, but you are forced to hear it.
Dan @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Very cool! Seriously, please share the audio file! It would be even less conspicuous to use an ipod to turn off annoying sets. I'm sure it's probably not exactly legal to copy the output and then give it to people, so put it on kazaa where everything's illegal anyway!
mb @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
so what was the name of the audio program that was used on the mac in the video to record the audio?
Brad B @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
This little device is evil. I was at the theater the other day and decided to turn off their huge plasma screens they have behind the concession stands. I had a blast.
wrybread @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Funny someone mentioning wanting to turn off those TVs blaring CNN at airports. I just flew out to NYC from San Francisco, and was trying to do just that at SFO. Alas, the TVs were controlled from afar and built into a box that covered the IR sensor (if it had an IR sensor at all). I guess they were smart enough to know that you don't want to leave them within the range of universal remotes.
And to the poster talkign about the annoyingly long refresh cycle of the tvbgone: I completely agree, much too long. I've been meaning to build in a kill switch that momentarily shuts off power, which I'm assuming will end the cycle and let me start it over again. As it is now it does its stated purpose very well: it turns off any TV. But as far as wrecking a little havoc with a bunch of TVs, or turning a TV off and on a lot, it doesn't do too well. But a kill switch is easy enough....
And for anyone else who was wondering how to convert sound to IR and back again, here's a link:
http://digitalmedia.oreilly.com/2004/10/28/ipoditunes_hcks.html
And if you do it, please post the MP3. And if you're really feeling energenic, maybe email me it and/or let me know you posted it?
wrybread @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
I just watched your movie.... Did you actually test the ipod with a TV yet? Did it work if so? Is the range comparable, better or worse? Do tell, sounds very interesting.
roy @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
wrybread: Griffin Technology says, "It can also allow you to control infrared devices nearly 100 feet away - up to three times farther than the typical AV remote!"
It seems like this could actually increase the range.
Rocket Punch @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Well, Instead of turing it off. Can someone invent somthing that will Max out the volume of any TV??
I think that is more fun!!
wrybread @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Roy: agreed, saw that too, I just want to hear whether or not it works... It's funny that we see them editing the sound file and setting up the ipod in the video but then no mention of whether or not it works.
roy @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
wrybread: That is true. Although I can't say for sure whether it will increase range I did see a video on another website that did this same trick using the same hardware. The video showed the device in action and the person turned off his TV with his ipod.
What bugs me is that the software is for PocketPC. Is there anyway to get this to work directly to a PC?
wrybread @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Roy: well furthermore, I was thinking the problem with that software on the Pocket PC is that it's designed to capture a single IR signal, and you probably have to send that individual signal multiple times before it declares it learned. That wouldn't work with the TVBGone, since it sends out a barrage of IR signals.
I was thinking the IR to audio module would simple record what comes in, so there might not be a need for any intermediary software. I.e., maybe just record it directly to a sound recording program? I emailed the guy who wrote that article on O'Reilly and he said "sounds like it might work", without giving me any hints based on his actual experience. Hmm.
On the site you found that uses that module, was he using the signal from TVBGone, or was he simply using the single code to turn his TV on and off? Link?
greatlord @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
how if only the redesigned this stuff to make it work on a longer range + ability to change channels and volume, it would been a whole new level of fun.
talk about unwanted rated shows on the local electric shop and getting more customers. both u and the victim benefits..
roy @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
wrybread: The other site (I wish I could remember where it was) used regular remotes. It was just an example of how recording and replaying signals actually works though.
As for recording multiple signals like the ones from TV B-Gone, check out the video on this very page. Near the end of the review he manages to record all the signals. You can tell from the variety of different peaks. So I think it's entirely possible, and now that I look at it again I see that he is doing it directly to a desktop. Now, I only need to get the hardware!
