Sony's new remotes keep it real simple
By Joshua Topolsky 
posted August 17th 2007 1:21PM
posted August 17th 2007 1:21PM
posted August 17th 2007 1:21PM
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Numbers from 1 to... 12?
:?
This is due to the majority of Japanese watch mainly terrestrial broadcasting (which has now gone digital). There are 12 buttons because there are more then 10 "major" Japanese Network channels (including NHK); so its easier to just have buttons for each.
where's number 0?
It looks like the zero is combined with the 10 button.
10 also doubles up as 0.
All this means is you save yourself a fraction of a second by avoiding having to press a third button. To get to channel 124 just press 12 + 4
Oh the genius of it all!
oh goodness. leave it to sony to make you think when using your "simple retro" remote control.
channel 204? no problem! press "2" plus "10" plus "4". after a few beers, i'll do what we did before remote controls.
honey? can you get up and change the channel?
now THAT'S retro.
But remember, it's retro....so maybe they're talking retro only channels too, haha.
I don't understand the 10, 11, and 12 buttons...I guess that's how they do it in Japan.
i can see the waterproof idea (spilled drinks), but the form factor doesn't appear to be very arm-rest friendly
Uh, it's retro... we didn't have newfangled 'handheld' remotes back then, you young whipper-snapper.
A remote used to be a large box the size of an Atari 2600 and have a cord running to the TV. On it were switches and toggle buttons of various sorts.
Uh, it's retro... we didn't have newfangled 'handheld' remotes back then, you young whipper-snapper.
A remote used to be a large box the size of an Atari 2600 and have a cord running to the TV. On it were switches and toggle buttons of various sorts.
I'm in the market for a simple universal remote and this whole lineup looks awesome to me. I hope Sony is good enough to release all of those models in English too.
I recently bought Sony's older EZ2 remote for my grandparents and they love it. It's big, comfortable, easy to use, cheap, and built like a tank. These new models seem to be much the same, only more stylish, which I think is great.
I have a Sony TV remote from 3 years ago and it is lovely, compact but with many buttons, rounded and built out of nice plastic. Now all of Sony's remotes are the size of a house, with buttons as big as those on a computer keyboard, made of cheap plastic, too few buttons, and shaped like a brick.
If you can't handle more tan 10 buttons on a remote then you don't deserve a TV with all those functions.
Stupid fat fingered people ruined remote controls.
So, what exactly would I type on the keypad to go to channel 201?
i guess 2 + 10 + 1
Brilliant.
201=2->0->1
in japan they use a base-12 number system unlike the base-10 system we use in north america.
this developed due to the japanese having 6 fingers per hand. you seriously never noticed this before? jeesh.
and in the simpsons use a abse 8? 0-7
which really exist >.>
cmon ppl! tell me how much is this number (in decimal): 407621
All your base are belong to 107?
What we really need is an remote made entirely of a touch screen where buttons appear in context, depending on your current state. That's the way to offer both power (all the buttons you need) and simplicity (only a few buttons visible at any time).
Exists already, pricey though.
OTA TV in Japan goes from 1 to 12, the way it goes from 2-13 in the US. When I was a tot in Tokyo, I could never figure out what the UHF dial was, cause you never used it.
I still think its weird when I go to smaller metro cities in the US and find network stations on UHF, since they're all VHF here in LA.
The main non-cable channels in Japan go from 1~12, so one can go through all "normal" channels with this type of remote control. The buttons on the top are to choose the cable/digital channels, and those channels are input using 0~9.
I would have been interested in this...before I got my Tivo, which has The Best Remote Ever.
Double fisted remote you give to your kids to keep them from doing complex things like deleting from your recorded shows or filling your drive with spongebob.
if you really look hard you can see the "/0" next to the 10. There's your answer.
I meant 104.
Is this just for the TV. Where is the play/pause buttons, etc.
I like how there is a "BS" button above the 2.
I'm guessing that's a shortcut to MTV.
I get the joke, but to be serious, BS stands for "Broadcast Satellite". Whoever came up with that wasn't thinking straight, obviously. CS stands for "Communication Satellite" which, I think, is a system where the satellite is in a central office and everyone gets feeds from it- their version of cable TV.
I'm guessing this is for old people then, right?
Waterproof because they try to wash them in their confusion.
I wonder if it makes loud sounds when you operate it as feedback.
this remote looks very cool. i dunno if i'll be using it tho, i haven't had a sony device in a long while.
They have a very JVC 1988 look to them.
But what if you want channel 210. Do you have to hold the buttons longer to get 0, in which case it doesn't save any time at all.