Jonathan Marks @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Got a European version through the post (I guess PAL TV's have different codes) and it works perfectly. Also have the same concerns about range and the inability to interrupt the sequence once it has started. Reminds me of a prank we played as journalists in Berlin at the Audio Video Fair in 1988 when Videowalls were just coming in. A remote control purchased from a corner shop turned us into infra-red terrorists, long before that word had any sinister overtones.
William @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Where can I get the recorded tbe TV-B-Gone codes?
JR @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
I just got mine in the post today. I can't wait to use it becuase I dont like TV very much and it seems to invade every possible corner of society. I just wish I had a device to shut off music that seems to be blared out everywhere.
Billy R. @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
the problem with the tv-b-gone and the total remote is that before each ir code it sends a preamble of 500Hz through the headphone jack to "charge up" the total remote. So you'd need to add this infront of each code, this would probably greatly increase the time you'd have to hold it in front of the tv.
Joe Bella @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Watching this video caused me to instantly go out and buy a Griffin Total Remote. (damn.. I hate when that happens) Anyway... it looks like I had the same experience as a lot of you.. I wasn't able to record my remotes and get the Total Remote work. Instead I wrote a java program that will convert Phillips Pronto IR hex codes (you can get them from http://www.remotecentral.com) into AIFF files that the total remote can use. I've posted the executables, source code, and sample IR Hex files to my site. Later today I'll post the AIFF which is a collection of tv off codes. It may not be as complete as the TV-B-Gone, but it seems to work pretty well and only has a 12 second cycle time. You can get this stuff at http://homepage.mac.com/jbella/
Billy R. @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
dude you are my hero THANK GOD
kkng @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Can somebody get the TV B-Gone 209 codes into wav. or any audio codes by using the Total Remote product.
Tim O'Brien @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Ok guys. I got it. I bought a IR LED and a audio connector, and connected it directly into the LED connectors on the TV-B-Gone itself (this eliminated the need for a IR photo transistor). Then I was able to get the audio file! It is a 588 Kb AAC file and you can ask me by email for it. That email is:
ircodeguy@earthlink.net
Have fun!
Curtis @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Screw this Tv B Gone! For the same price, you can get TWO keychain UNIVERSAL REMOTES for the same price! Check it out:
http://www.smarthome.com/8001.html
And no, I don't work for these people but this Tv B Gone looks bulky and it's a bit more fun to change the channel to, say, the Home Shopping Network and turn the volume all the way up. Now, of course, this won't turn off all the TVs at Best Buy (unless you're patient enough to let it auto-program/turn off all the TVs). But I'd have more fun changing the channels and blaring the TV.
Curtis @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
About that keychain universal remote I mentioned above, it's called a Pogo PRC-200 Remote Control. You can actually find cheaper (non-shady) sites online for the exact same 2 remotes. Can't wait to get this thing.
http://store.knbelectronics.com/prc-200.html
or you can also try
http://www.x10.com/electronics/xmas/santa_letter.html
(scroll down to see the remote. the x10 site costs 67 cents more)
laagmatt @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
If you have the file I can port to my ipod so I can transmit the IR, please email me!
My email is
laagmatt[at]yahoo[dot]com
ali @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Great I got one.
This product is much more useful. Why turning a public tv off, if
you can control it. I have a tv-b-gone to but use this one more often.
Last weekend I enjoyed my time in a local bar, where I had the full
control over their tv.
Instead of watching boring sport I switched to a chick flick.
Immediately I had some college girls around me who checked out the
program on tv.
Guess what.
Ali
tv-b-off.com is cool
John Paul @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Does anyone know if the Griffin Total remote works when using it with an mp3 player?
Micah @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Adbusters is offering TV-B-Gone devices at cost ($5 off retail) in celebration of TV Turnoff Week (April 25 - May 1).
More information:
http://www.adbusters.org/metas/psycho/tvturnoff/
Jason Anderson @ Dec 19th 2005 2:27AM
Can these things turn the TV back on? I could use one of these at work to make the morning and closing routine much easier. I hate having to turn on 25 TV's. It's a PITA.